texas gop getting nervous

Via Malkin, Good, they should be, the question is, do they recognize what is causing the problem?  What do you think?

"A lot of them, and rightly so in many cases, are mad. They're concerned," said Roger Williams, chairman of the Texas GOP's voter turnout efforts this year. "What we've got to do is alleviate those concerns and get them to vote."

Sounds to me like "bullshit 'em long enough to squeeze one more vote out of 'em."  I don't hear, "The GOP leadership needs to wake up and give the base some proof that they're not the worthless, corrupt sellout lumps that most of the base (rightly) thinks they are." So, I'd say that they don't get it.  Moar,

Republican pollster Mike Baselice said half the Republican voters in Texas say the state and nation are on the "wrong track." He calls them "grumpy Republicans" who cannot be counted on to turn out to vote against presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

"I'm concerned about the wrong-track Republicans opting not to vote," Baselice said.

You ought to be concerned about why they're considering staying home or only voting downticket in the first place, Mike.  Even moar,

Former Republican Chairman Tom Pauken said politicians and party leaders need to reassure the Republican grass-roots workers that their efforts matter for conservative causes.

"The grass roots has withered up and died," Pauken said.

Oh no, the grassroots haven't withered up and died, they've walked off the battlefield.  And they'll be ready to get back in the fray when the GOP shows it has any interest in fighting for conservative principles.  The article notes that a lot of the base is absolutely disgusted that McCain is our nominee, and activists lay it out there, says Cathie Adams, president of the Texas Eagle Forum,

"Everyone I know is unhappy with the prospects of Obama," Adams said. "But they'll stay home rather than just go out and vote against someone."

And any talking head, pollster or strategist can tell you that candidates rarely, if ever win because you're voting against the other one. Adams also says McCain didn't help himself by sending Romney to speak for him at the Texas Convention. 

I'm not totally closed to the idea of supporting McCain, but I can tell you that at this stage, I can't even come close to supporting him unless he makes some efforts to mend some fences.  Certainly some people aren't going to be convinced by anything McCain offers, but the disgust among the base is going to continue to be a problem, and where it is going to be crippling is in organization.  Unless the Congress makes some bold moves toward actually accomplishing something, not just some token thing like the obnoxious, shameless and repulsive Marriage Amendment pander they tried to woo evangelicals in 2006, they're gonna see some massive losses. 

McCain might be saved by his opponent, that McCain is the nominee is depressing, that the other side managed to find someone even worse is horrifying.  Fortunately for McCain, the Democrats chose the only candidate might be repellent enough and that he might be politically skilled enough to defeat this fall.  But if Obama can hold his own, the GOP's gutted machinery might put Obama over the top.  In other years, the GOP could get away with asking people to eat the turd sandwich, but their past sins have all but made that an impossibility. 

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 03:17 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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