Former NYC Mayor Koch Backs Bush
Monday, August 23, 2004NEW YORK - Calling himself a "liberal with sanity," former mayor Ed Koch - a lifelong Democrat - said he decided to support President Bush in the 2004 election because of Bush's stance on Iraq.
"While I don't agree with Bush on any domestic matters, there's only one matter that's important in this race, and that relates to standing up to international terrorism, taking it on - and George Bush has established that he is willing to do that," Koch said in an interview broadcast Sunday on WNBC-TV's "News Forum."
Koch crossed party lines earlier this year to endorse Bush. He said Bush's unwavering opinions contrasted favorably with what he called the "hypocrisy" of Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, who Koch said wavered on Iraq and gay marriage.
A N D TH I S F R O M F N C
(This is a partial transcript from "Your World with Neil Cavuto," July 28, 2004, that was edited for clarity.)
Why Is Koch Backing Bush?
Neil Cavuto, Host: Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch likes John Kerry. As a Democrat himself, he admires John Kerry, agrees on all economic issues with John Kerry. But get this: he is not supporting John Kerry. Ed Koch safely ensconced in our New York studios to tell us why. Mayor, why?
Ed Koch "I don't agree with George Bush on a single major domestic issue. But there is one issue that trumps them all, and that is the fight against international terrorism. He has demonstrated that he will take them on. He has in Afghanistan. He has in Iraq. The Bush doctrine will go after the terrorists and the countries that harbor them. And I don't believe the Democrats have the stomach for it.
For example, the delegates up in Boston, they don't agree with John Kerry, who has said that we ought not to withdraw troops from Iraq. If you poll those delegates, they would get out tomorrow. And he can't withstand that pressure. That is the Democratic Party, regrettably, today, in charge, so to speak, of the radical left wing of the Democratic Party."Cavuto: But Mayor, as you know better than many, it is always the case in the Democratic nominee's case, before he becomes the nominee, he runs to the left, runs back to the middle once the general election is ensuing. Will he be helped by that if Kerry runs back to the middle, galvanizes support among those who are unsure about him?
Koch: "I don't think so. I don't think that the middle will believe him. And that is what the statistics show, that George Bush is like 11 or 12 points ahead on the issue of security.
And while you are the maven, the expert on the economy, I believe the economy is surging. And I believe that on the two issues, the economy and national security, that the people will look to George Bush and not to John Kerry."