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Bush, Kerry battling for vets' hearts, minds
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Race
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| Contributor | ArmyDem |
| Last Edited | ArmyDem May 30, 2004 05:48pm |
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| Category | General |
| Media | Newspaper - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |
| News Date | Sunday, May 30, 2004 06:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Sunday, May 30, 2004
By James O'Toole, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
For a campaign manager, it was like winning the lottery.
In late January, Jim Rassman, a Republican and a retired police officer, called the office of Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry to see if there was anything he could do to help. Thirty-five years earlier, Kerry had won a Bronze Star for helping to pluck a wounded Rassman from the Bay Hap River while under Viet Cong fire.
Rassman and the Massachusetts senator met at an emotional reunion in Des Moines on the final weekend before the Iowa caucuses. The dramatic moment added to the last-minute momentum that brought Kerry a come-from-behind victory in Iowa and set him on the path toward his party's nomination for president.
The Rassman-Kerry reunion also signaled the determination of both Kerry and President Bush to compete for the votes of veterans, a constituency traditionally considered more Republican than Democratic.
The battle for veterans hearts and minds is likely to be crucial given this year's closely divided electorate. But it also serves as a metaphor for the larger national security issues paramount in the minds of all voters in a time of war and terrorism. |
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