Wednesday, May 5, 2010 - As I walked down streets littered with the wet...
As I walked down streets littered with the wet ruins of houses, I was surprised to hear complaints from both local officials and residents about how the Federal Emergency Management Agency was handling the aftermath of the hurricaneTraditionally, the job of FEMA director was given to a political supporter of the President who wanted some plum position but who had had no experience with emergenciesI made a mental note to avoid that mistake if I wonVoters dont choose a President based on how hell handle disasters, but if theyre faced with one, it quickly becomes the most important issue in their lives
On Labor Day, the traditional opening of the general election campaign, I went to Harry Trumans hometown of Independence, Missouri, to rally working people to our causeTrumans outspoken daughter, Margaret, helped by saying at the rally that I, not George Bush, was the rightful heir to her fathers legacy
On September 11, I went to South Bend, Indiana, to deliver an address to the students and faculty at Notre Dame, Americas most famous Catholic universityOn the same day, President Bush was in Virginia to address the conservative Christian CoalitionI knew Catholics across the country would take notice of both eventsThe church hierarchy agreed with Bushs opposition to abortion, but I was far closer to the Catholic positions on economic and social justiceThe Notre Dame appearance bore a striking resemblance, with roles reversed, to John rolex submariners Kennedys 1960 speech to the Southern Baptist ministersPaul Begala, a devout Catholic, helped prepare my remarks, and Boston mayor Ray Flynn and Senator Harris Wofford came along to lend moral supportI was nearly halfway through the speech before I could tell how it was goingWhen I said, All of us must respect the reflection of Gods image in every man and woman, and so we must value their freedom, not just their political freedom, but their freedom of conscience in matters of family and philosophy and faith, there was a standing ovation
After Notre Dame, I went out westIn Salt Lake City, I made my case to the National Guard Convention, where I was well received, because my reputation for leading the Arkansas National Guard was good, and because I was introduced by Congressman Les Aspin, the respected chairman of the House Armed Services CommitteeIn Portland, Oregon, we had an amazing rallyOver ten thousand people filled the downtown streets, with many more leaning out of their office windowsDuring the speeches, supporters threw hundreds of roses onto the stage, a nice gesture in Oregons City of RosesFor more than an hour after the event, I went up and down the streets, shaking hands with what seemed like thousands of people
On September 15, the western swing got its biggest boost when thirty high-tech leaders in traditionally Republican Silicon Valley endorsed meI had been working on Silicon Valley since the previous December, with gucci watch uk the help of Dave Barram, vice president of Apple ComputerDave had been recruited to the campaign by Ira Magaziner, my friend from Oxford, who had worked with high-tech executives and knew that Barram was a DemocratMany of Barrams Republican cohorts shared his disillusionment with the economic policies of the Bush administration and its failure to appreciate the explosive potential of Silicon Valleys entrepreneursA few days before my first trip, according to the San Jose Mercury News, President Bushs trade representative, Carla Hills, had endorsed the view that it makes no difference whether the United States exports potato chips or silicon chipsThe high-tech executives disagreed, and so did I
Among those who came out for me were prominent Republicans like John Young, president of Hewlett-Packard; John Sculley, chairman of Apple Computer; investment banker Sandy Robertson; and one of Silicon Valleys few open Democrats at the time, Regis McKennaAt our meeting in the Technology Center of Silicon Valley at San Jose, I also issued a national technology policy, which Dave Barram had worked for months to help me prepareIn calling for greater investment in scientific and technological research and development, including specific projects important to Silicon Valley, I staked out a position at odds with the Bush administrations aversion to government-industry partnershipsAt the time, Japan and Germany were outperforming America economically, in rolex replica watch part because government policy in those countries was targeted to support potential areas of growthBy contrast, American policy was to subsidize politically powerful, established interests like oil and agriculture, which were important but which had much less potential than technology to generate new jobs and new entrepreneursThe high-tech leaders announcement provided an enormous boost to the campaign, giving credibility to my claim to be pro-business as well as pro-labor, and linking me to the economic forces that most represented positive change and growth
While I was garnering support for rebuilding the economy and reforming health care, the Republicans were working hard to tear me downPresident Bush, in his convention speech, had accused me of raising taxes 128 times in Arkansas and enjoying it every timeIn early September, the Bush campaign repeated the charge again and again, though the New York Times said it was false, the Washington Post called it highly exaggerated and silly, and even the Wall Street Journal said it was misleadingThe Bush list included a requirement that used-car dealers post a $25,000 bond, modest fees for beauty pageants, and a one-dollar court cost imposed on convicted criminalsConservative columnist George Will said that, by the Presidents criteria, Bush has raised taxes more often in four years than Clinton has in ten
The Bush campaign devoted most of the rest of September to attacking me on the replica hermes bag draftPresident Bush said over and over that I should just tell the truth about itEven Dan Quayle felt free to go after me on it, despite the fact that his family connections had gotten him into the National Guard and away from VietnamThe vice presidents main point seemed to be that the media werent giving my case the same critical scrutiny he had received four years earlierApparently he hadnt followed the news out of New Hampshire and New York
I got some good help in countering the draft attackIn early September, Senator Bob Kerrey, my Medal of Honorwinning primary opponent, said it shouldnt be an issueThen on the eighteenth, on the back lawn of the Arkansas Governors Mansion, I received the endorsement of Admiral Bill Crowe, who had been chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Reagan and briefly under BushI was very impressed by Crowes straightforward, down-home manner and deeply grateful that he would stick his neck out for someone he barely knew but had come to believe in
The political impact of what Bush and I were doing was uncertainSome of his convention edge had worn off, but throughout September the polls bounced back and forth between a lead of 9 and 20 percent for meThe basic dynamic of the campaign had been set: Bush claimed to represent family values and trustworthiness, while I was for economic and social changeHe said I was untrustworthy and anti-family, while I said he was dividing America and holding us chanel paper bag ba
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