Bush Strategy for '04
The bush team is waiting until dems settle on one candidate to run against.
"...Mr. Bush's senior advisers, in interviews last week, repeatedly described the Democratic field as unusually weak and divided, providing an important if temporary cushion for Mr. Bush."
..."'We expect it to be a hard-fought, close election in a country narrowly divided,' said Karl Rove, Mr. Bush's senior adviser. 'When a Democratic nominee is finally selected, our expectation is that it could be a close and hard-fought race.'
"The decision to delay the start of advertising until about the time the Democrats settle on a nominee is a rejection of what had been a central element of President Bill Clinton's re-election campaign. Mr. Clinton began advertising 16 months before Election Day, in an effort to define the election before the Republicans chose an opponent.
"Republicans said that would be a waste of money, given the battle taking place among the Democrats. Instead, aides to Mr. Bush said, their campaign would begin spending when a Democratic nominee starts to emerge from the primary battle, probably battered and very likely almost broke.
"In what Republicans said was a pre-emptive effort to nullify Democratic attacks that are likely to gain more attention in the weeks ahead, Mr. Bush's political operation, using elected officials and party leaders, has begun to try to cast the Democratic candidates as excessively negative in their attacks on a personally popular president"
This strategy may be a mistake. Clinton was very successful in defining the race before Dole ever was nominated. Bush could do the same thing with his war chest.
The bush team is waiting until dems settle on one candidate to run against.
"...Mr. Bush's senior advisers, in interviews last week, repeatedly described the Democratic field as unusually weak and divided, providing an important if temporary cushion for Mr. Bush."
..."'We expect it to be a hard-fought, close election in a country narrowly divided,' said Karl Rove, Mr. Bush's senior adviser. 'When a Democratic nominee is finally selected, our expectation is that it could be a close and hard-fought race.'
"The decision to delay the start of advertising until about the time the Democrats settle on a nominee is a rejection of what had been a central element of President Bill Clinton's re-election campaign. Mr. Clinton began advertising 16 months before Election Day, in an effort to define the election before the Republicans chose an opponent.
"Republicans said that would be a waste of money, given the battle taking place among the Democrats. Instead, aides to Mr. Bush said, their campaign would begin spending when a Democratic nominee starts to emerge from the primary battle, probably battered and very likely almost broke.
"In what Republicans said was a pre-emptive effort to nullify Democratic attacks that are likely to gain more attention in the weeks ahead, Mr. Bush's political operation, using elected officials and party leaders, has begun to try to cast the Democratic candidates as excessively negative in their attacks on a personally popular president"
This strategy may be a mistake. Clinton was very successful in defining the race before Dole ever was nominated. Bush could do the same thing with his war chest.
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