President's campaign uses optimism to attract - Strategy mines power of positive talk

Boston Globe ^ | September 18, 2004 | Rick Klein

[Cincinatus' Wife]

.........Democrats have taken note of Bush’s recent campaign strategies.

They are trying to portray Bush’s optimism as obliviousness. In recent days, Kerry and running mate John Edwards have hit Bush hard on the loss of jobs under his administration; accused the president of lying about progress in Iraq; and accused Bush of ignoring rising violence in US cities.

Yesterday the Democratic Party began running a new television advertisement, showing Bush on an aircraft carrier under a ‘‘Mission Accomplished’’ banner, and a clip of the president saying, ‘‘The economy is strong.’’ The ad asks, ‘‘How can you solve problems when you won’t even admit they’re there?’’

Bush aides say the president’s optimism is warranted, given positive signs that Democrats are ignoring.

They say his demeanor presents a stark contrast with Kerry, particularly as Kerry’s attacks on the president grow more shrill.

‘‘John Kerry says the economy is terrible and I have no plan to

make it better,’’ Ken Mehlman, Bush’s campaign manager, said to reporters Wednesday.

Bush’s demeanor is upbeat, his language uplifting; the president used a variation on the word ‘‘hope’’ seven times in St. Cloud and said ‘‘safe’’ six times. He selectively recounts statistics for maximum effect, for example, referencing the speedy economic growth rate in the third quarter of last year without noting that it dropped by nearly two-thirds in the most recent quarter.

‘‘You tell folks out there that our economy is growing at rates as fast as any in nearly 20 years, that we’ve added 1.7 million new jobs since August of last year, that the national unemployment rate is 5.4 percent, below the average rate of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s,’’ he said on the economy.

‘‘Our strategy is succeeding. It’s succeeding,’’ Bush said, talking about foreign policy........

[537cant be wrong]

"and accused Bush of ignoring the rising violence in U.S. cities"

we should remind kerry that the violence will go down when Bush is re-elected and his minnions will not be physically attacking Bush supporters at his campaign rallys for displaying thier right for freedom of speach.

[SampleMan]

How does one optimistically talk down the economy and say that we are defeated war criminals?

Its not the tone. Its the message.

[Condor51]

..accused Bush of ignoring rising violence in US cities.

HUH?!? Did I wake up to find that Dubya is now MAYOR of the USA??

And to the best of my knowledge, all big cities where crime is out of control, they're run by DemoncRATS (NYC Included). They mostly have lackey, politically-correct Police Chiefs, politically appointed RAT hack judges (Cook County, IL) and wherein arresting Illegals is forbidden, gun crimes are knocked down to misdemeanors, so as NOT to tick off 'minority voting blocks'. Not to mention that these same cities just happen to be overrun by Illegal Aliens, Gang-bangers, Drug Dealers and other such dregs of society.

But paradoxically, these same cities have some of the 'toughest' gun laws in the nation. Gee, figure THAT one out!

(I'm sure glad that Kerry said he'll make sure terrorists obey our weapons laws. Maybe he'd do the same with the criminals - that'd make me feel a LOT safer!) /sarcasm