Staying the same, #2:
2000:NYT on ‘George W Bush - A Reformer With Results:
Mr. Bush in recent days has tried to cut into Mr. McCain’s appeal by calling himself a ”reformer with results” and pointing to his record as governor of Texas. And today he emphasized his record on tort reform and promised to reduce frivolous lawsuits in federal courts. Before Monday, Mr. Bush had rarely described himself as a reformer, instead focusing on his ”compassionate conservative” theme and selling his tax cut plan. Today, he managed to marry the two in his appearance at Newberry, saying, ”A reformer with results is a conservative who has had compassionate results in the state of Texas.”
Bush is now selling himself as a maverick governor who took on the special interests in the education and judicial systems - and won. “When I first ran for governor, I said, ‘Give me a chance to reform the education system in the state of Texas,’” Bush said. “‘Give me a chance to take on the established interests.’ I took on that established interest.”
2004: LAT on the ‘reformer who delivers’:
In a new campaign speech that presages an August advertising blitz, President Bush asserts that America has “turned the corner” and depicts himself as an incumbent who delivers.
“When it comes to choosing a president, results matter,” Bush declares in an excerpt from a speech his campaign disclosed today. The sentence echoes a 2000 campaign slogan that termed Bush a “reformer with results.” It is also an implied dig at Democratic nominee John F. Kerry’s 19-year record in the Senate, which Republicans call undistinguished.
In another excerpt meant to show Bush’s optimism, the president says: “We have turned the corner, and we are not turning back.”