He just does not get it, does he?

Nov 6, 2002

# GOP Uses Suppression Tactics to Intimidate Voters Across the Country

# Colorado Senate Candidate Tom Strickland Addresses the Nation in Democratic Radio Response

# DNC Chairman McAuliffe Statement on Bush's "Plan to Ensure Timely Consideration of Judicial Nominees"

# Republicans Continue Vote Suppression Strategy

[I left those headers in so you could see what they're talking about these days]

Good morning. I want to start by thanking this outstanding leadership team with me for the unbelievable work they did over the last two years -- Nita Lowey, Patty Murray, Howard Dean and others who aren't here, specifically Tom Daschle, Dick Gephardt and Parris Glendening. I'm proud to have worked with all of them, and I want them by my side anytime I'm in the foxhole.

I also want to take a minute to salute all our Democratic candidates, as well as their staffs and their volunteers, for the extraordinary work they've done and the sacrifices they've made. I can't say enough about their dedication.

I'm very proud of what the DNC as an institution did to give our people in the field the tools they need to do their jobs. Our voter file modernization project is just one example of the national party using technology to upgrade our grass roots operations. We sent out millions of GOTV e-mails, and we used our website as a tool to plug volunteers into campaigns nationwide.

Perhaps most importantly, in a very difficult environment, we raised an unprecedented amount of money and directly invested almost triple what we've ever previously given to candidates and campaigns for a midterm cycle.

These investments were key factors in our strong victories in gubernatorial races around the country last night. Although not every race is final, it looks like we have netted 4 seats and pulled into a tie with 25 governorships.

If the Republicans had an edge over us yesterday, it was tactical rather than ideological. Ultimately, many of our candidates couldn't overcome the political muscle that carried many Republicans over the finish line. They had a war-time President with the highest sustained approval ratings in history, who made these elections his number-one domestic priority. He spent the year raising record amounts of money and the final three weeks stumping relentlessly for Republican candidates.

Republicans also had tens of millions of dollars of special-interest money on their side [and the Dems didn't???], money that helped them blur the very real differences between our parties on key issues like prescription drugs and Social Security.

So where do we find ourselves now?

Basically the same place we were after the 2000 election. At 50-50. Parity. Not much has changed. As I said, the Republican advantage was a tactical advantage, not an issue advantage. Last night's results simply don't reflect an ideological tip in favor of the Republicans.

This election was also fought largely on Republican turf. They clearly had the home-field advantage, with 9 of the 10 competitive Senate races, for example, taking place in states carried by Bush in 2000.

But let's take off our Beltway blinders for a second and look at what happened in state races around the country. As I said, it was an extraordinary night for Democratic gubernatorial candidates. Fifty-five percent of Americans will wake up this morning living under a Democratic Governor. We picked up the key Midwestern governorships -- Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Wisconsin. We flipped governorships in competitive presidential states like Tennessee, Arizona and New Mexico. We won in Kansas, and we scored upsets to elect new Democratic governors in Oklahoma and Dick Cheney's home state of Wyoming.

In the presidential battleground states that will be key to 2004 victory, Bush has not changed the map, and he has not solidified the vote for Republicans. Democrats gained 7 governorships and 1 Senator in those states, and we held the 5 governorships we had. Furthermore, our gubernatorial pickups will give us an edge in fundraising and grassroots organizing going into 2004. Folks, Democrats are in good shape as we look ahead to the upcoming cycle.

One of the big 2002 stories is continued Democratic strength in the Hispanic community. Indications are that Republicans didn't even muster the one-third of the Hispanic vote they got in 2000. I'm proud of the work we did here at the DNC with our new Hispanic Project to solidify our relationship with this important constituency.

After all that Republican effort, all the money, all the pandering for the Hispanic vote it added up to absolutely nothing. Which just proves that a Party's political outreach is only as strong as its underlying values. All of the Republican symbolism and photo-ops failed because they were hollow gestures, because Republicans simply can't match and don't share our commitment to the issues that matter to Hispanics -- like jobs, education, health care, civil rights and immigration.

Bill Richardson won in a landslide in New Mexico, and the number of Hispanic Democrats in the House of Representatives will increase by at least 3. With the Hispanic population continuing to grow, with Latinos poised to become an even larger percentage of the electorate, Democrats' continued support in that community is a positive sign for the future.

African-Americans, as always, were Democratic party stalwarts, helping carry us to victory in very close statewide races in Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee among others.

I want to say a word about Ron Kirk and the campaign he ran. He faced a real uphill climb and almost made it to the mountaintop. In the end, perhaps it was too much to ask any Democrat to win this seat this year. The important thing to know for the future is that Ron Kirk has changed the Texas electorate in ways that will be felt dramatically in coming election years. This very diverse, rapidly growing state will be a battleground in the future, and Ron Kirk has blazed the trail.

As we look ahead to 2003, the question for President Bush is: what now?

The burden of leadership rests squarely on his shoulders, and he has yet to prove that's a responsibility he can handle. The President got what he asked for, and now he'll have to produce. He'll have to come up with an economic plan, something more than terrorism insurance and firing Harvey Pitt.

No more blame game. No more nonsense about a dysfunctional Senate. This is his sputtering economy; he must take responsibility for it. No more politicking to distract himself from the nation's business. Now one hundred percent of the President's time and energy should and must be devoted to restoring the prosperity of the 90s. The Bush era of responsibility starts today.

For our part, Democrats intend to be fully engaged on these and other issues. We will continue the fight on behalf of the millions of Americans who voted for us. We will continue the fight for job creation and economic growth, for a real prescription drug plan that expands coverage and brings down costs, for real pension reform, for sensible environmental protections, for investments in education, and for strengthening -- not privatizing -- Social Security.

Even with all the ammunition the Republicans and the White House threw at us, we proved that we are competitive and can more than hold our own. Two years from now, Republicans will have to contend with us in every region of the country, and there's every reason to believe it will be a close, hard-fought election.

-- Anonymous, November 06, 2002