Ohioans deserve substance from Bush, Kerry campaigns
Democrats spent four days this week bashing President Bush -- without using his name more than a handful of times -- and insisting that the country would be better off with their standard-bearer, John Kerry, in the White House. But that's to be expected at a political convention. Now, however, Kerry, senator from Massachusetts, and his running mate, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, must demonstrate to the American people that there is substance behind this week's political rhetoric.
It is no accident that both Bush and Kerry will be in Ohio this weekend. The president will undoubtedly be trying to reassure voters in this key battleground state that his economic policies are working and that Ohio's job loss, especially in the manufacturing sector, is being reversed.
Kerry, on the other hand, can be expected to argue that past four years under Bush have seen the deterioration of the health economy that he inherited from President Clinton, and that a major change in direction is needed.
In his acceptance speech Thursday night in Boston to a raucous gathering of party conventioneers, Kerry touched on an array of issues, but provided few specifics. For instance, he said that his job-creation plan would include new incentives for manufacturing, closing loopholes that reward companies for shipping jobs overseas, investing in technology and trading and competing in the world, but on a "fair playing field."
The Democratic nominee did not say what incentives would be offered and how he would pay for them, given the ballooning deficit and the billions of dollars from the federal budget committed to the war on global terrorism and the rebuilding of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Outsourcing
For his part, President Bush must explain to the people of Ohio how the outsourcing of American jobs is good for the state's economy. He must also respond to his challenger's contention that the jobs being created are not comparable in wages to the millions lost since Bush took office.
On the critical issue of war and peace, the Democratic nominee should be prepared to not only detail how he intends to internationalize the rebuilding of Iraq and how he plans to pay for his plan to bolster the military.
Last night, he said that he will add 40,000 active duty troops -- they will not be assigned to Iraq -- and will double the special forces to conduct anti-terrorist operations. He also said American troops would be provided with new technology to aid them in the war on global terrorism and that he will end the "backdoor draft."
He now must reveal what the cost of this initiative will be and how he would pay for it.
Bush, who continues to insist that the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the subsequent ouster of Saddam Hussein has made the homeland safer, should explain the role American troops will play in that country and Afghanistan, and how long the deployment will last.
Political conventions are designed to ignite the passions of the party faithful. This week's Democratic convention in Boston succeeded in doing that. The Republicans will gather in New York City at the end of August and they, too, will be inspired.
But the American people deserve substance from Bush and Kerry so that by the time of the November election, they will have a deep understanding of where each on stands on the important issues of the day and the solutions they have for the myriad problems confronting our country.