Mehlman in panic mode?

[Barrett808]

Got this email from a fellow traveler -- he got it from his cousin, who knows has a friend-of-a-friend in the Kerry campaign. I think it's credible, but as always, caveat lector.

(on edit: emptor to lector, thanks to markbark)

---

Sent: Saturday, October 30, 2004 9:51 PM
To: Class of 1976 discussion group.; Class of 1976 discussion group.
Subject: RE: Notes from a friend on what Kerry's team is saying

ok, got a call on my cell phone this am while taking my son to hockey. my friend in the kerry campaign spoke late last night with mark mehlman of the bush team. mehlman was a roomate of my friend when they were both at the harvard law school. they are at opposite ends of the politcal spectrum, but are very good friends. mehlman says the bush team is in "major melt down" because their polling has them losing in ohio and florida, so they are in a mad dash to pull something out in the upper midwest. michigan isn't really in play. he called it a "head fake". wisconsin is slipping away, bush spoke in green bay today to less than 5,000 people (kerry drew 80,000 in madison on thursday). iowa has the numbers potentially but they've focused on it way too late, after the dems had a massive absentee push, so iowa is unlikely. they can't win with minnesota alone and even that state doesn't look good.

mehlman says that there is incredible discord at the top. cheney is absolutley livid with rove on the overall strategy ("we peaked too soon you bastard") and with karen hughes for not adequately preparing bush for the debates ("he looked like a g** d***** mental patient"). cheney is apparently a "real monster". the rnc doesn't know what to do because they can't get any clear direction from the top.

mehlman says that bush's slide in their polls began about three weeks before the debates when kerry when into attack mode with major foreign policy speeches at nyu and at a national guard convention, the day after bush spoke. the slide accelerated big time after the debates, "everyone was as bad as the first with no let-up in free fall" according to mehlman. cheney freaked during the first debate, convinced that bush "'lost the f****** election in front of 65 million people". Now they simply don't have the numbers to win in Florida, have not got their ducks in a row to "deflect" the massive number of early voters and are having real trouble maintaining the base in Florida and elsewhere ("our people are just turning away"). in ohio they've been simply overwhelmed with the new voter registrations and have been unsuccessful in court challenges. bush's number actually go now when he visits ohio after Treasury Secretary Snow's comments in the state that job losses were a "myth". Additionally many repubs are pissed about the financial proligacy of Bush and Cheney and their incompetence in Iraq, so a lot are simply going to "take a pass", read not vote. bush apparently has been totally "out of it" believing Rove and Hughes that everything was fine and that victory was assured, but is finally and slowing catching on that he might lose this thing. yesterday morning when made aware of the bin laden tape in nh, simply said. "It's over."

maybe all this can be chalked up to mehlman having a tough week.

[knowbody0]

1. thanks - you made me smile

[BattyDem]

2. Oh please, please, please ...

PLEASE let this be completely true!

[hlthe2b]

3. I know of Ken Mehlman, but who is Mark Mehlman?

[dogtag]

5. Just googled Mark Mehlman...NADA.

That email seemed too good to be true!

[BattyDem]

10. I googled "Mark Mehlman Bush Campaign"

and Mark Mehlman came up as a Kerry pollster!

[Barrett808]

11. Hmm, well, you know more than I do about this... n/t

[BattyDem]

12. All I know is what I found on Google, LOL!

[The empressof all]

4. Whether this is true or not

I sure got a huge kick out of reading this.

Thanks

[gulfcoastliberal]

35. Oh to be a fly on the wall at meltdown central

I'm sure the situtation is possible, maybe likely.

[UCLA Dem]

6. I hope this is for real.

Its hard to believe Mehlman would admit this to anyone. Very unRepuke like to ever admit they were loosing for any reason.

[medeak]

16. Mark Mehlman Bush aide on Meet The Press 0ct 17th

came up as well.

[Skittles]

25. come on now

that's LOSING - not "LOOSING". Fix it!

[Speck Tater]

7. It's a dark, cloudy day here in Oregon, but...

This post bought a big ray of sunlight into the gloom.

[indigobusiness]

8. They are like The Adams Family gone bad...

what a bunch of ghouls.

[markbark]

9. Hate to nitpick...

but this'll boost my post count and help get me outta the 700 club


Quoth the poster:
I think it's credible, but as always, caveat emptor.

Shouldn't that be caveat lector?


(I'll sit back down now)


--MAB

[robbedvoter]

13. delicious fly on the wall look. My favorite part:

mehlman says that there is incredible discord at the top. cheney is absolutley livid with rove on the overall strategy ("we peaked too soon you bastard") and with karen hughes for not adequately preparing bush for the debates ("he looked like a g** d***** mental patient"). cheney is apparently a "real monster". the rnc doesn't know what to do because they can't get any clear direction from the top.


Gore had said that they are both the most corrupt and the most incompetent and I prayed for the incompetence to prevail. Seems my prayers have been answered.

[never_get_over_it]

14. Don't know if this is true or not but

the thought of Cheney's head popping off is SO SWEET.....

[Skidmore]

15. It is over.

The one thing into which that cretin has been able to have insight. It is over, and the nation is through with them.

[Barrett808]

17. So is the Republican implosion at hand?

I've heard rumors that on November 3rd the Republican party will devour itself with recriminations and in-fighting. Any thoughts on the matter?

[PeteGammons]

Wrong Me{h,l}lman

"mark mehlman of the bush team"

Mark Mellman's a Kerry pollster. Ken Mehlman's the Bush campaign chair...

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Barrett808]

19. Heh. Well, color me ignorant. Just got this from a friend.

Not a troll. Really.

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Maat]

21. I hope this is true.

It made me smile.

[Wat_Tyler]

22. Seems to have been, eh?

[BootinUp]

23. heh, hilarious.

Not sure about its authenticity, but its a riot anyways.

[Nightjock]

24. That was awesome

sounds real to me

[union_maid]

26. I don't know if this is true, but it's really not unlikely

We're so nervous and we've been bitten and maybe, like me, some are too superstitious to allow over-optimism. According the conventional wisdom, though, Bush has been in big trouble for a while.

[joanski01]

27. Well, whether or not it is true,

I didn't think bush* sounded very confident when speaking today. Way less sure that he was in 2000.

[ace2u_in_MD]

28. Well, think about one thing...

Did Cheney even come back from Hawaii?

[cubsfan forever]

29. Yes, the fat little toad is in WI n/t

Professor 2

[noonriser]

30. This post is music to my ears!

I'll choose to believe it 'cause it really does make sense. They are going down and they ought to realize it by now.

[nolabels]

31. What did Dick say in the senate chambers again?

Say goodnight Dick

[Bluebear]

32. "he looked like a g** d***** mental patient"

Yes. He did.

[Casablanca]

33. Predictable reaction from despots who see their world falling apart ...

... but fun to read about nonetheless. I would love to see a "fly on the wall" picture of Cheney losing it.

Nov 2, 2004 - Twilight of the GOP Demigogues.

[Riverman]

34. OMG I hope this is True

I surmissed here the other day that I thought that Bush had been told that he was going to lose, based on my impression of him on the TV at campaign stops - he looked whipped! If this is true - YAAAAAAHHHHHHOOOOOOOOO!

[treading_water]

36. Great post.

I hope it's true. It really perked up my day.