"All our hope lies now with two little hobbits in the
wilderness." We just don't know their names for
certain...Maybe we do...Kerry-Clark or Kerry-Edwards
or Kerry-Graham or Kerry-Clinton depending upon how
the next few weeks shakes out...Remember the Triple
Lock. Lock #1: The _resident will get his money
(hundreds of millions) and outspend the Democratic
candidate two or three to one at least (remember to count
the RNC and "vast reich-wing" front group $$$ too)
Lock #2: Although the grip on "US mainstram news
media" is not what it once was (before the deaths of
so many US soldiers), the "US mainstream news media"
is like an abused spouse, she will make excuses for
the batterer and she will take him back, Lock #3:
Although the black box voting scheme is not as far
along as they would want it to be (thanks to
world-class information security experts, the
Information Rebellion sites and the work of Bev
Harris), black box voting is still a factor in some
key states and cannot be underestimated (just ask
former Senator Max Cleland D-Georgia) Yes, there is a
long dark road ahead of us, and only "a fool's hope."
Are you ready? Is everyone you know who really cares
registered to vote? Remember, Wesley Clark (D-NATO)
said that question those contemplating a serious run
against the Bush cabal have to ask themselves how much
pain they are willing to endure?
Phillipe Gelle, Le Figaro: The Democratic candidate
can expect to be subject to an avalanche of murderous
TV spots and an army of researchers excavating his
past at the least hint of a rumor or the slightest
stain. If he doesn't have solid enough guts to fight
back as Bill Clinton did in 1992, he won't be able to
count on Bush making a false move.
Restore the Timeline, Show Up for Democracy in 2004:
Defeat Bush (again!)
http://truthout.org/docs_04/020604H.shtml
Bush Prepares His Electoral War Machine
By Philippe Gelie
Le Figaro
Thursday 05 February 2004
The President, showing his worst popularity rating
since the outset of his term, is hoarding his
resources for the final face-off.
The American President is going through a bad
patch. The attacks by his Democratic opponents, the
suspicions fabricated intelligence was used to justify
the war in Iraq, a budget deficit of worrying
proportions have earned him the worst ratings of his
term: his approval rating has suddenly slipped below
the 50% level, and, if the election were held today,
John Kerry would win by 53% to 46%.
However, the election won't take place today.
Between now and the November 2 polling, one element,
now invisible on the political scene, will go into
action: the formidable electoral war machine perfected
by George W. Bush. To begin with, the candidate can
count on his party, unified as never before: not only
does he not have any rival in the primaries and may
therefore spare his resources for the final face-off,
but also 90% of Republican militants support him
without hesitation. That support has been transformed
into a powerful network from which the President has
profited to raise a colossal war chest: now more than
130 million dollars, undoubtedly 200 million dollars
by Election Day, more than any White House candidate
has ever had in hand. On the other side, John Kerry
has painfully raised only 30 million dollars by now,
most of which he has spent in primary battles.
With these resources and the advantage control of
the White House affords, George W. Bush's campaign
team, installed in Arlington, in the Washington
suburbs, has launched a long-term strategic plan. It
includes recruiting three million new Republican
voters in a half dozen key states where a large
turn-out could tip the scales to one side or the
other.
In Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Oregon, Arkansas, and
Illinois, the candidate's general staff has set
county-by-county targets, recruiting and training
5,500 delegates. These are supposed to put an army of
volunteers into action to do door-to-door canvassing
to bring Bush electors in on the fateful day. In the
Arlington general headquarters, the electronic data
base already counts six million email addresses, ten
times more than the "populist" Howard Dean structure.
The experienced strategist and methodical
thinker, Ken Mehlman, 37 years old, director of the
sitting President's campaign, has emphasized
organization first. Close to Karl Rove, Bush's main
political counselor in the White House, Mehlman has
surrounded himself with a 160 person team discretely
housed in a two-story brick building on the other side
of the Potomac.
Among the notables there are Mary Cheney, the
Vice-President's daughter who was previously at the
State Department, and polling specialist Matt Dowd,
from Texas. The first mission of this general staff
was to assure the candidate's financial solidity,
considered a decisive tactic. A sort of brotherhood
has been created on the model of a Boy Scout troop,
classifying funds donors and fund raisers into ranks:
there are Bush's "Sharpshooters", "Pioneers" and
"Rangers" (Guides who raise $200,000 or more). In
total, twelve pages of names distributed throughout
the country.
This system hasproved effective, for example, at
enlarging the Republican President's support in the
Jewish community, preponderantly Democratic, but which
today includes several rich patrons among the
"Rangers". Thirty-one percent of Jews will be prepared
to vote for Bush in 2004,compared to 19% in 2000.
When this winning machine gets going, John Kerry
or any other Democratic candidate will feel its
passage. The Democratic candidate can expect to be
subject to an avalanche of murderous TV spots and an
army of researchers excavating his past at the least
hint of a rumor or the slightest stain. If he doesn't
have solid enough guts to fight back as Bill Clinton
did in 1992, he won't be able to count on Bush making
a false move.
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Translation: Truthout French language
correspondent Leslie Thatcher.
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Jump to TO Features for Friday 06 February 2004
Posted by richard at February 6, 2004 02:55 PM