What do you do to get voters to the polls? If you’re the ruling party do you point to your record? To how you handled the nation’s finances, security, border security, or your perception of your foreign policy accomplishments?
You’d think so, but this year the GOP’s slogan to other GOPers apparently is “Vote For Us — Because Otherwise We Could Lose.”
It’s apparently the pitch being made to Republicans in Congress by party bigwigs and to party partisans by the party.
First, there’s this item by Bob Novak which indicates how Republican National Chairman Kenneth Mehlman is inspiring the Republican Congressional troops:
Republican National Chairman Kenneth Mehlman went to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to warn the party’s House and Senate campaign staffers of dire consequences unless Republicans break the current legislative deadlock.
Mehlman emphasized the necessity to pass a budget resolution and an immigration reform bill, two issues that seriously concern the Republican base.
Word circulated around Capitol Hill that Mehlman warned that 45 seats could be lost in the House on Nov. 7.
He told me that he did not mention that figure and, in fact, thinks Republicans would retain control of the House if elections were held today.
So…then: why is it that word is circulating that Mehlman warned of a possible Republican debacle on Nov. 7? Is he lying or are the people spreading the word lying? Before you decide, ponder this paragraph from Novak:
High-level party sources close to Mehlman estimate the GOP loss could be 25 seats under a worst-case scenario. A 15-seat gain would gve the Democrats House control.
So it does sound as if Mehlman has been sounding the alarm that GOPers in Congress better do the White House’s bidding — and fast — if they want to hold onto their seats.
Meanwhile,a variation of this message is what Karl Rove & Co. are planning to use to whip the party’s base in line, The Washington Post reports:
The prospect of the administration spending its last two years being grilled by angry Democrats under the heat of partisan spotlights has added urgency to the efforts by Karl Rove and Mr. Bush’s political team to hang on to the Republican majorities in Congress.
Newly shorn of the daily policymaking duties he took on after the 2004 campaign and now refocused on his role as Mr. Bush’s chief strategist, Mr. Rove is facing an increasingly difficult climate for Republicans, and an increasingly assertive Democratic Party.
The ambitious second-term agenda he helped develop has faltered even with a Republican Congress. His once-grand plans for creating a broadened and permanent Republican majority have given way to a goal of clinging to control of the House and Senate.
The prospect of Democrats capturing either, however, may be one of the best weapons Mr. Rove has as he turns to what he has traditionally done best: motivating his party’s conservative base to turn out on Election Day….
The motivation seemingly involves two increasingly strong motivators of 21st Century American politics: the “sports team’ mentality that no matter what you can’t let the other “team” win (even if you conclude you like it better in a lot of ways) because it isn’t YOUR team — and the persistence use of demonization of the other side to get people out and vote. Demonization makes it so much easier to run a campaign: you don’t have to explain what you’ve done or what you will do, just go on the offensive. And Democrats take note: Karl Rove does that exceedingly well.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.