The Comparison: Bush vs. Obama

 Editorial : Now They're Blaming Bush for Obama's Campaign By Karl Rove

I chose to read an article in Fox News by Karl Rove called Now They're Blaming Bush for Obama's Campaign. I found it to be an interesting article because of the comparison between two totally different Presidents.  Rove starts off by saying over the weekend that National Journals, Charlie Cook and New York Times John Harwood are comparing Obama's re-election campaign to Bush's re-election campaign of 2004.  In 2004 independent voters viewed Bush as a skeptic, so Bush's campaign focused more on expanding its base than using huge resources on independents and undecided voters.  In a quick overview Obama is coming across as a skeptic and is repeating this action, this is according to Charlie Cook.  Rove agrues that Cook only described part of the Bush campaign.  The 2004 campaign also focused on persuading independents and swing voters.  Bush won out 48% of the independent voters and 11% of the Democratic voters.  John Harwood suggest Bush expoited social and national security issues, to throw off economic vulnerablitlities.  Rove questions Harwood's statement by stating the unemployment rate was 6% in 2003 and 5.5% in 2004 (unlike it is today standing at 9.1%).  The economy also grew 4.7% in 2003 and 6.4% in 2004, per the Bureau of Economc Analysis.  Rove states Obama is focusing on social issues to drive attention away from the economic one.  Rove does suggest Harwood hit the nail on the head on Obama's current strategy; the President is declining with college graduates, independents and young people.  Rove Believes President Obama's strategy is completely at odds with the re-election campaign strategy of President Bush.
I like this article comparing the two Presidents strategies.  I was a supporter of President Bush and I supported President Obama on some to most issues.  I believe if President Obama is changing his strategy to reach new voters good for him, it worked for President Bush.  But I do believe that the people of this country are in need of change and are possibly going to find it in a different canidate whose action can support their campaign.