Bush back to campaigning in battleground states

cnn ^ | July 30, 2004 | Dana Bash

[demlosers]

CNN) -- After keeping a low profile during the Democratic National Convention, President Bush returns to the campaign trail Friday morning to unveil broad themes of his agenda for the next four years at stops in three crucial battleground states.

Friday's events kick off a monthlong push by the Bush campaign leading up to the Republican National Convention in New York.

Nicolle Devenish, the Bush campaign's communications director, said the president will deliver a retooled stump speech during stops in Missouri,...

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"We started the campaign by talking about what the country has been through, the war on terror and the economy, and now we'll talk about the vision for the next four years and the difference in visions for the future."

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The Bush campaign has dubbed this next phase of the campaign as the "Heart and Soul Tour: Moving America Forward," a slogan that will be displayed on his campaign bus and will be accompanied by new ads mirroring the theme that will also start Friday.

The Bush campaign plans to split the four-week phase into three parts:

# The first two weeks will focus on "strengthening families and the changing economy," with a special emphasis on promoting what the president calls the "ownership society."

Bush will promote ideas such as mandatory flex time for Americans who want it and reintroduce a proposal for privatizing part of Social Security, which he pushed in his last campaign but pulled back on once the stock market plummeted.

He also will talk about issues such as home ownership, education and help for small businesses, which he already discusses on the stump.

# The third week will be focused on national security, where the president will talk about the "need for success" in the war on terror, though he is not likely to unveil new policies.

# In the last week going into the GOP convention, the president will talk about a different issue each day and discuss policy initiatives in detail.

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[SpinyNorman]

Kerry may lamely claim to lead the "can-do" party, but the President leads the Have-Done, Are-doing, and Will-do party!

Just let them compare records on what they have done to make America safer and stronger, and Kerry comes out on the short end of that stick!

[I still care]

Right now he is on fox and kicking tail. Talking about how his opponents have no action to back up their statements after years in congress. Catch it if you can.

[TommyDale]

I watched the Bush speach this morning. I'm glad he has finally taken off the gloves and is fighting. Actually, I think he was "ripping Kerry a new one".

[RockinRight]

He did well. He opened a good ol' fashioned can of American Whoop-A$$ on Kerry.

[WOSG]

Kerry is the

Say anything do nothing

candidate

[bioprof]

I thought the speech was really good - I liked the digs at the shallow, no substance facade offered by John / John : the "hollywood" dig , saying Cheney wasn't the "prettiest" Vp ( loved that one ) , and really hammering the fact that 2 out of the 12 Senators that voted against the troop funding were his opponents.

I'm waiting for the "Saving Private Hamster " digs ....( hehehe ) .

[Snuffington]

There was an earlier report that Karl Rove had been holding back until just after the Democratic Convention to start hitting Kerry hard.

During the month of August the Kerry campaign is apparently planning to "go dark," meaning they're pulling television ads from almost all markets. That should allow Bush an excellent opportunity to erode any Kerry convention bounce, and then blow open a lead on the heels of the Republican convention at the end of August.

Looks like the rumor was true, and the re-election campaign is about to begin in earnest.