Posted on 01/07/2003 10:59:43 PM PST by JohnHuang2
Hoping for significant gains in the 2004 elections, Democrats plan to undermine public confidence in President Bush by questioning his credibility while raising doubts about the U.S. at a time when American troops are deploying for war against Iraq, political website Capitol Hill Blue reports.
According to the report, a Democratic talking-points memo devised last year by senior party consultants and elected leaders outlines "a strategy to raise public doubts of the president's real intentions," including:
"It is clear that the current approval ratings of the administration are tied directly to strong American feelings toward traditional values," the memo says, according to CHB, which obtained a copy. "To counter this, doubt must be raised as to America's true position within the world community and the true intent of the Bush administration in waging war."
"The talking points were developed before the end of last year and sent out to operatives and friendly media," one Democratic consultant said. "No Democratic member of Congress will question the president's patriotism openly, but we will use the media and other surrogates to raise doubts."
CHB indicates that in the coming weeks Democratic lawmakers will question Bush's intentions regarding the looming Iraq war. Writers and broadcasters friendly to the Democratic Party "have already been provided talking points suggesting the war is about oil, not terrorism," CHB reported.
Not all Democrats are taking part, the newssite reported.
"My boss doesn't want anything to do with it," one senior Senate aide said Monday. "You don't undermine this country to win elections."
But others are willing to try any tactic to put the White House on the defensive and regain Democratic control of Congress.
"The real war isn't in Iraq," one Democratic consultant said. "It's right here at home, at the ballot box in 2004."
Other points Democrats will try to make in the coming weeks include the alleged influence and control over Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney by the oil and defense industries, as well as other special interest groups; that the war on terrorism has failed thus far because al-Qaida founder and leader Osama bin Laden is reportedly still alive; that the U.S. is not prepared for another terror attack on its soil because the administration is preoccupied with Iraq; and that Bush will be forced to raise taxes to finance the Iraqi war.
"It's time to take the battle to the people and make them understand just how dangerous George W. Bush's policies are to the future of America," says the talking points memo, according to CHB.
Unnamed Democratic sources named Democratic National Committee chief Terry McAuliffe, former Clinton campaign strategist James Carville, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle and former House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt as party leaders who developed the talking-points memo.
"This is a classic, Jim Carville, scorched-earth campaign," one DNC staffer said. "Take no prisoners. That's how you win elections."
So far, at least, Democrats may have trouble getting traction with their strategy.
Bush unveiled yesterday a $674 billion, 10-year plan to cut dividend taxes while imploring Congress to make his $1.35 trillion tax cut plan passed in 2001 permanent.
"Americans are scheduled to receive tax cuts in 2004 and 2006 ... and the time to deliver tax rate reductions is now, when they can do the most good for American businesses," Bush said in a speech to the Economic Club in Chicago.
The president also called on Congress to accelerate the tax break for married couples, scheduled for 2009, and speed up the tax credit for families with children, who aren't scheduled to get the break until 2010.
"I am asking the United States to abolish the double taxation of dividends," Bush said. "By ending this investment penalty, we will strengthen investor confidence. By ending double taxation of dividends, we will increase the return on investing to draw more money into the markets, to provide capital to build factories, to buy equipment, hire more people."
On Monday, the U.S. dollar rose against the euro and Japanese yen on news of Bush's stimulus package. Wall Street also responded positively to Bush's plan.
And according to at least one new survey, released yesterday, nearly two-thirds of Americans say when the stock market goes up it benefits the economy and all Americans.
Among investors, the poll found, 77 percent said a healthy stock market benefits everyone.
Meanwhile, surveys continue to show strong support across the country for Bush regarding a possible war with Iraq.
We'll destroy them in 2004.
They're goin' down!
This is either an incredible act of despiration or the product of shallow thinking.
When the troops go in, they will find WMD and other stuff. It will be the type things the Dems will have learned about in security briefings, but acted like didn't exist. They are setting themselves up for election defeat unlike anything they have ever seen.
"Had Bush not scared poor little harmless, peace-loving Saddam with his axis-of-evil rhetoric, Iraq wouldn't need Weapons of Mass Destruction...so it's Bush's fault!", they'll say ;^)
You do if your loyalties are elsewhere.
-PJ
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