Dems Still Using Bush as Bogeyman

George W. Bush has been out of office for 6 months now, but you wouldn’t know it to listen to Democrats on the campaign trail. “America doesn’t need to be Bushwhacked again!” declared Jon Corzine, kicking off his re-election campaign to govern New Jersey (with Joe Biden standing right next to him). Creigh Deeds has hit similar notes in his Virginia gubernatorial contest. And Democratic strategists think it’s going to work.

Deeds’ opponent doesn’t actually have any ties to Bush, but Deeds will still try to link him to the unpopular ex-president. “A lot of voters rightfully place the blame on the economy on the Bush White House,” explained his campaign manager. Corzine’s opponent, on the other hand, was a top Bush fundraiser. “It especially makes sense in New Jersey,” said one strategist, “where there was no love lost at all for Bush.” (More George W. Bush stories.)