GOP CANDIDATES ATTRACTING HILLARY SUPPORTERS

Media, candidates, and others: Please feel free to post, reprint, forward, or discuss this piece. Please make mention of the fact that this article originally appeared on: http://pennsylvaniaforjohnmccain.blogspot.com. If you have a blog or web site, please establish a link. Thanks. "We must all hang together, or most assuredly, we will all hang separately." (B. Franklin)

Tomorrow I'm going to write about the following piece from Politico.com: GOP Leaders Warn of Election Disasterpolitico.com — Shellshocked House Republicans got warnings from leaders past and present Tuesday: Your party’s message isn’t good enough to prevent disaster in November, and neither is the NRCC’s [National Republican Congressional Committee's] money. The Republican brand has been so badly damaged that if Republicans try to run an anti-Obama or anti-Rev. Wright campaign, they are simply going to fail. More… (US Elections 2008)

The article's message is either poppycock or balderdash. I haven't figured out which. A candidate's "brand" is not the Party. Rather, it is the candidate herself or himself. Also, if those supposed Republican "leaders" had done a better job leading, well, things would be better.

There's much hand-wringing lately over the loss of Republican candidate Woody Jenkins in a supposedly "safe" election in Louisiana. As Karl Rove put it Tuesday night, "Look, Woody Jenkins [who's lost more elections than Britney Spears has mispaced underwear] is a fine man, but he's terrible candidate." I support only exceptional candidates.

As for Woody's loss, the best way to get candidates for congressional races is NOT to "round up all the usual suspects." Instead, get people who have great integrity and a real passion for the voters of their district. They usually win. More to come on Wednesday.


On my Pennsylvania-specific blog, I have posted a strategy for Keystone State congressional candidates. Since it has national implications, I'm re-posting it here on this national blog. ON THIS BLOG THE EMPHASIS WILL NOT BE ON PROVIDING TIDBITS OF INFORMATION, BUT RATHER ON STRATEGY AND TACTICS FOR WINNING.


"[There's] this aspect of the Boy's Club ganging up on her [Hillary] and shoving her out." Chuck Todd, MSNBC

Barack Obama will almost certainly be the Democrats' presidential nominee. The question for presidential nominee John McCain and congressional candidates like Melissa Hart, Toni Gilhooley, Michael Livingston, and Marina Kats is how can they pick up the votes of Hillary Clinton supporters.

A lot of Hillary voters, as many as 45%, say they will not vote for Obama. If they will defect from the Democratic nominee, they may just defect from "down-ballot" candidates.

Melissa, Toni, and Marina can appeal to many disaffected Hillary backers. One major way they can do so is to emphasize the need for Pennsylvania to elect women to federal offices, including the presidency and the Congress. The Republican candidates need to emphasize the many things they have in common with Hillary voters, especially their belief that Mrs. Clinton was mistreated by the national media (which is true) and by the arbitrary rules set by Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean (also true).

Melissa, Toni, and Marina should say very explicitly -- and often -- that they want the Hillary supporters to back them. But won't that offend Obama voters? Possibly, but who cares? They're the left-wing types who aren't going to vote for any Republicans.

Consider a few example of results from the Pennsylvania Primary:

4th District (Beaver County, Melissa's District) Hillary 28,205 Barack 12,184
17th District (Lebanon, Toni's District) Hillary 7,316 Barack 5,772
13th District (Montgomery, Marina's District) Hillary 77,762 Barack 75,515

I sent the following e-mail to Sharon Caliendo, a political consultant in the Southwest:

Sharon: Thanks so much for passing my "Hillary Strategy" along to Congressman Tom Cole's office. The issue has really nothing to do with whether someone "agrees" with Hillary. On some issues Hillary is okay (there are lots of issues after all!) and on some she is not so good.

The real question: is Mrs. Clinton getting shafted by the Democrats' "old boys network" and by the national media, which hates her? The answer is yes.

Consider again Chuck Todd's comment last night on MSNBC: "[There's] this aspect of the Boy's Club ganging up on her [Hillary] and shoving her out."

Bingo, Mr. Todd.

As I'm saying on my blogs -- and trying to get many others to say the same thing -- it will help Republican candidates (especially females) to start pointing out that Mrs. Clinton is getting savaged by media and political hacks (Howard Dean) who have done everything they can to wreck her campaign.

Our Republican candidates should start saying that out loud (and in press releases). Many Democrats, especially women voters, believe it's time in our nation's progress for a female candidate to get the nomination for the presidency.

I've been advocating that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin be our GOP candidate for President in 2012 (if we lose this election) or 2016. I've done this not because she's a woman but because she is a remarkable human being and the most effective elected official in any state.

In PA, Hillary Clinton won nearly every county -- in some cases, she won by three-to-one or even four-to-one. We need to reach out (and keep reaching out) to Hillary Clinton supporters. They are the keys to John McCain winning the presidency -- and to many fine candidates getting elected to Congress.

Sharon, I want people like Melissa Hart, Toni Gilhooley, Michael Livingston, and Marina Kats to win elections. To do so, they have to defy some of the conventional wisdom, especially the elements that will lead to "conventional" defeats. The three Republican candidates did NOT grow up with "silver spoons" in their mouths, and they need to get that across to Hillary supporters.

In the PA Primary on April 22, Mrs. Clinton got 1.25 million votes. Many of those voters will understand that we're running superb candidates this year. Winning is just so much more enjoyable than losing.

John McCain has said he wants to contest for every vote. I hope every one of our candidates, male or female, takes that approach. Sen. Clinton has campaigned with real ferocity and skill. She should have our respect for that.

(Note: Here's what Adam, a Coloradan and probably the best young political operative in the country, said about the thoughts in this column: "Good strategy. I'm not an expert on PA, but Hillary supporters certainly seem like a key to GOP victory. If you can hang Obama around a local Dem's neck, you might be able to pick of quite a few votes. The only caveat is that you probably can't associate Obama too closely with Dems who backed Clinton."

Note: The following column appeared today on http://www.mccainnow/, an important site bringing together a multitude of McCain supporters. I urge you to go there and register.

Like you, I've been fascinated by the "exit polls" showing that a great many Hillary Clinton voters (nearly half in Indiana) are saying that will not vote for Barack Obama. Very, very interesting -- and more than just "interesting."

On my Pennsylvania blog (http://pennsylvaniaforjohnmccain.blogspot.com/) I'm asking John McCain and several great (female) congressional candidates in PA to go after those Hillary supporters. It's essential that John McCain (and other GOP hopefuls) start asking explicity for support from voters who have backed Mrs. Clinton.

Frankly, I hope John McCain and other candidates for federal offices say and do some unconventional things. Specifically, I hope they say that Mrs. Clinton is being savaged by the national media (which happens to be true).

I also hope they say (accurately) that the Senator is being shafted by Howard Dean and other members of what Chuck Todd (of MSNBC) calls "the Democratic 'Old Boy's' Club."

If we scratch Hillary's back, many of her supporters will end up scratching ours.

Recognize that it makes eminent sense for Republicans to treat Howard Dean (an odious creature) like a political pinata. Actions by Dean and other in his Democrat Cabal -- specifically, the dinenfranchisement of Michigan and Florida Democrats should be a major issue for McCain.

We need to sympathize (now!) with those disenfrachised Democrats. We must remind those voters that Dean is treating them like dirt. Deans' strong-arm tactics are depriving Mrs. Clinton of the nomination.

Yes, I'm aware that in politics the actions I'm advocating "just aren't done." Why they're not done, however, is a question that has no real good answer.

In my home state of Pennsylvania, I'm strongly backing one presidential candidate (John McCain) and some great congressional candidates (Michael Livingston, Melissa Hart, Toni Gilhooley, and Marina Kats). I have this terrible sense that if all five of them don't reach out forcefully -- and explicitly -- to Hillary's suppoters, then all they all could lose Pennsylvania.

John McCain has said many times that he wants to "contest for every vote." In the Pennsylvania Primary, Mrs. Clinton got 1.25 million votes. I'm a selfish Republican -- and I hope McCain and others also are. I want a good chunk of those million-and-a-quarter votes to go to oustanding Republican candidates, starting with John McCain.

In recent memory, Senator Clinton said the following: "I have a lifetime of experince. John McCain has a lifetime of experience. Senator has a speech [against the Iraq War] that he gave in 2002." I hope McCain is readying a commercial featuring Clinton making that statement.

Yes, when the Democratic Primary comes to and end -- presumably at some point in our lifetimes -- Mrs. Clinton will go through the motions of endorsing Barack Obama. But her heart -- and I assume she has one -- will not be in it. In reality, she will be looking ahead to 2012 and her race against . . . President McCain (and vice-president Palin, one hopes)

So, let's go get those Hillary supporters. We need to sympathize with them about their candidate's legitimate grievances against the Obama-loving media and the Clinton-hating national chairman (Dean). If we ask sincerely for their votes, we can get them -- and in massive numbers.

Sarah Palin: Pathway to Presidency

Sarah Palin and her husband Todd with Ina Boucher, Alaska's "Teacher of the Year."

There are many Americans (and I'm one) who think that Gov. Sarah Palin, who recently announced that she's seven months pregnant, needs to do to win the presidency in 2012 or 2016. Of course, one thing she could "do" is to get the Republican nomination for the vice-presidency, but that's beyond her capacity to control. Does she want to become President? You betcha! The following are my thoughts on the steps she should take.

Realizing that we Republicans are underdogs in 2008 and that Sarah Palin would dearly love to be President of these United States . . .

There are many things Sarah (and backers) need to do, including her establishing a Political Action Committee (PAC) designed to help Republican candidates in 2008, 2010, and 2012. Learing how to raise large sums of money will be beneficial when she wages a national campaign.

She also needs to do what is necessary to make the Keynote Speech at the Republican Convention in Minneapolis -- remembering that Obama's address in 2004 was his launching pad for his presidential campaign. The Keynote Speech is essential, and she must make it a barn-burner, perhaps with a theme like the following: "Stand Up America for all that's good and right about our country."

If possible, her son, Track, a U.S. Army Infantry Soldier, should be there in uniform. At the conclusion of the remarks, her entire family should be on the stage. Track is part of the "Sarah Narrative," because he joined the Army on 9/11/2007.

She also needs to do a book (one with lots of pics of Todd, Track, Baby Palin, little Piper, Bristol, and Willow ). It could/should be an "as told to" kind of book with a professional writer, perhaps someone a lot like super-blogger S J Reidhead or even yours truly. The book would be one of many ways she can introduce herself to the American people. It could be reissued in 2011, with new chapters.

Sarah likes to play a coy role when it comes to national office, but she must shed that tendency. The way to win the presidential nomination is to seize it with both hands. Thus, she has to decide this year if she wants the presidency enough to go after it with every fiber of her being.

She should talk to a diverse group of people who can provide good advice about what's necessary for her to wage a winning campaign. Some of those individuals should be significant Republicans including pollster Frank Luntz, Charlie Black (veteran of many campaigns and now working with Senator McCain), and Karl Rove. The latter can tell her what elements of his strategy (heavy on bringing out evangelicals) work and which need modification.

She also has to reach out to some people who are not yet household names but know a lot about contemporary political realities. One of those people should be Adam Brickley, from Colorado Springs, who launched the amazing Draft Sarah Palin Movement. Adam is a fount of good sense when it comes to practical politics. Sarah also could benefit from a discussion with Sharon Caliendo of Norman, Oklahoma, a woman who's a marvellous organizer and knows everything about Oklahoma and Texas politics.

Cindy Reidhead, mentioned above, is a person who can tell Sarah all there is to know about online politics. People with high-traffic blogs, and that includes Cindy, know the other high-traffic blogs, which are very helpful in launching viral marketing efforts.

People like Sharon, Adam, and Cindy are critical because Sarah is going to need a massive volunteer effort. Alaska is not the greatest place to raise big money.

In that regard, I hope Sarah and Carly Fiorina (Republican fundraiser and former CEO of Hewlett-Packard), who can raise lots of cash, become "new best friends." Conducting a national campaign is a lot like running a big business, and Carly knows all about that.

There are many factors in American politics, including the increased importance of Independents, that are working in Sarah's favor. She has none of the negatives associated with someone like Hillary Clinton. She has all the positives -- and more -- of someone like Ronald Reagan. She could be a big winner in a national election.

Sarah, please begin the quest today. When your son and his friend left for infantry training, you told them, "We have your backs." In the case of your run for the presidency, we have yours.

Why Obama Should Make You Fearful

(Beginning of Tomorrow's Column)

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself . . . nameless, unreasoning fear." (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

"Senator McCain will bring a lifetime of experience. I will bring a lifetime of experience. Senator Obama will bring a speech that he gave in 2002 [against the federal legislation authorizing the use of force in Iraq]." Recent statement by Senator Clinton

As you may have noticed, Barack Obama likes to criticize his rivals -- Hillary Clinton and John McCain -- for supposedly using the "fear card." In fact, Obama makes me fearful because of his unwillingness to comprehend the world in which we live -- one where a certain amount of fear is justified.

As FDR suggested long ago, the kind of fear we can do without is the "nameless, unreasoning" kind -- not the type that has a name and a clear rationale. (More to come)