Not So Fast, Mr. Rove

5:05 pm EST May 30th, 2006 | Politics | 4 Comments

The Republican strategy for the 2006 election sounds a lot like the poorly designed 2002 electoral strategy pursued by the Democrats.

Karl Rove, President George W. Bush’s top political adviser, laid out a plan to win the 2002 congressional elections by stressing national security. For 2006, Rove is framing a strategy for Republicans to sell the U.S. economy.

In a recent speech, Rove argued that Bush’s policies of tax cuts and trade agreements had pulled the nation out of recession, created millions of jobs, boosted productivity and increased disposable income. That record can help lead Republicans to victory in November, Rove said in the May 15 speech at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington.

Political experts say it may be a tough sell: Voters don’t feel optimistic, polls show, and growth rates are expected to slow as the housing market cools and gasoline prices remain near all-time highs.

“The administration needs to change the electorate’s overall psychology,” says Stuart Rothenberg, who publishes a nonpartisan Washington political report. “It would be a huge asset for the Republican Party if people could start to focus on the economy, appreciate it and see it as something that has worked, but I see no evidence that that’s going to happen.”

Another bad day for the Dow

Higher oil prices and sliding consumer confidence sent stocks plunging Tuesday as a weak sales report from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. raised concerns about discretionary spending. The Dow Jones industrial skidded almost 185 points.

Although the Conference Board’s consumer confidence index fell less than expected, investors were nervous about an eroding consumer picture after Wal-Mart blamed its modest sales on the impact of gasoline and utilities prices on its customers.

And here comes gas rage…

Tempers are rising along with gas prices. Gas stations across the country report that drivers are taking out their rage against big oil by yelling at clerks and cashiers and sometimes driving off without paying.

“Everyone is suffering at the same time,” said Sam Shirazie, a clerk at a Chevron station east of downtown Los Angeles. “If I could help to reduce that pain, I would.”

No detailed statistics are kept on incidents of gas rage.

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4 Responses to “Not So Fast, Mr. Rove”

  1. z_adura says:
    May 30, 2006 at 6:05 pm

    Things can change quickly, but this has been among the worst 6 years in the U.S. economy whether you were a stockholder or a wage earner.

  2. z_adura says:
    May 30, 2006 at 8:05 pm

    Another issue of concern of course is that 2009 marks the beginning of the “baby boomer” set reaching reaching retirement age. In other words, this should be our salad days.

  3. factcheck says:
    May 30, 2006 at 8:05 pm

    Not to mention that reports around the country are telling us that the housing boom has STOPPED COLD. No more home equity to exploit!

  4. SaveFarris says:
    June 2, 2006 at 10:06 am

    This is what happens when your entire argument is built on potshots: Both the Dow & Nasdaq recovered their losses in 3 days.