Setting bad precedents

[al j]

Can you believe these people? If they only spent half as much money focusing on and researching real issues as they do on character assassination...


GOP to Set Up Boston 'War Room'

Tue Jul 20,10:58 PM ET

By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Vowing to answer "every misstatement" Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) and his allies make at next week's Democratic National Convention in Boston, Republicans will set up a "war room" nearby and launch a new Web site devoted to debunking Democrats.


"We're going to set the record straight as Democrats try to sell a story to the American people that's completely disconnected from the reality," said Steve Schmidt, a spokesman for President Bush (news - web sites)'s re-election campaign.


The rapid response operation is a joint effort by the Bush campaign and the Republican National Committee (news - web sites), and will be in full swing next week as Bush takes a break from campaigning and pulls his TV ads during the convention.


It will include a daily 10 a.m. conference call with reporters hosted by RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie and GOP notables. They include: Colorado Gov. Bill Owens, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, Sens. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Norm Coleman of Minnesota, Rep. Henry Bonilla of Texas, former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld, Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, Mayor Pat McCrory of Charlotte, N.C., and Michael Williams, head of the Texas Railroad Commission.


The war room also will coordinate radio and TV interviews with those GOP surrogates, as well as those for beaming via satellite into targeted markets in battleground states. Republicans at the state level also will hold their own conference calls.


Chad Clanton, a Kerry campaign spokesman, accused Republicans of being "out of credibility and out of touch."


"You can't believe anything this crowd says anymore," Clanton said. "They'd rather attack and smear than roll up their sleeves and offer solutions to the serious problems the American people are facing."


Republican officials expect the Democratic ticket — Kerry and running mate John Edwards (news - web sites) — to receive a bounce in polls of about 15 percentage points after the convention. Their goal is to try to cut into that likely post-convention advantage by ensuring that media coverage of the Democratic convention includes the GOP's views.


"We understand we're swimming upstream here," said RNC spokesman Jim Dyke, adding that Republicans see an opportunity to contrast what it considers to be the facts with the rhetoric from the convention. "If we make sure they are introduced to the real John Kerry, we think we can limit that bounce."


Dyke contends Democrats are putting on "a cosmetic convention" to "make over" Kerry and Edwards, who Dyke described as "the first and fourth most liberal senators." In that vein, the Republican Web site is called DemsExtremeMakeover.com.


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[al j]

And calling it a "war room"? If that's not the press' terminology it just further demonstrates that modern politics is out of touch with reality.

[Monte Smith]

"War room" is, of course, a neologism of James Carville and Bill Clinton from the 1992 campaign. And if you think this is a "precedent," you're out of your mind, Christmas. I mean, I can take you back to the Roman Senate....

Originally Posted by Joe Christmas

Dyke contends Democrats are putting on "a cosmetic convention" to "make over" Kerry and Edwards, who Dyke described as "the first and fourth most liberal senators."

Christ, it's the Dykes of this world who ruin it for everyone.

What?

What'd I say?

[Dr Dave]

What, did you say something, Monte?

Carville's motto in the first Clinton campaign was "It's the Economy, Stupid." The Bush campaign's motto is "It's Shoveling Dirt, Stupid."

[bluenoter]

Joe--

Monte's correct--"war room" isn't an invention of the press, and war rooms are longtime staples of election campaigns. I was going to tell you the same thing--only more nicely, of course.

Also, the Republicans' estimate of a 15-point bounce for Kerry in the polls after the Democratic convention is pure, calculated BS. They know damn well that the bounce won't be anywhere near that high; they just want to claim credit for limiting it--or say "See? Kerry's in trouble!"--when it turns out to be much lower. That's hardly even my opinion; it's common knowledge.

[Gordon B]

I don't want anybody to mis-construe Monte's comments.

His post referred to the hapless Jimmy Dykes, who managed for 22 seasons without ever coming in first place.

[Pete C]

Originally Posted by bluenoter

Also, the Republicans' estimate of a 15-point bounce for Kerry in the polls after the Democratic convention is pure, calculated BS.

If Kerry wants more bounce he needs Curtis Counce on his team.

[Tanager]

Originally Posted by Pete C

If Kerry wants more bounce he needs Curtis Counce on his team.

You would have gotten more bounce...much more bounce...to the ounce...with Roger Troutman.

[Gary Sisco]

The whole bunch of them are disconnected from reality, already.

[al j]

Originally Posted by bluenoter

Monte's correct--"war room" isn't an invention of the press, and war rooms are longtime staples of election campaigns. I was going to tell you the same thing--only more nicely, of course.

Well color me green, then. I think I was happier without this knowledge. For clarity, we HAVE to vote for somebody, right?

[Gary Sisco]

Wrong.

In many Latin American countries, you have to vote. It's a criminal offense not to.

Here we can choose. And choosing not to is a choice as valid as any other if the proffered selection is unacceptable to the citizen.

I'd personally do away with the electoral college and add another feature, which would be that any time an election doesn't result in a clear majority victory, it would have to be held again -- with different candidates.

And parties would have to use their own money -- not the people's -- raised through dues from an actual, cardcarrying membership. You'd see a lot less of this sort of hugely expensive, not to say absurd, business, if so.

[al j]

I'd entertain everything in that post but the "different candidates" part. Chaos should be fed one bite at a time.

I'm aware that political parties play this game, but "war rooms"? Still can't get over that.