ST. PATRICK:

2004 Is Now for Bush's Campaign: Early Advantage in Funds, Voters Sought (Dan Balz and Mike Allen, November 30, 2003, Washington Post)

President Bush's reelection team, anticipating another close election, has begun to assemble one of the largest grass-roots organizations of any modern presidential campaign, using enormous financial resources and lack of primary opposition to seize an early advantage over the Democrats in the battle to mobilize voters in 2004.

Bush's campaign Web site already has signed up 6 million supporters, 10 times the number that Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean has, and the Bush operation is in the middle of an unprecedented drive to register 3 million new Republican voters. The campaign has set county vote targets in some states and has begun training thousands of volunteers who will recruit an army of door-to-door canvassers for the final days of the election next November.

The entire project, which includes complementary efforts by the Republican National Committee (RNC) and state Republican parties, is designed to tip the balance in a dozen-and-a-half states that both sides believe will determine the winner in 2004.

"I've never seen grass roots like this," said a veteran GOP operative in one of the battleground states.

Our old friend Patrick Ruffini has played a key role in the web operations of the campaign. Note that the Bush operation has four times the registered participants of the much ballyhooed Moveon.org.

Posted by Orrin Judd at November 29, 2003 4:55 PM