Those missteps worry his opponents even more.
That's why we're his opponents.
The phrasing of this is fascinating. They're concerned about the ability to predict the political impact of their statements? In my view they've NEVER had that ability. They never cared to have it because the intent…again, go back to the drama instigated in the beginning of 2001 when it became obvious that all Bush's talk of "bipartisanship" was a cover for the most partisan agenda in living American memory…the intent, I say, was to steamroll the opposition. And their ability to form a persuasive message hinged on an ignorance of history and current events in some and blatant appeals to self-interest in others.
But the really interesting thing is, there's no mention of concern that they seem to be unable to develop a policy that works even to the degree that it accomplished their own goals, much less that it benefit the nation as a whole.
Missteps on Economy Worry Bush Supporters
By Jonathan Weisman and Mike Allen
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, March 13, 2004; Page A01
A string of glaring missteps by President Bush's economic team has raised alarm among the president's supporters that his economic policymakers may have lost the most basic ability to formulate a persuasive message or anticipate the political consequences of their actions.
In recent weeks, the White House has had to endure its chief economist's positive comments about job "outsourcing," or sending work overseas; controversial passages in the annual Economic Report of the President; questions over the legitimacy of Bush's 2005 budget; a California swing in which Bush bragged about the possible addition of two or three jobs to a 14-person business in Bakersfield and a flap over a job-creation forecast that not even the president could stand by.
On March 1, a host of U.S. industries began paying trade sanctions to Europe because Congress and the White House have not replaced illegal export subsidies with new aid for ailing manufacturers.
But the non-naming of Anthony F. Raimondo on Thursday as assistant commerce secretary for manufacturing and services has brought the concerns to a boil.
The long-anticipated announcement of a manufacturing czar was supposed to be a good-news day for a White House struggling with its economic message. Instead the planned, smiling photo op fizzled when it came to light that a year ago Bush's choice had opened a major plant in Beijing.
"Clearly, the machinery's not working very well," said Bruce Bartlett, an economist with the conservative National Center for Policy Analysis, who noted that this White House has been known for its discipline on message.
Republicans on Capitol Hill and in the lobbying world of K Street say that the incidents may be minor, but they are many, each amplified by the last. And they are supplying a steady, nourishing diet for Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), who has made jobs and Bush's economic policies a centerpiece of his campaign to capture the White House.
