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Posted on 04/30/2002 7:47:15 PM PDT by Dog Gone
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- President Bush, on a campaign to win over California and assert moderate credentials, reprised his ``compassionate conservative'' theme Tuesday and spoke of his concern for Americans left behind in the economic rebound.
Bush wrapped up two days -- and $4.5 million in fund raising -- in California, trying to help conservative Bill Simon's uphill challenge to Democratic Gov. Gray Davis.
The president also tended to his own political image as he courted the California voters who rejected him in 2000 by more than 1 million ballots.
In his nearly year and a half in office, Bush has bolstered his conservative record by championing tax cuts, increases in defense spending, business-friendly regulations and an energy policy palatable to oil companies. He also rolled back some environmental regulations and choked off funds to family-planning groups allied with abortion rights.
But as Bush now looks to the November elections that will decide control of Congress and lays the groundwork for a 2004 re-election campaign, what he presented to Californians on Tuesday was another side of his agenda.
``America doesn't need more big government,'' Bush said inside a Silicon Valley-area convention hall.
``Yet we cannot have an indifferent government either. We are a generous and caring people. We don't believe in a sink-or-swim society. The policies of our government must heed the universal call of all faiths to love a neighbor as we would want to be loved ourselves.''
He condemned bigotry and hatred, making a comment about France, where several synagogues have been recently attacked and where ultra-rightist Jean-Marie Le Pen, accused of anti-Semitic statements, seeks to unseat President Jacques Chirac in Sunday's national election.
``We reject the ancient evil of anti-Semitism, whether it is practiced by the killers of Daniel Pearl, or by those who burn synagogues in France,'' Bush said.
Pearl is the Wall Street Journal reporter murdered in Pakistan.
Bush spoke the word ``compassion'' 16 times in the 37-minute speech, his most formal and comprehensive of recent weeks.
The speech gathered Bush's entire agenda -- foreign policy, free trade, health care, education, welfare overhaul and more -- under a single theme.
``I call my philosophy and approach compassionate conservatism. It is compassionate to actively help our fellow citizens in need. It is conservative to insist on responsibility and on results,'' Bush said.
He tailored his remarks at Parkside Hall, and later at the fund-raiser, to emphasize his concern for workers here who were hit especially hard by the recession and tumult in the technology sector.
The recession is over, Bush said, ``yet this vital region reminds us that a lot of work remains to be done.''
``I understand people are hurting here in the Silicon Valley. ... So long as people can't find work, I'm worried,'' he said.
This trip, on the heels of a long weekend at his Texas ranch, was as much about helping Simon as testing the California waters before the time comes to decide on making a serious bid for the state in 2004.
Bush also sought to strengthen his coattails for Republican congressional candidates hoping to ride the president's post-Sept. 11 popularity to victory in November. With Bush so focused on the war against terrorism, Democrats have laid claim to domestic issues and cast Bush as an extreme conservative.
Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe said Bush had to ``re-roll-out'' the compassionate rhetoric because ``Republicans can't run on Bush's 2000 campaign agenda because he's walked away from the promises he made to protect Social Security, provide a prescription drug benefit for all seniors and protect our air and water.''
Outside the luncheon for Simon at the Santa Clara Convention Center, some 300 protesters showed the obstacles Bush faces in this traditionally Democratic territory.
``I don't buy a word of the 'compassionate' at all,'' said Joel Frangquist, 25, from San Francisco. ``Where's the compassion for the people of Iraq, for the Palestinians, for the people who have been laid off because of a phony recession?''
By all appearances on this trip, Bush has gotten over his reservations about Simon, a political newcomer. Bush and his White House political operatives forcefully backed former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, Simon's opponent in last month's Republican primary.
The latest statewide polls show Simon running well behind Davis.
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Of course, finding a journalism teacher who doesn't approve of this particular bias is probably impossible.
This nonsense illustrates the wacky out of touch mentality that makes California such a Democrat strong hold.
I don't remember Bush doing anything forceful for RHINOdan during the primary but for the AP it is a fairly low key article.
Polls? How about just one biased poll?
Probolsky & Associates; Apr 2-4 02; 825 RV; Simon 44%, Davis 38%, 53% view Gray-out unfavorably; Link 1
Field Poll; Apr 19-25 02; 546 Adults; Davis 44%, Simon 29%, 47% said they will not vote for Davis' re-election; Link 2
Unknown firm for labor union; Mar/Apr 02; Simon 41%, Davis 37%; Link 3
Public Opinion Strategies for Simon Camp; Mar 6-10 02; 800 LV; Simon 48%, Davis 41%; Davis with 50% disapproval rating; Simon led among women 46-43% Link 4
Field Poll; late Feb 02; Simon 44%, Davis 42%; Link 5
No matter how you slice it, the very well-funded Davis has miserable re-elect numbers for an incumbent.
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