Liddy's a disaster at the NRSC. Chuck Schumer is putting her to shame. Her colleagues aren't happy with her. Sounds like the Republicans are already starting the blame game:
In interviews, Republican senators voiced support for Mrs. Dole but made it clear they were nervous about the months ahead.She's playing the blame game right back:
“I’m going to say it’s going well, because at this point in time, that’s what you need to say,” said Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi, who earlier this year publicly criticized Mrs. Dole’s recruiting efforts.
Senator John Thune of South Dakota, who has already made known that he wants to succeed Mrs. Dole when she finishes her term at the end of the year, said senators pressed Mrs. Dole about the committee’s financial situation at a lunch she held for them on Tuesday.
Senator Norm Coleman, the Minnesota Republican whom she defeated by one vote for the job, said: “A lot of people had questions about cash on hand. We have to accelerate that.”
Other Republicans had harsher views.
“Look, we have a lot of Republicans who are on the ropes, this has not been a spectacular year of recruiting, we are way behind in fund-raising,” said Pat Toomey, the president of the Club for Growth, a conservative political action committee. “I don’t see a lot to brag about.”
Her recruiting effort in the Michigan Republican Senate primary has put her at cross-purposes with Ken Mehlman, the Republican National Committee chairman. Mrs. Dole has actively pressed the candidacy of a white candidate, Michael Bouchard, who is in a primary against a black candidate, Keith Butler, to challenge Senator Debbie Stabenow.Sounds like the Senate Republicans are starting to freak out. That's a very good sign. And there's plenty of blame to go around.
“I think Ken might have choked a little bit on that one,” Mrs. Dole said with a soft laugh of her Michigan maneuverings. She said she applauded Mr. Mehlman’s overall effort to improve the party’s appeal to blacks, but argued that it was essential for Republicans to field the strongest possible challenger to Ms. Stabenow, and that Mr. Butler was simply a weaker candidate.
Mrs. Dole said some of her recruiting failures had been out of her hands. Even before the cycle began she was counting on Mike Johanns, then the popular Nebraska governor, to challenge Senator Ben Nelson, a Democrat. She was caught by surprise when President Bush nominated Mr. Johanns as secretary of agriculture.
“It was like a dagger to the heart,” she said.
