Maintaining Presence: Environmental Advocacy and the Permanent Campaign

Earth Day 2004 (April 22) was a busy one for President George W. Bush. That morning, clad in appropriate outdoor apparel, he appeared before the assembled national press at an estuarine preserve in southern Maine to promote his commitment to wetlands protection and to extol his administration’s environmental achievements. “My administration has put in place some of the most important anti-pollution policies in a decade,” the president proclaimed, “policies that have reduced harmful emissions, reclaimed brownfields, cut phosphorus releases into our rivers and streams. Since 2001, the condition of America’s land, air and water has improved.” 1 Later that day, back in his usual business suit, the president hosted a White House ceremony honoring winners of the President’s Environmental Youth Awards—young people from around the nation recognized by the ten regional offices of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2 The next day, once more in casual attire, he appeared at an estuarine preserve in Florida to again promote his wetlands plan and, by extension, his overall environmental record with the approaching presidential election in mind. “I know there’s a lot of politics when it comes to the environment,” the president said before taking a few minutes to prune some nonnative plants. “But what I like to do is focus on results, and you’ve got yourself a results-oriented governor when it comes to protecting this environment.” 3 Each of these carefully staged events attracted the desired local and national media coverage and sent the intended message: President Bush cares about the environment. That he felt compelled to take time away from such pressing matters as the conflict in Iraq to make Earth Day‐related appearances also said volumes about the centrality of environmental issues in U.S. politics. As every occupant of the Oval Office has understood since the first Earth Day in 1970, no president can afford to appear hostile to environmental protection. Despite the president’s public appearances that week, environmental groups were intent on using their own Earth Day events to take aim at the Bush administration’s record on the environment. Three in particular, joined under the banner of the Environmental Victory Project, announced a multimillion-dollar ad campaign to target voters in swing states such as Florida, Oregon, New Mexico, and Wisconsin. 4 The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released a report lamenting the president’s “unambiguous”