Monday, April 26, 2004
Bush Spending Like Dean
Anyone noticed Bush’s spending numbers? The media reports have stated that Bush and cronies had $180m to spend with $90m allocated to ads and $90m allocated to operations. In the space of a month, Bush has blown through $50m of his allocated $90m in ads. Unless he raises more money, he only has $40m more to spend over the next 4 months until the Republican convention. Dean was blowing money in the primary like a drunken sailor, but it took him three quarters to blow through $40m dollars. Bush has spent more than that in the space of one and half months. My guess is they have the same finance team running the campaign as the government’s budget.
Remember Kerry is a “closer,” and as I witnessed in Iowa, his campaign is very tight with their spending money. We could not even get signs to prepare for the caucus in Iowa. The Kerry camp was very targeted in where they spent their money. It was a complete contrast with the Dean campaign that plastered signs everywhere, gave out T-shirts, hats, and other materials to anyone who would take it.
Kerry took a lot of heat from the pundits for telling people in September that he wanted to be the frontrunner in January, not November or December. Everyone wrote him off as toast and asked why he wasn’t more aggressive last fall against Dean.
Instead he methodically laid out a plan to close in the last few weeks. Two weeks out, he called in Kennedy to whip the crowds up. Then in the last week, he lined up a local endorsement each day that carried weight. First, it was 10,000 Iowa veterans, then the Attorney General, Iowa’s First Lady, Agriculture Secretary, plus multiple newspaper endorsements.
Incredibly, Bush has blown $50m with his “shock and awe” campaign and Kerry is still standing. Sure, Kerry has lost a few points in national polls, but various polling still shows him either winning or with the margin of error in the Electoral College. Again, Kerry has focused his spending effectively on the major swing states. Interestingly enough, I heard last night Bush was spending money on the defense in Arkansas. Arkansas should have been a lock for Bush...
Pundits, like Buzzflash, who are griping that Kerry needs to be more vigorous in his defense (i.e. spend more money), just need to chill out. The Presidential election is not going to be won in April.
Organic Lifestyle & Beauty
Remember Kerry is a “closer,” and as I witnessed in Iowa, his campaign is very tight with their spending money. We could not even get signs to prepare for the caucus in Iowa. The Kerry camp was very targeted in where they spent their money. It was a complete contrast with the Dean campaign that plastered signs everywhere, gave out T-shirts, hats, and other materials to anyone who would take it.
Kerry took a lot of heat from the pundits for telling people in September that he wanted to be the frontrunner in January, not November or December. Everyone wrote him off as toast and asked why he wasn’t more aggressive last fall against Dean.
Instead he methodically laid out a plan to close in the last few weeks. Two weeks out, he called in Kennedy to whip the crowds up. Then in the last week, he lined up a local endorsement each day that carried weight. First, it was 10,000 Iowa veterans, then the Attorney General, Iowa’s First Lady, Agriculture Secretary, plus multiple newspaper endorsements.
Incredibly, Bush has blown $50m with his “shock and awe” campaign and Kerry is still standing. Sure, Kerry has lost a few points in national polls, but various polling still shows him either winning or with the margin of error in the Electoral College. Again, Kerry has focused his spending effectively on the major swing states. Interestingly enough, I heard last night Bush was spending money on the defense in Arkansas. Arkansas should have been a lock for Bush...
Pundits, like Buzzflash, who are griping that Kerry needs to be more vigorous in his defense (i.e. spend more money), just need to chill out. The Presidential election is not going to be won in April.
Organic Lifestyle & Beauty
Independent Voters – Embrace Divided Government
Divided government works! When one party controls all branches of government, the ideologues always drive a radical agenda far out of touch with needs and/or wishes of the average American citizen. Right now, the Republicans control every branch of government; Supreme Court, Legislative and Executive. Not to mention, corporate America continues its consolidation in the media, the “forth” branch of government.
Clinton’s administration was more centrist, because his party lost the 1994 elections. He would have faced pressure to veer to the left if Democrats had continued controlling all branches of the government. Instead, with a Republican Congress and Democratic executive, the United States was able to return the government to a balanced budget.
If you are an independent voter who does not like the ideologues on either side, you only have one choice to end the Republican dominance of the government, vote for John Kerry. In all likelihood, the Senate and House will remain in the hands of the Republicans. If this administration wins re-election, it is likely they will stack the Supreme Court with a 7-2 advantage. It would take twenty years for the Democrats to regain parity in the Supreme Court if this happens.
Divided government empowers moderates in either party. With DG, radical agendas can’t be passed into law unless moderates crossover to vote with the ideologues in the other party. Not only is this unlikely, but any bill will have to appeal to centrists on either side in order to become law. And you know what, this is good for America.
Clinton’s administration was more centrist, because his party lost the 1994 elections. He would have faced pressure to veer to the left if Democrats had continued controlling all branches of the government. Instead, with a Republican Congress and Democratic executive, the United States was able to return the government to a balanced budget.
If you are an independent voter who does not like the ideologues on either side, you only have one choice to end the Republican dominance of the government, vote for John Kerry. In all likelihood, the Senate and House will remain in the hands of the Republicans. If this administration wins re-election, it is likely they will stack the Supreme Court with a 7-2 advantage. It would take twenty years for the Democrats to regain parity in the Supreme Court if this happens.
Divided government empowers moderates in either party. With DG, radical agendas can’t be passed into law unless moderates crossover to vote with the ideologues in the other party. Not only is this unlikely, but any bill will have to appeal to centrists on either side in order to become law. And you know what, this is good for America.
