Conservative Activist Says Bush Campaign Missed Major Opportunity
by Chad Groening
June 23, 2004
(AgapePress) - A pro-family activist believes the Bush campaign made a fatal error in not responding to six months of anti-Bush diatribes during the Democratic primary season -- and as a result, he says, the Bush re-election effort may be in serious trouble.Paul Weyrich, chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation, says the polls are quite disturbing right now, with 54 percent of voters believing America needs a different president. He notes that as things now stand, with only 42 percent of voters supporting Bush's re-election, Kerry could conceivably win the presidency by a two-to-one margin in the electoral college.
Weyrich believes the president should not have taken the high ground during the incessant attacks from Democrats this past spring, and says he recently argued with Bush's chief strategist, Karl Rove, about it, telling him, "You have to answer this stuff, because if you don't the public's going to believe it."
For six months during the Democratic primary season, the liberals "pounded on Bush," Weyrich says, adding, "People are very fair. When they hear a charge, they don't right away believe the charge; they wait for the answer. Now if there is no answer, then they believe the charge."
The Free Congress Foundation spokesman says Bush's strategists "never should have allowed all of these charges to go unanswered, but it's too late now." At this point, the activist says, it may take a major event or issue to turn things around.
The best plan for Bush now is to campaign hard for the Federal Marriage Amendment, Weyrich says, because this would be the best way to take Americans' focus off Iraq and really rouse the pro-family voters. Unfortunately, he notes, the White House is apparently not inclined to follow that strategy.
