Everything about George W Bush Presidential Campaign 2004 totally explained
This article is about the
presidential campaign of George W. Bush, the incumbent
President of the United States and winner of the
2004 Presidential Election. See
George W. Bush for a detailed biography and information about his current presidency, and
George W. Bush presidential campaign, 2000 for a description of his first presidential campaign. See
United States presidential election, 2004 for general information on the 2004 election.
George W. Bush's opponent was
U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry (
D-
Mass.), whose
primary campaign was successful in securing the majority of Democratic delegate votes. For his presidential campaign, see
John Kerry presidential campaign, 2004.
George W. Bush's chief political strategist was
Karl Rove, who had the title Senior Advisor to the President. He was later joined in
August 2004 by
Karen Hughes, a former Bush advisor who returned after some time away. His campaign manager was
Ken Mehlman.
Issue stances
Bush expressed opinions in agreement with the "
pro-life" movement.
Community Aid
Bush established the
White House Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives, which allowed the federal government to fund community aid programs that were provided by a religious institution. He proposed a youth mentoring program for disadvantaged students and children of prisoners.
Economy
Bush supported making the
tax cuts passed during his first term permanent; he maintained that the tax cuts made the recent recession shallower and shorter than it would otherwise have been.
Health Care
Bush's proposals for expanding health care coverage were more modest than those advanced by Senator Kerry. Several estimates were made comparing the cost and impact of the Bush and Kerry proposals. While the estimates varied, they all indicated that the increase in coverage and the funding requirements of the Bush plan would both be lower than those of the more comprehensive Kerry plan.
Education
Bush signed the
No Child Left Behind Act, which requires mandatory standardized testing, forces schools that don't meet standards to provide alternate options for students, and stated the aim of closing the race and
gender gap in schools. His
FY 2005 budget proposed a 49% increase in elementary and secondary education compared to the FY 2001 budget.
Environment
Bush's
Clear Skies Act repealed or reduced
air pollution controls, including environmental protections of the
Clean Air Act. His FY 2005 budget provided $4.4 billion for conservation programs. He signed legislation pushing for the cleanup of abandoned industrial sites (also known as
brownfields) and keeping forest fires at bay. He fell under criticism for rejecting the
Kyoto Protocol which would commit the United States to reducing
greenhouse gas emissions which are believed by much of the relevant science community to cause
global warming. The Bush administration stated that this would cost the economy up to $.3.
Homeland security
After the
September 11th terrorist attacks, Bush signed the
USA PATRIOT Act and created the
Department of Homeland Security. He also created the Terrorist Threat Integration Center (TTIC) and the
Terrorist Screening Center (TSC). He then promoted the idea of an independent "Czar of Intelligence" outside of the White House in response to the
9/11 Commission's findings.
Bush has expressed support for "protecting the sanctity of marriage." He endorsed the
Federal Marriage Amendment, a proposed
constitutional amendment that would define marriage for all of the states as strictly heterosexual. Late in the 2004 campaign, however, he said that the states should be allowed to "enable people to you know, be able to have rights, like others," though marriage wouldn't be among them.
(External Link
) Activists on both sides of the issue took this comment as endorsing
civil unions.
(External Link)
National security and foreign policy
President Bush submitted his
National Security Strategy of the United States; the "three pillars" of this are to:
- Defend the peace by working against terrorists and terrorist-tolerating regimes.
- Preserve the peace by maintaining relations with allies and reaching out to nations to combat terrorism.
- Extend the peace by spreading democracy and human rights across the globe.
Supported
continued American involvement in Afghanistan. Believed President
Hamid Karzai to be beneficial to Afghanistan's progress.
In a series of negotiations which involved Libya, Britain, and the United States, Libya turned over materials relevant to the production of nuclear weapons.
Supported
the continuation of American military presence in Iraq. Promoted the goal of democratic elections by January of 2005 as integral to the nation's democratic reform.
Bush advocated pressure on the
Saudi Royal Family to more directly combat
terrorism and to seize the assets of
terrorists operating within their borders.
See
neoconservatism for more on his foreign agenda.
Campaign controversies
Military service controversy
See main article George W. Bush military service controversy
In previous campaigns, Bush had been criticized for his military service record. He skipped over a long waiting list to receive a spot in the
Air National Guard; once he was in the Guard, it has been alleged he didn't complete all his required duties. These long-standing charges were given more attention in the 2004 campaign because of the contrast with Kerry's record as a decorated combat veteran of the
Vietnam War.
A group of Bush supporters countered with an advertising campaign arguing that some of Kerry's medals had been undeserved (see
John Kerry military service controversy). The subject was further highlighted when
CBS News released
memos purportedly from Bush's commanding officer in the Guard. The memos added some unflattering details about Bush's Guard service. Almost immediately, however, widespread doubts were raised about their . CBS News eventually concluded that it couldn't validate them and that it shouldn't have used them. The incident may have ended up helping Bush by creating doubts about the legitimacy of his detractors.
"Audiogate": the mystery bulge
Citing an unexplained bulge
(External Link) in the back of his
suit jacket, allegations in the media suggested that George W. Bush was wired with a hidden
earpiece of sorts in order to receive
coaching during the 2004 Presidential Debate. A number of blogs
(External Link) began following this matter, speculating that the "bulge" could have been anything from an audio
transmitter, medical device, or
bulletproof vest.
When
Salon first broke the news of these allegations, Bush campaign officials initially downplayed the bulge and questioned the authenticity of the
photographs stating that they were likely
doctored. This statement was retracted after television footage showed the same feature. A seller of surveillance equipment who looked at the images concluded, "There's certainly something on his back, and it appears to be electronic."
In response to persistent questioning about the bulge, Bush
campaign manager Ken Mehlman replied "The president is an
alien. That's your quote of the day. He has been getting information from
Mars."
(External Link)
The maker of the suit,
Georges de Paris, said that the bulge was simply a pucker in the
fabric that became more visible when Bush crossed his arms and leaned forward. At least one doctor has concluded it was Bush's
backbone.
President Bush stated in an interview with
Charles Gibson on
ABC's
Good Morning America that the mystery bulge was "a poorly tailored shirt." He said there was no sound system or electrical signal. After the election, sources in the Bush Administration claimed to
The Hill that the bulge was merely Bush's bulletproof vest, and that the information wasn't disclosed to avoid compromising his personal security.
Bob Fertik of Democrats.com claims that the President still secretly wears an earpiece, and that Karl Rove uses it to guide the President through public statements.
(External Link) It has been noted that, while speaking publicly, Bush pauses irregularly in the midst of sentences, often while tilting his head to the right as if listening to something.
(scroll to 2:40 for example)
Television advertising: 9/11
Bush's campaign launched its first major set of television commercials on
March 3,
2004. Although these four spots (three in English and one in Spanish) contained no reference to Senator Kerry, two (one in English and the one in Spanish, both titled, "Safer, Stronger") generated controversy for their inclusion of four seconds of images drawn from the aftermath of the
September 11, 2001 attacks, including the wreckage of the
World Trade Center site, images of
New York firefighters (the New York firefighters' union supported Kerry), and the image of a flag-draped
coffin being carried out of the attack site.
(External Link)
Some families of 9/11 victims accused the Bush campaign of being insensitive to the memory of those who died and of exploiting the tragedy for his personal political gain. Bush campaign advisor
Karen Hughes defended the ads as "very tasteful" and noted that 9/11 was a defining event for Bush's presidency.
The main topic of this heated discussion is the use of actual images of the attack. The use of images from the attack, said
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, a Democrat, on
Face the Nation, implies support from New York firefighters. Rendell claims that a New York firefighters union head supports Kerry for President. But although the International Association of Firefighters was the first union to support Kerry, the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York endorsed the President for re-election in
August 2004.
Defenders of the Bush messages liken his messages to those of
Franklin D. Roosevelt's re-election campaign, which used images of the
December 7 attack by
Japan on the United States and advised Americans to "Remember
Pearl Harbor."
Endorsements
George Bush received endorsements from many
Republicans,
Democrat Senator Zell Miller of
Georgia and former 12-year-term mayor of New York City
Ed Koch. The
Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York, representing 20,000 active and retired
firefighters, endorsed the President on
August 31,
2004.
Slogan
Bush's campaign never officially announced a campaign slogan. However, Bush's campaign made several bus tours bearing de facto slogans. These include the "Yes, America Can" Bus Tour
(External Link) and the "Heart and Soul" Bus Tour
(External Link), which used the slogan "Moving America Forward". The
2004 Republican National Convention in
New York City featured the slogan "A Safer World and More Hopeful America". Another slogan used was "steady leadership in times of change".
Vice Presidential choices
George W. Bush kept
Dick Cheney as his
running mate, but there was continuing speculation during the summer of 2004 that he might have been replaced; notably, former
New York Sen. Al D'Amato publicly stated that Bush should replace Cheney. Speculation about
vice presidential possibilities (besides Cheney) included:
Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York
Bill Owens, Governor of Colorado
Condoleezza Rice, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Bill Frist, Senate Majority Leader
Colin Powell, Secretary of State
John McCain, U.S. Senator from Arizona
Orrin Hatch, U.S. Senator from Utah
Convention and nomination
Bush gave many promises during his acceptance speech to the 2004 Republican National Convention. At the end of his speech, he encouraged listeners to view his website in order to learn more about his agenda if he wins his next presidential term. His speech promises include the following which his campaign is called "A Plan for A Safer World & More Hopeful America":
Rewrite and simplification of Tax Code
Creation of "Opportunity zones" to encourage companies to move into areas where companies closed
Allowing and encouraging small businesses to join together to negotiate for health care
Establishment of health centers in every poor or rural county in the country that doesn't have one
Promoting flexible schedules to make companies family friendly
More funding for local and community colleges
Creating personal social security account options to allow social security to be self managed for younger workers
As a result of Bush's speech in NYC, the incumbent President was able to do something his opponent John Kerry was unable to do much of...get a significant bounce in the polls. The day after the convention was finished, the polls showed a double-digit lead over Kerry, although when the poll asked about the economy both candidates were still in a dead heat.
Debates
On September 20th, the Bush campaign and the Kerry campaign jointly released a memorandum of understanding between the two campaigns. The 32-page MOU covered in minute detail many aspects of the staging and format for the presidential and vice-presidential debates.
On September 30th, Bush debated Kerry at University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida in the first of three scheduled debates. Polls conducted immediately following the debate suggests that a majority of undecided voters believe that, while neither candidate committed any serious gaffes, Kerry fared better than Bush did.
A second debate, in "town hall" format, was held on October 8 at Washington University in St. Louis with Charles Gibson moderating. Bush later attempted to deflect criticism of what was described as his scowling demeanor during the first debate, joking at one point about one of Kerry's remarks, "That answer made me want to scowl." (External Link)
The final debate occurred on October 13 at Arizona State University and was moderated by Bob Schieffer of CBS News.
The only vice presidential debate between Vice President Dick Cheney and Senator John Edwards happened on October 5 at Case Western Reserve University. It was moderated by Gwen Ifill of the Public Broadcasting Service.
Features of the campaign
The foundation of Bush's campaign for re-election was ideological conservatism. Members of the campaign team believe there are clear ideological differences between George W. Bush and John Kerry, and believe this contrasts with the 2000 Presidential election, in which both candidates attempted to portray themselves as "centrists". (External Link) Critics have argued that the crux of Bush's campaign was the suggestion that John Kerry would be soft on terrorism in comparison to George Bush, and to present Bush as a "war President". They also claim that the Bush campaign is concerned mainly with personalities rather than tackling ideological issues. (External Link)
Much of the opposition to the Bush campaign (and vis-a-vis support to the Kerry campaign) took the form of "Anybody but Bush" - voters who would vote for anyone instead of George W. Bush.
Election and victory
The election took place on November 2, 2004 and ended with Bush gaining 286 electoral votes and Kerry garnering 251 electoral votes. Ironically, one vote went to Kerry's running mate and former presidential candidate, John Edwards, when one of the electors (pledged to Kerry) voted for John Edwards by mistake. This was the first time in U.S. history that an elector had voted the same person for president and vice-president. As President Bush's running mate, Vice President Dick Cheney received 286 votes and John Edwards received 252.
The key state that both candidates needed was Ohio. Ohio has 20 electoral votes, enough for both candidates to surpass the necessary 270. Ohio was reporting its results, but hadn't counted provisional ballots. In Ohio, Kerry trailed by 136,000 votes (not including provisional ballots). The chances of Kerry gaining the necessary votes through provisional ballots was slim.
Around 2:00 p.m. EST on November 3, 2004, John Kerry made a speech at Faneuil Hall, Boston. In this speech, he announced that he "cannot win this election." One hour later, George W. Bush declared that "America has spoken" and they'd made a "historic victory." He said to Kerry supporters, "To make this nation stronger and better, I'll need your support, and I'll work to earn it."
With 286 electoral votes, President George W. Bush won the 2004 Presidential Election.
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