Bush's Super Tuesday

Someone should ask President Bush if upon leaving the residence Tuesday morning, did he look down and find a twenty-dollar bill on the ground. If that has ever happened to you, it sometimes portends the onset of a good day at the office. The 25th of November was such a day for the incumbent George W. Bush, an exceptionally good day.

ITEM: Tuesday started out with Bush's biggest domestic triumph to date since his tax cuts, the passing of a Medicare reform and prescription drug bill. Viewed by the hard core party faithful as big government run amok, it cannot be denied that politically, this makes Bush much more formidable going into 2004. While the bill is the biggest entitlement since 1965, some 400 billion dollars over 10 years, it does have some mechanisms of reform, such as medical savings accounts and competition with private health care plans in 6 major metropolitan areas starting in 2010. By signing the Medicare bill, Bush keeps a campaign promise made in 2000, and neuters a campaign issue that has been near inviolate for Democrats since its inception in 1965. Further, it shows that as the majority party in Washington, Republicans get things done.

While Conservatives may grit their teeth over the bill, it may be time of think of it as a work in progress. Throughout the years, the patient party has been the Democrats, getting something here and there, and winning minor points within the details of a bill. Through these incremental steps, they eventually get what they are after. It is my hope that Bush sees the Medicare prescription drug bill in this context. Incremental steps can result in ending Medicare as we know it.

ITEM: The Department of Commerce reported that the 3rd quarter GDP {gross domestic product} was a torrid 8.2%, its highest level since the Reagan presidency, specifically 1984. Revised up from the original report of 7.2%, Bush can now go on the offensive on the campaign stump and state with proof that the "tax cuts came at the right time" to avert a worsening of the 2001 recession. The last negative growth in the economy was the 3rd quarter of 2001, a minus . 3%. Since then, the economy has grown every quarter, and will continue to in 2004 at a projected robust pace of 5.1%. That number can be attribute to the University of Michigan's 51st Economic Outlook Conference held on November 20th. Long a bellwether for the nations fiscal outlook, director of the conference Saul Hymans also said that within the next 2 years some 5 million new jobs would be created, bringing the unemployment rate down to 4.8%, a number historically in line with relation to full employment by most economists.

While good news for the nation and Bush, it cannot be viewed as helpful to the potential Democratic nominee. Lamenting long and hard about the "jobless recovery," and the "worst economy since Hoover," the democrat playbook titled "It's the economy, stupid" can reluctantly be put back on the shelf. Instead, all aspirations towards the White House will hang on events in Iraq.

ITEM: General John Abizaid, commander of Central Command in Iraq, reported that attacks on U.S. forces are down by half since the start of operation "Iron Hammer,' the military's "get tough" strategy against Iraqi insurgent's. Begun on November 12th, it is the heaviest bombardment of hostile forces since major combat operations ended on may 1st. "The goal of the enemy is not to defeat us militarily," Abizaid said. "The goal of the enemy is to break the will of the United States of America, to make us leave." Bush has stressed repeatedly that "we will stay until the job is done, and the job is for Iraq to be free and peaceful." Since the start of the war in Iraq, 299 soldiers have died from hostile fire, and 136 as a result of non-hostile events. Though historically small in number as compared to previous wars, western media outlets and those hostile to Bush's Iraq policy have overhyped these casualties to leave people with the impression that soldiers are dying at an unprecedented rate.

One wonders what these same hyperbleating elite's would have said to the Normandy Invasion, where between the hours of sunrise and sunset on June 6th, 1944, over 9000 allied soldiers lay dead or wounded, some 6000 of them American. { http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun2001/n06072001_200106072.html}

Item: The Conference Board reported that the consumer confidence index rose to 91.7, it's highest level since the fall of 2002. It was only this past February that the Conference Board reported the lowest consumer confidence index in 9 years, a recession-like 64 points. At that point, the American military was poised to invade Iraq, and as past indexes have shown, the American economy, business and consumer alike, tend to react pessimistically. The importance of consumer confidence in a capitalist society cannot be underestimated nor overlooked, lest of all by an incumbent President. Any reading in the sixties to low seventy's is considered a near crisis for a sitting President going into an election year. That is why this latest number is so significant. The index points not just to the country's belief that better time's are ahead, but speaks volumes as to the trust and leadership the electorate feel for the current occupant of The White House.

Couple this with the Federal Reserve's Beige Book report on the 26th of November, and the numbers show an economy has put the recession of 2001 in the history books. Housing, factory orders, and retail sales are all up. Accounting for two-thirds of all economic activity nationwide, it is the consumer, as they have most every time, led the charge towards recovery.

One might think that this is poetic justice for President Bush, who for months has heard the cheap and meaningless diatribe of democrats, and the accusatory mutterings of the Western media. In every debate, the nine democratic nominees' have hurled charge upon withering charge against the administration, while never offering a solution. It seems as if the President's plan is the solution, though you will be hard pressed to find a democrat smiling over the abundant good news for the nation.

A day like this comes along once in a blue moon, or in Bush's case, maybe once every four years. Maybe this is the President's Leap year, when the Gregorian Calendar shows an extra day every four years. For democrats, it surely felt like D-day, or otherwise known as The Longest Day.

Vincent Fiore is a small business owner and an active "Citizen Politician" for the GOP. He currently contributes commentary to a number of political web sites on a weekly basis. Your comments are welcome.

I wrote an article along the same theme, Huge Week for Democrats

The Democrats clearly had what must be considered one of their most joyful weeks since Al Gore conceded the election. On Monday the Bush Administration rolled out an ad they plan to run during the Primary season. The ad portrays Bush as leading the fight against terrorism and the Democrats as wanting to retreat. Joseph Lieberman, Ted Kennedy, and many other leading Democrats expressed their outrage at the ad. Tom Daschle labeled the ads as 'repulsive and outrageous' while Wesley Clark said the ads violated Bush's promise not to exploit 9-11 for political purpose. Ironically, Clark later in the week suggested the war on terrorism would be the deciding factor in the election. From the Democratic reaction to the ad, the ad could be summed up in one word, effective.

Tuesday came with the passage of a prescription drug benefit for the elderly, mostly along party lines. An issue the Democrats had championed for so many years, the Democrats found themselves in between a rock and a hard place and decided to fight against it despite support from the powerful AARP. The one area where the Democrats had been very effective with over the last several elections was stolen from them, and their best response was to complain about the strong-armed tactics of the Republicans.

Then Wednesday rolled along and more good economic news continued to pile in. The Fed released their report on current economic conditions and reported widespread strength to the recovery. Other data released showed factory order way up and personal incomes up 0.4 percent for the previous month. Without a faltering economy the Democrats had to seek something else to hit Bush with. Fortunately for the Democrats, Bush made a blunder that day and mispronounced Nevada during his visit to the state. The San Francisco Chronicle rushed to report this huge election turning mistake, but in the process managed to misspell 'mispronunces' in the headline.

Thanksgiving was finally upon us and the Democrats could rest easy. Hillary was off to the Middle East and was going to get some great coverage as she visited troops in Afghanistan. But instead the nation awoke to a secret and historic visit to Iraq by President Bush. President Bush received a wildly enthusiastic welcome from the surprised troops. Bush delivered to the troops an inspiring speech and served them up their Thanksgiving turkey as the nation watched on TV. The Democrats did manage to counter this by crying about it being a 'political stunt'.

Next came Black Friday, the largest shopping day of the year. Several liberal economic experts earlier in the week were projecting a disappointing shopping season with around a two-percent increase in sales. Maybe something could put a damper on this 'alleged' recovery. Unfortunately, reports from Visa, Wal-Mart and other retailers are suggesting sales are up well over 5% from last year and consumers are showing great confidence. The Democrats can seemly forget about bringing out their old 'It’s the economy, stupid' bumper stickers.

The week came around to the end, and the Democrats were clutching to the Quagmire in Iraq as the issue that will carry them into the White House. Late Sunday night news broke of a failed ambush attempt on our troops in Iraq. Some 46 Iraqis dressed in pro-Saddam Fedayeen uniforms were killed, 8 captured, and 18 more injured, while the US suffered one fatality in the attack. Certainly great news for Americans, but somehow Democrats, at least the ones at the leftist Democratic Underground website, seemed less than joyed. Out of nearly 70 replies to the news story, not one had a positive remark. Most considered the victory a 'slaughter' of innocent Iraqis or just military propaganda, citing reliable sources such as Aljazeera. This from people who claim to support our troops and are offended when called anti-American.

Maybe it’s too early to be ordering Kool-aid for the Democratic Party, but a few more weeks like this and the Democratic Party might consider getting Kevorkian out of jail, just in case.

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