Republicans' Future George Bush Problem?

Former President George W. Bush might be out of office, but that isn't going to stop the Democratic Party from linking Republican candidates to him.

One candidate has already begun to do that, according to the article by USA Today posted June 7. The Democrat happens to be in a lot of trouble, according to the polls being taken.

Therefore, when Chris Christie received the Republican nomination to be governor of New Jersey, Governor Jon Corzine went on the attack.

"I'm not about to put my trust in the same people who gave us George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, or John Ashcroft," the USA Today quoted Corzine as saying.

Chris Christie was appointed as an attorney in the Bush White House. But with the governor's polls being so low, some say it is hard to say if this strategy will work.

However, the Democrats feel this will be a winning strategy for them not only this year in New Jersey, but also in 2010 when key US Senate races come up.

One of those races is in Connecticut, where incumbent Senator Chris Dodd is currently facing the fight of his life against likely Republican challenger Rob Simmons, who holds a 16 point lead over him in the latest poll.

Simmons told the USA Today that he is not worried about being linked in with the Bush Administration.

"That's not only yesterday's news, that's history," Simmons said to the newspaper.

Simmons then refuted the Bush policies by saying that the Obama policies, especially on spending will be much worse than Bush's.

"People are worried about the future," Simmons said.

Republican pollster, Whit Ayres, said that Bush is no longer on the scene and added it is Obama who will be held accountable for policy decision in the coming elections next year.

"Bush is no longer on the scene, and he's been very quiet," Ayres said.

But, Democratic pollsters seem to think that connecting the dots between Republican candidates to George Bush is going to work.

Democratic pollster, Celinda Lake, said the Bush Administration should still be a big issue because they are still blamed for the problems at home and abroad.

"When you say this member of Congress or that Republican wants to continue the failed Bush policies, that's very salient for people," Lake said.

Democratic Party spokesman, Hari Sevugan, added that Bush's prominence reflected a "vacuum of leadership" in the Republican Party, one that is filled with former Vice President Dick Cheney and conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.

Bush's approval ratings continue to remain low, according to a poll taken recently by the Pew Research Center. The poll shows 35 percent have a favorable rating of the former president, while 60 percent do not.

Independent strategist and senior editor of the Cook Political Report, Jennifer Duffy, said the strategy might work again, but added that eventually the referendum will be passed onto Obama.

"The bluer the state, the more effective it's going to be," Duffy said. "But at some point-whether he wants to or not-has to own his decisions on a lot of things."

Other Republicans that likely will be tied to Bush are Rob Portman, Republican candidate for the US Senate in Ohio and former Bush trade representative, and the likely Republican nominee in Missouri. The race in Missouri is still close and might be highly contested.

Will this strategy work? Stay tuned for a commentary on this shortly after this story is available.