thedrifter
04-17-04, 12:42 PM
Bush? Kerry? Or None of the Above?
By ANN McFEATTERS
Apr 16, 2004, 08:29
So far, it seems, much of what Americans think of John Kerry -- not that they are giving much thought to the looming election -- comes from what the Bush-Cheney campaign wants them to think.
Those Bush campaign ads that show grainy old footage of a man pushing a Model T while the voiceover talks about Kerry's support for a 50-cent hike in the gasoline tax are having an impact. The voice says Kerry's plan would raise taxes for the average American family by $657 a year, enough to cause anyone to wince with gas prices soaring.
There's a problem, however. Kerry never voted for a 50-cent hike in the gas tax and is not advocating such a boost. The senator once noodled over the idea, but doesn't favor it now. (Environmentalists would be happy if he would back it to promote conservation, but he won't.)
Questioned about this early this month, Kerry, in a mild-mannered way, sort of shrugged off the Bush characterization that his goal in life is to raise taxes. It's as if he said, "Oh, those Bushies. What silliness will they come up with next?"
Pollster Peter Hart, with the help of the University of Pennsylvania's nonpartisan Annenberg Public Policy Center, did a "focus group" with voters in Philadelphia a few days ago and found that the ads are resonating. He also found that while voters know Kerry's name, that's just about all many know about him except that he's a Democrat, from Massachusetts and a "liberal."
Kerry has "a ton of work to do" to sell himself to voters, Hart concluded.
Democrats eager to defeat President Bush are worried that Kerry could be making one of the worst mistakes in politics -- letting the opposition define who he is.
Kerry, back from shoulder surgery and a brief skiing vacation after a hard year of work to snare the Democratic nomination, clearly has heard the criticism. He is putting more oomph to his speeches. He accuses the Bush campaign of misleading voters about him (Kerry) on taxes and defense, complaining Bush has a "truth deficit" as well as a budget deficit.
As commander in chief, Bush has been front and center for a long time, especially as American deaths have mounted in Iraq, insurgents there have initiated all-out attacks on Americans and foreigners, and the commission probing whether 9/11 could have been prevented has blamed the entire intelligence operation for failing to do its job.
Nonetheless, Democrats who expected the rash of bad news would hurt the president's popularity are finding that, in war, Americans truly want their president to succeed, to be credible and to be followed.
There is no doubt that the uncertainty about the situation in Iraq, the mounting deaths and the fear that thousands of Americans could be there for years is taking a toll on Bush's job-approval rating. Also, voters are not convinced the spike in new jobs in March is real. They say they are worried about the future, how they'll pay health-care bills and college tuition, and what kind of jobs their children will get. IF they find jobs.
On the other hand, Americans know Bush and like him. Howard Baker, former senator and White House chief of staff, used to say that Americans tend to vote for someone they'd like to have living next door. Bush seems to many the amiable neighbor they'd like to share barbecue with in the back yard.
When asked if they think Bush is a "strong" leader, many voters, including some Democrats, say "yes."
Whether that's wishful thinking, because they want him to be strong, remains to be seen. There is no doubt, however, that Kerry still seems stiff, slightly arrogant and wishy-washy to many Americans. Kerry voted for the war but against the $87 billion Bush requested for it. Kerry is highly critical of Bush's handling of Iraq but has yet to propose anything significantly different.
In the spring of our discontent, both Bush and Kerry should be worried. Kerry starts off with nearly half the population against him because he's a Democrat and because voters tend to be nervous about changing horses in mid-stream in wartime. But Bush's press conference the other day was shallow and defensive -- he said nothing new, he offered platitudes, he overstated the case in saying that freedom in Iraq would "change the world."
In short, neither man has made the sale. And the longer it takes, the harder it will be. We've never had a presidential election where voters said "none of the above," but we've come close.
(Ann McFeatters is Washington bureau chief of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Toledo Blade. E-mail amcfeatters(at)nationalpress.com.)
© Copyright 2004 by Capitol Hill Blue
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_4407.shtml
Ellie
By ANN McFEATTERS
Apr 16, 2004, 08:29
So far, it seems, much of what Americans think of John Kerry -- not that they are giving much thought to the looming election -- comes from what the Bush-Cheney campaign wants them to think.
Those Bush campaign ads that show grainy old footage of a man pushing a Model T while the voiceover talks about Kerry's support for a 50-cent hike in the gasoline tax are having an impact. The voice says Kerry's plan would raise taxes for the average American family by $657 a year, enough to cause anyone to wince with gas prices soaring.
There's a problem, however. Kerry never voted for a 50-cent hike in the gas tax and is not advocating such a boost. The senator once noodled over the idea, but doesn't favor it now. (Environmentalists would be happy if he would back it to promote conservation, but he won't.)
Questioned about this early this month, Kerry, in a mild-mannered way, sort of shrugged off the Bush characterization that his goal in life is to raise taxes. It's as if he said, "Oh, those Bushies. What silliness will they come up with next?"
Pollster Peter Hart, with the help of the University of Pennsylvania's nonpartisan Annenberg Public Policy Center, did a "focus group" with voters in Philadelphia a few days ago and found that the ads are resonating. He also found that while voters know Kerry's name, that's just about all many know about him except that he's a Democrat, from Massachusetts and a "liberal."
Kerry has "a ton of work to do" to sell himself to voters, Hart concluded.
Democrats eager to defeat President Bush are worried that Kerry could be making one of the worst mistakes in politics -- letting the opposition define who he is.
Kerry, back from shoulder surgery and a brief skiing vacation after a hard year of work to snare the Democratic nomination, clearly has heard the criticism. He is putting more oomph to his speeches. He accuses the Bush campaign of misleading voters about him (Kerry) on taxes and defense, complaining Bush has a "truth deficit" as well as a budget deficit.
As commander in chief, Bush has been front and center for a long time, especially as American deaths have mounted in Iraq, insurgents there have initiated all-out attacks on Americans and foreigners, and the commission probing whether 9/11 could have been prevented has blamed the entire intelligence operation for failing to do its job.
Nonetheless, Democrats who expected the rash of bad news would hurt the president's popularity are finding that, in war, Americans truly want their president to succeed, to be credible and to be followed.
There is no doubt that the uncertainty about the situation in Iraq, the mounting deaths and the fear that thousands of Americans could be there for years is taking a toll on Bush's job-approval rating. Also, voters are not convinced the spike in new jobs in March is real. They say they are worried about the future, how they'll pay health-care bills and college tuition, and what kind of jobs their children will get. IF they find jobs.
On the other hand, Americans know Bush and like him. Howard Baker, former senator and White House chief of staff, used to say that Americans tend to vote for someone they'd like to have living next door. Bush seems to many the amiable neighbor they'd like to share barbecue with in the back yard.
When asked if they think Bush is a "strong" leader, many voters, including some Democrats, say "yes."
Whether that's wishful thinking, because they want him to be strong, remains to be seen. There is no doubt, however, that Kerry still seems stiff, slightly arrogant and wishy-washy to many Americans. Kerry voted for the war but against the $87 billion Bush requested for it. Kerry is highly critical of Bush's handling of Iraq but has yet to propose anything significantly different.
In the spring of our discontent, both Bush and Kerry should be worried. Kerry starts off with nearly half the population against him because he's a Democrat and because voters tend to be nervous about changing horses in mid-stream in wartime. But Bush's press conference the other day was shallow and defensive -- he said nothing new, he offered platitudes, he overstated the case in saying that freedom in Iraq would "change the world."
In short, neither man has made the sale. And the longer it takes, the harder it will be. We've never had a presidential election where voters said "none of the above," but we've come close.
(Ann McFeatters is Washington bureau chief of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Toledo Blade. E-mail amcfeatters(at)nationalpress.com.)
© Copyright 2004 by Capitol Hill Blue
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_4407.shtml
Ellie