The permanent Republican majority may be closer than we think.
It is easy right now to think that Rove leaves as a failure. After all, the great initiatives have failed. Social Security failed, permanent tax cuts failed, immigration failed, Democrats control Congress, the president’s approval ratings are in the tank, 2008 is looking pretty bad. And this doesn’t even include horrors like the Iraq War. Today’s zeitgeist? Permanent Democratic majority.
Don’t be surprised, however, if you wake up one morning in November 2008 and wonder why Republicans still control the White House and made gains in Congress.
Why? Because as Karl learned, leading is hard and the Democrats are doing it very poorly. It tends to be glossed over but Congressional approval ratings are lower than presidential approval ratings. Democratic initiatives on Capitol Hill are failing, the Democrats have plenty of issues ahead of them that could easily turn the American public against them even more.
Meanwhile, while everyone – including me from time to time – has pronounced the religious right dead, it is not. The coming fall, the Family Research Council will be holding the largest gathering of Christian political activists since the Christian Coalition’s heyday and the White House has made inroads into the Hispanic and African-American communities through the uber political faith-based initiative.
CW is that Karl is leaving town with his tail between his legs. Don’t buy it.