The real battle begins!

For Democrats, one bruising fight is over, but another one has just started. On March 2, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry won 9 of the 10 primary contests of Super Tuesday. The victories gave Kerry enough momentum to claim the Democratic nomination for President this summer. Kerry's last major primary rival, North Carolina Senator John Edwards, dropped out of the race the next morning.

Kerry's win prompted a congratulatory call from President George W. Bush, who will face the Senator in November's general election. "I said, 'I hope we have a great debate about the issues before the country,'" Kerry later told reporters about the conversation.

Soon enough, the debate had begun. The next day in Florida--the state that gave Bush his contested victory over Democrat Al Gore in 2000--Senator Kerry blamed the President for the rising government deficit (debt), cutting funds for fire-fighters and police officers, and not helping the millions of Americans who have no health insurance.

A day after that, in California, President Bush claimed that Kerry "seems to be against every idea that gives Americans more authority, more choices, and more control over our own lives."

The President, who has raised more campaign money than any candidate in U.S. history, also aired the first of many expected TV ads. The commercials credited the President with calming the country and making it safer and stronger after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Some people, including firefighters and relatives of victims, criticized the President for using images of the smoking ruins of the World Trade Center. Other relatives defended the ads, which the White House press secretary said demonstrate "the President's steady leadership."

So far, the President and the Senator appear to be in a close race. An Associated Press poll conducted last month showed the two candidates in a tie. Ralph Nader, who is running as an independent, claimed 6 percent support. His candidacy is likely to lake more votes from Kerry than Bush.

The race will probably remain tight until November, says Terry Holt, a spokesman for the Bush campaign: "We've got a long way to go, and expect it to be a close race throughout."

LESSON PLANS

OBJECTIVES

Students should understand

Senator Kerry emerged as the likely presidential nominee of the Democratic Party after winning several primaries last month.

President Bush and Senator Kerry have begun their presidential campaigns by publicly criticizing each other's qualifications and achievements.

TEACHING STRATEGY

Ask students: "What are the three most important issues to you in this year's presidential election? Which candidate would you support based on his position on these issues?"

BACKGROUND

A new campaign finance law requires candidates to include taglines in their TV and radio ads. These taglines are supposed to make it clear which ads have been produced and paid for by candidates. Media analysts believe the taglines will make it riskier for a candidate to attack his or her opponent with controversial or misleading claims. Even with the new law, political scientists believe this year's presidential election will be a hotly-contested contest.

CRITICAL THINKING

MAKING INFERENCES: Why do you think California and Florida might be of special interest to both President Bush's and Senator Kerry's campaigns? (California and Florida are both key to winning this year's presidential election. President Bush campaigned in California, which the Democrats carried in 2000, because that state has the most electoral votes. Senator Kerry campaigned in Florida, which also has a large number of electoral votes, because it is where the Democratic Party lost the election in 2000.)

ACTIVITY

CONDUCT A POLL: Instruct students to devise their own polls about this year's presidential candidates. What questions would they ask? What challenges are there in creating a poll? Have students answer one another's polls and tally the results.

STANDARDS

SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8

* Individuals, groups, and institutions: How President Bush and Senator Kerry have campaigned in states considered key to winning the presidential election.

* Civic ideals and practices: How Americans have supported their preferred presidential candidates by voting in the primaries and contributing to the campaigns.

RESOURCES

PRINT

* Bush, George W., We Will Prevail (Continuum International, 2003). Grade 8.

* Kerry, John, A Call to Service (Viking, 2003). Grade 8.

WEB SITES

* Bush & Cheney 2004 www.georgewbush.com

* John Kerry for President www.johnkerry.com