From the House Race Hotline for Wednesday, May 14,2008

BATTLE

Throw Him Out In The Cole?

Wed. May 14, 2008


Southaven Mayor Greg Davis' (R) loss "could send shockwaves through" the GOP, where "murmurs about a leadership shakeup have become more and more audible (Blake, The Hill, 5/13). The first question facing House GOP leaders is "whether they will keep" NRCC Chair Tom Cole (OK-04) in his position. "Speculation has been rampant" that Cole would be asked to step down if GOPers lost MS-01, and on 5/13, that talk "intensified" (Kucinich/Cusack, The Hill, 5/14).

A top aide to a "leading" House GOPer: "People look at Cole, and they say, 'What are you going to do to change?' And if he doesn't want to change, change is going to be forced on him" (RealClearPolitics.com, 5/14).

That aide "suggested" that ex-NRCC Chair Tom Davis (R-VA 11) "could take a larger role" in the coming months (RealClearPolitics.com, 5/14). But several GOP Reps. have said "privately" they do not see a "wholesale leadership shakeup" or an overhaul of their campaign operation "as a strong option, given that the election is jsut six months away" (New York Times, 5/14).

This a.m., at a members-only meeting, T. Davis "downplayed" the rumor that he'd be "elevated" to replace Cole, but he did gave Members a 20-page memo "he typed up over the weekend about what the party needs to do to improve its brand nationally." T. Davis, "stomping his foot on the concrete": "This is the floor. We're underneath it" (O'Connor, Politico's "Crypt" blog, 5/14).

Cole Looks To Have Avoided Trouble, For Now

Also at the meeting, GOP leaders on 5/14 "tried to quell internal dissent" following the MS-01 loss, the party's third special election loss this year. Cole "accepted blame" for the loss during a "closed-door meeting" with his colleagues, but "neither he nor" Min. Leader John Boehner (OH-08) "announced any major changes" atop the leadership.

Rep. Jeb Hensarling "defended" Cole, saying the GOP brand was the problem, "not Cole." But others "did point fingers." Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN 07) "complained" that ex-Rep./Sen. Roger Wicker (R) didn't "do enough" to help G. Davis retain his seat.

They're Stealing Our Ideas

Cole said this a.m. that GOPers "are legitimately concerned" about losses in the three special elections "and what they portend" for Nov. But he added that the GOP hasn't lost because of the "ideological agenda" of the other side. Cole, on Childers: "The obvious challenge we face is we had somebody running as a Republican, pro-life, pro-gun, who wants to cut taxes, wants to control spending. That’s not particularly in step with where the Democratic majority is."

He added that most House GOPers "are fine," and that the "real problem" is dealing with the "confidence" of the party. He "noted" that polling shows John McCain "doing better" than a generic GOP candidate would, and he called that an "important reminder" to Members. Cole: "You have a personal brand in addition to your party brand. You have an identity that is beyond the party's affiliation" (Reilly, Politico's "Crypt" blog, 5/14).

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

Although Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) "is promising a high-minded campaign in the fall," the DCCC "isn't playing quite so nicely" with GOP House candidates.

In MS-01, the DCCC distributed one flier that linked G. Davis to the Ku Klux Klan and another that accused GOPers of trying to "play politics with religion and race." And in both MS and LA -- where Dems earlier this month took a seat the GOP has held since '74 -- the DCCC aired ads on Christian radio stations tying GOP candidates to casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, who has poured millions of dollars into Freedom's Watch.

These "hardball campaign tactics are commonplace in every hard-fought election." But the DCCC's "slash-and-burn attacks on Adelson and his group are notable for their resemblance to long-standing GOP efforts to brand" Dems "as the lapdogs of billionaire financier George Soros and MoveOn.org" (O'Connor, Politico, 5/14).

Well What's With The Life Preserver?

Freedom's Watch has House Dem leaders "worried about the role such organizations will play" in the Nov. elections.

"Unlike cash-strapped" GOP candidates and cmtes, Freedom's Watch "and other advocacy groups can take unlimited donations, worrying" Dems "who have been talking about gains across the country." DCCC Chair Chris Van Hollen (MD 08): "You've seen Tom Cole saying, 'You know, thanks for throwing me a life preserver.'" More Van Hollen, on Freedom's Watch: "That can very quickly change the playing field because [Freedom's Watch] can take unlimited contributions. ... I mean, our fundraising is all done consistent with the fundraising limits for political committees" (Alarkon, The Hill, 5/13).

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