Bush ads suspended, to relief of Democrats
Three months and $85 million later, the race is still a dead heat, George W. Bush has still not told us what he's accomplished, and we've all had our intelligence insulted. It would appear that the only winners in this sorry scenario are the advertising agencies and media outlets.
WASHINGTON -- When John Kerry nailed down the Democratic presidential nomination on March 2, the White House was waiting. With relentless precision, it began a 90-day campaign to weaken Kerry's candidacy, a blast that included record spending on television advertisements and attacks on Kerry's credentials and ideology led by President Bush himself.
The Republican spring offensive -- unusual in its early timing, its toughness and the decision of Bush to engage his opponent personally so far before November -- effectively ends today, as the Bush campaign suspends its broadcast television advertising until next month.
Three months and $85 million after Bush began, pollsters and independent analysts said that while he had raised doubts about Kerry, he had not scored as much damage as some Democrats had feared or some Republicans had anticipated.
Kerry is viewed more negatively by voters than he was on the morning of March 3, and Bush appears to have succeeded in planting doubts about the firmness of Kerry's convictions, according to a variety of polls. But polls also show Bush and Kerry tied, while Kerry continues to be viewed more favorably than not. Democrats seem relieved that this period has ended, and more confident of victory than they did when Bush's attack began in March, as Kerry has eclipsed Bush in his fund raising over the same period.
I find it profoundly disturbing that a sitting President feels the need to trash his opponent instead of outlining his accomplishments and vision. Of course, if you have none of either, I suppose going negative is your only realistic option.
You'd think that four years after stealing the Presidency that Bush would at least feel that he has made some progress somewhere. Four years, and the best he can come up with is going negative against John Kerry? Is this really the kind of leadership we want?
Wake up and smell the kitty litter, willya??? We deserve better.
