Bush record not strong, but will state he "performed as well as possible"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/08/29/watson/index.html

First, he and other Republican speakers like former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani must make terrorism the dominant issue in the election, and make Kerry seem too risky as a viable protector of the homeland. Terrorism is the president's strongest issue in polls, but voters rate the economy and the Iraq war as equally important deciding factors.

Second, to continue his recent momentum and attain even a modest bounce, Bush and speakers like Sen. John McCain of Arizona must reframe his record on the economy and the war. In a recent poll, Americans were largely split about whether the economy was getting better or worse and whether the war in Iraq was worth the cost. Although Bush may never convince a majority of voters that his record is strong in those areas, he needs to try to convince a solid majority that he has performed as well as possible given a variety of challenges: the stock market bursting and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in the case of the economy, and bad intelligence in the case of Iraq.

Finally, Bush needs to convince voters -- especially undecided voters -- that he has a new and compelling second-term agenda. In 1992, the president's father suffered not only from a bad economy, but also from a perception that he did not have a broader agenda of affirmative things that he wanted to achieve in a second term.

To rebut that image and make an affirmative case for the undecided voters, Bush is likely to lay out ambitious plans for health care reform, social security reform and tax simplification.

[liveoaktx]

1. Translation: I sucked but won't you give me 4 more yrs to see if I can do

better the 2nd term?

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

4. He wants to be re-elected (or "re-selected") on the basis of...

...an "E" for effort.

:evilgrin:

[liveoaktx]

8. Bwahahahah, made me laugh!

[trotsky]

2. Oh fer crying out loud.

ambitious plans for health care reform, social security reform and tax simplification

You mean, like all the things he promised in 2000 but never delivered?

"Oh yeah, trust me, THIS time I'll do all that!"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

5. "Tax simplification" = "abolish income tax," resulting in...

...lower and middle class people no longer buying anything because they can't afford the 60% sales tax that Bush's "base" can.

[rkc3]

7. ambitious plans for health care reform, social security reform

and tax simplification

That's just the short list most of us remember - but I think he mentioned a plan for school vouchers, humble foreign policy, establishment of a Palestinian state, free trade, and probably many more areas where the dumbass has failed to deliver.

If he has acted like this after losing the first election - what's he going to do to America in his second term where there is no opportunity for re-election? I think we're in big trouble if he gets a second term.

[Blue_Roses]

3. strong leader

they are gonna hammer this all the way to a second term:eyes:

[indepat]

6. W has performed as poorly as possible for his every action is ideologicall

driven: Everything he does is wrong because it is right, that's far-right, ideologically-speaking.

[girl gone mad]

9. Slogan suggestions:

"Our economic policy has been a fabulous disaster!"

"I have prosecuted the War on Terror in awesomely stupid ways!"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

11. Here's another one: "Look at on the bright side...

...I spend half of my term on vacation and the other half asleep, so what have you got to lose?"

:evilgrin:

[aden_nak]

10. Sometimes your best isn't good enough. Ain't life a bitch like that?

Sorry George, but if the best excuse you have is that you are mediocre at your job, that's no reason to re-elect you. You've once again pointed out what I've been saying for a damn long time. You're either a complete liar or a bumbling incompetant, and I don't want either as my President.

[kodi]

12. so does a bucket with a hole in its bottom

.