On this fall’s election dynamics for vulnerable Republican Congressional candidates:
When (Congress) came back from its August recess, we started picking up steam again and it looked like we would be doing OK. Three weeks later, we had the Foley (scandal) start to unfold. At a time when gas prices started to come down and interest rates were starting to come down and the deficit had been cut by half, we’re talking about things other than that. It’s been very difficult for Republicans to get out that (economic) message….

The point remains, it’s the district (that’s important in this election). It’s people going home to their districts and emphasizing who they are, what they do, explaining their votes the best they can, and how it all works in the big unknown, which is energizing your base. It’s something that neither party can take for granted. And how many Republicans are vulnerable comes down to how successful those local Republicans will be in their districts in terms of energizing their base. One thing we’ve learned how to do very well is contacting and mobilizing volunteers on the ground on behalf of candidates.

On where Republican Party moderates go:
It’s interesting for those of us in communication companies to talk to where the moderates go. With the fragmentation of the media, it allows us to go to our respective corners to get our message out, to talk to the people we need to. And yet if you’re trying to appeal to moderates, it’s difficult to find the effective communication venue that can work on your behalf. One way Republicans caught up in 1994 was the advent of talk radio. That became the communications venue of choice for revving up the base of Republicans conservatives. Now you have different TV stations and the proliferation of cable, multimedia, podcasting, and blogs that present new challenges for both parties to get the message across.

On the outlook in Congress should Democrats regain control of at least the House:
You’re going to have a bunch of seats the Democrats could win that shouldn’t belong to Democrats. They have to be very careful how to vote (because it) puts them in a very precarious position whether they’d ever come back. There’s going to be some tension within the Democratic Party. It’s going to be very challenging….

On the other hand, I could see the Democrats getting into power and do what they said they would do – hold a lot of investigations and oversight hearings. They have the ability to stop the president and his cabinet from putting together any kind of agenda moving forward toward the last two years and try to draw as sharp a distinction as possible.

On the 2008 elections:
Republicans are better off in 2008 if they keep the House. Maybe they can accomplish and close up some of the goals they started right before the (Mike) Foley scandal hit to lay the table for 2008....

On former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s chances in 2008:
Look at his popularity throughout this country. Every day, he’s campaigning throughout the South on behalf of very conservative candidates who have their very conservative voters show up. You see an element of leadership and bipartisanship represented by Giuliani. I think it could happen in 2008.