Bush Takes Campaign to Michigan, Ohio

WASHINGTON - Election Day is six months off, but President Bush (news - web sites) is campaigning with the urgency of a politician in the home stretch, barnstorming across the battlegrounds of Michigan and Ohio by bus Monday and Tuesday.

Bush heads a convoy of about eight buses — red, white and mostly blue — trolling a voter-rich triangle along Michigan's southern flank Monday. The buses are emblazoned with the words "Yes, America Can" — a slogan meant to project optimism to a region demoralized by the disappearance of millions of manufacturing jobs.

Accompanied by his wife, Laura, Bush begins his day at a town-hall session in Niles, in Michigan's southwest corner; cuts north to Kalamazoo for a speech; then rolls east to the Detroit suburb of Sterling Heights for an evening rally.

Bus tours are a staple of political campaigns, but they usually come late in the game.

Bush campaigned in battleground states including Ohio by bus in July 2000 and in Florida that October. This year he is climbing aboard months earlier, ushering in an intense new phase in his struggle against Democratic challenger John Kerry (news - web sites).

The bus tour is a way to capture the attention of millions of people, said John Kelly, a former Democratic state senator in Michigan who teaches political science part-time at the University of Windsor in neighboring Ontario, Canada. Kerry toured four battleground states, including Michigan and Ohio, by bus last week.

Many of the communities Bush will pass through are suburbs where voters have not developed strong party affiliations, Kelly said.

In a state hard-hit by industrial-sector losses, he said, "it doesn't appear (Bush is) in as good a shape as he should be in terms of working people."

To wring the most exposure possible out of the trip, Bush will conduct three round-table interviews with Michigan and Ohio journalists over two days.

Bush lost both the primary and general election in Michigan in 2000, and is determined not to allow a repeat. Monday marks his 13th visit to the state as president.

Yet voters remain about equally split in their preference for Bush or Kerry. In a Michigan poll last month, 47 percent said they favored Kerry, while 45 percent preferred the president, with 8 percent undecided.

Tuesday, Stage Two of Bush's bus tour runs north-to-south down through Ohio. It starts in the Toledo suburb of Maumee and ends in Cincinnati — the same city where he finished up his five-state bus tour in July 2000.

It marks Bush's 16th visit to Ohio, a state no Republican has won the White House without carrying and that have polls indicating a fairly even split between him and Kerry.

The Ohio format follows Michigan's: town-hall meeting, speech, rally. Bush throws in a pancake breakfast Tuesday.

The town-hall appearances are not exactly free-ranging sessions with a cross-section of voters. Instead, they will permit people who have benefited from the president's tax-cut policies to ask him questions.

Bush's re-election campaign is paying for the bus rental, campaign spokesman Scott Stanzel said.

On Friday, the president embarks on a similar bus tour through Iowa and Wisconsin, two other fiercely competitive states that he lost by a combined 11,000 votes in 2000.

President Bush Tours Michigan and Ohio on Yes, America Can Bus Tour

ARLINGTON, VA - On Monday, May 3, 2004, President George W. Bush will begin a two-day bus tour, Yes, America Can, through Michigan and Ohio. The President will participate in events focused on the strength, optimism and resolve of the American people in meeting the tests of our time - strengthening the economy, making our communities better and keeping America safe.

On Monday, May 3, the President will participate in "Ask President Bush" in Niles, MI. Then, he will make remarks in Kalamazoo, MI, followed by a rally in Sterling Heights, MI. Mrs. Bush will travel with the President and will introduce him at all three events in Michigan.

On Tuesday, May 4, President Bush will make remarks at a breakfast in Toledo, Ohio. He also participates in "Ask President Bush" in Dayton, Ohio, followed by remarks at the Golden Lamb Inn in Lebanon, Ohio. Finally, President Bush will rally supporters in Cincinnati, Ohio before returning to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday night.

President Bush will discuss his plan for growing the economy and ensuring that every American who wants a job can find one. He will meet with small business owners, community college officials, and participants in job training programs. The President will also hear from families throughout Michigan and Ohio who are benefiting from the historic tax relief passed by President Bush.

The President will highlight the values that keep America's communities and families strong. In each city, President Bush will herald local leaders who are making a difference by helping friends and neighbors in need. These events will focus on faith-based organizations, mentoring programs and other community based programs.

President Bush will discuss the War on Terror and the importance of success in Iraq. He will honor our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq who are true heroes in the War on Terror and who - along with their families - have made great sacrifices to keep America safe.

The President looks forward to talking about his agenda to make America safer, stronger and better with the people of Michigan and Ohio.

Monday, May 3, 2004: Michigan

1:30 pm EDT

The President participates in an "Ask President Bush" event
Niles Senior High School
Niles, Michigan
OPEN PRESS

4:10 pm EDT

The President makes remarks
Wings Stadium
Kalamazoo, Michigan
OPEN PRESS

8:35 pm EDT

The President participates in a Sterling Heights, Michigan Rally
Jerome Duncan Ford Theatre at Freedom Hill
Sterling Heights, Michigan
OPEN PRESS

Tuesday, May 4, 2004: Ohio

9:15 am EDT

The President makes remarks at a Breakfast
Lucas County Recreation Center
Maumee, Ohio
OPEN PRESS

12:15 pm EDT

The President participates in "Ask President Bush"
Hara Complex
Dayton, Ohio
OPEN PRESS

2:15 pm EDT

The President makes remarks The Golden Lamb Inn
Lebanon, Ohio
OPEN PRESS

6:30 pm EDT

The President participates in a Cincinnati, Ohio Rally
Cincinnati Gardens
Cincinnati, Ohio
OPEN PRESS

http://www.georgewbush.com/News/Read.aspx?ID=2526

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.