The other side-- the good guys>>
Passing the Gipper's baton
President Bush has finally outdone Ronald Reagan. In less time than it took the Gipper, W has rebuilt the GOP in his own image. The Republican Party, says Myra Miller, research director of the Winston Group, is in the final transition from "the party of Reagan to the party of Bush." She says the Bush "brand" of compassionate Republicanism is even creating Bush Democrats--women, independents, and Catholics. More proof the baton has passed: Reagan never succeeded in translating his popularity to local elections. Bush did in 2002, nationalizing his agenda in an aggressive campaign despite advice to stay home. In an analysis done for Whispers, the Winston Group, favored by congressional Republicans, calls Bush "the most effective grass-roots [GOP] president . . . ever." Miller says Bush's dominance isn't all 9/11 related; he has captured Democratic issues like education, building trust along the way. "Add the war and an economic recovery," says one glum Democrat, "and it's over until 2008."
usnews.com |
