February 11, 2004, Old Soldiers turned businessmen turned presidential candidates never die...
Well, a tough day for Wes Clark yesterday, as he announced his withdrawal from the race for the Democratic Presidential nomination. I was certainly hoping he could come in and turn some heads and step up and show us that the Democratic Party and America needed him to head our government. Unfortunately, I was wishing for something too good to be true.
Clark's primary (no pun intended) qualifications were that he (1) looked Presidential and (2) had solid military (and ergo foreign policy) credentials, and hence (3) could beat Bush in his "strength" area, national security. Unfortunately, Clark made a suicidal blunder, in hemming and hawing about entering the race, and entering it so late, he felt he had to blow off Iowa, whose car dealers, pig farmers and retired school teachers have now de facto become the equivalent of the Holy Roman Empire's "electors". As a result, another candidate with Clark's three strengths (but not the one that actually matters, i.e., hailing from Dixie) who was in Iowa, John Kerry, got the nod. Had Clark competed in Iowa, would things be different? Yes- IMHO, Kerry and Clark would have split the Iowa "we want to beat Bush" vote, and John Edwards, the guy who seemed to replace Howard Dean as the "he stands for what I believe" vote would have prevailed, making this a much more wide open race now.
Here is William Saletan's take on why Democrats are fucking idiots to vote for Kerry because they think he's electable. Its a point I've made, and will keep on making (damn it all). The end really shouldn't justify the means: we want a Democrat to be President because a Democrat will be a better President than George W. Bush-- not because a Democrat will be a different President than George W. Bush.
Is everybody with me? Is anybody with me?
Comments
Is JFK smart? Is he ambitious? Does he share sensibilities and beliefs that most Americans would be proud of?
Sure, he's made mistakes, but who hasn't?
Clearly, primary voters see the same thing in John Kerry that Massachusetts voters have realized for nearly a quarter century: whatever his faults, the man delivers.
Al Gore, I would note, lost in 2000. John Kerry is the road to 2004 redemption.
Posted by Mrs. Heinz at February 11, 2004 05:53 PM
What we want is a Democratic win to break the lock the christian right wing corporate mojos have on the political scene behind their frontman GWB. It's bad for the country to be run by behind-the-scenes folk who have bought their way into power and who are answerable to nobody.
Posted by Sarah at February 11, 2004 06:36 PM
The only problem with being lukewarm about Kerry is this. In 2000 I knew many people who felt there was "no difference" between GWB and Al Gore. Quite a few of these were folks who were either inclined to vote for Ralph Nader or who were environmentalists. They are now besides themselves with grief over what has happened. Jane Goodall was asked some months ago what she thought the biggest threat to endangered species was and she answered (no joke)"George Bush." So there was some difference in policy, and there will be as far as a Supreme Court. Even if Kerry nominations are thwarted by a GOP Congress it won't be the same as a 2005 year with a GOP President/GOP Courts/GOP Congress/GOP radio waves etc. So for there to be some balance at the least we should have divided government. It will make a difference if a Democrat or Republican gets in, in terms of environmental policy alone.
Posted by Joe Gandelman at February 11, 2004 11:51 PM
Sarah and Joe--
Let me be clear: I will VOTE for Kerry over Bush, and I will urge others (eveyrone out there!) to do the same.
My criticism of Kerry is (1) he is not a good man (not even CLOSE) while his Democratic rivals (those 2 left anyway) really are, and it ain't too late-- really it isn't) and (2) Kerry is actually the LEAST likely to beat Bush of the 3, despite conventional wisdom. Call it "pragmatic ideology" on my part.
Posted by the talking dog at February 12, 2004 08:46 AM
At least give Kerry this: with Joe Wilson and Rand Beers in his "shadow cabinet" we can expect a full-blown lid ripping of the Admin's foreign policy. I would expect that from Clark, too (not Edwards), but Kerry's cleverer about how to do it without seeming aggressive.
Posted by Social Scientist at February 12, 2004 08:56 AM
I think you are so flat-out wrong words can't describe it.
Kerry's voting record is mostly down-the-line liberal democratic. One glitch: he voted for the (in effect) war resolution. But so did Edwards, with (I think) a much more right-wing voting record (not quite a fair comparison because Edwards hasn't been around as long as Kerry).
Other than the fact that you just don't like him, I don't understand your problems with Kerry.
Saletan is a good reason I'm not reading pundits nowadays, by the way. He's wrong, and I'm willing to bet you a beer on it.
Wanna bet, Seth?
Posted by Diana at February 12, 2004 10:35 AM
I don't really get the anti-Kerry animosity either. It should be entirely obvious that he would be a better pres than Bush, not just a different one, even if you only consider how astonishingly bad Bush is.
I also don't see why it should be apparent that Edwards is more electable than Kerry. I like Edwards' campaign a lot, but what does he do when the fear-mongering ads kick in? As in, "when the next 9/11 hits, who do you want in the White House, our fearless leader who was there for us in our time of need, or a baby-faced greenhorn with no experience"? I think there'd be a good chance that the Bush/Rove machine could plant enough doubts about Edwards meeting a sort of "threshold" level of credibility on national security to make the difference. Is it obvious that it would play out that way if Edwards were nominated? No, but it should be very obvious that Kerry is better suited to deal with that line of attack.
Posted by Haggai at February 12, 2004 04:30 PM
We are all with you TD.
We are all outside the Bush circle.
Hope that clear things up for you.
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