www.georgewbush.com
Posted on 10/16/2004 9:19:50 PM PDT by My Favorite Headache
Bush, Kerry, Edwards push for state’s early voters
By Buddy Nevins Political Writer Posted October 17 2004
With the start of early voting statewide Monday, President Bush and John Kerry's campaigns sent their most precious resource -- the candidates -- to Florida this weekend.
Bush wowed thousands in South Florida Saturday, kicking off a weekend of frenzied campaigning by Republicans and Democrats trying to prod voters to the polls before Election Day. He swept through Broward and Palm Beach counties, stopping for chicken wings at a Coral Springs restaurant, before ending the day in Daytona Beach.
The crowd greeting Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards at Buccaneer Park in Miami Gardens was smaller but no less enthusiastic, greeting the North Carolina senator with chants of "No more Bush" and "Hope is on the way."
Kerry and Edwards will hold seven rallies in Florida by Monday morning.
All the politicking was designed to promote early voting in the largest state that polls indicate is still undecided.
"Make sure you get people to the polls starting Monday," Bush told the cheering crowd at the Office Depot Arena in Sunrise.
Volunteers passed out flyers with early voting locations to those leaving the Sunrise and Palm Beach County rallies.
"The reality today is we have 15 election days rather than just one Election Day. Campaigns have had to adjust and that is what you are seeing this weekend," said pollster Jim Kane, editor of the Florida Voter newsletter.
"Every vote we get in early voting is one less vote we have to drive out on Election Day," said Alberto Martinez, Bush's Florida spokesman. "We're emphasizing early voting."
So are the Democrats.
The campaign called Edwards' appearance an "early vote block party," and the nominee stressed the need for registered voters to bring friends with them to the polls to assure a high turnout.
In a 15-minute speech, Edwards hammered at Bush's record on the Iraq war, health care and his debate performances. His favorite moment, he said, came during the second debate when Bush asked whether he still had time to finish answering a question.
"George Bush asked, `Is my time up yet?'" Edwards said. "Yes, your time is up. You're going back to Texas, and John Kerry is moving into the White House."
Edwards was scheduled to attend church in Daytona Beach today and hold early voting rallies in Gainesville and Tallahassee.
An early voting rally is was planned by John Kerry for 4:40 p.m. today at C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines. Kerry then travels to Century Village in West Palm Beach at 7:30 a.m. Monday, before flying to Tampa and Orlando. Tickets for the Pembroke Pines and West Palm Beach events can be printed at johnkerry.com.
"Early voting is an enormous part of our strategy," said Matt Miller, the Florida Kerry spokesman. "We're devoting tremendous field resources to it and our candidates time, which is the most valuable asset we have."
Both campaigns ratcheted up their phone bank operations this weekend, contacting supporters and encouraging them to vote early.
The Kerry campaign has vans in their strongholds ready to drive voters to early voting. The Florida Democratic Party is sponsoring Campout for Change whereby activists in six Democratic areas, including Broward and Palm Beach counties, will camp out overnight to be the first to early vote Monday morning.
GOP activists launched a statewide volunteer effort Saturday called Walk the Vote, which, along with their phone banks, seeks to reach more than 1.6 million voters before early voting begins Monday. Much of the Republican effort is designed to round up votes in hurricane-ravaged southwest and Central Florida and the Panhandle, traditional areas of GOP strength.
Gov. Jeb Bush conceded in an interview scheduled to air on ABC-TV's This Week this morning that Republicans are worried that the four hurricanes might have hurt his brother's chances.
Calling Republican turnout a potential problem, the governor said: "The hurricanes hit some places that are bedrock Republican areas, and these folks are really hurting. And a lot of people don't consider politics their first priority right now."
President Bush was wildly cheered Saturday when he pledged at the Sunrise rally that Florida would get what it needs to recover from the hurricanes.
The thousands of Bush supporters in the hockey arena waved signs that indicated the depth of his support and why the presidential race is dead even in Florida. Signs proclaimed doctors for Bush, teachers for Bush, Haitians for Bush, teenagers for Bush, Catholics for Bush, plus many "Viva Bush" signs and several in Hebrew which said "Shalom Bush."
"He's the greatest," Marta Garcia of Miami said of Bush. "I'm going to get on the phone and tell everybody to vote early."
During his 40-minute speech, Bush repeatedly attacked Democratic nominee John Kerry as indecisive and a tax-and-spend liberal. Repeating the Bush campaign theme that the Massachusetts's senator switches positions for political expediency, Bush said, "The commander-in-chief must stand on principle, not the shifting sands of political convenience."
Several times at the mention of Kerry's name, the crowd chanted, "Flip flop, flip flop,"
With dozens of Jewish supporters in the audiences in Broward and Palm Beach counties, Bush announced he had signed a bill requiring the State Department to document attacks on Jews around the world as a way to combat anti-Semitism.
Bush rode in a campaign bus from Broward to a rally for 9,000 at the Sound Advice Amphitheatre west of West Palm Beach. He stopped for lunch at Wings Plus on Sample Road in Coral Springs.
The president went into a back room while Laura Bush and Jeb Bush placed seven orders of assorted wings.
When the president emerged, he asked if his brother had paid, and was told he hadn't.
"I'll pay for them," he said. "Nothing's changed. How much do we owe?"
To which someone responded, "You owe us four more years."
Staff Writers Tony Man and Rafael Olmeda contributed to this report.
Great post!!
Do we have enough patriots? I hope this country still has enough good, patriotic people to outnumber the freakishly uninformed, America loathers on the Left.
There goes the PETA vote. Is Karl Rove insane???? ;)
Love the Bush quote at the end. Great thread.
'"When the president emerged, he asked if his brother had paid, and was told he hadn't.
"I'll pay for them," he said. "Nothing's changed. How much do we owe?"
To which someone responded, "You owe us four more years." '
That's so cute. Love the comeback by the unknown responder.
Article failed to mention Bush went to Daytona and appeared at an estimated 15,000 in the crowd. Jeb is right...the panhandle is GOP big time..we got hit hard...we need those votes to win Florida.
That's thinking fast..cool!
I placed my Florida vote absentee 2 days ago. Can't afford to get Betty Castor in office.
Orlando Sentinel endorsed Mel Martinez a few days ago.
The crowd erupted for about a full minute.
:o)
Do you think FLA is going to be that close, then, that the panhandle votes will turn it?
Bush will win by 200-250,000...we NEED the panhandle..or it won't be close and we will lose. That is about 450,000 votes up there for us.
"I'll pay for them," he said. "Nothing's changed. How much do we owe?"
That sounds like MY brother.
www.georgewbush.com
God bless President Bush and his brother Jeb...and their families.
This is why I am frustrated - I live in Texas which will go for Bush .
I wish I had the money and time away from work to go to Florida and help get the vote out in the panhandle.
Surely Jeb will help make arrangements so those people can vote easily while putting their lives back together. I really feel for them. Unfortunately, if they don't take the time or have the facilities in place to vote, the election results may hurt more in the end than the hurricanes.
But .. even though the areas hit the hardest are repub .. the repubs take voting seriously .. I believe they will do whatever they can possibly do to vote.
However, if it had been dem areas that were the hardest hit .. they would find it a convenient excuse not to bother. My source for that information - whenever it rains on election day .. fewer dems vote.
President Bush needs to spend some time these areas.
No George, we owe you four more years! And by the grace of God, we will get it for you.
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