Bush Shifts Campaign Focus to Economy

The mid-term elections are 15 days away, and not a moment too soon for those who watch TV or listen to radio in the USA. If the polls are correct, and if the votes are counted properly (that used to be a simple assumption), the Republicans a looking at a huge defeat. To save what he can, President George “LBJ” Bush has started a 2-day campaign on the economy. While Mr. Clinton could claim, “It’s the economy, stupid,” Mr. Bush must realize that he and his party sink or swim based on events in Mesopotamia.

Part of the problem are the statistics; the positives don’t affect the floating voter in the US. The Dow Jones Industrial Average broke 12,000 last week, and that matters only if one is an investor in equities. Most Americans still don’t own a single share; back in the 1980s, it was about 1 in 5. Things clearly have changed, but not for most folks. Then, there’s GDP growth. It was up 5.6% in the first quarter, 2.6% in the quarter ended June 30. Nothing to cheer about there, and interest rates are up. The minimum wage hasn’t risen in purchasing power in years, and inflation may be lurking around the corner. The budget deficit has been halved, but it was a surplus when Mr. Bush came to town. And the trade deficit is bigger than ever.

This is not an economic record of which to be proud. So, why is Karl Rove letting Mr. Bush go out in front of the American people and hype his “C- economy”? Simply put, an AP-Ipsos poll earlier this month said 37% of the people approved of Mr. Bush’s handling of Iraq (proving that about 1/3 of the people can’t be trusted), while 42% supported his economic policies and execution. In other words, it’s a stronger issue for the GOP than Iraq.

So, Mr. Bush will participate in a small business round-table sponsored by Urban Trust Bank, which does mortgages, student loans and investment opportunities mainly for minorities. It was founded by Robert Louis Johnson, who also founded BET (which used to be known as “Black Entertainment Television”). He’ll also do a CNBC interview with Maria Bartiromo. By Wednesday, Iraq will replace this media campaign. Events are beyond the control of the White House at this stage, and short of capturing Usama bin Laden, there is nothing to save the Congressional GOP from a well-deserved drubbing. Unfortunately, they were merely accessories, not the perpetrators of this mess. That crowd will stick around until noon January 20, 2009, impeachment hearings notwithstanding.

© Copyright 2006 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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