Reply #12: look what Scott Reed... [View All]

....had to say in June 2000:

Scott Reed, who managed Bob Doe's 1996 presidential bid, said Bush can avoid any sticky dilemmas by having "Republican governors in these Midwest states raising hell" about gas prices for him. "Let the surrogates do the lifting" for Bush, suggested Reed, since those GOP governors are closest to those voters, are popular with them, and have the most credibility with them.

As for Al Gore, high gas prices conjure the specter of "It's the economy, stupid," hurting his White House chances if they stay high into the fall.

Gore's challenge is to ensure the Clinton administration "is on top of this issue and is doing everything it can do to ease this price hike," said Carrick. In that sense, the White House, the FTC, and the EPA could be the cavalry that comes to Gore's rescue - or at least ease his political pain.

To the GOP, that's a case of "been there, done that." Said Reed, "The gas crisis in the Midwest is in direct contradiction of Gore's campaign message" of prosperity. In the spring, the Clinton administration preached it had turned the tide of rising gas prices. Midwest motorists who will vote in November are still feeling the pain now.

"This is a problem that's festered for a couple months. It's not over ..." said Reed, who predicted high prices will linger into the fall. "I'm not sure there's an easy Rose Garden strategy for Gore to have."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/06/26/politics/main209610.shtml