Following a recent string of Democratic presidential candidate stops, the chair of the Republican National Committee visited Madison on Tuesday to reinforce Republican campaign support in the “critical” state of Wisconsin.

Ed Gillepsie, who has been chair of the RNC for three months, spoke to the press at the Wisconsin Republican Headquarters about promoting a positive vision in the upcoming campaign, particularly in the face of the “pessimistic” attitude of the Democrats.

Gillepsie said Republicans are improving their politics and expanding support.

“We have the opportunity to elect people to work to get things done instead of stopping … and keeping the values of the Wisconsin people,” Gillepsie said. “Democrats are becoming a party of pessimism.”

He also accused the Democratic candidates of using “rhetoric” against the president, more than in any other campaign.

“It’s a new low,” Gillepsie said. “The president is the ‘enemy,’ in their view. People like passion in politics, but they won’t tolerate hatred.”

Gillepsie went on to add that the presidential campaign should be about people — the candidates, votes and campaigning. It is this involvement that creates the excitement around elections, he said, and Republicans are getting better at this. He then added that only 32 percent of voters now identify themselves as Democrats — the lowest ever.

“If there’s any lesson to take … if candidates run on a positive issue, they are more likely to win than those with negative campaigns. I think Wisconsin is trending our way,” Gillepsie said.

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin, however, has a different view. Their polls show that only 39 percent of Wisconsin residents approve of Bush.

“They clearly have a lot of work (to do),” DPW spokesperson Seth Boffeli said.

Boffeli also said that it is “ridiculous” for them to charge the Democratic candidates of dirty campaigning. He said that Republicans consistently accuse anyone who disagrees with or questions Bush’s policies of being “unpatriotic.”

“Republicans are desperate to get the attention off of Bush,” Boffeli added.

Gillepsie continued his defense of Republican policies by addressing the economy and the war in Iraq. Boffeli said the nation’s economy was slipping into a recession before the president took office. However, Bush pushed through to improve it.

“[Bush’s] jobs and growth have helped to make the economy better since its condition coming into office,” Gillepsie said.

As for Iraq, he added that it is at the forefront of the war on terror, and people from all over the world support the United States.

“The American people understand the world changed after Sept. 11, and the [Bush administration] took a position of pre-emptive self-defense,” Gillepsie said. “If we were wrong, the worst we did was take a brutal dictator out of office. And for that history will forgive us.”

He also said that if the U.S. followed the constantly changing Democratic policy, it would invite more attacks. Gillepsie added that although no casualties in Iraq or anywhere are tolerable, the cause is “honorable” and in the national interest.

In response to the public polls showing that Bush is slipping in approval, the RNC chair said the incumbent is always down in the polls, especially at this point in the presidency.

“I feel good about the way things are going,” Gillespie said. “I would rather have a slump in the third year than the fourth year.”

However, Boffeli argued support is low because Bush addresses only those who support him.

“The Bush campaign is not opening to the public because, like everyone else, a growing number of people are critical of his policies,” Boffeli said.

University of Wisconsin senior and Chair of the UW College Democrats Ryan Grady blames the diminishing support for Bush on his “strict, harsh conservatism.”

“We’ve gone from a country that’s been respected … to most countries not trusting the U.S.,” Grady said. “It’s going to take years to fix the situation.”

Although he does not yet support any one candidate, Grady said he supports the Democratic candidates as a whole and think they have a good chance in the 2004 election.

“They’re only getting better through each other,” Grady said. “I’m really positive about the upcoming election.”