President Bush went on a whirlwind money-making extravaganza yesterday, first raising $1.5 million at a fundraiser in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, then speaking at a convention of the Pennsylvania Future Farmers of America before heading down to Washington, D.C. for an event that produced $23 million for the Republican House and Senate campaign committees.
But the news is not just the big money he brought in — it’s the harsh words he spat out.
In a line already headed into sound bite history, Bush accused Democratic leaders of embracing “the philosophy of the stop sign, the agenda of the road block.” From there, he piled it on, with further attacks on what he likes to call “the other party,” criticizing Democrats for always saying “no” to his ideas without offering up alternative proposals of their own.
There are two pretty clear sides to this story: George Bush as the overbooked fund-raiser, and George Bush as the frustrated Dem-basher. We decided to see which side our three favorite dailies chose to play up.
For the Washington Post, Bush’s attack on Democrats was the main focus. In their coverage of Bush’s fundraising speeches (headline: “Bush, at GOP Fundraiser, Cites Democrats’ ‘Obstruction'”), reporters Mike Allen and Michael A. Fletcher lead by saying that “President Bush poured out his most politically confrontational rhetoric since his reelection to a huge gathering of Republican donors last night, asserting that Democrats ‘stand for nothing but obstruction’ on Social Security and other issues on his agenda.”
Allen and Fletcher provide ample examples of Bush’s “confrontational rhetoric,” as well as a few reactions to his angry words. The first two reactions they quote: “[B]y framing Democrats as obstructionist, [Bush] is beginning to insulate himself against possible defeat on Social Security,” and “[H]e is as determined as ever.” We were a little surprised at how positive the reactions were, until we realized who exactly was reacting: “Republican congressional aides” and “administration officials.” Nice choice of sources, guys — both specific and balanced.
The Los Angeles Times, on the other hand, only gives a nod to the evening roast in D.C., zooming in instead on the details of what went down in Pennsylvania. Perhaps that’s because reporter Edwin Chen wrote the piece from State College, Pa., instead of from D.C. (Maybe Chen missed the flight down to Washington to finish the story off?)
Although concentrating on Bush’s fundraising tactics (headline: “Bush Becomes GOP’s Go-To Guy for Fundraising”) does suck some of the oomph out of the piece, Chen did manage to find a good story there in Pennsylvania. Instead of viewing Bush’s speeches yesterday as a sign of unbridled strength, Chen points out the political vulnerability that made those speeches necessary. “Many of his legislative initiatives, most notably his plan to restructure Social Security, are foundering on Capitol Hill, with members of his party openly taking him on,” Chen writes, citing the example of 50 House Republicans who “defied Bush’s veto threat and voted last month to loosen restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.”
Given that Republican dissidence, Bush needs to make sure that his strongest supporters, like Pennsylvanian Rick Santorum, are still around for the next two years so that his proposals go through. Chen then gives an overview of the close re-election race between Santorum and state Treasurer Bob Casey Jr., and highlights how the Social Security debate will factor in.
The New York Times‘ coverage ended up somewhere in the middle — not as oddly Pennsylvania-centered as the Los Angeles Times, nor as focused on Bush’s stern language as the Washington Post. Just a quick, chronological account of where Bush went, why he went there, and what he said.
Meantime, we would like to extend a heartfelt congratulations to all three newspapers for ignoring the bait that proved irresistible to TV news: the presence of former porn star Mary Carey at the Washington, D.C. fundraiser.
Most morning news shows refrained from any commentary on Bush’s speech, but they were on Mary Carey like … well, like newscasters on a busty blonde former porn star.
–Samantha Henig
Samantha Henig was a CJR Daily intern.