In several prior postings, I have written about NH’s long-time RNC committeeman Tom Rath’s joining the Mitt Romney presidential team. I wrote about Mr. Rath:
This guy Rath is a big party guy, eh? He must be quite the conservative with this resume. Well, er, maybe not- Lamar Alexander? Warren Rudman? Bob Dole? Conservatives? Not hardly. And neither is Tom Rath. He’s what I would describe as a "country club" "Rockefeller Republican". Always looking for the deal. The consummate party man. I guess I’m a bad Republican to feel a "party man" loyalist is in some way bad- so be it. When have I heard Rath say anything in defense of Republican principles lately? Has he defended the war? Supported the troops? Written a letter? Of course not- he’s too busy being that genteel diplomatic, deal making sort. Don’t rock the boat.
While it sounds rather harsh, it is true. As President Bush gets assailed from all quarters on every step he takes on anything, his popularity plummets. As this happens, the Republican party, guilty by association, gets caught in the crossfire. As I’ve said before, I’m no Republican rumpswab by any means, but to allow the Democrats, hostage to the hard left wing, victory and a majority in the government would be a disaster for the war. (Don’t forget- the Dems war "plans" are the same as the terrorists- they want us to exit the battlefield in defeat.)
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And where’s Tom been while all this has been going on? Has "Mr. NH Bigtime GOP Man" been pounding the pavement, spilling ink, or giving big speeches in defense of our Republican president? Of course not. That might be too undiplomatic…
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Today’s Washington Post has an inciteful op-ed piece by E.J. Dionne Jr. that indirectly demonstrates my point about Tom Rath and his fellow statewide "leaders"- those party stalwarts. This is the result of their lack of action:
Consider the latest WMUR Granite State Poll by the University of New Hampshire’s Survey Center. Asked the classic question about whether "things in New Hampshire" were going in "the right direction" or were "seriously off on the wrong track," an astonishing 79 percent saw their state moving the right way; only 14 percent saw it on the wrong track..But when asked exactly the same question about how their country was doing, according to findings released yesterday, only 34 percent of New Hampshire residents said "the right direction"; 56 percent said "the wrong track."
This simply illustrates to me the fact that the administration and its allies have done a poor job of explaining themselves to the people- or at least at getting the message to them. There is no surprise there, when one looks to the mass media outlets in the state, and their political leanings. This is where a guy like Rath would be helpful. Yeah, I see him on the Newsnine Sunday talk show- YAWWWNNN…
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The op-ed continues with Dionne Jr. noting on the public:
The president’s relentless focus on terrorism, combined with growing disenchantment with his Iraq policies, pushes voters to seek leadership from state and local politicians on issues such as education and health care.
I contend this notion, if true, is do to relentless propagandizing by the mainstream media being fed back as poll results. E.J. on Rath:
Tom Rath, one of the state’s most experienced Republican power brokers, loyally insists that Bush is still "personally" liked here. But Rath sees Iraq taking a huge toll on the president, partly because so many in New Hampshire’s National Guard have served there and "the repetitious call-ups are disruptive to people’s lives."
Rath "defends" the president:
Of the federal government, Rath said: "There’s a feeling that this great big thing doesn’t work very well." He said Republicans need to win back voters who feel they gave "the keys to the car" to their party only to have it driven "into the back of the garage."
Way to go, Tom! With friends like Rath, who needs enemies? Oh, but whenever President Bush has come here to NH, Tom Rath was there, glommed onto him like a barnacle.
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Dionne Jr. closes his editorial with this:
Bush has fostered a backlash against himself, against ideology and against partisanship
"Partisanship?" When? I’m still waiting… For me, at this point, the question becomes, "Is this what we get if we should choose Mitt to be the conservative standardbearer of the GOP?" How much influence will Tom Rath have?