Bush Triangulation (posted October 7, 1999)

In a move reminiscent of President Clinton's distancing himself from liberal, Democratic members of the U.S. House a few years ago, GOP presidential candidate George W. Bush has publicly criticized conservative House Republicans in order to make himself look more moderate to American voters. For the second time in a week, Bush complained about House Republicans. Discussing his party's general philosophy, he complained, according to the Washington Post, "that his party has been too negative, too pessimistic and too enamored of believing that free markets can solve social problems while ignoring the role of government." Previously, he had accused fellow Republicans of trying to "balance the budget on the backs of the poor" by supporting a plan to limit tax credits for working class families.

The offensive is similar to the "triangulation" strategy devised by Clinton advisor Dick Morris following the 1994 GOP takeover of Congress. Believing that the president was seen as too liberal for pushing universal health care, Morris advised the president in the time leading up to the 1996 campaign that he should position himself between liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans. The plan worked and set up Clinton as the bulwark against Republican extremism while still not being a tax and spend liberal. He coasted to an easy re-election in 1996.

With House Republicans still unpopular due to policy moves during the Gingrich era and the effort to impeach President Clinton, Bush is seeking to project himself as a "compassionate conservative" who shares the general philosophy of the Republican party but is more moderate than House members in his party. GOP conservatives have criticized Bush for this move, but with a huge fundraising advantage and big polling leads over other Republican presidential contenders, Bush now is running a general election strategy of appealing to moderate voters in the center. It worked for Clinton and we'll see if Bush can hold together his fractious Republican coalition while he heads for the November election.