06/13/2002 Archived Entry: "GOP inside-memo reveals weakness"

A computer disk containing a private analysis of the 2002 elections prepared by White House Political Director Ken Mehlman, who works in an administration that prides itself on being tight-lipped, somehow was left on a street corner a few blocks from the White House.

I'd like to get a hold of this copy, but here's the gist of it, which is quite different from what Mehlman is saying publically:

At the meeting of activists, Mehlman showed a map that listed Arkansas and New Hampshire as sites of a “Strong Chance of D Pickup.” GOP incumbents and candidates in Colorado, Maine, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas were also probably not thrilled to learn that Mehlman’s map lists their states as being “Possible D Pickup.”

However, rather than put online this honest evaluation of the GOP operatives, RollCall will be the GOP voice of disinformation:

HOH will publish an item about Rove’s rather interesting 17-page presentation — entitled “The Strategic Landscape” — in today’s edition of Roll Call Daily, along with verbatim copies of the Mehlman and Rove PowerPoint presentations.

Replies: 1 Comment

We do not need a Mehlman leak or someone loosing the diskette to know the political landscape. Just look at the polls...in Colorado, Allard is under 50%, in NH, both Smith and Sununu are under 50%, in Oregon, Smith is at 49%, in Texas, Enron John Cronyn is at 46% against a black man, in a (again I repeat) a traditionally racist state, and even Inhoff is at 46% in OK. Hutchinson is at 49% against Pryor in his own poll. He claims to be ahead of Pryor by eight points which I think is a lie (perhaps they taught him some good so-called old fashioned "Christian family values" at Bob Jones University such as how to lie, cheat on his wife and discourage the sin of interracial marriages). On the flip side, I think Torch may be in more serious trouble than Carnahan who is at 50% in the independent poll and I also think Wellstone is in a fight for his political life. If things do not improve quickly, Tim Johnson of SD may also be a goner. So, no you do no need the Mehlman or Rove analysis to know that GOP may have problems.

Posted by G.C. Raj @ 06/13/2002 11:59 AM PST