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Politics : WHO IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN 2004 -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: calgal who wrote (3925)	8/7/2003 1:01:49 AM
From: calgal	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 10965

Interesting article during the last election The Case for George W. By Matt Fong Stomping the state with Texas Gov. George W. Bush gave me a fresh perspective into “presidential candidate Bush.” Four years ago, at the Los Angeles home of a mutual friend, I met Bush. Back then, I was impressed with his focus and commitment to public education, legal immigration and outreach into minority communities. He was approachable and friendly. There was no pretense. Some have said that the governor has the personality of his mother, Barbara, and the brains of his father, former President George Bush. Whatever the source, he appears to have a winning combination of charisma, charm and common touch. I witnessed crowds from large cities to small, high tech to agriculture, young and old. All reacted to Bush with genuine enthusiasm. Many in the audience were skeptics waiting to be convinced that Bush had the right stuff to be president. One by one, they were. He’s straightforward, but not blunt. He’s genuine and warm, but he’s no pushover. He’s caring but not a wimp. He’s trilingual -- he speaks English, Spanish and Texan -- and he’s inclusive. Bush talks a lot about being a “compassionate conservative.” Recognizing that many struggling entrepreneurs are minorities and women, lowering their taxes is being conservative. Letting the small business owners, not government, decide how to spend their money is being compassionate. As I accompanied Bush in Sacramento, San Francisco, Palo Alto and Los Angeles, I watched a seasoned campaigner. He spends more time shaking hands with people than speaking from the podium. Many politicians aren’t like that. In the crowds were many fresh faces. Newly minted citizens who were Silicon Valley entrepreneurs were attending their very first fundraiser. In Hollywood, entertainment moguls and stars liked what they saw. This spells trouble for Vice President Al Gore. After more than 50 “Air Force Two” trips to California, he counted on the entertainment community and Silicon Valley to be solidly in his corner. But the Hollywood crowd is extremely upset at the recent Clinton-Gore decision directing the Federal Trade Commission to investigate them on violence in the media. Some are moving to Sen. Bill Bradley; others like Bush! Silicon Valley is upset that Clinton-Gore has a stronger affinity to trial lawyers than high-tech business worried about Y2K liability. Even Gore’s self-proclaimed role in “inventing the Internet” isn’t persuasive. I also saw many old faces -- campaign veterans who had dropped out of politics out of disgust or cynicism -- suddenly revived as if getting a blood transfusion from an 18-year-old. Now, California is a political jump ball, with George W. Bush appearing to have the higher reach. Can he lead? You bet. Ask the people in Texas. The past six Texas governors were not re-elected. Breaking this 25-year tradition, Bush won re-election with strong bipartisan support by a whopping 69 percent of the vote! This included 65 percent of women voters, 73 percent of independent voters, 49 percent of Latino voters and 27 percent of African American voters. Minorities, especially Latinos and blacks, like his commitment to public education. Test scores have risen dramatically. Small business owners like his commitment to lowering taxes by eliminating excess regulations and bureaucracy. I know -- many California businesses left for Texas. I believe Bush’s great strength is finding common ground amongst diversity. For example, access to higher education is a hotly debated topic in minority communities. He’s against quotas but for affirmative access. By guaranteeing a fixed percentage of students in every high school for college, regardless of where the school is located, every student has a shot at higher education -- if they study. Where is all the momentum coming from? Some of the enthusiasm comes from Republicans of all stripes -- those who are tired of losing, getting behind a winner. Some comes from Americans tired of the current occupant. In fact, the biggest applause line in every city was Bush’s promise to uphold not just the duties of the president, but the dignity of the presidency. This may also account for Sen. Bradley’s strong showing against the vice president, who cannot -- for better or worse -- cut his ties to the president’s behavior. I believe voters are now starting to react to Clinton’s follies. Political science is no different than physics: for every action, there is a reaction. Jimmy Carter’s presidency did not give us Walter Mondale -- it gave us Ronald Reagan. I predict Bill Clinton’s presidency will not give us Al Gore. It’s still too early. November 2000 is more than a few political lifetimes away. But I believe that the brief snapshot I saw in California will be replayed in communities all over America, leading Bush to the front door of the White House. Former U.S. Senate candidate Matt Fong is an adviser to the Bush for President campaign in California URL:http://www.asianweek.com/071599/opinion_roundtable.html