6.09.00
Bipartisan with a Vengeance

6.08.00
What’s Wrong with the Gore Ads?

6.01.00
The Unbearable Lightness of Being W.

5.30.00
Cold Beer, (Not) Here!

5.22.00
One China's Glorious Day

5.18.00
The New Patriotism

5.15.00
Boxing Out Gore

5.08.00
McCain Endorses — But How Fervently?

5.08.00
Gilligan’s Folly

5.05.00
You Gotta Have "It"

5.02.00
The "Conservative" Gore

5.01.00
A Stray Thot

orget "reformer with results," George W. Bush is now the "reformer with warm feelings."

The substance of his speech in Knoxville, Tennessee yesterday wasn't scintillating, but it represented another important step in the process of Bush laying the thematic groundwork for a successful campaign in the fall: He identified himself with the outsider, reformist impulse that was so important to John McCain during the primaries; he pegged attack-dog Al Gore as part of the problem in Washington; and he set up himself as the leader who will lift national politics above its current nasty state.

Bush may not be a great stump campaigner — as he demonstrated once again in a so-so appearance here after his Knoxville speech — but he has smart strategic thinkers in his shop, and very talented speechwriters. He's exploiting them to the hilt.

Here are the three key passages from yesterday's effort.

Gore talks of America's "mountaintop moment." Bush's response is to ask, Why, if we're doing so well, do we still feel so rotten about Washington? Then, he offers to bring the movement of creativity and renewal in the rest of the country to Washington. As I've written before, this is a shrewd move, tapping into a powerful source of McCain's appeal. Here's how Bush put it yesterday:

"In so many ways, America in the year 2000 is the picture of success. Our economy is more competitive than ever — more efficient. Our technologies are marvels of creativity. Throughout the private sector, we're seeing what people can accomplish with strong leadership, clear goals, fair dealing, and cooperation.

"This could hardly be said of the federal government. There is too much argument in Washington and not enough discussion. Too much polling and not enough decision making. Too much needless division, not enough shared accomplishment. Not enough final acts and resolutions, and lasting achievements.

"There is blame enough to go around. I do not dismiss the serious disagreements that are part of politics, but the reality is that Americans look upon this spectacle and don't like what they see. They know that this is not the way the world's great power should conduct its affairs. I agree with them. It's time for change."

This is perfectly unobjectionable, and appeals to the public's unreflective regard for "bi-partisanship." But Bush turns this goo-goo sentiment against Gore, citing the vice president's attack politics and-perhaps more importantly-his association with the bare-knuckled Clinton Administration. So, Bush is both bipartisan, and harshly anti-Clinton/Gore. Here's how he does it:

"With just seven months until the end of his term, we will leave our current president to the judgment of history. What matters now is whether the bitterness that now prevails in Washington will continue after his term. There is a clear choice in this campaign, and the people are seeing it in the kind of tone we set, and how we talk about the big issues facing America. Take social security, for example. Recently I laid out a plan, a framework, to guide bipartisan reform in social security, to increase its value and keep our commitments to the elderly. There will be reasonable disagreements on this important issue. Surely, all can agree that this is a serious matter requiring the best efforts of both parties.

"And yet all we have heard from my opponent are the familiar exaggerations and scare tactics. Ideas he doesn't share are never just the other side of an issue: They are `radical' or `reckless' ideas. Proposals he disapproves of are never just arguable; they are always `risky schemes.'

"This kind of unnecessary rhetoric is characteristic of the tone in Washington. It's the war-room mentality — the hostile stance, the harsh charges, the lashing out at enemies. We have had eight years of this, and eight years is enough."

Finally, Bush sets himself up as the leader who will bring an era of good feeling to Washington, and essentially boxes Gore in-every time Gore attacks Bush it serves to reinforce Bush's point, and every time Gore forgoes an attack he is thrown off his game (he feels most comfortable with attack politics and, given his high negatives, it arguably makes sense for him to be attacking). Here's how Bush frames the question:

"And if good will is to prevail, a leader must set the right tone. A leader guided by his convictions, not by the counsel of his pollster. A strong leader sets his mind to solving problems, not settling scores. Every successful mayor and governor understands this. And so should the next president."

Three cheers for good will — especially if it makes Al Gore's life more difficult!

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