K
Kickin' Ass and Takin' Names
Guest
The NY Times today covers the ineffectiveness of a group run by former
WH officials designed to bolster conservative causes and back
President Bush. The press is so enamored of supposedly independent
conservative extensions of the WH (without understanding that
astroturf isn't grassroots) that they expected for example, Fred
Thompson (remember him?) to have a huge internet presence, and that
Bush's popularity would take more than a broder bounce to oblivion.
Bush Job Approval at 28%, Lowest of His Administration
Only Nixon and Truman have had lower job approval ratings
The problems of Freedom's Watch are the problems of the Republican
Party. How this story should have been written:
The conservative group Freedom's Watch [Republican Party], headlined
by two former senior White House officials, had been expected to be a
deep-pocketed juggernaut in this year's presidential election,
heralded by supporters on the right as an aggressive counterweight to
MoveOn.org, George Soros and the like...
But after a splashy debut last summer, in which it spent $15 million
in a nationwide advertising blitz supporting President Bush's troop
escalation in Iraq, the group [GOP] has been mostly quiet, beset by
internal problems that have paralyzed it and raised questions about
what kind of role, if any, it will actually play this fall...
Behind the scenes, however, Freedom's Watch [the GOP] has been plagued
by gridlock and infighting, leaving it struggling for direction,
according to several Republican operatives familiar with the
organization who were granted anonymity so they could be candid about
the group's problems.
This group is as independent of Bush as McCain and the rest of the GOP
are... which is to say, not at all:
Q: "What about grants for sex education in the United States? Should
they include instructions about using contraceptives? Or should it be
Bush's policy, which is just abstinence?"
Mr. McCain: (Long pause) "Ahhh. I think I support the president's
policy."
Can you say albatross?
In any case, don't forget Freedom's Watch can still do slime damage
under the radar. It's more likely to go for negative impact, since
there's so little positive for Republicans to run on. In so many ways,
Freedom's Watch is a metaphor of the modern GOP.
WH officials designed to bolster conservative causes and back
President Bush. The press is so enamored of supposedly independent
conservative extensions of the WH (without understanding that
astroturf isn't grassroots) that they expected for example, Fred
Thompson (remember him?) to have a huge internet presence, and that
Bush's popularity would take more than a broder bounce to oblivion.
Bush Job Approval at 28%, Lowest of His Administration
Only Nixon and Truman have had lower job approval ratings
The problems of Freedom's Watch are the problems of the Republican
Party. How this story should have been written:
The conservative group Freedom's Watch [Republican Party], headlined
by two former senior White House officials, had been expected to be a
deep-pocketed juggernaut in this year's presidential election,
heralded by supporters on the right as an aggressive counterweight to
MoveOn.org, George Soros and the like...
But after a splashy debut last summer, in which it spent $15 million
in a nationwide advertising blitz supporting President Bush's troop
escalation in Iraq, the group [GOP] has been mostly quiet, beset by
internal problems that have paralyzed it and raised questions about
what kind of role, if any, it will actually play this fall...
Behind the scenes, however, Freedom's Watch [the GOP] has been plagued
by gridlock and infighting, leaving it struggling for direction,
according to several Republican operatives familiar with the
organization who were granted anonymity so they could be candid about
the group's problems.
This group is as independent of Bush as McCain and the rest of the GOP
are... which is to say, not at all:
Q: "What about grants for sex education in the United States? Should
they include instructions about using contraceptives? Or should it be
Bush's policy, which is just abstinence?"
Mr. McCain: (Long pause) "Ahhh. I think I support the president's
policy."
Can you say albatross?
In any case, don't forget Freedom's Watch can still do slime damage
under the radar. It's more likely to go for negative impact, since
there's so little positive for Republicans to run on. In so many ways,
Freedom's Watch is a metaphor of the modern GOP.
