Novak: Republicans losing faith in Bush

[flowomo]

This is a pretty amazing column from Novak. He details a number of Bush failings that have angered or disappointed Republican congressmen. It includes this passage:

"The disaffection is such that over the last two weeks, normally loyal Republicans -- actually including more than a few members of Congress -- are privately talking about political merits in the election of Sen. Kerry. Their reasoning goes like this: There is no way Democrats can win the House or Senate even if Bush loses. If Bush is re-elected, Democrats are likely to win both the House and Senate in a 2006 midterm rebound. If Kerry wins, Republicans will be able to bounce back with congressional gains in 2006."

and

"But incipient heresy also reflects shortcomings of the Bush political operation. Its emphasis has been on fund-raising and organization, with deficiencies in communicating and leadership. The president is in political trouble, and his disaffected supporters who should be backing him aggressively provide the evidence."

full text: http://www.townhall.com/columnists/robertnovak/rn20040304.shtml

[SeattleDem]

1. another great paragraph

"To voice such heretical thoughts suggests that Republicans on Capitol Hill are more interested in maintaining the fruits of majority status first won in 1994 rather than in governing the country. A few thoughtful GOP lawmakers ponder the record of the first time in 40 years that the party has controlled both the executive and legislative branches, and conclude that record is deeply disappointing."

very interesting stuff

[flowomo]

2. Was my third choice...

to quote, but I didn't want the post to be too long. Of course, it's true!

[Zeke]

3. X-File...

Trust no one.

Don't trust Novak either.

I think it's all part of a plan to make Repugs look more moderate.

Come on, Novak and Repugs not supporting Bush? Since when?

[flowomo]

4. Think about it....

The passages from this column, such as the ones cited above, can be used by Democrats to both rally the troops and to dislodge wavering independents and Republicans. Novak understands this. You never hand a club to your opponents that they can use to beat you over the head with. His motives or beliefs are secondary in a sense -- the words alone are deeply damaging. You will see pro-Kerry forces lifting passages from this column for a long time to come -- and that's good.

[CarlWoodward]

5. hmmm

I certainly hope it's true.

But there has also been a scramble on the right to lower expectations about Bush's numbers and performance throughout the spring and summer. They want to portray him as an underdog, so that the media is more likely to give him a pass and will paint any small bump as a "big victory" and "surprise comeback" and re-energize the Repub base before the election. It worked quite well before the debates in 2000 - Gore eviscerated Bush in the first matchup, but the media painted it as a Bush win because he hadn't screwed up too bad and "seemed nice." That threw Gore off his game terribly, and he stumbled and smiled and looked like an idiot in the next debates, even though the guy is a world-class debater.

That's why I'm taking any right-wing criticism of Bush right now - before most of the country is tuned in - as part of the expectations game.

[Skittles]

6. AWWWWWWWWWWW, ya THINK, Novak ????????

:nopity: