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"Scam" ads the norm Trail Mix: Hillary haters spam cyberspace Gunning for the center Democrats make Hillary legit The blundering pundit Don Giuliani Campaign video: |
Smells like team spirit | page 1, 2 And judging from the polls, as well as from the size and enthusiasm of Bush's crowds in California Sunday, he has reason to be optimistic. Though he never strayed more than a mile from any airport, Bush's blitz hit four of the state's 11 media markets. Monday he is scheduled to hit the megamarket of Los Angeles along with San Diego and Orange County before heading home to Austin that night. Throughout California, Bush has been joined by the Republican stalwarts who lined up early behind his campaign, including California campaign chairman and financial rainmaker Gerry Parsky and state Sen. Jim Brulte, a former Bush California co-chairman and now finance director of the state Republican Party. In Stockton, Bush was joined onstage by Rep. Richard Pombo and developer Alex Spanos, owner of the San Diego Chargers and a big financial booster of both Republicans generally and Bush specifically.
The stop in Oakland seemed to be packed with people from Silicon Valley rather than natives. As if playing into some kind of Bay Area stereotype, a group of 25 death penalty protesters sneaked in undercover, wearing Bush stickers on their lapels, and interrupted the governor's speech with chants calling for a moratorium on the death penalty. Bush hardly missed a beat, continuing to talk over them as security guards led the group outside. As he moved to the more conservative bastions of the Central Valley, California's agricultural center, later in the day, the crowds grew in both size and enthusiasm. The Central Valley is a more natural fit for any Republican candidate. There, even the Democrats are conservative, with Democratic Rep. Gary Condit siding with Republicans at least as often as he does with his own party. Last week, McCain drew good crowds throughout the valley, but not ones as large as Bush's. In Fresno, more than 1,000 people braved a fierce downpour to gather in an airport hangar to rally for the governor. Before the event, Bush blasted Al Gore's new embrace of campaign finance reform. "Vice President Gore must have forgotten what administration he's been a part of," Bush said. "This is an administration that has violated every campaign law, it seems like, on the books. He's the person who went to a Buddhist temple to raise money from people who made a vow to poverty. I look forward to running against Vice President Gore." Bush received another rowdy welcome in Stockton, where more than 2,000 people filed into another airport hangar to wave pom-poms and flags and cheer Bush on. Bush seemed confident and calm, slowed only slightly by a nagging cold. He was almost better for the illness. After his loss in New Hampshire, Bush seemed to be operating on the principle that his message wasn't getting across because he wasn't saying it loud enough. He turned up the volume knob on his speech two or three notches to prove that he is a fighter. While effective in South Carolina, this new shtick often made him look and sound a touch maniacal. On Sunday, his delivery was back to its pre-New Hampshire volume, emphatic and forceful without feeling forced. For the first time in weeks, Bush exuded strength and empathy. Operating at 90 percent means for Bush that some of the frenetic energy that often makes him appear awkward on the stump was simply gone. Accordingly, on Sunday, slowed by sickness and boosted by confidence, George W. Bush looked downright presidential.
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