As November gets closer, Republican Congressman Dave Reichert is in trouble, and the Republican establishment in Washington D.C. is aware of it. So today the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee dispatched President Bush to Mercer Island, a suburb of Seattle (my hometown!), where he helped raise $830,000 for Reichert's campaign.
But the white-collar party was short-lived, as a group of seniors gathered to protest Reichert's support for what they thought were President Bush's radically conservative stances on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Those seniors sent the following letter to Reichert's office:
"Dave Reichert has consistently rubberstamped Bush's failed agenda and his disatrous policies on seniors' issues - privatization of Social Security, cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, and drug laws written by and for the pharmaceutical companies instead of the seniors that need help," Bellevue resident Tom Way told reporters. "We need fresh new leadership in Congress, not someone that will stand shoulder to shoulder with George Bush."
Back in 2004, Dave Reichert won that Congressional seat by a 52% to 48% margin. But according to a poll conducted within that district just last month, Reichert's approval rating was at a dismal 39%. In that same district, Bush's approval rating was only 26%. Some conclude that Bush's visit would not help the Republican House incumbent's situation much, and might even be a net negative.
From a national standpoint, President Bush might be hurting Republican House candidates by visiting them, says a CNN/Gallup Poll:
When registered voters polled were asked if they were more or less likely to vote for a candidate Bush supported, 47 percent said they were less likely, while only 27 percent said they were more likely. Twenty percent said it made no difference. The sampling error for the question was plus or minus 4 percentage points.
In order to counter Bush's visit, John Kerry is helping Democrat Darcy Burner, Reichert's opponent, by working to raise money for her campaign. If possible, please give what you can to Darcy Burner, as her effort continues to unseat Dave Reichert and bring the Democrats one step closer to taking back the House.
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