Robert Novak: GOP Appears Doomed in 2008 To Lose More Seats & the Presidency

Dems Will Win

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Wed Jan-17-07 04:14 PM
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Robert Novak: GOP Appears Doomed in 2008 To Lose More Seats & the Presidency

Edited on Wed Jan-17-07 04:24 PM by Dems Will Win

The gloom pervading the Republican Party cannot be exaggerated. The long-range GOP outlook for 2008 is grim. The consensus is that U.S. troops must be off the ground of Iraq by next year to prevent an electoral catastrophe in the next election <...>

Iraq, one of Bush's top political advisers now notes, is a black hole for the Republican Party. A nationally prominent Republican pollster reported confidentially on Capitol Hill after the President's speech that if U.S. boots are still on the ground in Iraq and U.S. blood is still being spilled there at the end of the year, the GOP disaster in 2008 will eclipse 2006.

Charly Cook concurs with Novakula:

The GOP's Troubled Brand
By Charlie Cook
� National Journal
This column was originally featured in National Journal on January 13, 2007

Republican campaign consultants have been publicly expressing a great deal of concern that the "GOP brand" has been damaged, or at least tarnished. For top strategists to be so candid about their party's problems is fairly unusual, and it reflects just how urgent they consider the party's need to redefine itself as it prepares for the 2008 campaign.

...

Fabrizio argues, "When President Bush was very popular back in 2002 and 2003, and his popularity was derived primarily from the response to 9/11 and the war on terrorism, his personal strength and his policies became the key definition points for the GOP. So America saw a tough, resolute leader determined to keep us safe heading up a party that completely embraced his goals as a cornerstone."

But Fabrizio continues, "By 2006, the president's image had eroded severely. What was once a very popular war in Iraq (a defining policy) had turned unpopular, and key interest groups -- conservative Christians, to name just one -- flexed their muscle on issues like Terri Schiavo and gay marriage. Most folks knew the GOP controlled Congress, and they saw them going along with the president on Iraq, or going along with the conservative Christians on Schiavo. The average person was paying more at the pump, was worried about their health care costs, and these folks up in Washington aren't doing anything to turn Iraq around, lower gas prices, or make my life better."

Under the circumstances, Fabrizio concludes, it's "not tough to see how the president, our interest groups, and policies -- or lack thereof -- put the party and the image of the party where it is today. Unfortunately, the GOP's image will remain pretty much the same unless or until the following happens: President Bush's image and/or job-approval bounce back dramatically, the Democrat-controlled Congress gives the GOP an opening to redefine by fighting/blocking unpopular Democratic proposals, or there is a clear 2008 GOP quasi-nominee."

A third perspective comes from yet another highly regarded GOP pollster, Jan van Lohuizen, who contends that the Republican Party's image or brand has suffered the most among voters who were attracted to the party because of its emphasis on fiscal conservatism. "This is where the most serious damage has been done," van Lohuizen says. "On all party measures relating to this, we now trail. Democrats are better on handling taxes, controlling spending, and balancing the budget."

http://www.cookpolitical.com/column/2007/011307.php

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ONCE SUPPORT FOR THE WAR GOES, SMIRK CAN BE IMPEACHED, AS NIXON WAS DURING THE FAILED VIETNAM WAR...

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