New York – It was red meat in the Big Apple. For four days, delegates to the Republican National Convention and millions of Americans who watched on television heard a simple message: Vote for George W. Bush—or die.
Adopting the strategy of Bush campaign guru Karl Rove that this election is not about wooing swing, undecided, or persuadable voters, but about energizing the Republican base, the Bush campaign told Republicans what it assumes Republicans want to here: Only George W. Bush can defend this nation against terrorism and to risk a vote on John Kerry is to risk our very lives.
"For more than 20 years, on every one of the great issues of freedom and security, John Kerry has been more wrong, more weak, and more wobbly than any other national figure," said GOP keynoter and Democratic Georgia Sen. Zell Miller. "George Bush wants to grab terrorists by the throat and not let them go to get a better grip. From John Kerry, they get a 'yes-no-maybe' bowl of mush that can only encourage our enemies and confuse our friends."
