SPRINGFIELD, MO. — His voice rising to a shout, President Bush lashed out at Democratic rivals who want to roll back his tax cuts as he defended his economic priorities Monday in a presidential primary state where his record has been harshly criticized.
"There are some in Washington that are going to say, 'Let's not make the tax cuts permanent.' That means he's going to raise your taxes," Bush said at a factory. "When you hear people say, 'We're not going to make this permanent,' that means tax increase."
The Democrats running for president say they would repeal all or portions of Bush's tax cuts, and Bush seemed to step more forcefully into his re-election campaign as he defended his tax policies. Some of the cuts are to expire next year, including those for married couples, and Bush is asking that Congress make them permanent.
It was Bush's 15th trip to Missouri and another case of the president appearing in a state recently visited by Democratic presidential hopefuls. He went to South Carolina on Feb. 5, two days after that state's Democratic primary; in late January, he visited New Hampshire, two days after its primary. Missouri's primary was last Tuesday.
The visit coincided with the release of a White House report predicting that the economy would grow by 4 percent and create 2.6 million new jobs this year. If the jobs forecast is realized, it would mark the first year of the Bush presidency with a net increase in jobs. Since he took office, the country has lost 2.2 million payroll jobs.
On the campaign stump, Democratic Sen. John Kerry said Bush had the worst jobs record of the last 11 presidents.
The rosy view of the economy presented in the new report was probably "prepared by the same people who brought us the intelligence on Iraq," Kerry said.
In addition to his appearance at a factory, Bush spent some time at the Bass Pro Shops sporting goods store where he shopped for fishing gear. "Which way to the worms?" Bush asked as he shook hands with several hundred shoppers.
As the president left, he rattled off his purchases: "I bought a reel. Some line. Two spinner baits. Some worms."
President Bush waves as he leaves the Bass Pro Shops sporting goods store in Springfield, Mo. Shadowing Democrats through primary states, President Bush highlighted upswings in the U.S. economy on Monday at an engine plant in Missouri, a state he won in a tight contest in 2000 and has been tirelessly courting ever since.
In his speech, Bush sought to confront criticism that his tax cuts have widened the budget deficit. The liberal Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that making all Bush's tax cuts permanent would increase federal budget deficits by about $2 trillion between 2005 and 2014.
"Let me tell you what's going to happen when they raise them," Bush said. "They're going to say, 'Oh, we got to raise it so we can pay down the deficit. Uh-uh. They're going to raise the taxes and increase the size of the federal government, which would be bad for the United States economy."
Bush narrowly won Missouri in 2000 and his repeat visits demonstrate his resolve to carry it again. Several hundred supporters filled part of the warehouse at Springfield Remanufacturing Corp., an employee-owned company that rebuilds diesel and gasoline engines and engine components for cars and agricultural and construction equipment.
Democratic Missouri Gov. Bob Holden, reacting to Bush's visit, said the state had gained more than 27,000 jobs in 2003, but "we have done this in spite of President Bush, not because of him."
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