Page 15 - Base Election News Today

This issue? joining us now is the co-host of msnbcs the cycle and a senior writer at salon.com. thanks for being here. >> happy to be here. >> there were a ton of these gay marriage bans on the ballot in 2004 and the common wisdom was republicans thought it would drive up turnout and help george w. bush get elected by bringing out conservatives who might not like him but who really hated gay people. did that turn out to be the case in 04? >> there is all sorts of speculation about that. you can ...

This issue? joining us now is the cohost of msnbcs the cycle and a senior writer at salon.com. thanks for being here. >> happy to be here. >> there were a ton of these gay marriage bans on the ballot in 2004 and the common wisdom was republicans thought it would drive up turnout and help george w. bush get elected by bringing out conservatives who might not like him but who really hated gay people. did that turn out to be the case in 04? >> there is all sorts of speculation about that. you can c...

What republicans really need is sort of a human equivalent of up an auto pen. somebody with enough fingers to sign legislation. if you look at this legislation, its not just a return to the days of george w. bush. on everything from environmental regulations to abortion to gun rights, its worse than bush. so some of his centrist supporters they make this argument. this is a guy who seems to believe this is a base election, which is one of the reasons that he chose paul ryan. that he has a histor...

As soon as people started to think that the economy was doing better, as soon as people started to think that this was about policies for the future and not just about a referendum on the past, hes found himself adrift in terms of what the message is he wants to hue to and he does feel as though this is a base election and he needs to stir up the republican base, and he doesnt have the kind of natural connection to that base that some of his -- many other people in the party, some of the people ...

These men are not really doing mitt romney much in the way of favors, are they? >> depends on who their audience is. this is going to be a base election. meaning mitt romney has to excite his base to ensure they come out. >> hes been exciting his base for six years. how much longer does he have to go on and try to do this? >> hes got to do it until the voting -- until the polls are closed across the country. and so -- but also remember donald trump and sheldon aidleson are not exactly for mitt r...

Income inequality is not the center of his message. i think the message were too dependent on government plays very well with the base. the thing i noticed about the romney campaign is they seem to be unshir and wavering back and forth between whether this is truly a base election and they should get the base fired up or whether they need to still play for the center. if youre playing for the middle, i think even if people say governments too big and were too dependent on government, they dont t...

Particular has really viewed this contest as a base election, which is probably in many ways why he also said those things. it was to drive out the base -- excuse me it was to raise money from a group of people so he can drive out the base. this is a base election. this is not about wooing independents. >> this also comes just hours after mitt romney addressed the hispanic chamber of commerce, anne, in los angeles. obviously, a group that the republicans have said they want to make some inroads ...

>> oh, its an important part of campaigning. theyve really got to show that they can keep it up. in this case, theyve got to rev up the base. you know, i did this calculation. there are only maybe 5% of the voters who are truly undecided, and only a quarter live in battle ground states. thats probably a couple million. mitt romney could send them all a check. there are very few people who havent made up their minds. what theyre doing is concentrating on rallying the base. >> nia-malika, is this ...

Importance this time around? >> it eaches like every four years we think they do and this time i think they actually do. it will give mitt romney the last opportunity to talk about the difference between barack obama and mitt romney and i know we talk about how different people see the election as a base election or whatever, but re-election of the presidents always about that. the re-election of the president. and i think mitt romney has to remind people theres three numbers that matter. the un...

Obamacare. >> im joined now by deputy political editor who was at that summit earlier. good afternoon to you. paul ryan helped to fire up the base no doubt. how does that kind of rhetoric play to the 1 million or so undecided voters most of whom we know are not socially conservative? >> we know the health care mandate is not very popular even with independents. but most people have also indicated that they want to move on after the supreme court ruling. and im not sure how much weight this reall...