Bush continues to give almost the identical stump speech everywhere he goes, but I noticed a little something different about his remarks in Pensacola, Fla., yesterday. It wasn’t new rhetoric Bush has added to the speech; it’s something he took out.
Two weeks ago, for example, Bush was really enjoying his “turn the corner” rhetoric.
“When it comes to improving our public schools, we’re turning the corner, and we’re not turning back…. When it comes to giving Americans more choices about their own health care, and making health care more affordable, we’re turning the corner, and we’re not turning back…. When it comes to creating jobs for America’s workers, we’re turning the corner, and we’re not turning back…. When it comes to better protecting our country, we’re turning a corner, and we’re not turning back…. My opponents share an old Washington mind set: They will give the orders; you’ll pay the bills. We’re turning that corner, and we’re not going back.”
This was, in effect, the new theme of the Bush campaign. Or I should say, it was, up until the Kerry campaign demonstrated how ridiculous the phrase is.
Indeed, Kerry reveled in reminding audiences that Bush’s favorite new campaign line is eerily reminiscent of Herbert Hoover’s slogan “prosperity is just around the corner,” used during the Great Depression. (And since Bush and Hoover also share the ignoble distinction of being the only presidents in the last 80 years to lose more jobs than they created, the connection was almost too fun for Dems.)
Bush’s choice of slogans prompted the DNC’s Terry McAuliffe to say, “If George Bush doesn’t drop this new slogan soon, he is in danger of becoming the P.T. Barnum of American politics.”
The funny thing is Bush actually took his advice.
After a few weeks of repeating the phrase incessantly and incorporating its constant use into his stump speech, the president has, surprisingly enough, realized that this is one campaign slogan that had to go.
While the new stump speech used to say “we’ve turned the corner” at least five times, Bush is now limiting himself to using the line just once. Yesterday, instead of referring to alleged progress in health care, job creation, and national security, the president only referenced education.
“Today children across America are showing real progress in reading and math. When it comes to improving America’s public schools, we’re turning the corner and we’re not turning back.”
And that was the last his audience heard of the phrase. It’s just as well; even loyal sycophants were having trouble buying this one.