Bush on offensive as Kerry stumbles

Washington Times ^ | 3/18/04 | Bill Sammon

[kattracks]

President Bush's re-election campaign has kept Sen. John Kerry on the defensive for days by employing an aggressive communications strategy that was largely absent just weeks ago.

The hard-charging approach entails simultaneous attacks on Mr. Kerry by the Bush campaign team, the Republican National Committee, the White House and the president. An abundance of Bush surrogates and well-financed TV ads round out the strategy.

[Robert_Paulson2]

unless she has him "wellstoned" so to speak...
then all bets are off... unless of course she is number two...

I look for shennanigans... but Bush WAS wise, to wait... till after they were married... Kerry and the Dems that is.

[MeekOneGOP]

Bush on offensive as Kerry stumbles

Excerpt:

After months of refusing to respond to attacks by Democrats during their fractious primary elections, the president now appears to be having some success in defining Mr. Kerry as a tax-raising, flip-flopping political opportunist who is dovish on the war against terrorism. Such characterizations have depressed Mr. Kerry's support in the past two weeks, according to a poll released Tuesday by CBS News.

Although the president's re-election numbers stayed steady at 46 percent, Mr. Kerry's dropped from 47 percent to 43 percent. The Kerry number slipped to 38 percent when independent candidate Ralph Nader was added to the poll, while the president remained at 46 percent. Furthermore, 57 percent of respondents agreed Mr. Kerry says what people want to hear, while only 33 percent said the Democrat says what he believes.

The Bush campaign wasn't always so aggressive at driving down Mr. Kerry's numbers. Two weeks ago, Mr. Bush was on the defensive about using September 11 imagery in his first campaign ads. After Democrats produced families of victims of the attacks who spoke out against the ads, Republicans let several days pass before coming up with victims' families who supported the ads. But such hesitancy has been replaced by a rapid-response strategy that prizes speed and overwhelming force.

< snip >

"It's weird because half the people are criticizing us for coming out too early; the other half are criticizing us for coming out too late," the campaign source said. "I think we're doing it right."

The campaign rejected the traditional re-election strategy for an incumbent president, which entails staying in the Rose Garden and refusing to even mention the challenger by name until the very end of the campaign. Mr. Bush also was warned to stay in the Rose Garden during the run-up to the 2002 election. Democrats and even some Republicans predicted that the president would be blamed if he actively participated in the first midterms of his presidency, which usually result in major losses for the incumbent president's party. But Mr. Bush ignored the advice and campaigned furiously in dozens of states, helping his party score historic gains in both the House and Senate. The president is betting on the strategy again this year.

Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my General Interest ping list!. . .don't be shy.

[MeekOneGOP]

haha ! Right on, Phil ! ;^)

[Stultis]

I wish Fox had anybody as committed and effective as Chris Matthews.

You forget the big boys: Brit Hume and Tony Snow (albiet Tony having moved to the radio network).

[Oldeconomybuyer]

bump

[Fresh Wind]

Poor Mr. Kerry. It's so hard to dance the minuet after you've shot yourself in both feet!

[NYCVirago]

One does have to wonder now if the Bush/Cheney campaign were aware that the whiners were paid political hacks by Mrs. Heinz, and that is why they responded as they did.

No, I think they were just blindsided, and they shouldn't have been. Jack Doyle, former head of the firefighter's union here and a Bush supporter, had a tough time getting through to the campaign to show his support -- it took Rep. Peter King getting involved for the campaign to listen to him. Doyle was the 9/11 family member who wrote the open letter expressing support for the Bush ads. On the other hand, Kerry's staff not only knew who their 9/11 family supporters were, but they even gave them talking points.

[GailA]

57 percent of respondents agreed Mr. Kerry says what people want to hear, while only 33 percent said the Democrat says what he believes.

Says a lot.

[kittymyrib]

Where in the world do you work? Dade Co. FL? How does any business get done when your office is filled with mental midgets with such poor judgement?

[Dog]

Hit him ......harder.

My $100 donation to Bush/Cheney goes out in the mail TODAY!!!!

[gatorgriz]

We took it from them for months. We truly are at war --- with both al Qaeda and the RATS. We must defeat both.


AMEN BROTHER!!!

[Carolinamom]

What is "earned media"?

[GigaDittos]

I thought Dick Gephardt was out of the race. :)~

[GigaDittos]

You forgot one.

[Clemenza]

New York City. The border between Chelsea and the West Village if you know the area (think men in a-s chaps and tight t-shirts). Everyone I work with is a flamin' lefty and then some.

Actually, when I worked in Miami-Dade County, my Co-workers were divided between Cuban Republicans and people from various countries around the world who were non citizens and didn't give a damn about politics. Palm Beach County was far worse.

[Clemenza]

And yes, work rarely gets done and I have to carry much of the workload.

[ohioWfan]

Is there anyone still in doubt that the Bush team knows what it's doing?

If they are, they shouldn't be......

[Coop]

Are you familiar with this FirefightersforBush.com website?

[guitfiddlist]

These whining SOB's in the 'Rat party and Partisan Press remind me of losers from Little League. "The only reason you guys won is...is...is..you had a better pitcher!"

[ohioWfan]

I for one, am glad that the Bush campaign didn't have 9/11 victims lined up with prepared talking points before they aired those ads..........aren't you?

The patience President Bush and his team have is astounding, IMO. I'm guessing they knew that the quick publicity that the leftist talking point victims got will end up working in favor of the President, and not against. There is plenty of time for the truth to win out, and they knew it.

I don't believe they were blindsided. They know they're dealing with scum at the top of the rat party.