Bush Promotes Fitness, Raises Millions in Florida

He was born in Connecticut, grew up in Texas and lives in Washington, D.C., and his parents have a summer place in Maine. But these days, President Bush could call Florida his second home.

He was here a month ago, promoting a hard-line approach to Fidel Castro’s Cuba. He was back on Friday, this time telling senior citizens that they can benefit from physical exercise--and reminding the Republican Party faithful that his brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, could benefit if they exercised their franchise.

Since he took office, the president has made 10 visits to Florida, a state that held the key to his 2000 election victory and is likely to be important in 2004 as well. That’s only three fewer visits than he has made to his ranch in Texas.

In Florida, as elsewhere, political fund-raising has become a serious business for the president. Indeed, he devotes himself to it with the intensity that his father, the 41st president, devoted to golf.

A Republican dinner he attended at the Universal Studios hotel here was expected to pick up $2.5 million for the state party, deputy White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.

That brought Bush’s fund-raising total over the 17 months of his presidency to approximately $140 million--or better than $1.5 million per week. This year alone, he and Vice President Dick Cheney have helped Republican candidates and the party collect $100 million.

Told by a reporter that his White House team has far outpaced Bill Clinton in the money chase, Bush replied: “Thank you. I appreciate that compliment.”

On Friday, Bush conducted presidential business--encouraging senior citizens to take care of themselves--along with the politics.

As a result, the federal government will pay a share of his travel costs. Otherwise, the Republican Party would have been charged the full cost of his travel. It is a common approach used by other presidents too.

During a visit to the Marks Street Senior Recreation Complex, Bush visited a class in aerobic “spinning”--high-speed pedaling on stationary bikes.

“OK, I want everybody exercising!” he said, and then wished one of the participants, Julian Washington, a happy 86th birthday. Bush did not take part in the workout.

Later, he spoke to several hundred people, many of them elderly, about the war on terrorism and, for five minutes of his 16-minute address, the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

“If you want to have a healthy life, you’ve got to be careful of what you eat,” the president said.

“You need to eat your vegetables. And your fruits. We’ve been working on Dad for a while on the broccoli issue,” he said, resurrecting his father’s well-known distaste for that vegetable.

“Take advantage of preventative screenings,” he said. “And exercise.

“I sleep better, I eat better. I’m a lot more pleasant fellow to be around after I exercise. And I encourage all Americans to do so,” he said.

Older Americans have more to gain from regular exercise than younger Americans, but nearly 70% of those aged 65 to 74 engage in no regular physical activity, he said.

“Just a stroll in the park for a reasonable period of time is exercise, and it’s good for you,” Bush said.

The president is putting a spotlight on health and exercise this week.

On Thursday, he presided at a fitness exposition on the White House South Lawn, as staff members and others went through exercise routines. This morning he will be the star attraction in a three-mile run at a Washington military base.

His participation poses a pesky problem for the dozens of White House aides and others who have signed up to take part: What protocol governs passing the 55-year-old president in a three-mile race?

“The president is looking forward to a competitive race. I think he expects all the participants to run their hardest,” McClellan said.

The propriety of outshining the president may be moot for many. Bush claims a 6:45 mile, and McClellan observed that the president has been running three miles in as little as 20 minutes, 35 seconds.

Bush was not always so gung-ho on the subject of a healthy lifestyle. He has addressed gingerly his partying before he was 40. Now he says he no longer drinks alcoholic beverages.

His younger brother, the governor, said in introducing him here that the president is the fittest member of the Bush family. But, Jeb Bush couldn’t resist pointing out, it wasn’t always so.

It was a sibling’s poke at the senior Bush, who has been doing everything he can to smooth his brother’s way to a second term in the governor’s mansion.

The president’s chief political advisor, Karl Rove, made clear in a private presentation to supporters this month, which found its way into print, that the race in Florida was one of 15 contests this November the GOP could well lose.

President Bush sought Friday to help his brother, telling donors at the evening fund-raiser that “anything I can do to help Jeb stay in the governor’s office, I’ll do.”

Back in Washington, Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe objected to the way Bush mixed fund-raising and fitness in Florida.

“From the $100-million man comes the $150,000 workout,” McAuliffe said. “Today, President Bush flew 800 miles, to raise [more than] $2 million, and expects the taxpayers to pick up the $150,000 tab because he watched an eight-minute workout.”