The youth wing of George Bush's own party is unhappy at the president's complacency ... and his 'lurch to the left', writes Matthew Wells
Monday February 16, 2004 The Guardian
The New York Young Republican Club was in angry mood. The guest speaker was an expert on the still-hated Clintons, and he'd come to warn them that Hillary and Bill are still ruthlessly plotting the senator's assault on the White House.
But aside from the obvious indignation levelled at the Democratic party now its election machine is in full swing, there was also open dismay at how the current White House has reacted to the challenge so far.
The mood of dissatisfaction was apparent even before the well-attended monthly meeting began, as the club's president, Paul Rodriguez, fended off the "Vietnam problem" - John Kerry's Purple-Hearted war record versus the commander-in-chief's fitful attendance record with the Texas - or was it Alabama? - National Guard.
"It's a momentary issue. It's February and the election is in November. Look, there was no bigger draft dodger than the guy who Bush's dad ran against," he said. "The bigger problem for the president is there are conservative Republicans who are unhappy with things like his immigration stand and excessive spending."
Kevin Degidon, another besuited club member, interjected defensively to explain how the leadership should pacify the party faithful in terms of the government's soaring budget deficit.
"All he [Bush] has to do, is tell the base that if the liberals were in, we would be spending a whole lot more money," he said.
Republican self-doubt is not unfounded. The preferred opponent, Howard Dean, has all but evaporated and has been replaced by a war hero and experienced Washington insider. Frustration at the White House response peppered the evening's proceedings and erupted at one point into a full-blown row.
An ultra-Conservative suggested that Bush was destroying the party's ideals and was "not fit to stay in office". Club member Alexander De Filippi had been fuming for ten minutes already, and when the attack came, it was too much to bear.
"You're a liar", he shouted, urging everyone in the room to get back into the mainstream, behind their president.
But the rumblings continued. One woman expressed her dismay at the president's "lurch to the left", and several members lamented the president's hour-long TV interview on February 8, tying it to an unimpressive State of the Union address at the end of January.
"It wasn't stellar," said one. "He should have had a lot more ammo, and been better briefed" said another.
One participant was clearer than most about what was alienating the party's grassroots. "This compassionate conservative crap is what kept three million people at home [in the 2000 race]. If it was three last time, six million could stay at home this time."
Guest speaker Carl Limbacher, the editor of Newsmax.com, told the packed meeting that he was worried that the White House had become too passive. "Eventually Karl Rove will unleash the attack dogs, you'd think. But they never do it."
Limbacher's concerns may by now have begun to be addressed with the release of the first web-based Bush-Cheney campaign advertisement. It accuses Kerry of hypocrisy in promising to curb the power of Washington lobbyists while accepting campaign donations from many of them.
Perhaps those concerned at White House indifference to the developing election campaign should note that nine months away from polling day, the Republicans have already gone on the offensive with a televised attack aimed at a Democrat who has not even won his party's nomination yet.
New York State is home to the Clintons, so it is perhaps not so remarkable that they still provoke the greatest animosity at the meeting. Much of the night was spent gleefully gossiping about the possibility that Kerry had "done a Clinton" and become involved with his own Monica Lewinsky, despite the fact that the unsourced allegation which had emerged a few hours beforehand on the infamous Drudge Report website was swiftly and unequivocally denied.
Many in the room were adamant that the story must have emerged by way of disgruntled operatives inside the defunct Clark campaign - a sign of the finely tuned culture of political conspiracy that dominates both parties.
It may be true that Republicans in New York are on the fringe of the party, lacking support from national headquarters as they can deliver so little. It is certainly true that they feel beleaguered in a city where they are outnumbered by Democrats by five to one. But Bush-Cheney campaigners will be listening to the kind of dissatisfaction displayed at the Young Republicans meeting on Lexington Avenue, and reacting accordingly in the weeks to come.