Economy's Surge Poses Challenge for Presidential Hopefuls

The New York Times ^ | November 11, 2002 | David Leonhardt

[Bryan]

For more than two years now, the Democrats seeking the presidency have planned on running a 2004 campaign built around the weak economy and patterned after Bill Clinton's 1992 defeat of President Bush's father.

But with the economy having surged this past quarter they are suddenly confronting the possibility of a far less encouraging historical comparison: that the election year economy could be more like the one Ronald Reagan ran on in 1984, when the country was coming out of a long slump.

The rapid change in the outlook — underscored by figures released on Thursday showing the fastest quarterly economic growth since 1984 — is already forcing the Democratic presidential candidates to calibrate their attack on Mr. Bush's economic record in ways they did not have to just a week ago. It has also left them in danger of looking as though they were clinging to economic gloom.

(Excerpt -- Please click on link for full article.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/02/politics/campaigns/02ECON.html

[blam]

"The Dems will move away from "It's the economy, stupid", to "Where's the WMDs?" & "Bush's Health Care Crisis"."

...and, Bring the boys home from the Iraqi quagmire.

[The Raven]

Every one of them (Dems) wants to RAISE taxes, as well...What's the incabation period for the economy to tank after a tax increase - something like 18-20 months? When did Clinton raise taxes? When did the recession start?

[Victoria Delsoul]

The rapid change in the outlook - underscored by figures released on Thursday showing the fastest quarterly economic growth since 1984 - is already forcing the Democratic presidential candidates to calibrate their attack on Mr. Bush's economic record in ways they did not have to just a week ago.

So they will attack him on his Iraq war policies. They are sooo easy to predict.

[#3Fan]

The NYT editor must've got stuck in traffic. lol

[StriperSniper]

If we manage to actually find some WMDs without crossing the Syrian border, the left-wingers' consumption of Zoloft is going through the roof.

Imagine how much if we do cross the border!

[Bryan]

Duhhhh. There was a typo on the date. The article is from this morning's New York Times. Nobody's perfect. Not even me.

[Bryan]

Hey good lookin'.

[Badray]

" Nobody's perfect. Not even me."

Ahem.

There's me. ;-)

[<1/1,000,000th%]

This is good reading, and a pleasant surprise (considering the source).

Yes.

Good post!

[Iowegian]

Previously posted here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1012948/posts

[Victoria Delsoul]

Hiya Brian, how are ya? Long time no see.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[Bryan]

Sufferin' succotash. You changed the headline and you didn't put it in Editorials. No wonder I didn't notice it.

[Bryan]

Making it. How are you?

[scripter]

You do remember the results of that, don't you?

Whoops. You got right back to me after I went offline. I sure do... we can hope...

[Doctor Raoul]

The Democrats have no new ideas. That's why they are trying want worked in the past, Vietnam, Watergate and "It's The Economy, Stupid".

You watch, one of the nine dwarfs will try and break out of the pack by claiming, "I nailed an intern". The following day the other eight will be making identical claims, excewpt for Edwards, who trying to look the most like Clinton will claim he made it with the sink too.

[Bryan]

Good evening, Doctor. It's amazing how those tax cuts seem to galvanize an economy. No one could have imagined that because JFK and Reagan made it work, Bush could make it work.

[Bryan]

Isn't that map in #17 beautiful?

[scripter]

Sure is beautiful. That was the first presidential election I was able to vote in.

[CardCarryingMember.VastRightWC]

The Dems will move away from "It's the economy, stupid", to "Where's the WMDs?" & "Bush's Health Care Crisis".

And don't forget the dreaded "CRUMBLING INFRASTRUCTURE!!!"

During the 92 campaign, Clinton/Gore used this phrase all the time, and the B.M. (Big Media) of course took the cue and kept up a steady drumbeat as well. By the time the campaign was over, most of us who were following it on TV thought there was little chance we'd ever reach old age because the odds were that we'd get killed by a piece of falling concrete first, or plunge off a disintegrating bridge into a river.

Then the moment the election was over .... POOF! All talk of the "crumbling infrastructure crisis" magically disappeared - as of course did all the sob stories about the "homeless people crisis" and similar artificial crises that B.M. was shrilly screaming about.

Just wait .... I'll betcha that starting in about 8 or 9 months time we'll be flooded with all kinds of heart-wrenching stories of homeless people, stories of starving American kids, stories of people getting killed by pieces of crumbling infrastructure, and so on and so on --- all carefully calculated to instill a sense of fear and unease and a desire for leadership change in unwary listeners.