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GOP rolls out the bus
Posted at: Wednesday, March 3, 2004, 11:42 PM
Republicans rolled out a big rig Wednesday for a road trip across America to help register 3 million new voters before the November election.
The 18-wheeler comes equipped with four plasma televisions, a lounge with a giant-screen TV, a sound stage, DVD players, satellite access and computer terminals that allow voters to register online and to join President Bush’s “Racing to Victory” re-election team. “Reggie the Registration Rig” will visit NASCAR races, college campuses, parades, sporting events, local festivals, churches and other public places in an eight-month tour between now and Nov. 2.
One of the early stops will be at the Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Golden Corral 500 race on March 14, said Ed Gillespie, chairman of the Republican National Committee.
“There are millions of unregistered Republicans all across America,” Gillespie said. He added Democrats could also register aboard the high-tech GOP truck and trailer.
“That’s a risk we’re willing to run,” Gillespie said. “When more Americans participate, that is good news for Republicans from the statehouse to the White House.”
Affleck and Bush at Daytona
Posted at: Tuesday, February 17, 2004, 12:37 AM
Ben Affleck is no fan of President Bush. He’s been quoted as saying the Bush administration is pushing “a dangerous right-wing agenda.” And first lady Laura Bush has confessed to taking a personal dislike to critics of her husband. But when the two shared the stage Sunday at the Daytona 500, there were no harsh words. Mrs. Bush, who accompanied her husband to the race, shook hands with Affleck, who drove the pace car, and even posed for a picture with him.
Looking back…
Posted at: Monday, February 16, 2004, 02:39 AM
President Bush is the first incumbent Republican president since Calvin Coolidge in 1924 to seek election backed by a Republican-controlled House and Senate.
Bush takes a dip…
Posted at: Friday, February 13, 2004, 01:19 AM
Bad news for President Bush: The public’s trust in him is at the lowest point of his presidency, according to a nationwide ABC News-Washington Post poll released Thursday.
The poll also found that in a hypothetical matchup, John Kerry would beat Bush 51 pecent to 43 percent.
Of those surveyed, 52 percent felt Bush was trustworthy, while 42 percent did not. For the first time in this poll, support for the war dipped just below half, to 48 percent, with a roughly equal share, 50 percent, saying it was not worth fighting. And more than half in the poll, 54 percent, said the Bush administration intentionally exaggerated the threat from weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
The poll highlighted Bush’s vulnerabilities after a month dominated by the Democratic presidential campaign and an admission by administration officials that banned weapons may not be found in Iraq.
It also showed deep concern about jobs and the economy and found that only four in 10 surveyed said Bush understands the problems of people like them.
Spontaneous Bush
Posted at: Tuesday, February 10, 2004, 02:59 PM
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The strip malls, mom-and-pop restaurants and big-box stores are usually just part of the blurred landscape President Bush sees from his limousine when he sweeps into town. For three years, he and his motorcade blew past it all.
But this election year, Bush has taken a sudden interest in the people and places in between the airport and his speech sites.
Monday marked the fourth time in 2 1/2 weeks in which Bush and the rest of his motorcade pulled over for a ‘‘spontaneous’’ visit with some local citizens.
This time, it was Bass Pro Shop Outdoor World, a sporting emporium where Bush schmoozed about 100 customers in the shoes, socks and fishing supplies aisles.
‘‘Which way to the worms?’’ the president asked.
Last week, it was Sticky Fingers restaurant in Charleston S.C.; Jan. 29, it was Swan Chocolates in Merrimack, N.H.; Jan. 22, it was the Nuthin’ Fancy Cafe just outside Roswell, N.M.
‘‘It’s a good opportunity to visit with Americans and get some good food,’’ White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. Or, in Missouri, to get some worms.
—Associated Press
Daddy’s girls
Posted at: Saturday, February 7, 2004, 02:36 AM
President Bush’s twin daughters may take part in their father’s re-election bid after they graduate from college this spring, first lady Laura Bush told CNN this week.
Jenna, a senior at the University of Texas, and Barbara, a senior at Yale University, have not taken a prominent role in their father’s past campaigns.
Revving it up
Posted at: Saturday, February 7, 2004, 02:36 AM
Remember all that talk a month or two ago about this election revolving around “NASCAR dads”? Well, President Bush must have been listening, because he’s going to attend the premier NASCAR event of the year: the Daytona 500 on Feb. 15 in Florida.
Polls show that as the manufacturing sector has suffered job losses, Bush’s support has slipped among a constituency the Republicans began weaning away from the Democrats in the Reagan years: white, conservative voters with, at most, a high school education. Appearing at the race provides a chance for the president to shore up his standing among them.
— Staff and wire reports
Sticky situation
Posted at: Friday, February 6, 2004, 02:08 PM
President Bush found himself in a sticky situation after making an unscheduled stop at a Charleston, S.C., barbecue restaurant Thursday.
En route to Charleston’s airport, Bush detoured to the Sticky Fingers restaurant — the home of “unbelievable ribs” — in the downtown historical district.
“We don’t drop in just to say hello, we drop in to get some food,” Bush said.
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who accompanied the president, said they ordered three barbecue sandwiches. Then Bush offered to pay.
“When he said that, I ordered some ribs too. I’ve got a big thing for ribs,” Graham said.
He and Bush enjoyed a lunch of barbecue and ribs aboard Air Force One.
— Associated Press
