JustRalph
07-29-2004, 11:53 PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/07/30/wus130.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/07/30/ixnewstop.html
Republicans put Giuliani into the counter-attack
By David Rennie in Boston
(Filed: 30/07/2004)
Republicans moved yesterday to quash Senator John Kerry's expected post-convention "bounce" before it had even begun. In a move aggressive even by the standards of this desperately close election, the Bush campaign staged a rally in the shadow of the Democrats' Boston convention to denounce Mr Kerry as a fraud, unfit to protect America from her enemies.
Hours before Mr Kerry delivered an acceptance speech designed to display his credentials as a strong commander-in-chief, Republicans delivered a message brutal in its simplicity: America is in peril and only a strong leader like George W Bush can keep her safe.
With this election increasingly resembling a battle for ownership of the September 11 tragedy, the Bush campaign deployed to Boston its most potent hero from that day: Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor.
To the strains of Frank Sinatra singing New York, New York, Mr Giuliani said Democrats had spent their convention "running away" from the true record of Mr Kerry, whom he called the most liberal member of the Senate. The word "liberal" is used as a term of abuse in America.
In contrast, he vowed that next month's Republican national convention in New York City would "proudly" show off Mr Bush's record as a great war leader.
The Kerry campaign has placed national security - usually a Republican issue - at the heart of its convention, stressing its candidate's record as a decorated Vietnam veteran in every speech, and flooding Boston with military veterans.
In a further high-risk move, Mr Kerry personally seized on last week's final report by the commission probing September 11, demanding swifter action by the Bush administration to implement its recommendations.
With September 11 thus politicised, Mr Giuliani seized his chance.
Mr Giuliani made it clear that the September 11 attacks would form a central plank of next month's convention which, to cries of outrage from Democrats, will be held within a short distance of Ground Zero. The former mayor made short shrift of Democratic charges that his party was "politicising" a national tragedy.
"The Democrats have been politicising September 11 throughout the primaries. All we've heard is criticisms of President Bush's handling of September 11." Examining the record of Mr Bush and Mr Kerry was "perfectly appropriate".
He denounced Mr Kerry as a political opportunist who voted against the first Gulf War, voted for the Iraq war, then - after Baghdad fell - voted against a £50 billion spending request to continue funding military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mr Giuliani cited one of the Bush campaign's favourite Kerry quotes, in which the Democrat tried to explain himself by telling a rally he voted for the £50 billion before he voted against it.
To scholars of Senate procedure, Mr Kerry's explanation is logical enough. Mr Kerry argued the Bush administration should cancel tax cuts to fund the £50 billion for the military. He voted for a version of the spending bill that called for tax cuts, then - when that was defeated by the Senate's Republican majority - voted against the spending.
Mr Kerry's problem is that such a convoluted explanation is useless for campaign purposes and he knows it.
Republicans know it too, which is why the fateful quote has been included in television attack advertisements that have blanketed the airwaves in recent months.
In a further headache for the Kerry camp, the Republicans will be raising funds and spending them freely for weeks to come. By contrast, now that Mr Kerry is a formal candidate for the White House, he has left the self-funded stage of his campaign and now may only spend a fixed pot of taxpayers' federal funding.
Because Mr Bush will not be nominated for another month, in New York, he can continue to swamp television sets with campaign-funded attack ads.
Rationing its finite resources, the Kerry campaign plans to run few advertisements in August, "going dark" in political jargon.
Republicans put Giuliani into the counter-attack
By David Rennie in Boston
(Filed: 30/07/2004)
Republicans moved yesterday to quash Senator John Kerry's expected post-convention "bounce" before it had even begun. In a move aggressive even by the standards of this desperately close election, the Bush campaign staged a rally in the shadow of the Democrats' Boston convention to denounce Mr Kerry as a fraud, unfit to protect America from her enemies.
Hours before Mr Kerry delivered an acceptance speech designed to display his credentials as a strong commander-in-chief, Republicans delivered a message brutal in its simplicity: America is in peril and only a strong leader like George W Bush can keep her safe.
With this election increasingly resembling a battle for ownership of the September 11 tragedy, the Bush campaign deployed to Boston its most potent hero from that day: Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor.
To the strains of Frank Sinatra singing New York, New York, Mr Giuliani said Democrats had spent their convention "running away" from the true record of Mr Kerry, whom he called the most liberal member of the Senate. The word "liberal" is used as a term of abuse in America.
In contrast, he vowed that next month's Republican national convention in New York City would "proudly" show off Mr Bush's record as a great war leader.
The Kerry campaign has placed national security - usually a Republican issue - at the heart of its convention, stressing its candidate's record as a decorated Vietnam veteran in every speech, and flooding Boston with military veterans.
In a further high-risk move, Mr Kerry personally seized on last week's final report by the commission probing September 11, demanding swifter action by the Bush administration to implement its recommendations.
With September 11 thus politicised, Mr Giuliani seized his chance.
Mr Giuliani made it clear that the September 11 attacks would form a central plank of next month's convention which, to cries of outrage from Democrats, will be held within a short distance of Ground Zero. The former mayor made short shrift of Democratic charges that his party was "politicising" a national tragedy.
"The Democrats have been politicising September 11 throughout the primaries. All we've heard is criticisms of President Bush's handling of September 11." Examining the record of Mr Bush and Mr Kerry was "perfectly appropriate".
He denounced Mr Kerry as a political opportunist who voted against the first Gulf War, voted for the Iraq war, then - after Baghdad fell - voted against a £50 billion spending request to continue funding military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mr Giuliani cited one of the Bush campaign's favourite Kerry quotes, in which the Democrat tried to explain himself by telling a rally he voted for the £50 billion before he voted against it.
To scholars of Senate procedure, Mr Kerry's explanation is logical enough. Mr Kerry argued the Bush administration should cancel tax cuts to fund the £50 billion for the military. He voted for a version of the spending bill that called for tax cuts, then - when that was defeated by the Senate's Republican majority - voted against the spending.
Mr Kerry's problem is that such a convoluted explanation is useless for campaign purposes and he knows it.
Republicans know it too, which is why the fateful quote has been included in television attack advertisements that have blanketed the airwaves in recent months.
In a further headache for the Kerry camp, the Republicans will be raising funds and spending them freely for weeks to come. By contrast, now that Mr Kerry is a formal candidate for the White House, he has left the self-funded stage of his campaign and now may only spend a fixed pot of taxpayers' federal funding.
Because Mr Bush will not be nominated for another month, in New York, he can continue to swamp television sets with campaign-funded attack ads.
Rationing its finite resources, the Kerry campaign plans to run few advertisements in August, "going dark" in political jargon.