Reply #10: Rove Uses Campaign Playbook to Mastermind Social Security Fight

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Rove Uses Campaign Playbook to Mastermind Social Security Fight

March 2 (Bloomberg) -- As President George W. Bush crisscrosses the U.S. promoting his plan to set up private Social Security accounts, a familiar face from past campaigns is usually close by: political strategist Karl Rove.

Bush has been taking his drive to overhaul the 70-year-old retirement program straight to the voters, and he's relying on Rove, the architect of his 3.5-million-vote victory over Massachusetts Democratic Senator John Kerry in November, to lead the way.

The Social Security fight has all the trappings of a Rove campaign: the targeting of key constituencies; the marshalling of the Republican Party apparatus; the enlistment of allies among Democrats; and the encouragement of well-heeled outside supporters, often to mount attacks on the opposition.

``I don't think there is any question that Karl Rove is masterminding the whole Social Security strategy,'' says Stephen Moore, president of the Washington-based Free Enterprise Fund, which backs private savings accounts. ``The White House feels it can't afford to lose on this.''

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