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Fred Barnes: it’s about turnout
Fred Barnes writes in the Weekly Standard about Karl Rove’s most important
job after the White House reorganization. The following demonstrates what
Rove's new job of making sure Republicans do not have the disastrous
mid-term elections everyone is predicting. The key to that, of course, is
turnout. The following statement by Barnes states well the situation:
More recently, the turnout factor has been the single greatest influence on
midterm elections. In 1990, 27.4 million Americans voted for Republican
House candidates, and the party lost 8 seats. In 1994, however, the
Republican turnout jumped to 36.3 million, and the party captured 52 House
seats. It dipped in 1998 to 32 million, prompting a loss of 5 seats. But in
2002 it soared to 37 million, and Republicans won 8 House seats.
Democrat strategy
Dan Balz of the Washington Post writes about the Democrat National
Committee’s meeting in New Orleans and suggests they believe that "had
enough" may not be enough:
"In 2006, the veil of competency that they pretended to have, the illusion
of security they ran on, is no longer there," said Robert Zimmerman,
Democratic national committeeman from New York. "This is an election where
the message is 'stand and deliver,' and they've not been able to stand and
deliver."
But as powerful as that sentiment for change may be across the country, many
Democrats see it as only one component of a winning campaign strategy. In
their estimation, the message "Had enough?" is not enough to guarantee the
kind of success in November that they believe is possible.
Confession & denial
Newsweek reports that confessed traitor Mary O. McCarthy now says that
she didn’t do it:
April 24, 2006 - A former CIA officer who was sacked last week after
allegedly confessing to leaking secrets has denied she was the source of a
controversial Washington Post story about alleged CIA secret detention
operations in Eastern Europe, a friend of the operative told NEWSWEEK.
Nussle's 'IOWA' mandate
The
Des Moines Register reports that Iowa's Rep. Jim Nussle is introducing
the "Independence from Oil With Agriculture Act,' (IOWA) which calls for a
substantial increase in the mandate of renewable fuels in all gasoline in
the U.S.:
He said in an interview that the current federal mandate for 7.5 billion
gallons of renewable fuel to be included in all gasoline in the United
States by 2012 appears certain to be met, possibly within the next year. He
would like to see that mandate increased to 12 billion by 2012, he said.
In addition, Nussle would provide a permanent tax credit for installation of
E85 tanks. Most drivers in Iowa use a blend containing 10 percent ethanol,
which is made from corn, and 90 percent gasoline. E85 is a blend of 85
percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.
Vilsack returns
Governor Tom Vilsack (D-IA) is returning from California this morning.
Vilsack has been traveling a great deal in hopes of improving his
presidential aspirations. A consequence of his travels is the fact that very
little progress has been achieved in creating a state budget with the 25-25
Republican split in the Iowa Senate and Republican controlled Iowa House of
Representatives.
Vilsack’s lack of attention to the Iowa Legislature has caused for little
agreement and the potential for charges of incompetence. Republican
political commentator Doug Gross charged on a local T.V. program that
Vilsack’s style of not delegating details to staff has prevented any
progress from occurring during his frequent absences.
Frist's Iowa endeavors
Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) left Iowa yesterday after making news on three
fronts.
Frist was in Iowa to speak to a health care program and promoted the need
for medical tort reform. The Iowa Trial Lawyers Association countered with a
message that basically said that Frist was cruel and heartless for not
allowing for as large a settlement as possible for those who have been
unjustly injured.
The second front was being bushwhacked on the AIDS issue. Frist replied that
he co-sponsored the bill that established greater federal funding for AIDS
treatment programs. He also pledged the bill would be re-authorized this
year. "As a physician and one who has personally taken care of many, many
patients with HIV/AIDS, who has helped diagnose it (and) treat the
complications, I am a strong advocate," Frist says.
The third front was Frist's comments that shortages of ethanol were
contributing to high gas prices.
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