The next GOP strategy?

Compare and Contrast

By Rick Horowitz

WASHINGTON, Sooner Than You Think --

Desperate times, they say, call for desperate measures.

For months now, all the president's men (and women) have watched with growing dismay as George Bush's poll numbers continued to slide on a range of issues central to the American public. Today, they tried to put a stop to it.

Meeting here in an extraordinary emergency session, the Republican National Committee late this evening selected John Kerry as the Democratic candidate for president.

"George Bush is a fighter," explained Kenneth Mehlman, the Republican party chairman. "With John Kerry as the Democrat nominee, this president finally has somebody he can fight against."

There was no immediate comment from Mr. Kerry, the junior senator from Massachusetts who ran unsuccessfully to unseat Mr. Bush less than a year ago. But it was unclear, in the hours immediately following the surprising GOP move, whether they even needed his permission.

For that matter, it was also unclear whether the Kerry "nomination" was intended to apply to the 2004 campaign, which has already occurred, or to the 2008 campaign, which is still three years away. As a two-term incumbent, moreover, Mr. Bush is barred by the Constitution from running again in 2008.

But none of these uncertainties appeared to dim Republican enthusiasm for the move in the slightest. Indeed, the atmosphere at party headquarters was described by one observer as "jubilant," while at the White House, there was a clear sense that a corner had finally been turned.

"We've been trying to get traction, really since Election Day," conceded a senior administration official who requested anonymity in order to offer a more candid assessment. "It was like, once we won, 'Now what?' All of a sudden, we were running against ourselves. And anything people didn't like -- the war, the economy, Social Security, whatever -- they were holding this president responsible. We had to change that dynamic."

The new dynamic, the official explained, could be summed up in a single phrase: "Compared to what?" The public might be frustrated by the president's performance in one area or another, but faced with Mr. Kerry as the alternative, they'd surely choose to stick with the president they knew.

"Running against perfection is one thing," the senior official said. "Running against John Kerry is a whole different ballgame."

The first instant polls appeared to confirm that sentiment. With the news of Mr. Kerry's selection as his opponent, Mr. Bush's job-approval rating jumped four points, to 46 percent.

The new Republican strategy was said to be the brainchild of Karl Rove, the president's senior adviser and longtime political guru. Mr. Rove was described by one colleague as "climbing the walls" in recent weeks as the president's numbers first stagnated, and then went into decline. He refused to believe that, with a second term barely underway, the president had already been reduced to lame-duck status.

Put Mr. Kerry front and center, Mr. Rove is said to have determined, and the president would once again be flying high. Thus the hastily called nominating convention, and thus the new $40 million advertising campaign scheduled to hit the airwaves before the July 4th holiday weekend. Ads already in the works are expected to tout Mr. Bush as "the one true patriot," while questioning Mr. Kerry's commitment to keeping Americans safe and secure in an uncertain world. Mr. Rove declined to comment for this article.

For his part, Mr. Bush apparently welcomed this new, more aggressive approach to recapturing public support.

"This president is a modest man," the senior official maintained. "And even though he has plenty to be proud of, he's always been at his best when he can talk about somebody else."

Posted 6/23/05. Stay ahead of the news right here at "Rick's"!

Rick Horowitz is a syndicated columnist, TV commentator, writing coach and public speaker.

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