George W. Bush – arriving in New York last night – said he’s “a little bit” surprised rival Al Gore seems to have gotten a boost with female voters by giving his wife a passionate kiss at the Democratic convention.
“If the fact that the man put a, planted a significant kiss on his wife, it does surprise me a little bit,” the Republican presidential nominee told MSNBC anchor Brian Williams, adding he’s confident he’ll win.
Bush brushed off critics who paint him as a lightweight, saying, “I take great comfort in the fact that they said the same thing about President Ronald Reagan. And I’ve been underestimated my entire political career.”
Bush came to the city to appear today on Regis Philbin’s show as part of the talk-show tour that he hopes will boost him with women – after getting good reviews on the Oprah Winfrey show where he bussed Oprah on the cheek.
But in a tacit admission that he has little hope to win New York, where he trails by around 20 points and is a drag on Republican Senate wannabe Rick Lazio in his race against Hillary Clinton, Bush didn’t hold any public events.
Instead, he had a private family dinner last night and was set to have breakfast this morning with Gov. Pataki.
Earlier, in the Pittsburgh suburb of Perrysville, Pa., Bush lashed into Gore as a Hollywood hypocrite who talks tough on criticizing sexy, violent films – but ditches that script whenever he’s looking for Hollywood money.
“It seemed like he must be auditioning for a Broadway play because he keeps changing his tune,” Bush said, noting how Gore and running mate Joe Lieberman went from threatening a government crackdown to reassuring Hollywood fat cats that it’d only be a “nudge.”
Republicans also pointed to a Washington Post story that Hollywood pals of the Clinton-Gore team passed out a raunchy CD that’s marketed to kids as a party favor at a reception for Rep. Nita Lowey (D-Westchester-Bronx) during the Democratic convention.
The CD “Daisies of the Universe” by the singing group Eels has cartoon kids on the cover but raunchy lyrics such as “When I grow up I’ll be an angry little whore.” It was given out by DreamWorks – run by top Democratic fund-raisers Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen.
Lowey, who’s advised her staff to avoid premarital sex, pleaded ignorance: “I don’t know the Eels and I’ve never heard their music so I wouldn’t choose to give their CD out as a party favor. Peter, Paul and Mary is more my speed.”