Bush is truly the "fundraiser in chief"

Political Wire directs me to this great article in the Economist.

While Republicans loved to call Clinton the "Fundraiser in Chief", Bush has blown by Clinton's fundraising records to proudly claim that title for himself.

The laid-back Mr Bush is, in fact, a whirlwind of partisan energy. He has spent more time on the campaign trail than any of his predecessors, and raised far more money for next month's elections ($140m and counting). He plans to hit the road for 14 straight days before the election, sweeping through as many as four states a day and visiting all those with tight Senate races.

[...]

Mr Bush has one huge advantage over Mr Clinton: people believe the guff about his being above politics. Mr Clinton could not say “good morning” without people parsing the remark for its political meaning. Mr Bush manages to look above politics even when he is out stumping for his fellow Republicans.

The sheer chutzpah of his performance is driving the Democrats crazy. One moment he is talking about the “urgency” of the Iraqi threat. The next he is spending a fortnight on the campaign trail. One moment he is saying that “we must act, first and foremost, not as Republicans, not as Democrats, but as Americans.” The next he is saying that the Democrat-led Senate is “not interested in the security of the American people”.

While the article marvels at Bush's teflon coating, truth is he's far more mortal than the author suggests. If you want proof, just check out this recent post.

Posted October 19, 2002 08:29 AM | Comments (1)