GOP campaign: Farmers needed

LJWorld.com weblogs Congressional Briefing

Posted by Joel Mathis September 2, 2004 at 7:21 a.m.

If President Bush is to win re-election this year, he's going to need the help of farmers.So says [Reuters' news agency,][1] which says Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts and Rep. Jerry Moran are among the president's biggest boosters in the agriculture community.They made the case at the [Great American Farm Breakfast][2]"During a breakfast on the sidelines of the Republican convention being held less than a mile away, Republican senators and Bush Cabinet members said Bush was the superior choice over Democratic nominee John Kerry as a supporter of ethanol, tax cuts and larger farm exports. "'It's very serious. We've got to saddle up and ride,' said Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas. "A quarter of Americans live in rural areas. Farmers, who tend to be social and fiscal conservatives, are a fraction of the group, but often are leaders in shaping small-town views."The article later added: "In an interview, Kansas Rep. Jerry Moran said farmers in the West 'don't see Sen. Kerry as pro-agriculture.' "'Specific to rural areas, it (the issue) is ethanol,' said Moran. Rural voters fret over health costs, he said, just as city dwellers do. Polls show the war in Iraq, the health of the U.S. economy and health care as the top issues overall."Other links today:Sam Brownback links[Religion kept away from limelight][3] [Non-embryonic stem cells: Healing for broken bodies][4] [All Smiles On GOP's Right Wing][5]Pat Roberts links[Challenges Abroad][6]Dennis Moore-Kris Kobach links[Kobach in New York to raise cash, rally support][7] [Want to Know Which House Races Worry the GOP Most? Watch the Daytime Podium][8]How to contact As always, you can find information to contact members of the Kansas congressional delegation [here.][9] [1]: http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=6128843 [2]: http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040902/SPECIAL02/409020392 [3]: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040902/CONVENRELIGION02/TPInternational/Americas [4]: http://www.christiantimes.com/Articles/Articles%20Sep04/Art_Sep04_18.html [5]: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/01/politics/main640259.shtml [6]: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/international/july-dec04/challenges_9-01.html [7]: http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/local/9559777.htm [8]: http://www.nytimes.com/cq/2004/08/29/news-1307691.html [9]: http://ljworld.com/extra/where_to_write.html#fed