George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography - Get a Free Blog

dedicated to helping his Congressional clients, incumbents and challengers alike, to get
elected. Watching the polls, Rollins saw that Bush's June 26 broken promise was sure to
be poison at the polls in early November. He sent out a memo that made the following
points:
The mood of the country has shifted dramatically in the past ten days; voters have
become as pessimistic about the direction of the country as at any time in recent history.
The President's approval/disapproval and job performance ratings have dropped
precipitously. This is no doubt due to the lack of a budget resolution and the lack of a
clear Republican position on taxes and spending.
Understanding that several members have never taken a no tax pledge, my best advice
today is to urge you to oppose taxes, specifically gas and income taxes. Do not hesitate to
oppose either the President or proposals being advanced in Congress. [fn 53]
Bush appears to have learned of the Rollins memo in an NBC news broadcast on October
24. According to one source, Bush then told a group of GOP Congressional leaders that
while he could not control all Republican political consultants, he "did control Rollins,"
and wanted him fired immediately. Rollins's immediate boss, Rep. Guy Vander Jagt, a
Republican wheelhorse from Michigan, complained that he had come out of this meeting
with Bush "black and blue" from the president's punishment. [fn 54] The answer from
Rollins was, "I don't plan to resign." Incredibly, Bush was unable to secure the ouster of
Rollins, who, one must conclude, enjoyed more support from rank and file Republican
Congressmen at this point than Bush himself. Some consultants suggested that Bush
should simply back off: "If the November 6 results are as bad as they appear, the
consensus will be that George Bush blew it," said one. Bush "is the George Steinbrenner
of politics," said another perception-monger. "He just booted away the best franchise in
the sport." Dreams of taking House seats were vanishing with each new poll; the GOP
now hoped for damage control measures to keep the loss to ten seats if they could.
On the campaign trail, Bush was finally receiving treatment commensurate with his
merits. October 23 was a day he will never forget. George had gotten up before dawn to
make a day of it on the hustings, only to find that he was being shunned as the new
Typhoid Mary of American politics.
The first stop was an early-morning fund raiser in Burlington, Vermont, designed to
benefit Rep. Peter Smith, a freshman Congressman. Smith was supposed to give Bush a
rousing introduction and then bask in the warmth of Bush's support. But instead, Smith
astounded Bush and his handlers by launching into a tortured monologue on all the points
of disagreement that divided him from Bush. Smith told of how he had been loyal to
Bush on October 5, and of how his constituents had then rebelled, with the result that he
caught political hell for his pro-Bush vote. Smith demanded that Bush now raise taxes on
the wealthy. Smith also menmtioned the civil rights bill: "My specific disagreements with
this administration are a matter of record," Smith stressed. Poor Smith: his pro-Bush vote