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DarkSteven -> RE: Sen. Arlen Specter Switches Parties - Becomes Democrat (5/4/2009 5:57:54 AM)
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Mark, actually, in 2002, Bush's administration engaged in unprecedented politicking to expand the GOP presence in Congress and the Senate, and it worked, even ousting Daschle.
Firm, Rove had set the standard of how a campaign should be run before Obama's organization blew it out of the water. Surprisingly, Rove took a back seat in 2008. I see no reason why the Obama organization would not train Dems in how to run a campaign, especially regarding mobilizing and registering your base, fundraising, and social media. I think that Rove would rather be known as the genius who got Bush elected and reelected than have to go up against the Dems' new muscle and likely finish second best, plus I think he enjoys his senior statesman status. In other words, I don't expect him to lend a hand in 2010, and without him, the GOP organization will be weak.
The GOP has several very real issues:
1. Obama's policies are diffcult to attack if they are perceived as his best efforts to fix a Bush-created mess. That rules out Iraq, Afghanistan, and the economy.
2. The GOP must be very careful about using any lines that sound like Bush. That rules out tax cuts, accusations of being soft on terror, etc.
3. The GOP needs to develop a coherent platform instead of simply let individual personalities rise to the top and try to adopt what they want. Meghan McCain is trying to appeal to moderates. Limbaugh is trying to preserve the idoelogical purity of the right wing branch. Some are advocating fiscal discipline. Some are pushing social issues.
Obama was able to win with a vague but positive message and the public's disgust with Bush. The GOP will need to do better than that unless Obama stumbles very badly.
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