White House Memo Lowers Bush Expectations

[unfrigginreal]

Monday November 3, 2003 8:46 PM


By RON FOURNIER

AP Political Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - A White House political strategist is warning supporters that President Bush will likely fall behind in polls to whoever emerges at the Democratic nominee.

In a memo designed to lower expectations and gird backers for a tough re-election fight, Matthew Dowd says, ``This race is likely to be very tight and go down to the wire.''

Dowd, chief strategist and poll-watcher for Bush's re-election campaign, wrote to fellow campaign chiefs, ``After the Democratic nominee is all but certain in the late winter/early spring, it would not be surprising for us to fall behind a bit. First, this is just the nature of the divided and polarized electorate. Second, once the Democratic nominee is all but assured, that person will receive a deluge of positive press at least for a couple of weeks, and this will temporarily be reflected in public opinion polls.''

The memo was released by Bush's campaign.

more...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-3344150,00.html

[LuminousX]

1. He goes from 80% approval to falling behind

and expect people to believe it is just part of the natural course of campaiging? Nope. By all accounts, he should be cruising to his second term. If he has to break a sweat to campaign, he already lost.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

2. "The memo was released by Bush's campaign."

Just posturing to give the freepers a hard-on for a fight.

[TEXASYANKEE]

3. This is essential.

They have to make people believe that the race is close, that way it's easier for them to steal.

[xultar]

4. Yeah, way to spin it....Spin it so much you'll puke on yourselves

here we go guys....:puke:

[Raenelle]

5. This is good--it means they've abandoned the inevitability strategy

demoralizing Dems, shock and awe, and have been forced to bend to reality. IMO, they would much rather have the "very popular" preznit storyline, and they hung on to that as long as they were at 50% or better.

[lancdem]

6. Good point

The inevitability strategy is what they used in 2000, and it failed - technically, at least. Gore did win the popular vote by 540,000.

[DUreader]

14. Gore won Florida too, by even more than previously thought

Electronic Voting scam subtracted some 16,ooo votes from him

[DavidDvorkin]

7. If it's close, Bush wins

His gang can steal the election again and claim that the win was legitimate -- that the polls were off by enough to explain a narrow Bush victory. Only if the Democratic candidate's lead in the opinion polls on election day is huge will the public believe that a Bush victory was due to chicanery.

Or maybe I'm being overly optimistic even about that!

[Sperk]

8. Every Diebold machine will count!!!

think they'll get enough installed to steal it?

[izzie]

9. This is a plan like playing he is not bright.

Not that I think he thinks up much but you know he likes to have every one think he is like you and I, and said that about the way he talks. That us common people will love it.

[samsingh]

10. good news for us

a memo like this is always a signal that shrub going way down in the polls. last time he went from the 70s to mid 60s.

[Nottingham]

11. They are going to have to steal this election to win

and thats a lot of stealing :bounce:

[grasswire]

12. soft bigotry of low expectations?

Actually, it sounds as if they are preparing to run as the underdog. It's the only strategy that the press could embrace.

[dbt]

13. Anybody else catch Dana Bash on Headlying News reading from this?

Absolutely pitiful job. Acted like she didn't wanna deal with the small amount of unpleasant-for-bu$h information in the memo. Couldn't deal with a Less Than Perfect Leader. Piss-poor job of ad-libbing, too.

Can these Morans even breathe without a TelePrompTer?

:argh:
dbt

[truthisfreedom]

15. uhh, this is your captain speaking. in a little while, we expect to take

a sudden plunge, about maybe 40,000 feet, but we expect to regain control at some point and get ourselves back on course. just a litte heads-up for those of you who were under the illusion that we were in complete control of the situation. thank you. *click* (sound of whining, diving engines and screams)

[Fovea]

21. you forgot to add

that they are currently flying at 25,000 feet.

[Gman]

16. They did the same thing with him in 2000

Lowered expectations as much as possible. They took people down to the level of not to expect much more from an idiot than an idiot's shit. If he performs like a moron rather than an idiot, he gave a stellar performance.

[quaker bill]

17. Exactly

Anytime Bush didn't wet himself during a debate, he was the 'obvious winner' in the eyes of the pundits.

[bigtime]

18. this memo is intended to make supporters get out their checkbooks

"what? junior is falling behind? I gotta do something! who do I make the check out to?"

[kodi]

23. bingo, its like showing a scar to get pity, & asking $millions in sympathy

the report itself was released by the campaign as a rallying call for campaign donations.

[formactv]

25. Money

Can he possibly use more than he is getting?

[bluestateguy]

19. I thought Bush "didn't pay attention to polls"

Isn't he this principled, statesmanlike leader who is always willing to do what is right for America?

Seriously, all these politicians who claim to disdain polls should do the principled thing and fire their pollsters.

[Emboldened Chimp]

20. Don't they say this every time?

It seems like the same damned memo came out in '02.

[xray s]

22. Haaaa!

I just thought of the image of the dating service they used to lampoon on SNL. "Lowered Expectations"

That would be a great theme to tag on to the Bush/Cheney 04 campaign.

[emulatorloo]

26. The great MadTV actually, but brilliant analogy n/t

[lovedems]

24. It is because the democrats are spending more time fighting with each

other (to win the nomination, I am not necessarily complaining) and when we have a candidate...BINGO! The attacks against Bu$hco. will be relentless and damaging. Hopefully the consequence will be Dumbya dropping in the polls and staying there once a good dem candidate gives the "undecided" something to think about (something our free press has failed to do!)