Republican Strategists See Doom In Muddled Presidential Race

[babylonsister]

Republican Strategists See Doom In Muddled Presidential Race
Sam Stein
December 11, 2007 03:22 PM


The Republican presidential candidates may be waxing optimistically about their chances of winning the White House, but recent polls showing a muddled GOP field has some party insiders increasingly nervous.

On Tuesday, the New York Times and CBS News released a national survey that had none of the Republican presidential hopefuls receiving more than 23 percent support. The top three - Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani, and Mitt Romney - all were within six percentage points of each other, with Giuliani leading at 22 percent.

The results, even Republican strategists admit, reflect a dire political situation: only weeks before the Iowa caucus, the party is extremely vulnerable, and despite nearly a year of campaigning, it remains without a true leader.

"The party is in uncharted waters right now and the GOP had never been so rudderless," Craig Shirley, a Republican consultant, told the Huffington Post. "You combine this with the financial condition of the GOP and the stench of corruption and you'd have to go back to the fall of 1974 to find the GOP as bad off as it is today."

The lack of a consensus conservative candidate has, indeed, led to a historically unpredictable GOP race. In recent weeks, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has ascended rapidly in the polls, from single digits to the lead in Iowa and a virtual tie in national surveys.

Meanwhile, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani has seen his support drop seven points in the last two months in the New York Times/CBS poll. Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, once thought to be the party's savior, has fallen flat. Sen. John McCain, R-AZ, has yet to recover from early campaign mismanagement. While former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has seen his leads in Iowa and New Hampshire all but disappear.

more...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/12/11/republican-strategists-se_n_76304.html

[Arugula Latte]

1. But ... But ... What about the Permanent Majority?

:cry: :cry: :cry:







:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[TwilightGardener]

2. They're fucked. Once we pick our candidate, we just move in for the kill--

it will be like clubbing a baby seal. Not to get overconfident, of course...:-)

[AndyTiedye]

4. Not So Fast! They Still Have the Mighty Slime Machine and Diebold

We are going to need a landslide to win. Close elections get stolen.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

5. BINGO FOR YOU, REMEMBER THEY CREATED BUSH

[cali]

6. No we won't.

Wasn't very effective last year. Will be less effective next year.

They really are fucked.

[CrispyQ]

7. What's up with that California measure to split electoral votes?

The most current story I could find was Dec 1.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/12/01/eveningnews/main3562455.shtml

snip...

While California, like most states, is winner take all, a proposed initiative would slice the state's electoral votes up by district.

Republican Dave Gillard and his team are collecting the 500,000 signatures to put the initiative on a California ballot.

If the rules change, it could give the Republican candidate 20 more votes in 2008 -- as many as the entire state of Ohio.

[Arugula Latte]

8. It's dead in the water... again.

They couldn't get the sigs. ... What a shame! :D

[Hydra]

3. Dur!

All of their candidates are lackluster, even by their standards. On top of that, the fundie morons are throwing a fit that they don't have an anti-choice candidate.

I may not LIKE our top tiers, but all of them are more electable than anyone they have.

[Renew Deal]

9. The republicans need to control everything.

There's two things they should keep in mind.

1. It's unlikely you'll win in 2008.
2. Let this play out and see where you end up. You'll be stronger in 2012 if you do.