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Bush daughters rally with nascar for election Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.cincypost.com/2004/10/21/twins102104.htmlhttp://www.cincypost.com/2004/10/21/twins102104.html
Bush daughters, NASCAR champ rally for president
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By Tony Cook
Post staff reporter
George W. Bush's twin daughters and former race-car driver Darrell Waltrip touted the president's character and leadership qualities Wednesday as part of an effort aimed at rallying NASCAR fans behind the Bush re-election campaign.
Bush's daughters, Jenna and Barbara, shared family anecdotes to illustrate the president's concern for women.
"My dad has many qualities that are important in a president and in a dad," Jenna told the crowd of about 100 people at the Millennium Hotel downtown.
"First, he's open-minded. He's always encouraged Barbara and me to follow our own passions," she said. "He made everyone feel welcomed except for the occasional boyfriend."
She said her father has brought the same values to the White House.
"I'm so proud he helped liberate Afghanistan, where women are going to work and folks are finally going to school," she said.
Barbara Bush spoke about her mother's role as first lady.
"One of the biggest benefits of voting for him is that you get to keep my mom in the White House for four more years," she said, adding that she's proud of her parents' "commitment to women worldwide."
The twins then gave the floor to Waltrip, who retired from NASCAR with 84 career wins.
A personal friend of Bush, Waltrip campaigned for the president in 2000, and before that, for his father.
"I'm not an issue guy," Waltrip said. "I know the man."
Waltrip recalled a meeting with the president in December. "He sat on the edge of the desk there in the Oval Office, and he spoke about his faith -- how that gave him strength and helped him make decisions."
Waltrip explained why NASCAR dads -- middle-aged, blue-collar, socially conservative males in the South and Midwest -- have traditionally supported Bush.
"We recognize great leadership," he said. "We respect authority."
Organizers of Wednesday's event had hoped for a larger turnout. Still, local Republicans said they hoped it resonated with some voters.
"This race will be determined in the last lap-days of this election," said Greg Hartmann, Hamilton County Clerk of Courts and chairman of the county's Bush-Cheney campaign. "It's great to have the support of NASCAR. I think people can relate to Waltrip."
After the rally, Bob Huber, 45, of White Oak, watched as Waltrip signed an autograph for his son.
"When it comes down to it, the job of political office is for the common man," he said. "It seems like President Bush knows what it's like to work."
Less than two blocks away, volunteers with America Coming Together, a nonprofit voter-mobilization organization manning an orange juice stand on Fountain Square, disagreed.
Laurel Howell, a volunteer with the group, said the Bush campaign's attempt to court NASCAR dads wasn't consistent with his policies on tax cuts and the economy.
"It's well and good for them to talk about President Bush as a man, and he may be the finest man, but his policies are squeezing the middle class," she said.
She said Ohio lost 230,000 jobs from January 2001 to August 2004, including 170,000 in manufacturing.
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