"Heck Of A Good Buy"

But without new product and improved message, this brand is facing obsolescence:

WASHINGTON -- President Bush's unpopularity and a string of political setbacks have created a toxic climate for the Republican Party as it struggles to raise money and recruit candidates for its drive to retake control of Congress.

...With their clout diminished after November's midterm election losses, the Republicans' national committee and House and Senate campaign committees together raised the same amount as the Democrats in the first quarter of the year -- and Democrats ended the period with more cash in the bank. At this point four years ago, Republicans had more than twice as much money as Democrats.

"The reality is the Republican brand right now is just not a good brand," said Tim Hibbitts, an independent Oregon pollster. "For Republicans, the only way things really get better ... is if somehow, some way, Iraq turns around."

...While Republicans have recruited many solid candidates in their effort to retake Capitol Hill -- and they have more than 18 months to improve their fortunes -- the environment could get worse.

...When voters five years ago were asked which party they identified with, neither Democrats nor Republicans held an advantage. Now, however, 50 percent of voters say they are aligned with the Democrats, and only 35 percent with Republicans, according to a survey released last month by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

And in New Hampshire, nonpartisan pollster Dick Bennett said the atmosphere is so sour that he is having a tough time getting Republicans to participate in surveys. The war, high gas prices and unhappiness with the Bush administration all have dampened their interest sharing opinions, he said.

...Republicans do hold some advantages in the 2008 congressional elections, however, including district lines for many House seats that have been redrawn in their favor.

More than 60 Democrats will have to run in districts where voters backed Bush in 2004, Republicans say, suggesting that many will prove to be too liberal to win. By contrast, they say, only seven Republicans are defending seats in districts that went for Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry.

Moreover, GOP officials say conditions probably will improve once the party settles on a presidential nominee -- who they believe will eclipse Bush in the public eye and diminish the drag he is placing on Republican prospects.

...Rep. Brian P. Bilbray, R-Calif., was more blunt, describing Bush as "a millstone that most members will not have to be carrying around (once the Republican presidential nominee emerges.)"

...The GOP's weak fundraising totals for the first quarter also could complicate the party's re-election effort, wrote Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report in a recent assessment. While it can be dangerous to read too much into these early signals, she wrote, "A weak bank account doesn't just make a bad headline; it also makes an incumbent more attractive to a potential challenger."

...Overall, Republicans now resemble "a beaten-down stock," said Cole of the GOP House campaign committee. But he said he was optimistic about party fundraising and candidate recruitment.

"We're a heck of a good buy," he said, "if anyone knows how to evaluate the stock."