Bush Aide Predicts Close '04 Race Economy, Terrorism, Security Will Be Top Issues, Rove Says

Associated Press ^ | April 12, 2003 | ELECTIONS 2004 SPECIAL REPORT

[Noddegamra]

Bush Aide Predicts Close '04 Race Economy, Terrorism, Security Will Be Top Issues, Rove Says

ELECTIONS 2004 SPECIAL REPORT

Associated Press Saturday, April 12, 2003; Page A08

NEW ORLEANS, April 11 -- The economy and the lingering threat of international terrorism will be the central issues in the 2004 presidential election, President Bush's senior political adviser said today.

"The election will be fought out over the security of the country -- economic security and the security from threat," Karl Rove told the annual convention of the American Society of Newspaper Editors. "These issues will have to be dealt with by all candidates."

Rove predicted a "close, competitive" reelection campaign for the president. He declined to say which candidate he would prefer to win the Democratic nomination and face Bush.

"What's important is not who [the Democrats] are going to come up with," he said. "What is incumbent on us is to focus on what we ought to be about, what issues we want to talk about."

On another topic, Rove said the practice of "embedding" journalists with troops fighting the war in Iraq has led to better understanding between the news media and the military.

He contended, however, that the media relied too heavily on polls throughout the military campaign, placing too much emphasis on day-to-day "mood swings" in public opinion.

[LS]

This is not good news. Last election, Rove said the same thing and few of us believed him (or, I should say, I didn't believe him and thought it would be something of a rout). I hope this is sandbagging and not some internal polling stuff that he is reflecting.

[Support Free Republic]

---

	Donate Here By Secure Server Or mail checks to FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794 or you can use PayPal at Jimrob@psnw.com
STOP BY AND BUMP THE FUNDRAISER

[ArneFufkin]

Bush needs to ignore California, New York, Illinois and New England completely, and work Michigan, Florida, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Minnesota with a purpose and strategy. NO blue collar worker ANYWHERE should vote for a Democrat. The Democrats of Daschele, Pelosi and Kennedy are anti-gun, anti-automobile, anti-tobacco, pro-abortion, pro-affirmative action, anti-military, pro-illegal immigration, anti-tax-cut, anti-school choice, pro-gay and anti-God. That needs to be hammered home, again and again and again.

[ex-snook]

""What's important is not who [the Democrats] are going to come up with," he said. "What is incumbent on us is to focus on what we ought to be about, what issues we want to talk about." "

And what not to focus on. Yep, voters will decide if their paychecks and airports are more threatened than 4 years ago. Suggest that the best issue would be that any Democrat would be far worse than him.

[Timesink]

We still have over a year and a half before November 2004. Anything can happen between now and then. It's as likely to end up being a total blowout as it is to be close.

To worry about it this early is to worry for nothing.

[meyer]

Gun control will also be an issue! It always is.

[EternalVigilance]

I made some of the same points in a piece I wrote 2 days ago:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/891075/posts

[Dog Gone]

There is no reason to be complacent at all. It is possible to be basking in war euphoria and lose the election the next year.

Right now, things look great, but the American public has a way of forgetting things in about six months.

[Noddegamra]

Amen to that.

It's much much to early to be worried.

Me thinks Rove is planting a seed of some sort to see what sprouts.

Lord only knows what goes on in that mind of his but he's one powerfull person on the hill and I think he'll put his boss back in the driver's seat for another 4 rest assured.

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

Assault weapon ban sunsets or Bush does.

[ArneFufkin]

This idea that people vote on "paycheck" issues is nonsense. Most of the layoffs that have occured over the last 4 years have been in dot.com and new economy carrier and equipment companies, whose young engineering and marketing types aren't GOP voters anyway. Anyone who thinks George W. Bush is responsible for the "Economy" is too stupid to be a Republican. Our airports are exponentially safer now than they were four years ago, our borders are safer, our nuclear plants and utilities and dams are safer, our LEOs are communicating better than ever before, our CIA is performing brilliantly in Iraq and getting more folks on the ground each day, Homeland Security will professionalize our domestic LEOs. A dividend tax abolition would create jobs, a Capital Gains tax abolition would create jobs and an Estate Tax abolition will create jobs.

The Democrats have no alternative plan. None.

This "recession" is a God-send for conservatives, because it will force cash-strapped states to start laying off AFSCME, University employees, cut grants and consultant contracts, cut numbers of welfare recipients and grants to non-profits and University academics.

That's your Democrat constituency. Defunding these folks, moving Civil Servants into the private sector, cutting off the money funnel to Identity Groups and Academics will collapse the Democrat syndicate. If Big Shirley ain't getting walking around money from Reverend Leon any more, she ain't voting.

[ArneFufkin]

Yeah, that is THE wedge issue for this next election.

[Noddegamra]

"This "recession" is a God-send for conservatives, because it will force cash-strapped states to start laying off AFSCME, University employees, cut grants and consultant contracts, cut numbers of welfare recipients and grants to non-profits and University academics".


Excellent point but it's starting to raise hell with VA benefits also.

The VA is looking at alot of cut-backs as well but I think they're just cleaning house.

[chimera]

Rove probably has the order of the issues right. The economy will be the lead issue, absent another 9/11-style attack. My guess is that Bush has until about early Fall of this year to do what he can to help turn things around economically. That will give a solid 12 months or so of recovery in people's 401(k) and retirement annuity statements. If the turnaround is delayed beyond that, my fear is that it will go down much like '92.

It depends of course on who the Rats nominate. If they nominate a buffoon like Kucinich, Bush will clobber him even if the economy remains lousy like it is. That would be like Nixon vs. McGovern in '72, a massive repudiation of the Rat. But, if the Rats nominate someone with visual appeal (something the soccer moms to get all hot and wet over) as well as a pseudo-moderate appeal, maybe from a small southern state, and the economy remains in the dumper or is just coming out of it, then Bush will get creamed, along with the rest of the 'Pubs.

I hope I am very, very wrong (I really do). Its just that the nightmare of '92 (through 2000) is just to horrible to contemplate going through again.

[rep-always]

The nightmare of 92 was thanks to Ross Perot. He took the 20% of the vote that would have gone to President George H.W.Bush. This is not to say that we can keep our guard down. Not with these sneaky democrats.

[ArneFufkin]

George W. Bush transcends issues with a majority of Americans at this point. As did Reagan. Americans haven't micro-inspected the War Plan to elicit their support for it's execution and their support for the President. They trust him to guard their interests.

Nobody who trusts Bush today will believe that George W. Bush would do anything but design programs, policies and legislation that is in their best interests. Nobody believes George W. Bush would throw seniors into the snowbank. Nobody believes George W. Bush wants to starve children or destroy Medicare or rape the environment.

When folks get into that poll booth, and they have a choice between George W. Bush and Al Gore, John Kerrey or whoever they throw there .... folks are going to choose Bush.

He now owns the trust of 60-65% of our citizens for ANY initiative he proposes from now until he steps down in 2008. Reagan won trust through his personal character. George W. Bush has as well. Ike had it. George H.W. Bush didn't have it, nor did Carter, Ford, LBJ, Truman et al. Nor Clinton, that's why he had to cheat, steal and lie to win a second term.

The Democrats are sunk, they can't slime Bush any longer.

[ArneFufkin]

That's not going to be allowed to be cut back. Perhaps some folks who are sitting in D.C. moving paper here and there will be cut, but the Veteran benefits are funded by special Appropriations Committees of Congress and managed by Special SubCommittees in Congress. States can't play with those bennies.

[VRWC_minion]

Virtually every pres. election has a close vote. The historical odds favor one.

[Husker24]

Yea, the media is really going to hammer the whole after the 91 war how Bush's father ended up loseing the election after having huge approvial numbers. They will hammer hammer hammer and hammer it untill a satisfactory number of sheeple decide to vote for the socialist/democratic canadate.