A Weblog of Centrist Voices in American Politics
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A Weblog of Centrist Voices in American Politics | |
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February 11, 2004Rally Caps?I saw footage last night of the game where the Phillies got 8 runs in the ninth inning to beat the Dodgers 12-11. This is the sort of hope left to centrists who had hoped that a presidential candidate would emerge who would be a hawk on foreign policy, promote fiscal responsibility, and care a little bit about civil liberties. But hey, it aint over 'til it's over. We've never needed Yogi Berra more. Now that Clark has dropped out, maybe the tearing down of Kerry can begin in earnest, and Edwards can make a run. Let's look at what happened. Dean choked, or Iowa choked on him. Kerry got the "electable" mantle. Three weeks later it was declared over. And not one democratic opponent of Kerry was willing to go negative, to show Kerry for the creature of expedience that he is, bereft of core values, and willing to co-opt the rhetoric of Dean and Edwards whenever it suited him. Because make no mistake, Kerry could coast to the nomination, and even poll ahead of Bush in July. But after a month of the GOP going negative on Kerry, he'll be D-U-N done. He has no support whatsoever among centrists that I can see. He's going to get hammered! He's the epitome of lackluster. He's the rebound candidate, like the solid sensible uninspiring date that you just couldn't talk yourself into liking. It's time for him to go. OK, now we need baserunners. Baserunners! Posted by Brian Keegan at February 11, 2004 01:42 PMComments
It is a longshot at this point. But still within the realm of the imaginable. I would point out that Dean has gone pretty strongly negative against Kerry in recent days. And he continues today: Dean Says Kerry Part of 'Corrupt Political Culture in Washington' In this latest stuff, Dean has even apparently said that Edwards would be a stronger candidate than Kerry in the general election. Remarkable. That's certainly a bit helpful for Edwards -- having Dean train his guns on Kerry while Edwards remains above the fray. It's not enough, perhaps, to counterbalance the overwhelming positive national media Kerry is getting, but it does help. Posted by: William Swann at February 11, 2004 03:23 PMWilliam, There seems to be a substantial possibility that Dean will linger on as a third party candidate and/or Nader will jump into the race. Either of those developments will further doom a Kerry candidacy. Myself? I hope Edwards can convince voters to take a second look, especially on "electability." We need two strong parties in this country. It's absolutely critical. Posted by: Mark at February 12, 2004 01:17 AMI think Nader jumping in is more likely than a Dean third party candidacy. Dean will almost certainly back the nominee when the time comes. I'm really curious how Edwards can do this week in Wisconsin. The polls from a few days ago had him way behind -- behind Clark and Dean, as well as Kerry. Can he build up to a strong second? I think he can. But even showing the ability to go from 10% to, say, 25%, won't impress that many people if Kerry gets 45%. There seems to be a strong possibility that Edwards will continue taking second in all these contests. That gives him a couple weeks of "hanging around", in case Kerry runs into trouble ... but not much more chance than that. Posted by: William Swann at February 12, 2004 08:38 AMVoting for Nader? From a pragmatic point of view, I find it hard to stomach the idea. Most of the people who vote for Nader are essentially choosing to masturbate instead of making a real choice. Vote for Nader and feel good about who you are and how much smarter you are than everyone else. Stand up for what you believe in by casting a vote that ensures that the person most antithetical to what you believe gets re-elected. How CHILDISH is that? I sure hope he doesn't run. If he does, and you feel inclined to vote for him, you might as well stay home and fantasize about voting for President Bartlett. Posted by: bk at February 12, 2004 09:24 AMYeah, I don't think either of us was suggesting vote for Nader. I was just saying I think he might run, while I don't think Dean would part from his party and run. Posted by: William Swann at February 12, 2004 09:59 AMhello ! Posted by: Allura Eden at September 9, 2004 03:49 PM |
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