The View from the Meadow
Observations of the Passing Scene
Political and Social Commentary by Dave Satre
Bush Waffles Over 527 Groups
G.W. Bush, the Cowboy President and the World’s Greatest Waffler, is at it again.
Bush, caught in a traditional Republican negative ad campaign that backfired, although the Swift Boat campaign against Kerry was initially quite effective, is now calling for the abolition of 527 groups. The Republicans pretty much invented these political action groups, which campaign for specific issues related to a political campaign, but generally claim to do so outside of the official realm of the administration.
527 groups are basically special interest groups that are willing to spend big money for their cause. Bush, who has never objected to this practice in the past, is now calling for abolition of the practice, claiming it is unjust. He certainly didn’t mind the practice when it was in his favor.
Bush and the Republicans previously favored 527 groups because they provide a way to fund their campaign outside of the restrictions of the new campaign laws. The Republicans have always had much more money to spend than the Democrats and they needed channels through which they can use special groups to target certain issues. Before the campaign swung into high gear, the Republican’s campaign coffers were overflowing and they had so much money, over $260 million, that it looked as though they would pretty much be able to simply buy this election. Just the television ads alone would suffice. The Democrats would not be able to compete. |
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But then something unexpected happened. Howard Dean showed the Democrats, and the rest of the world, how huge sums of money could be raised via the Internet. And in relatively small amounts --- and from individuals, not huge organizations and corporations. This actually makes it possible for a candidate to raise enough money to be financially competitive in an election without being completely beholding to radical special interest groups like the Republicans.
John Kerry adopted this practice and raised $233 million prior to the Democratic convention. Also, his campaign has now attracted countless supporters who are working to combat the financial advantages of the Bush campaign by forming groups and targeting Bush.
But, the Republicans played a surprise card. The Regime had the foresight to schedule their 2004 Convention at the end of August instead of July like the Democrats. It seems that the new campaign rules state that once a candidate has accepted his party’s nomination as a candidate for the presidency he must cease fund raising activities. At least if they want to spend $75 million in government funding for the general election. Kerry was forced to cut off fund raising the day he accepted the Democrat’s nomination for the presidency, four weeks before the Republicans, leaving him at a definite financial disadvantage.
However, after accepting the government’s $75 million the political parties can still accept donations to what are called campaign legal compliance funds and raise money for their national party committees, which are allowed to spend unlimited funds to support the candidates.
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Bush and Company planned on spending their $260 million in a blitz advertising campaign during this period prior to their convention, giving them a huge competitive edge going into their convention and then taking the government’s $75 million to spend in the closing months of the campaign. The Republicans finished the primary campaign with almost $37 million left in the campaign fund and Bush took in another $18 million during the month after Kerry was forced to stop receiving contributions, due to the new campaign financing laws. Bush was legally allowed to spend the $18 million on his own campaign and still accept the government’s $75 million. Bush and Company planned on spending their $260 million in a blitz advertising campaign during this period prior to their convention, giving them a huge competitive edge going into their convention and then taking the government’s $75 million to spend in the closing months of the campaign. |
The Republicans finished the primary campaign with almost $37 million left in the campaign fund and Bush took in another $18 million during the month after Kerry was forced to stop receiving contributions, due to the new campaign financing laws. Bush was legally allowed to spend the $18 million on his own campaign and still accept the government’s $75 million.
The $37 million is helping the party in many ways, including an active 527 group campaign coordinated by Karl Rove. The most notable of these groups, and so far the most effective, is the inaccurately named Swift Boat Veterans for Truth that attacked Kerry’s war record. Using this group to attack one of Kerry’s strengths allowed Bush to deny any association with the group and avoid making the attack personally, which would have drawn even greater attention to his own dismal military record.
The Republicans planned on 527 groups as a way to circumvent the spending
limits and continue to fund huge media campaigns. The campaign against
Kerry’s war record was a well-planned sneak attack on the opponent’s
strengths to distract attention from one of Bush’s primary weaknesses.
This so-called “War President” was basically a draft dodger
who leveraged his life of privilege to avoid the draft during the Vietnam
war.
(http://viewfromthemeadow.com/weekendwarrior.html)
While Kerry actually was a decorated Vietnam war hero, Bush rode out the war by playing weekend warrior with the Air National Guard. This was the period his own father, George H.W. Bush, called his son’s "nomadic years", which he spent partying, drifting from job to job and working on political campaigns. He was open about the family connections that got him into the Air National Guard and genuinely felt entitled to such privileges and special deals. And then he basically went A.W.O.L. for the last two years of his service obligation after refusing to take a drug test.
The Bush campaign claims they had nothing to do with the attack on Kerry, but it was well planned by Karl Rove and company. It was also effective, according to the polls, although even Bush was forced to acknowledge the truth of Kerry’s military record in response to a huge public outcry --- another prime example of waffling on the part of Bush. Now, when it looks as though millions of Americans are organizing individual campaigns to Dump Bush in November and private contributors are helping to finance these efforts--- and it’s beginning to look as though the Democrats may be able to use 527 groups effectively to put Kerry in the White House --- the Bush Regime is crying foul. |
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The Bush campaign has attacked Kerry, charging illegal coordination of advertising among anti-Bush groups and donors, but this is exactly what Bush did with the Swift Boat group. It’s another case of the pot calling the kettle black. There are also extensive free speech issues involved in this attack.
The tactic of smearing John Kerry with ads and accusations attempting to discredit his war record was an attempt to divert attention from the real issue: Bush has no war record.
Bush and the Republicans --- who have only an abysmal record to stand on and the constant stream of lies and false promises are wearing thin on the ears of Americans concerned with the state of this country --- now see the 527 group movement as a huge threat to their tenure in the White House.
In what appears to be increasing desperation in the White House, the Bush campaign has now resorted to calling the opponent names and attempting to ridicule him with jokes. This shows just how low the Republicans can sink. It’s parochial. It’s like children on a school playground calling each other names when they can’t think of a real argument.
The Republicans are growing desperate. They have no real record to stand on, the opponent does and voters are catching on to the idea that political rhetoric is nothing but hot air. If Bush’s campaign promises in 2000 had meant anything he would have been a peace president, he would have united America and the World, and we wouldn’t have the largest deficit and National Debt in history.
And the tactic of accusing the opponent of being a “waffler” is wearing thin, too. Bush has turned out to be the biggest waffler in history, whereas Kerry has a long and respectable record of supporting the ideals and the issues of real interest to Americans.
Intelligent people change their opinions when confronted with incontrovertible evidence to the contrary. Non-thinking ideologues stick to their beliefs no matter what. Perhaps it is to Bush’s credit that he has so frequently changed his mind --- although he continues to attack his opponent as a waffler as though it is something personally abhorrent to him.
If there is anything about Bush’s record that is consistent, it is that he is the World’s Greatest Waffler. The man will say anything in order to get re-elected, and he doesn’t care if it isn’t the truth.
Click here for some of the more outstanding examples of Bush's waffling: wafflerlist.html