The White House on Thursday accused the media of trying to depress GOP turnout in next month’s election by predicting doom for Republicans, but insisted the strategy would backfire.
“Every time people read these stories that almost look like suppression efforts to bring down Republican morale, the Republicans say: ‘Man, I’m ready. I’m going to get out there and do it,’ ” White House press secretary Tony Snow told reporters.
President Bush was equally dismissive of the conventional wisdom that Democrats will win control of the House and perhaps the Senate on Nov. 7.
“They’re not going to,” he said. “I’ve heard all the speculation and all the predictions.”
In an ABC interview that aired Thursday, Bush said he does not spend much time thinking about the prospect of Democrats controlling Congress.
“If I have to, I’ll think about it later on,” he said. “But I’m a person that believes we’ll continue to control the House and the Senate. I can’t tell you what the margins are going to be.”
“But I believe our candidates will go out and talk about the issues that matter and we’ll win,” he added. “If our candidates stick with security and tell the American people we’ve got the plan to protect this country against these terrorists who want to hit us, and talk about the economy, they’ll do just fine.”
Bush spent Thursday campaigning for two endangered Republicans in districts that were once considered safe for the GOP. Rep. Don Sherwood of Pennsylvania has been struggling since admitting to an extramarital affair, while Sen.George Allen has been accused of racial insensitivity after using the term “macaca” to refer to a dark-skinned volunteer for his opponent.
Democrats mocked Bush for backing the troubled Republicans during what the president himself proclaimed as National Character Counts Week.
“It is no surprise that President Bush is celebrating Character Counts Week by campaigning today for two ethically challenged Republican incumbents,” said Democratic National Committee Press Secretary Stacie Paxton.
The White House shrugged off the appearances as a necessary component of the Republican effort to defend against a Democratic takeover.
“Look, this is a close election contest,” Snow said. “On the other hand, what does it say [that] you’ve got Bill Clinton running around and campaigning for people? Does that mean Democrats are suddenly worried?”
He added: “We’re confident about what’s coming up. We think we’ve got better candidates, we’ve got better issues, we’ve got better solutions to the problems that face Americans.”
