The American Spectator

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(Page 6 of 11)

br> -- Thomas A. Wigand, Esq. br> Middletown, Rhode Island /p> p> Jim Antle replies: br> But Stephanie Chafee wasn't the only person encouraging Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents to vote in the Republican primary. The national Republican Party was also involved through its microtargeting and get-out-the-vote drives. Laffey argues in his book that the NRSC and RNC encouraged Democratic disaffiliation and independent participation in the semi-open primary, with the latter "pumping $400,000 into a massive voter-mobilization drive." Laffey summarized the national party's "grand strategy for getting Linc Chafee reelected and holding on to the majority in the Senate: attack me personally, import out-of-state volunteers, and get liberals out to vote." /p>

That said, Laffey himself only devotes a few pages to this effort in a 200-page book. The obstacles facing Laffey were much greater than crossover voting by Democrats. It is simply wishful thinking to believe that a Republican challenger could have been elected in a state like Rhode Island in an election cycle like 2006. Even such promising blue-state candidates as Michael Steele went down to defeat. With the exception of Chris Shays, every Republican incumbent in New England who was up for reelection was defeated. Donald Carcieri was barely reelected as governor, and he could simply agree to disagree with a majority of Rhode Island voters on Iraq, abortion, and support for the Bush administration -- Laffey would have been voting on these issues in the Senate. (I'll note that exit polls show Carcieri getting 91 percent of self-described Republicans compared to Chafee's 94 percent.) Two thousand six just wasn't Laffey's time, although 2010 might be.

Finally, I think Mr. Wigand misunderstands my point about the difference between parties and ideological movements. There is a tension between the desire to win elections at all costs and the drive to accomplish certain policy goals. It was on display in the Chafee-Laffey race.

p> DESIGNER POLITICS br> Thomas Cheplick's If the Shoe Fits :

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