As Election Looms, Bush Is Nowhere in Sight

Insiders speak as GOP prepares for a losing November

(NEWSER) - Six months before an election in which some estimate Republicans could lose 20 seats in the House and five in the Senate, insiders tell Politico how the GOP can pick itself up:

• Write some policy. “It’s critical that our candidates have a very clear set of principles,” says Mitt Romney. Think tax-cutting and spending-slashing.

Boasts Republicans will keep White House, regain House, Senate, governor majority

(NEWSER) - President Bush insisted yesterday to the Republican Governors Association that Americans will elect another Republican to fill his shoes in November, AP reports. "And I don't want the next Republican president to be lonely," Bush said. "And that's why we got to take the House, retake the Senate, and make sure our states are governed by Republican governors." More»

Rove, DeLay, and Gingrich on the future of the conservative movement

(NEWSER) - The Republican Party is fracturing politically and strategically, writes the New Yorker's Jeffrey Goldberg. As Bush's approval ratings continue to sink, current and former GOP bigwigs—like Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay—are looking to redirect the conservative movement as the 2008 election nears. More»

GOP is trying to return to 43rd president's policies

(NEWSER) - Given his approval ratings, Republicans had no choice but to distance themselves from George W. Bush in 2008. But make no mistake, writes Paul Krugman: They still loved him and his policies, so much so that GOP leaders have now "come out for a complete return to the Bush agenda, including tax breaks for the rich and financial deregulation." More»

(NEWSER) - After 11 months licking his wounds, John McCain is getting back out there, appearing on TV more often and acting little like the man who gave a gracious, conciliatory concession speech last November. He's finding support within the GOP, where his combative approach hasn't always resonated, because his target is often the White House. "A lot of people, including me, thought he might be the Republican building bridges to the Obama administration," says an adviser. "But he's been more like the guy blowing up the bridges." More»