Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Polls and pundits have no place in Bush's final push Date: Tue, 27 Oct 92 13:27:07 EST Message-ID: \SE A;NATION \HD Polls and pundits have no place in Bush's final push \BY Frank J. Murray \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES \DT DENVER DENVER - President Bush has begun talking and acting like a winner entering the campaign homestretch, confident enough despite lopsided polls to argue here yesterday for "conservative activism" over Bill Clinton's liberalism. "The polls and all these deadly talking heads we see on these Sunday television shows . . . don't matter anymore. It's up to the American people," he said, asking for votes without predicting victory. "Ideas, action, character. I have tried very hard to demonstrate all three so I came out here . . . to ask for your support on November 3rd," he told a convention of Ace Hardware store owners and vendors in his first in-depth review of policy and tactics since his acclaimed economic address Sept. 10 in Detroit. "Finally a word about character. In the final analysis, it is my view that this election is going to be decided on character and trust," he said, avoiding specifics about Mr. Clinton's draft avoidance and organizing anti-war demonstrations, while talking about the burdens of the Oval Office. "This is an awesome responsibility to ask young people to knock early on death's door," he said. Totally ignoring the distraction of his campaign officials calling Ross Perot a crazy man while denying his charge of dirty tricks, the president compared philosophies with Mr. Clinton. "The real choice is between a liberal activist government that seeks to impose solutions on individuals, families and the private sector and a conservative activist government that gives individuals, businesses and families the means to make their own choices through competition and economic opportunity," Mr. Bush said in a speech whose tone was sharply different from the usual stump speech. The tired-looking but energized Mr. Bush seemed to have his eye fixed firmly on a second term, telling the hardware dealers he needed tools to fix up his house since he wouldn't be leaving it for four more years and even arguing that his lame-duck status would be helpful. "You know, the best time to move is when you're re-elected. No more elections ahead. No worry about the future politics," he said, indicating, however, he is not oblivious to the prospect of defeat next Tuesday. "There's other lines of work, I'm sure, that would be a lot more pleasant every day, day in and day out, than taking the shots one takes in this life. But I want to finish the job I've started," he said in Billings, Montana, before flying to Denver yesterday morning. Mr. Bush quickly resumed the attacks at his next stop in Albuquerque, N.M., where he said Mr. Clinton doesn't know the difference between Patriot missiles and Santa Claus. "He said the Patriot missile is the one that goes down chimneys. Governor, that is Santa Claus. That is not the Patriot missile that shoots down other missiles," Mr. Bush told a laughing crowd of several thousand standing in the hot sun. A nearby banner said: "Bush in the White House. Bill in the Penthouse," alluding to the December Penthouse magazine photo spread of Gennifer Flowers, who discusses her claimed sexual affair with Mr. Clinton. Mr. Bush's conservative-vs.-liberal theme in the Denver speech asked: "Why turn back to central bureaucracy in Washington?" in the name of change. "It does not make sense that hardware store owners will somehow get richer by giving more of your money to the IRS," he said. He called Mr. Clinton's $150 billion tax-increase proposals larger than those of Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis combined. "At the very moment that the rest of the world is moving our way, my opponent, Governor Clinton, wants us to move their way," he said. "Being in favor of change is like being in favor of breathing," he said, arguing that honesty and integrity were the key considerations. "When you enter that voting booth, ask yourself three common-sense questions: "Who has the right vision for America's future? "Who can get us from here to there? "And which character has the character and who would you trust with your family or with the United States of America in a crisis?" This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM