Democratic candidates adopt anti-Bush strategy
By David Jackson, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Many Democratic candidates are planning to run against two Republicans in the next election — their GOP opponent and former president George W. Bush.
When former U.S. attorney Chris Christie, a Bush appointee, won the Republican nomination for governor of New Jersey last week, Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine welcomed him to the race by attacking his former boss.
"I'm not about to put my trust in the same people who gave us George W. Bush, Dick Cheney or John Ashcroft," Corzine said, throwing in Bush's vice president and first attorney general for good measure.
The Corzine-Christie contest is this November. Other Democratic candidates will likely bash Bush throughout the 2010 election season, predicts Stuart Rothenberg, publisher of a non-partisan political newsletter. "You'll hear Democrats say, President Obama is still trying to clean up the mess of the Bush years," he says.
Possible Democratic targets with Bush ties include:
• Former budget director Rob Portman of Ohio, who is seeking a U.S. Senate seat.
• Republican Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri, a key Bush ally in legislative battles, also running for the Senate.
• Former Republican congressman Rob Simmons, who is challenging Sen. Chris Dodd in Connecticut.
Simmons says he is not worried about being linked to Bush: "That's not only yesterday's news, that's history." Simmons contends that Bush-era deficits are projected to explode on Obama's watch. "People are worried about the future," he says.
Democratic pollster Celinda Lake says her candidates should make the Bush administration an issue because voters still blame it for economic and foreign policy problems. "When you say this member of Congress or that Republican wants to continue the failed Bush policies, that's very salient for people," she says.
Democratic Party spokesman Hari Sevugan says Bush's continued prominence reflects a "vacuum of leadership" in the Republican Party, one that is filled by Bush-era Cheney and talk show host Rush Limbaugh.
There's just one problem with the anti-Bush strategy, GOP pollster Whit Ayres says. It is Obama's agenda that will serve as a referendum for the 2009 and 2010 elections. Bush "is no longer on the scene, and he's been very quiet," Ayres adds.
That doesn't mean Democrats — including Obama — won't try to keep the former president's policies in the public eye. Obama makes frequent references to the problems inherited from his Republican predecessor. "We're cleaning up something that is, quite simply, a mess," he recently said of his efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp.
Running against an ex-president is not a novel political tactic. Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr, Republicans from North Carolina, dealt Erskine Bowles consecutive defeats in 2002 and 2004 Senate races in part by noting he had worked for President Clinton.
Bush's popularity remains low nationwide. The former president had a 35% favorable rating in an April survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press; 60% gave him an unfavorable review. Moving forward, Republican candidates need to help create a new image for their party "or they risk being defined as the party of the Bush years," says Michael Dimock, associate director at Pew.
Independent political analyst Jennifer Duffy says running against Bush could well work for Democrats in the short term by rallying Democrats and wooing independents. "The bluer the state, the more effective it's going to be," says Duffy, senior editor with The Cook Political Report.
The effectiveness may wane long-term, however, she says: "At some point Obama — whether he wants to or not — has to own his decisions on a lot of things."
________________________________________________________________
So Bush is still a useful tool what with the lingering public disdain for him.
Sometimes you can beat a dead horse, at least for now.
By David Jackson, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Many Democratic candidates are planning to run against two Republicans in the next election — their GOP opponent and former president George W. Bush.
When former U.S. attorney Chris Christie, a Bush appointee, won the Republican nomination for governor of New Jersey last week, Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine welcomed him to the race by attacking his former boss.
"I'm not about to put my trust in the same people who gave us George W. Bush, Dick Cheney or John Ashcroft," Corzine said, throwing in Bush's vice president and first attorney general for good measure.
The Corzine-Christie contest is this November. Other Democratic candidates will likely bash Bush throughout the 2010 election season, predicts Stuart Rothenberg, publisher of a non-partisan political newsletter. "You'll hear Democrats say, President Obama is still trying to clean up the mess of the Bush years," he says.
Possible Democratic targets with Bush ties include:
• Former budget director Rob Portman of Ohio, who is seeking a U.S. Senate seat.
• Republican Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri, a key Bush ally in legislative battles, also running for the Senate.
• Former Republican congressman Rob Simmons, who is challenging Sen. Chris Dodd in Connecticut.
Simmons says he is not worried about being linked to Bush: "That's not only yesterday's news, that's history." Simmons contends that Bush-era deficits are projected to explode on Obama's watch. "People are worried about the future," he says.
Democratic pollster Celinda Lake says her candidates should make the Bush administration an issue because voters still blame it for economic and foreign policy problems. "When you say this member of Congress or that Republican wants to continue the failed Bush policies, that's very salient for people," she says.
Democratic Party spokesman Hari Sevugan says Bush's continued prominence reflects a "vacuum of leadership" in the Republican Party, one that is filled by Bush-era Cheney and talk show host Rush Limbaugh.
There's just one problem with the anti-Bush strategy, GOP pollster Whit Ayres says. It is Obama's agenda that will serve as a referendum for the 2009 and 2010 elections. Bush "is no longer on the scene, and he's been very quiet," Ayres adds.
That doesn't mean Democrats — including Obama — won't try to keep the former president's policies in the public eye. Obama makes frequent references to the problems inherited from his Republican predecessor. "We're cleaning up something that is, quite simply, a mess," he recently said of his efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp.
Running against an ex-president is not a novel political tactic. Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr, Republicans from North Carolina, dealt Erskine Bowles consecutive defeats in 2002 and 2004 Senate races in part by noting he had worked for President Clinton.
Bush's popularity remains low nationwide. The former president had a 35% favorable rating in an April survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press; 60% gave him an unfavorable review. Moving forward, Republican candidates need to help create a new image for their party "or they risk being defined as the party of the Bush years," says Michael Dimock, associate director at Pew.
Independent political analyst Jennifer Duffy says running against Bush could well work for Democrats in the short term by rallying Democrats and wooing independents. "The bluer the state, the more effective it's going to be," says Duffy, senior editor with The Cook Political Report.
The effectiveness may wane long-term, however, she says: "At some point Obama — whether he wants to or not — has to own his decisions on a lot of things."
________________________________________________________________
So Bush is still a useful tool what with the lingering public disdain for him.
Sometimes you can beat a dead horse, at least for now.
