Bush lead taking root, say surveys

Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, JULY 30. At a time when there is a growing impression that the presumptive Democratic nominee, Mr. Albert Gore, has closed the gap in opinion polls over the Texas Governor, Mr. George Bush, at least two surveys are now showing that the latter is actually ahead between 11 and 16 points. A CNN-TIME poll on Friday showed Mr. Bush widening his lead by 16 percentage points; and a CNN-Gallup poll the day before maintained that the Republican ticket had a 11 point edge over Mr. Gore.

Mr. Bush will be covering Missouri, Arkansas and Kentucky before arriving for the national convention in Philadelphia on Monday. And in the post-Convention phase there is the planned train ride covering states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan which are seen as the crucial battlegrounds. A strong showing in the Mid- West is a must for any candidate who hopes to make it to the White House. And the Republicans seem to be leaving nothing to chance.

The widening of the lead over his democratic rival is taking place when the Gore campaign and the Democrats have sharpened their attacks on the Republican Vice-Presidential nominee, the former Defence Secretary, Mr. Dick Cheney. In the view of the Democrats, the Bush-Cheney combination, if elected, would turn the Oval Office into the ``Oil Office'' - a reference to the connections with the oil industry. The Republicans can be counted upon to return these barbs soon.

Some analysts say the heightened attacks by the Democrats on Mr. Cheney are falling flat. On the one hand the poll numbers for Mr. Bush are rising; and on the other hand voters have been saying that the choice of Mr. Cheney is not going to alter their decision on November 7. By and large, there is the satisfaction within the Republican Camp on the Vice- Presidential ticket - a perception that Mr. Bush has picked on somebody who is not about to rock the boat either with the moderate or the conservative factions of the GOP. This is precisely why Mr. Bush went for Mr. Cheney.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : GOP meet: Spotlight on domestic issues
Next     : Koreas near pact