The Nation Needs More Than Politics : Bush needled Democrats deftly but fell short on agenda

George Bush gave a terrific partisan speech Thursday night, but for many Americans who are not particularly partisan and not particularly decided about this election, the acceptance speech may have seemed insufficiently presidential.

Of course Bush is running for reelection, and the nominee’s convention appeal to his party is the ritual, emotionally satisfying ending to these quadrennial extravaganzas. But it is also true that Bush is President and most people are more concerned about the future of the country than about the political prospects of either party.

If the mood of America were settled and confident, that would be one thing; but America right now is beset with self-doubt and reeling from a turbid economy that shows little sign of renewal. Under these circumstances the President might have sought to downplay the partisanship and emphasize the special perspective of the presidency.

THE ATTACK: There’s no denying the deftness of President Bush’s jabs at his opponent. Gov. Bill Clinton has enjoyed a huge rush up the polls ever since his nomination last month. Now it’s crunch time as the Republicans crank up for the counterattack. Based on Thursday night’s speech, we are likely to witness an especially sharp and engrossing fall campaign.

Suspicions about the Arkansas governor are far from quelled, and Bush went to understandable length to fan the flames of doubt. A tax-and-spend Democrat. Inexperienced in foreign policy. A risky bet.

In that context the President also called attention to his own considerable achievements in foreign policy. These are the crown jewels of his term--and under ordinary circumstances they alone might be enough to justify reelection.

THE HISTORIC MOMENT: But these are not ordinary times. In California a wide and deep recession leaves even the Republican governor in despair. In the nation at large, deepening apprehension about job security grips more and more Americans. The President did not ignore the economy Thursday night, but the remedies he proposed seemed more like a warmed-over revival of his bill of particulars about the Democratically controlled Congress--and of supply-side economics--than a more fully crafted, forward-looking plan equal to the current challenge.

His supply-side proposal for across-the-board tax cuts, while obviously not without political appeal, seems oddly inconsistent with his acknowledgment of the need to reduce the deficit. And it is hard to imagine that the magnitude of the cuts would pump much money into the economy; it is also hard to believe that the Republicans would want to cut defense even more or the Democrats would want to cut social programs even more to offset the revenue loss from the proposed tax cuts.

The proposal for a taxpayer checkoff of up to 10% dedicated to deficit reduction has undeniable populist appeal. But this is a pale gesture against the enormity of the problem. What America needs is jobs--good jobs, jobs with health insurance/pension benefits, productive and competitive jobs, many more jobs.

It’s true that the nation faces extraordinary foreign challenges, but they are not so much the challenge of missiles and tanks as the new challenges of foreign trade, aggressive foreign economies and growing competitive disadvantages. It faces an educational crisis and a health care crisis not solved by bashing and blaming.

THE WORRY: The President touched on all the right things, but he touched on them lightly and he seemed eager to get back to the fun at hand: knocking his opponent. That’s fair and hardly unprecedented. Thursday night Bush did a good job as party leader. What’s still needed is the larger agenda of a President facing up to a national crisis.