Bush Barbs Getting Under Kerry's Skin
By MIKE GLOVER
The Associated Press
Wednesday, March 31, 2004; 2:59 AM
In the effort to paint Democratic rival John Kerry as a big-spending liberal the other day, President Bush's campaign used heavy hitters from the administration but also tweaked him by trotting out a home-state police officer.
"You might want to know him the way some of us in Massachusetts do," Jay Moccia says in a radio spot Bush is airing.
Kerry quickly fired back with a statement from a more friendly Massachusetts police officer decrying "misleading charges by the Bush campaign."
Bush not only draws distinctions with Kerry but tries to get under the Massachusetts Democrat's skin. There's a clear edge to many of the president's attacks, along with hopes of provoking a reaction. And it's worked a few times.
When Bush launched a television drive bashing Kerry on gasoline taxes and labeling his position "wacky," Kerry responded by saying the president was in "mid-October desperation."
While some had expected Bush to stay above the fray, he's waded in energetically.
"We have planned to be and stay on offense for the duration of this campaign," Bush campaign spokeswoman Nicolle Devenish said. "We've only been in a general-election dynamic for a couple of weeks, but we're holding Senator Kerry's feet to the fire with his own record."
A few weeks ago in Chicago, during a casual conversation with a worker, Kerry described his Republican critics as "lying" and "crooked."
For days, Kerry was forced to explain who he was referring to and what sparked his words. After scrambling, Kerry said he was talking about a "Republican attack machine" ranging from conservative radio hosts to Internet sites distorting his history. His message, however, was lost for days.
When Kerry emerged from the primary season exhausted but with the nomination in hand, he retreated to an Idaho ski resort to recuperate. No sooner had he arrived than Bush ripped into him with a new attack commercial and at a noisy campaign rally, labeling Kerry a serial tax hiker.
For hours, aides said Kerry was going to stay out of the fray, and he spent much of the day on the slopes while he took a pounding. He finally responded, but the image of the day was of an energized president firing up thousands of backers and a Democratic challenger on holiday.
Some Democrats are urging Kerry to develop a smoother response to Bush's prodding. Consultant Jenny Backus pointed to a line President Reagan used in his debates with Jimmy Carter. "Kerry can use this by setting up a nice Ronald Reagan 'There you go again,'" Backus said.
The tactic by Bush, not only to confront Kerry but to put an edge on the criticism, is aggressive, as is the decision to involve Bush himself instead of leaving the field to surrogates.
"Personal aggressiveness is a positive from their standpoint," George Washington University's Christopher Deering said.
Some warn that the hyper-aggressive strategy carries risks. Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, argues that once Bush involves himself directly in the give-and-take of the campaign, he loses some of the aura that comes with the White House.
"Part of the problem for the Bush campaign is President Bush has been carrying some of these attacks," Jamieson said. "When you want to retreat to the Rose Garden, it's more difficult to do that if you have led the way."
Kerry loses each time he's distracted and makes a misstep, Jamieson said.
"They leave no moment unexploited," she said.
Some Democrats argue that Kerry should spend less time punching back at Bush and make better use of surrogates while sticking more closely to his campaign's core themes.
"The message out of the White House is negative and that means the high road is available," Backus said. "He should take the high road as soon as possible. Swing voters don't like negativity, they don't like hypocrisy and they don't want to tear everything down."
With the election seven months away and polls showing the race tied, few expect a letup in the daily exchanges. Kerry's campaign is hoping the Bush tactic backfires.
"No president has ever been this negative this early," Kerry spokesman Chad Clanton said. "The picture of a very negative president is not going to sit well with voters over the long term."
© 2004 The Associated Press |
