PA GOP strength is its moderate wing. Moderates here are very uncomfortable diluting the separation between Church and State. It was one of the agendas fostered by the GOP’s very conservative gubernatorial candidate that was defeated by the Dems’ very centrist candidate, Rendell.

Thousands of moderate republicans here switched their registration to Dem in order to vote for Rendell in the primary, who was running against a conservative democrat with not much chance of winning either Dem or GOP votes.

I do recall going to a Bush/Cheney rally in this northern suburban county of Phila in 2000, the Saturday before the election. A local network news reporter was searching for a Bush supporter to interview. The catch was she wanted a PA resident, and happened to be in a crowd of Ohioans bused in for the occassion.

Of couse, that little fact was not mentioned in the nightly news report at all. In fact, watching the report, you would have thought Bush would have won PA in a landslide.

Mr. Bush needs to choose another agenda for the moderates in PA. Faith-based initiatives, along with the much locally publicized campaign’s targeting 1600 PA churches for campaign purposes, isn’t going to do it.

Posted by: Indie2004 at June 23, 2004 12:27 PM

The topic was in regards to his AIDS initiative.

Why are you talking about a completely different subject?

Posted by: eric at June 23, 2004 02:24 PM

Why then have as its title “Bush Visits Philadelphia”? Further, the lead mentions first that this visit is a “campaign stop” along the fund-raising trail at “the Greater Exodus Baptist Church” BEFORE the word AIDS comes into play.

Also, you interrupt the cut and paste with the following: “Another local affiliate, CBS 3, has more information on the church and the pastor, showing that Bush is finding support in heavily Democratic Philadelphia’s African-American neighborhoods.”

This statement also brings the focus of this article back to the Bush campaign.

Which is it — the campaign or the Aids Initiative?

If you had titled your submission “Bush Unveils Aids Initiative” and focused on that subject, with minor focus on the fact that the unveiling was done in Philadelphia, and a less blatantly worded verbal-op written to persuade readers that Bush is a favorite candidate in Philly’s Democratic African American neighborhoods, I might have thought the Aids Initiative was your focus.

Posted by: Indie2004 at June 23, 2004 02:43 PM

An amazing story. It will receive very little notice by any of the mainstream press, I’m afraid, becuase it runs contrary to the stereotype of Bush that is in currency.

Posted by: dwc at June 23, 2004 03:01 PM

Indie, is that for me or eric?

I posted it, not eric. I agree with you, it’s both stories. Where he made the announcement is as much, if not more, the story as the AIDS announcement.

If I had wanted to post an op-ed, I would have done it in the op-ed section. Saying he’s finding support in Tioga/Nicetown is factually accurate. I’m not saying it’s widespread. That Lusk is actively supporting him is a story because it flies in the face of stereotypes of African-American leaders, especially in this city.

There has been some discussion about kick-starting the posting here, even with little campaign stop stories, so, I present the news, with little comment.

Posted by: Nathan Hamm at June 23, 2004 03:13 PM

Perhaps if Mr. Bush had not chosen to unveil this plan under the umbrella of a campaign stop and fundraiser, it would get that attention.

It is an important enough, and serious enough, subject to merit its own ‘space’ outside of his campaign.

This may have tranlated to a more effective showing in the mainstream press, thereby giving him ‘gravitas’ in an area that would help his campaign.

By blending this important subject too heavily with his campaign, the ‘campaign’ components overshadow it. Hence, those presenting it in terms of “Bush Visits Philadelphia” rather than “Bush Unveils Aids Initiative.”

Mr. Rove, where are you?

Posted by: Indie2004 at June 23, 2004 03:15 PM

Indie, he did unveil it outside his campaign. I think the reason he brought it up today is because he was at Exodus Baptist and the initiative focuses on Africa and the Caribbean. Vietnam is a new addition announced today.

I put it as “Bush Visits Philadelphia” because there’s no new unveiling going on and the Philadelphia visit and the location is the news,

Posted by: Nathan Hamm at June 23, 2004 03:27 PM

Nathan, my response was to Eric whom I mistakenly thought posted the article.

Though I agree with you that Philly and PA are targets of Mr. Bush’s campaign, I still believe the AIDS issue is important enough to have warranted a national “WH” unveiling. Mr. Rove could have then planned the first ‘celebration’ to occur in Philly, at Mr. Lusk’s church.

I disagree that the ‘where’ of the unveiling is more important than the unveling of the Initiative.

If I were Mr. Rove, though, I would not concentrate my candidate’s time and money so heavily in a state that just elected a centrist Dem over a conservative republican. Especially since many moderates, and indeed to a lesser extent, independents, changed their registration to ensure the election of the centrist Dem.

As for the Tioga/Nicetown reference, this area and beyond is also still reeling from what many thought was heavy-handed interference by Ashcroft in the Philly mayoral election.

Of course, the state and the area are targets for Mr. Bush’s campaign. I just think a national unveiling would have brought him more “ink”, and a different battleground venue might have bought him more votes.

Posted by: Indie2004 at June 23, 2004 03:36 PM