Getting Soft (Dole Excepted)

Frank Luntz on Republican strategy (from last Tuesday's Financial Times): "With the economy, Republicans should be looking for a show of empathy and emotion more common to The Oprah Winfrey Show than a presidential convention." (Did anyone see his focus groups on MSNBC last week? It produced many of the same nauseous emotions for me as the phrase "jury of one's peers.")

And US News just revealed that Karl Rove loves to bake, and that President Bush has taped a sappy interview on parenting with Dr. Phil to be aired this fall! Sounds like the GOP (Bob Dole excepted) is getting soft. No wonder they turned the convention stage into a giant phallus thrusting out into vulnerable masses! (Note: see Frank Rich's column yesterday.)