The fall campaign just began. Bush staged his first invasion of Kerry territory today when he went after Kerry on health care. Here's some of Bush's attack:
"I'm running against a fellow who has got a massive, complicated blueprint to have our government take over the decision-making in health care."
"Not only is his plan going to increase the power of bureaucrats in your life, but he can't pay for it unless he raises your taxes."
"His plan will lead to a rationing of health care, it would mean you would not be in charge of decisions."
And a major Bush TV campaign on health care is also slated to begin.
This will be the first real test of the new Team Kerry. They've got to hit back on this, hit back quickly, and hit back hard. A well run campaign should be able to get TV spots on the air this week.
Unlike SBVT, this is the kind of thing that can actually turn an election. Health care is the core Kerry issue. The facts are on Kerry's side - Bush's attack is completely false. And unlike national security, this is an issue that Kerry has had consistently large advantages in polling.
If the new Team Kerry has their act together, this invasion is an opportunity. It means we finally get to fight a battle on our own territory. It provides an opportunity to slam Bush on his health care record, and slam Bush on his credibility at the same time.
---
And while we've got to sit back and see how well Team Kerry performs in the face of this invasion, there is something else we can do in the meantime:
The TANG issue has been eroding Bush's numbers over the past week. By sending a few bucks to Texans for Truth, we can help this process along.
See my diary explaining the rationale for helping Texans for Truth soften up Bush.