The why Elizabeth Dole is an awful pol thread

[MarkWarner08]

Q2 fundraising:

Elizabeth Dole (R-inc): $2.7M CoH
Mark Kirk (R-inc): $2.85M CoH

Population of North Carolina (2000 estimate): 8,049,313
Population of Illinois' 10th Congressional District (2000 estimate): 653,647


While Kirk is a prodigious fundraiser, he shouldn't have more money on hand than an incumbent Senator in heated reelection campaign. Dole has just over half the CoH of John Sununu, who occupies a much smaller state than North Carolina.


Some savvy politicos may remember that near the end of her dismal run as head of the NRSC, Dole decided Michigan was a pickup opportunity. This was two months after the NRSC pulled out of Montana, only to make a half-hearted ad buy, which they terminated right before the race tightened the final weeks. Dole's NRSC expended $1 million in MI and cut off funds for MT.


Michigan (upset-central according to Dole):
Stabenow (D-inc.)2,151,278 (56.91%)    
Bouchard (R)       1,559,597 (41.26%)

Montana (a lost cause according to Dole):
Tester (D)        199,795 (49.16%)    
Burns  (R-inc.) 196,283 (48.29%)


Dole was out-raised by Schumer, out-strategized in the final weeks of the '06 campaign, and now she's been out-raised by a lowly Congressman!

The most amusing part of this is that she'll probably win again by 52%-54%, the standard GOP margins in NC Senate races.

[Downwinder]

I don't think I'd jump from the same conclusion due to one CoH comparison to an Illinois Representative.  Also remember that Senator Dole has already been running ads to prop up her ailing approval ratings, so she has already had a major campaign expense.

Although I do agree whole-heartedly that she was an awful head of the NRSC.  That was a major train-wreck.  I really can't imagine that she is a very competent Senator either.  I hope she loses.

[MarkWarner08]

I don't think I'd jump from the same conclusion due to one CoH comparison to an Illinois Representative.  Also remember that Senator Dole has already been running ads to prop up her ailing approval ratings, so she has already had a major campaign expense.

Don't ruin my fun.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

I don't think I'd jump from the same conclusion due to one CoH comparison to an Illinois Representative.  Also remember that Senator Dole has already been running ads to prop up her ailing approval ratings, so she has already had a major campaign expense.

And the ads worked fantastically.

[Keystone Phil]

Yeah, this woman is a joke.

[Sam Spade]

So, you expect her to throw away NC somehow?  Highly unlikely.

Note that this doesn't mean I disagree with a lot of what you say.

[MarkWarner08]

So, you expect her to throw away NC somehow?  Highly unlikely.

Note that this doesn't mean I disagree with a lot of what you say.

No. I expect her to win by 52%-54%, like every other North Carolina Senator over the past quarter of a century.

[Kevin]

Yeah, this woman is a joke.

Unfortunately no one in the Republican Party in North Carolina decided to challenge her as a candidate for Senate.

[Flying Dog]

Did she really think Bouchard had a shot? She's an idiot. Pure and simple.

[Keystone Phil]

Did she really think Bouchard had a shot? She's an idiot. Pure and simple.

The respective Senatorial campaign chairs have to have their upset race but when you're in the final weeks of the campaign, you can't divert a million to that upset race when your candidate is still way behind. It's even worse when you consider the fact that the pulled out of Montana when polls showed it narrowing!

[Flying Dog]

Did she really think Bouchard had a shot? She's an idiot. Pure and simple.

The respective Senatorial campaign chairs have to have their upset race but when you're in the final weeks of the campaign, you can't divert a million to that upset race when your candidate is still way behind. It's even worse when you consider the fact that the pulled out of Montana when polls showed it narrowing!

I agree. She single handily blew the chance for the GOP to hold the Senate. I'm glad she's incompetent, though. I mean, who actually liked Burns?

[Keystone Phil]

Did she really think Bouchard had a shot? She's an idiot. Pure and simple.

The respective Senatorial campaign chairs have to have their upset race but when you're in the final weeks of the campaign, you can't divert a million to that upset race when your candidate is still way behind. It's even worse when you consider the fact that the pulled out of Montana when polls showed it narrowing!

I agree. She single handily blew the chance for the GOP to hold the Senate. I'm glad she's incompetent, though. I mean, who actually liked Burns?

I didn't but I liked having the Senate.

[Flying Dog]

Did she really think Bouchard had a shot? She's an idiot. Pure and simple.

The respective Senatorial campaign chairs have to have their upset race but when you're in the final weeks of the campaign, you can't divert a million to that upset race when your candidate is still way behind. It's even worse when you consider the fact that the pulled out of Montana when polls showed it narrowing!

I agree. She single handily blew the chance for the GOP to hold the Senate. I'm glad she's incompetent, though. I mean, who actually liked Burns?

I didn't but I liked having the Senate.

With Reid, it's like you do have the Senate. He's getting utterly routed by McConnell in procedure.

[Torie]

Did she really think Bouchard had a shot? She's an idiot. Pure and simple.

She is not an idiot actually, She just seems like one.

[Flying Dog]

Did she really think Bouchard had a shot? She's an idiot. Pure and simple.

She is not an idiot actually, She just seems like one.

Well, she's displaying all the symptoms.

[12th Doctor]

Well, I could think of far worse things to say about someone than "they are a bad politician" and only a few nicer compliments.

[Sam Spade]

Did she really think Bouchard had a shot? She's an idiot. Pure and simple.

The respective Senatorial campaign chairs have to have their upset race but when you're in the final weeks of the campaign, you can't divert a million to that upset race when your candidate is still way behind. It's even worse when you consider the fact that the pulled out of Montana when polls showed it narrowing!

I agree. She single handily blew the chance for the GOP to hold the Senate. I'm glad she's incompetent, though. I mean, who actually liked Burns?

Quite frankly, I think Burns' chances were blown when Bush made the appearance out there, rather than the NRSC not spending money for advertising.  Otherwise, he might have eeked through, but I can't say I'm unhappy the opposite happened.

Strangely enough, Burns' strategy of attacking Tester on taxes was highly effective using his own money.  I doubt the NRSC would have spent it as wisely.

[Brittain33]

Did she really think Bouchard had a shot? She's an idiot. Pure and simple.

I wonder if she views women like Debbie Stabenow as an alien species and can't conceive of how they get votes.

[Хahar 🤔]

Well, I could think of far worse things to say about someone than "they are a bad politician" and only a few nicer compliments.

Let's phrase it this way:

"They are bad at their job."

[Flying Dog]

Did she really think Bouchard had a shot? She's an idiot. Pure and simple.

The respective Senatorial campaign chairs have to have their upset race but when you're in the final weeks of the campaign, you can't divert a million to that upset race when your candidate is still way behind. It's even worse when you consider the fact that the pulled out of Montana when polls showed it narrowing!

I agree. She single handily blew the chance for the GOP to hold the Senate. I'm glad she's incompetent, though. I mean, who actually liked Burns?

Quite frankly, I think Burns' chances were blown when Bush made the appearance out there, rather than the NRSC not spending money for advertising.  Otherwise, he might have eeked through, but I can't say I'm unhappy the opposite happened.

Strangely enough, Burns' strategy of attacking Tester on taxes was highly effective using his own money.  I doubt the NRSC would have spent it as wisely.

It could have been a conjunction of the two. Plus, I'm sure Burns' "comments" on out-of-state firefighters didn't help his cause, either. It was a horrible campaign on all ends, I guess.