Quote of the Day

"Don't use the term the other side uses. What does Barack Obama talk about all the time? The middle class. Since when in America do we have classes? Since when in America are people stuck in areas or defined places called a class? That's Marxism talk."

Rick Santorum, in Iowa.

Santorum declaring the use of the term middle class "Marxism" is hysterical. What is happening here is Santorum is stupid enough to publicly air out a 2011 memo by Republican pollster Frank Luntz.

“[Democrats] cannot win if the fight is on hardworking taxpayers. We can say we defend the ‘middle class’ and the public will say, I’m not sure about that. But defending ‘hardworking taxpayers’ and Republicans have the advantage.”

Luntz is a smart pollster. What he is telling the Republican Party is there tax and economic policies are political losers with voters. Luntz is telling the GOP to give up the high ground to the Democratic Party on the middle class. The GOP is a party in retreat. If they don't think they can win the middle class than they better hope for more older, uneducated white people to magically appear.

Frank Luntz Rips Bachmann & Perry

GOP pollster Frank Luntz compared Michele Bachmann to the Glenn Close character in Fatal Attraction. Luntz goes on to say that Rick Perry is President George W. Bush minus the intellect. Ouch.

Frank Luntz Hearts Alex Sink Ads

GOP strategist Frank Luntz raves about the ad campaign Alex Sink is running.

"If ads are any impact on the campaign, and we know that they are, she's running the best statewide campaign of any of the candidates. And even though Florida is a slightly leaning Republican state...Rick Scott's got his hands full with a campaign like what Alex Sink is running."

Sink is running against special interests and incumbants. Sink doesn't mention in the ad that she is Florida's current CFO. Luntz told Hannity the Sink ads are testing well with Republicans.

I mentioned before Sink is going to run as a centrist. Sink coming out against the Cordoba House was a calulated (and distasteful) political strategy. 19.4 percent of Florida voters are independents. Many of whom are feeling anti-incumbant sentiments. Sink is attempting to tap into independent voters. It is a workable strategy. The question is can Sink compete with Rick Scott for ad buy time?

Quote of the Day

"I cannot foresee a scenario that John McCain is elected president of the United States."

Republican strategist Frank Luntz

Republicans United Against Univision

The Democratic presidential debate on the Spanish-language Univision was a success. Republicans are still avoiding the debate. Only John McCain has agreed to appear. The candidates are using scheduling conflicts as an excuses. We have heard these excuses from GOP candidates before.

Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, has turned down the invitation because of a heavy fund-raising schedule, Kevin Madden, his spokesman, said yesterday.

Aides to Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, said he had potential scheduling conflicts.

Republican candidates won't come out and say that they are afraid of being asked unscripted questions from Youtube members. They also won't say they rather stick pins in their collective faces then appear on a Hispanic network. The GOP wins elections by running wedge issues. Playing to the xenophobic portion of their base is their bread and butter. Running on Bush's mandate isn't going to get them elected.

Richard Nixon's Southern Strategy is alive and well in American politics. The problem is it is no longer working. Hispanics are the largest growing voting block. The shrill tone of the immigration debate is driving Hispanics to the Democratic Party. Not that Republicans will change course.

GOP Pollster Frank Luntz has been ostricised for telling the party how the American people view them.

Like those of Cassandra of ancient Troy, Luntz's prophecies of impending disaster have been both accurate and disregarded. Republicans have never been very comfortable hearing critics in closed conferences. He is not invited to such meetings today. "They do not want to hear the truth," Luntz told me. While truth-telling is celebrated by Republican reformers such as presidential front-runner John McCain, it is a decidedly minority view in the GOP.

The GOP truly lives in the fantasy-based community.