Believer: My Forty Years in Politics

by David Axelrod

With few exceptions, the history of presidential politics shows that public opinion and attitudes about who should next occupy the Oval Office are largely shaped by the perceptions of the retiring incumbent. And rarely do voters look for a replica. Instead, they generally choose a course correction, selecting a candidate who will address the deficiencies of the outgoing President . . . Now we are entering a campaign that will be defined by vivid perceptions of Bush, his record and style of leadership. And that is our opportunity. Where Bush is hyper-partisan, ideological and unyielding, voters will be looking for the next leader to rally and unify the country around our common interests and mutual obligations as Americans . . . Where Bush’s “Ownership Society” has turned a blind eye to the economic challenges facing many Americans in the new global economy, voters desperately want policies that will put wages, retirement security, health care and educational opportunity at the top of the national agenda.