Greeley – President Bush fired up the GOP faithful Saturday by blasting Democrats as tax raisers without a plan for victory in Iraq.
The rally at Island Grove Regional Park’s event center came as Republicans make a final push to protect their majorities in Congress and the governorship in Colorado.
Bush urged the crowd to support Rep. Marilyn Musgrave in her re-election bid in the 4th Congressional District and Bob Beauprez in his race for governor.
“Marilyn Musgrave understands the importance of defending traditional values. … She has worked to prevent the institution of marriage from being redefined by activist judges,” Bush told the crowd. “She understands your values, and that’s another reason to send her back to the United States Congress.”
Bush has supported Musgrave’s attempts to amend the U.S. Constitution to ban gay marriage.
The president’s visit came on the day that one of his administration’s evangelical advisers, the Rev. Ted Haggard, was fired as head of the 14,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs amid allegations he had sex and used methamphetamine with a male prostitute.
Musgrave’s Democratic rival, Angie Paccione, said the Haggard affair is another example of Republicans’ “pervasive hypocrisy.”
“I think it reminds the voters who this president is, who Marilyn is and who has hijacked this Republican Party,” Paccione said.
In his 45-minute speech, Bush hammered the importance of a Republican-controlled Congress to extending or making his tax cuts permanent. If they aren’t extended, he said, parents will pay $500 more per child.
The president continued his insistence that fighting terrorists in Iraq has prevented attacks in America. Democrats, he said, don’t have a plan to win in Iraq.
“Harsh criticism is not a plan for victory. Second-guessing is not a strategy,” he said.
While Bush made numerous references to Musgrave, he did not mention Rick O’Donnell, who is running against Democrat Ed Perlmutter in the 7th Congressional District.
The O’Donnell campaign said it asked national Republicans to stay out of the district this weekend to avoid distracting from get-out-the-vote efforts.
Bush’s message was warmly received by the crowd of about 4,800 Republicans.The only dissonance came when a man began yelling at Bush, saying, “I spent three months, two years in Iraq. … You’re a criminal.”
The man was quickly escorted out by state party staffers.
Beauprez, who spoke at the event before hitting the campaign trail, said the visit motivates the party’s base.
“Some people still have some reverence for the president. He’s the leader of our country. I think the fact that he’s in our state affects most people in a positive way,” Beauprez said.
The congressman traveled the metro area Saturday encouraging Republicans working to get out the vote. He kicked off a precinct walk in Longmont and stopped at phone banks to make calls with the volunteers.
Before coming to Greeley, Bush gave his weekly radio address from Mile High Coffee in Englewood. The radio address focused on how his tax cuts have stimulated economic growth.
Staff writer Christopher N. Osher contributed to this report.
Staff writer Chris Frates can be reached at 303-954-1633 or cfrates@denverpost.com.
