President Bush and John F. Kerry have honed sharply contrasting strategies for their debate on domestic policy on Wednesday night that highlight divergent views on the role of government in society and the importance of ideology in the presidential race. Whenever possible, Bush hopes to broaden the face-off in Tempe, Arizona, from disputes over specifics —— such as health care or education — to frame the election as a starkly ideological choice between limiting or expanding government, said a senior Republican strategist familiar with White House planning. Kerry, as signaled by his dismissive rejection of political ‘‘labels’’ at last Friday’s debate, aims to blur ideological distinctions and focus as concretely as possible on his individual proposals. Bush’s goal, in short, is to aggregate the choice voters face into a single referendum on government’s size and scope, while Kerry wants to separate the debate into sparring over his ideas —— and Bush’s record —— on key domestic issues. ‘‘The debate will see a contrast between discrete issues vs a larger governing philosophy,‘‘ said the senior GOP strategist. ‘‘Our strongest ground is talking about the golden thread that runs through John Kerry’s record, which we would say shows that he’s a liberal. His is saying, ‘I reject labels, and I deal with these issues discretely.’ I think that’s what you can expect.’’ Kerry aides see the encounter — the last of three between the candidates — in similar terms. One senior Kerry aide said the campaign says its best chance of blunting Bush’s drive to portray the Democrat as a ‘‘big government’’ liberal is to flesh out his specific plans. That would contrast with Kerry’s responses in last Friday’s debate, when he spent more time telling voters he had a plan than explaining it to them. ‘‘If people get a sense of what (Kerry) is going to do, they are less likely to believe he is a big tax-and-spender,’’ said the adviser. Bush enters this debate on difficult terrain. For one thing, he must defend an assortment of economic and social trends that offer tempting targets for Kerry. Although the economy has added jobs for 15 consecutive months, Bush remains likely to become the first president since Herbert Hoover during the Great Depression to suffer a net loss of jobs over his term. Also, since Bush took office, the number of Americans without health insurance and the number in poverty have increased by 13 percent and 14 percent, respectively. And the cost of health insurance premiums has risen by 59 percent, while the median family income has slightly declined. All these numbers present Bush with a conundrum, GOP and Democratic analysts agree. Like any incumbent, he wants to accentuate positive trends. But as he does, Kerry is prepared to argue that Bush won’t solve problems facing the country because he won’t acknowledge them —— an increasing refrain from the senator. The latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll showed Kerry scored better than Bush on nine of 10 domestic issues surveyed, including health care, Medicare, education and the economy. Bush led only on taxes. Yet Republicans are upbeat about Bush’s prospects in Wednesday night’s debate because he has settled on a strategy intended to reduce these vulnerabilities while challenging Kerry. Aides say as he defends his record, Bush aims to pivot as quickly as possible toward his plans for the future —— and to do so in a way that funnels the argument over specific issues into the more sweeping question of the role of government. It is an article of faith among Bush strategists —— and many Democrats —— that the broader and more ideological the choice for voters, the better Republicans fare. — (LAT-WP)
