Bush's soft-focus campaign plan echoes Reagan's "Morning in America"

[G_j]

www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0105-02.htm

Published on Monday, January 5, 2004 by the Guardian/UK

Bush Aims to Dodge Tough Poll Issues
President seeks second term with a 'soft-focus' campaign
by Lawrence Donegan in San Francisco

 There may be a conflict raging in Iraq that is killing US soldiers on a daily basis. There may be the threat of an economic crisis, too much unemployment and political debate infused with vitriol levels unseen for years. Yet President George W Bush is planning to win re-election (sic) by turning reality on its head.

Bush is drawing up a positive, soft-focus and upbeat campaigning platform portraying him as the candidate of national unity.

White House aides are increasingly certain the incumbent will face a run-off against the former Vermont governor Howard Dean in November, and confident they will be able to portray the favorite for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination as partisan and pessimistic.

'Voters don't normally vote for an angry, pessimistic person to be president of the country. They want someone, even if times are not great, to be forward looking and optimistic,' Matthew Dowd, a senior Bush campaign aide said.
...more...

[POed_Ex_Repub]

1. I always find it amusing...

When political strategists tell people what "they" want. Oh wow, I didn't know I wanted that until you told me! LOL

[rumguy]

2. pure propaganda

But we're ready with the facts this time around.

[G_j]

3. Prozac anyone? n/t

[punpirate]

4. Unity? Unity, my ass....

Let's just say that this man knows as much about unity as he does about speechifying--little to none.

"Positive, soft-focus and upbeat...." That's an insult to us all.

[K-W]

5. Just like the last time.

This is nothing new, they are going to run a very similar campaign as the last one. It is up to the democrats to adjust. Gore fell into this trap. Bush's talking points throughout the election were fairly liberal, thus making it look like he was very close to Gore. Gore ran a polite campaign never challenging Bush. Things are different now. Now we can actually point to Bush's actions as he contradicts himself. I cant imagine any democratic strategist outside the Lieberman camp making the same mistake Gore did this time.

[Cat Atomic]

6. "Soft focus" is another way of saying "unfocussed". As in,

"don't scrutinize anything too closely".

They're hoping for a sort of Gestalt campaign. If those idiots don't have their electronic voting machines installed in all the right places, they're going to lose.

[0rganism]

7. Sure it's "morning in America"... MONDAY MORNING

And you were up all Sunday night drinking cocktails to celebrate your boss's promotion.

And you drive in to work with a hangover, to find a pink slip on your desk.

And your kid who joined the reserves back in 1999 to pay for his college tuition just got his marching orders for an indefinite vacation in Iraq.

And your dog shows up on your porch choking to death on some kind of weird-ass chemical leaking from the brownfield down the street.

It's just that kind of morning in America.

[radfringe]

8. more recycling by Bush* Inc.

seems that dragging old cronies and old ideas out of the trash is the only recycling Bush* Inc practices

shades of the "..kinder, gentler America..."

will he up the ante to a "million points of light"?

going to the moon - didn't we do this already?

:sigh: :eyes: will he be dropping teddy bears instead of bombs?

[Gore1FL]

9. Morning After in America

[Gore1FL]

10. Mourning in America

is probably more accurate

[Q]

11. Soft focus=lack of detail and responsibility...

- This was easy to predict: call your opponent the bad guy for wanting to tell the truth about you and never, ever explain or apologize for your mistakes.