|
|
|
Open a Hailing Frequency, Uhura
Monday, March 12, 2001
- As you read right here in Mullings the other day there is, and there will be, no organized message coming out of the Democrats in opposition to President Bush's tax plan.
- And the reason there is no organized message coming out of the Dems is there is no organizational messenger worth listening to.
- Jake Tapper's recent Salon.com piece ("Where's the other team?") listed talking points on the House tax cut vote issued by: The Democratic Leadership Council, The Progressive Caucus, The Congressional Black Caucus, The Blue Dogs, The House Centrist Coalition, and The Democratic National Committee. All of which contained different, and often competing, messages.
- Where's House Minority Leader Dick Gephart? From Tapper's piece:
"� many members of [Gephardt's] caucus have the same complaints as they [did] about Gore, according to several members of Congress interviewed for this story. He polls and focus-groups every issue to death, they complain. He's a hollow politician who can't inspire his way out of a paper bag. And what makes Bush's first legislative victory that much more painful is the fact that the bill is controversial enough that its clear swing through the House could have been far more difficult."
- For the better part of eight years, we were told that the best thing that ever happened to Bill Clinton was - the Congressional Republicans. This worm may have turned.
- Look at the photos from Sioux Falls, SD with Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle fawning over George W. - Fawning? He made Bambi look like Gozilla. He made Sammy Davis, Jr. hugging Richard Nixon look like a polite handshake. He made Monica � [No. No. No. Delete this, MDS&P].
- Ok, well, you get the idea. Daschle is from South Dakota (a state which Bush won 60 percent to 38 percent) and Daschle's Democratic colleague, Tim Johnson is up for re-election in 2002.
- In a front page article in the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader yesterday, reporter David Kranz wrote:
"South Dakotans who speak through letters to the editor, calls to radio talk shows and e-mails appear to be sending a clear message to Daschle and Johnson: Get in line with the president or else."
- Tax Relief One then zoomed into New Orleans (Bush won Louisiana 53-45). Laura Maggi, in the Times-Picayune, correctly wrote, "Bush's strategy is to target potentially vulnerable Democrats like [Senator Mary] Landrieu, who won her seat by a razor-thin margin in 1996 and is up for re-election next year."
- Dragging down any Democratic attempt to organize a message is, of course, the Continuing Saga of the Clinton Departure which, this week, stars brother Roger (Half-Brother; HALF-Brother. We just recently found out they were even related.) Clinton and his naked attempts to squeeze some Arkansas crooks for twenty grand to secure a pardon from the brother - HALF-brother - just before the deadline.
- The pardon story and the other messiness surrounding the Clintons and Rodhams has had an enormous, negative, impact on any attempts to organize a national strategy.
- Democratic Members of Congress and Senators can assure each other in their respective cloakrooms that no one back home is asking them about the Clinton Story, but it is there: Sitting like a black hole in the middle of the Democratic universe, sucking energy away from anything and everything else they want to do; preventing the Democrats from breaking free of its suffocating gravity.
- More power, Mr. Scott. I � need � more � power!
- Line 'O The Day from Meet the Press. Tim Russert quizzed Senators Evan Bayh (D-IN) and John Edwards (D-NC) about their plans to run for President in 2004. He then asked Sen. Phil Gramm (R-TX) if he were "endorsing a Bayh-Edwards or Edwards-Bayh ticket. Gramm: "The Country could do worse � the Democrats could do worse. And probably will."
- MSNBC aired a special follow-up with some of the "new economy's" brightest stars - last year. According to SmartMoney, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Jerry Yang of Yahoo and Jay Walker of Priceline had companies with a combined share price of $339.44 a year ago. The combined price going into this morning's trading? $31.66.
- Mullings.com held its quarterly meeting during the NCAA selection show. If Mullings will be more profitable in 2001 than Yahoo, Amazon and Priceline - combined, why don't I have a car and driver, a private plane, an executive assistant, or even an office? Oh, maybe that's WHY it's profitable.
-- END --
Copyright © 2001 Richard A. Galen
Current Issue |
Secret Decoder
Ring | Past
Issues | Email
Rich | Rich
Who?
Copyright �1999 Richard
A. Galen | Site design by Campaign
Solutions. | |
|
� 
