It's been said a million times -- Bush has little room to grow support. Incumbents don't generally have that option, and no incumbent is better known than Bush. His best chance for victory is to
drive Kerry's negatives way up. It's the reason why Bush has gone negative on Kerry so early in the cycle.
And it's the reason why Kerry and allies need to respond.
ill Hoskins is a Democrat who plans to vote for John Kerry (news - web sites). But ask the 42-year-old truck driver the first thing that comes to mind when he thinks about his party's presidential candidate, and out pops "flip-flopper."
"Wearing his badge of valor as far as being a veteran," says Laura Scoville, 47, a middle school teacher and undecided voter who tends to vote Republican. "But I'm worried about taxes."
"I do know he's voted to raise gas taxes several times," says Brian Nikkel, 25, an insurance claims adjuster. "I know that from the Bush commercials."
The article notes that Kerry will launch it's first major ad blitz "in about a week". It also cites the Gallup poll showing Bush surging in the wake of his $18 million ad blitz, but other polls (like the Rasmussen daily tracking poll) show a different picture.
But even if Kerry isn't bleeding support, it's clear his negatives are rising. And that's the biggest danger to his election chances.