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Last Week, a Glimpse of Things to Come From the Bush Campaign
The Austin [TX] American-Statesman ^ | March 21, 2003 | Ken Herman

Posted on 03/21/2004 12:22:59 PM PST by quidnunc

President's re-election campaign moves fast and hard in an effort to keep Kerry on the defensive

Last Sunday, the Bush-Cheney folks whose job it is to stay a step ahead of the John Kerry campaign got wind of the opposition's plan to launch a national defense-related attack on the president during a Tuesday speech in West Virginia.

By the time Kerry got to that state, which has five crucial electoral votes in play this year, he was greeted by a Bush television spot, custom-tailored for the day, aimed at making Kerry play defense on defense.

At Bush headquarters in Virginia, the spot, which aired only in West Virginia, was scored as a clean kill and touted as a hint of tactics to come. The incumbent team's quick-hit strategy is aimed at filling in what it sees as blanks in Kerry's public image.

"Troops," as the rush-job ad was called, went from concept to in-the-can in just over 24 hours.

"John Kerry. Wrong on defense," was the closing image in an ad featuring a quick retelling of Kerry votes construed by the Bush campaign as being against body armor and higher combat pay for troops as well as better health care for reservists. The ad stepped on Kerry's message as he held a West Virginia town hall meeting on military issues.

Saturday, Bush visited Florida and used the first rally of his re-election campaign to keep up the attack on Kerry, hitting his Democratic rival as favoring higher taxes.

"This is a time to inform the public about us and him. At some time, relatively soon, that window is going to close," said Matthew Dowd, the Bush campaign's chief strategist. "It's not going to be in the next few days, but the window will close by June.

"It's not going to always be ads," he said of how Bush will attack. "It could be rallies. It could be a whole bunch of things."

Last week, Bush surrogates, right up to Vice President Dick Cheney, mounted concentrated attacks.

And satisfaction at Bush headquarters grew exponentially when Kerry, asked about a section of the "Troops" ad noting he voted against the $87 billion supplemental funding for U.S. troops in Iraq — which included the body armor money — said, "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it."

For the Bush campaign, ever-eager to paint Kerry as a waffler, it was a thank-you-God moment. As quickly as they ginned up the ad that elicited the response, Bush aides retooled it to include the Kerry comment.

By Thursday, the original West Virginia ad was running in an updated version on cable TV around the nation, adding Kerry's comment just before the "wrong on defense" tag line.

-snip-

(Excerpt) Read more at statesman.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: ads; gwb2004
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To: Pukin Dog
The knockout blow is coming

First the RNC has to have enough sense to get Kerry on record wheteher he considers Saddanm a terrorist.

Because if Kerry says he is, then he can't say that the war in Iraq is not part of the war on terrorism.

Quite frankly I have had it up to the eyeballs with that schtick from these sniveling socialist sons of bitches that this is a "diversion" in the WOT.

Rumsfeld was right in wanting to bomb Iraq on 9/11, and Kerry ought to find out right quick that he shouldn't have brought this subject up.

Unless the RNC can't figure it out.

So far they don't seem to have done so.

21 posted on 03/21/2004 3:01:41 PM PST by Rome2000 (Foreign leaders for Kerry!!!!!)
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To: quidnunc
President Bush, BRING.IT.ON.

...

OK Frenchie. Take this. BAM!

...

Attack politics! You don't play fair! Hillary?! WAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!
22 posted on 03/21/2004 3:05:31 PM PST by Stallone (Guess who Al Qaeda wants to be President?)
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To: Miss Marple
" To present a positive message to the electorate."

Yes.
Whether attacking Kerry's record or extolling Bush's record, one thing is clear: The election will be decided in Ohio and similar states by the undecided middle-ground voter. The middle 30%.

Right now Kerry is beginning to look very mean-spirited. Bush is looking like a good-hearted leader.

Bush must avoid (at all costs) appearing mean-spirited, even when attacking.
23 posted on 03/21/2004 3:14:52 PM PST by edwin hubble
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To: Betaille
Give me a break.

Bush acted on HIS OWN timetable, not yours. He listens to Rove, not to you. Don't think that what you are seeing right now is some kind of reactionary change of heart. Bush did not win past elections by reacting to public opinion. He is his own man and he acted in his own time.
24 posted on 03/21/2004 3:44:24 PM PST by Pukin Dog (Sans Reproache)
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To: Pukin Dog
"Bush acted on HIS OWN timetable, not yours."
I don't doubt that... you're raising a straw man. I don't see why you are so angry that people were giving CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM about the tone the campaign was taking... clearly it ended up having a very positive effect. Something convinced Bush that it was time to go negative... so you shouldn't attack those of us who were trying to convince him to do that.
25 posted on 03/21/2004 5:03:10 PM PST by Betaille ("I voted for the 87 billion dollars before I voted against it." -John Kerry)
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To: Betaille
i openly admit i was getting a little nervous about the bush campaign..glad to be able to say i was off track...on the other hand our senators have raised a peep yet.
26 posted on 03/21/2004 5:05:45 PM PST by rrrod
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To: Pukin Dog
I think GWB has or has had the correct strategy all along. But the reactionary in me wanted to see Bush take Kerry out right after Iowa. :)
27 posted on 03/21/2004 5:05:54 PM PST by rintense (Now I know why liberals hate guns... they keep shooting themselves in the foot!)
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To: Betaille
Whose angry?

I think its funny. You nervous-nellies, all upset that Bush was not playing by your playbook. Then when he starts his campaign, some of you suggest that you had some input.

If that is not what you meant by your earlier comments, please correct me, but no one is angry here. I think we can both agree that what Bush is doing is great. I just think that some of you came off very badly by your earlier comments.
28 posted on 03/21/2004 5:46:57 PM PST by Pukin Dog (Sans Reproache)
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