A small but telling example of why Kerry is going to lose. President Bush fell from his bike on Saturday and got a few minor scrapes - Kerry had a similar accident a few weeks / months ago. Here's what's interesting from Drudge: ====== Kerry told reporters in front of cameras, 'Did the training wheels fall off?'... Reporters are debating whether to treat it is as on or off the record... ====== Now I ask you, if you're campaigning for President, and you know that America likes optimistic, positive candidates, and you furthermore know that your flaks are supposed to do the dirty work, why in the heck would you say something that stupid and petty to the press? Whether you agree with Bush's politics or Kerry's politics doesn't matter - the point is that Kerry intentionally revealed himself to be a petty, sniping prick with this statement (pardon my french) and for no discernible reason whatsoever. He certainly won't get any mileage from independents by being petty, and the people who enjoy hateful gibes are already in his pocket. So why did he say it? Did he just feel like putting his jerk side on display? Did he want to make the challenge of winning over independents a little tougher for himself? What? People are constantly talking about how Bush is stupid and Kerry is smart, or at the very least how there is a major intellectual gap between them. Even if this is true, and Kerry is smarter than Bush intellectually, I think Bush is going to win - and again, this is more of an observation than anything else - because Bush has a far higher emotional quotient than Kerry. I mean, Kerry fans, let's face it. For him to say something that sniping to the press, for no political gain, shows that he is an emotional dumbass. His whole bent at this point should be winning over independents, and yet he can't resist a pointless jibe that makes the President look even more like an honest everyman, and makes Kerry look even more like a high minded asshole. And something else too: whether Kerry is book smart or not, there is legitimate cause to question the quality of his decision making. And I think that poor quality decision making may come down to his poor emotional intelligence. Think of it from a trader's perspective: Kerry is like the guy trying to make sense of fundamentals with no emotional grounding. He's so "nuanced" that he's forever dithering under a massive pile of contradictory evidence with no ability to make a decision. And so, like emotionally unbalanced traders, he gets stuck in analysis paralysis and then makes a decision on a whim at the last minute (while convincing himself it was based on 'a subtle weighting of issues'). Most people have a subconscious ability to sense the basic alignment in other people: how dedicated they are, how true they are to bedrock principles, how committed they are. Democrats hate Bush, but they generally don't doubt his commitment level; they hate him precisely because he's committed and aligned to goals and methods they can't stand. Kerry, on the other hand, is a ship at sea. He has no discernible reason for running other than the fact that he wants to be President - that he's clung to the fantasy of mouthing "John F Kerry, President" to his bathroom mirror for thirty or forty years. And quite frankly, if Bush's lack of intellectual intelligence is dangerous, I think Kerry's lack of emotional intelligence is dangerous. If Kerry were president when big decisions were on the line, I doubt he'd be able to find his ass with both hands and a flashlight. If he shows a Deanlike inability to keep from shooting himself in the foot with off the cuff statements that make him look immature and mean, how is he going to handle actual high pressure decisions under the spotlight? Unless things go to hell in a handbasket, Kerry is going to defeat himself. He just doesn't have what it takes to lead.
This would be great if Kerry would turn into another Howard Dean now with some stoopid comments. He should take some hints from seasoned pundits and keep his mouth shut - and let GWB ruin his own chances. Bush doesn't really need any help - because he's doing just fine. Neither Kerry, nor Bush, seem very well-adjusted with mainstream voters. Both of them probably suck at being president for the next 4 years, but change is needed. Some blame must be taken by someone - and GWB is the best one for political crucification right now - and thereby absolving the US for some of the moronic foreign policies (some of which where GWB direct faults anyway). Some people have known how to use political crucification for the last 2000 years, so GWB might just as well face it - although his friends have seemingly stopped supporting actual crucifications in these modern times. Let GWB carry his crown of thorns as the good christian he is ... he likes it - in the rollercoaster mind of his.
Again trying to speak objectively, I'm afraid this is wishful thinking on your part. It looks like Bush has the economy in his corner now - long enough to make the difference in the election anyway. As far as Iraq goes, the key there is whether the public thinks we are winning. The administration went through hell with abu ghraib and fallujah, but if the handoff is successful and there is a renewed focus on Iraqi success stories in coming months, the picture could be entirely different this fall. If the quagmire concern turns out to have peaked in May, it could be a forgotten issue by the time the election comes around. If Bush has a combination of Iraq success and economic success to point to in November, the democrats won't have a chance. Bush has the edge because he can beat Kerry if Iraq stabilizes somewhat and the economy remains decent. He maintains a leadership premium b/c people know, or rather suspect, that Kerry waffling in the face of a new al qaida threat could be deadly. Kerry only wins in the 1 out of 3 worst case scenario - economy getting worse and / or Iraq going into meltdown.... not to mention the fact that Bush may well get stronger, and Kerry weaker, from here. If Kerry doesn't redefine himself soon, the cold and indecisive image will stick, and that could seal his rejection.
Thanks Bung! I always appreciate well thought out responses with plenty of logical counterpoints. Yours was the most insightful reply I've seen in some time, and I feel much smarter and more informed for having read it. Have a nice day
Kerry's nose bends the wrong way Republicans from a small county legislature in South Carolina have predicted the fate of John Kerry before he's even flip-flopped on whether or not to accept the Democratic party nomination. Wearing his trademark T-shirt proclaiming, "we're the GOOD GUYS!," the local mayor had this to say about John Kerry's nose: "John Kerry's nose bends to the left; every president since the 1904 election has had a nose that has bent to the right. And this is ALL presidents, not just the good ones, even the dirty pinko fag presidents like Carter. This is EVERY president, from the entire spectrum of presidents, from Bill Clinton to Richard Nixon." Precisely how this fits in with Kerry being a flip-flopper is anybody's guess. "Son of Bush's nose points to the right, showing clearly that he is a man of strength, character, leadership, and most definitely that he was present for National Guard duty. In fact, there has never been a pilot in the National Guard with a nose pointing to the left, which clearly proves beyond any doubt that Son of Bush was there for his specified tour of duty." "This just shows that John Kerry is not up to the job of being Commander in Chief, and no doubt explains alot about his character." When asked to elucidate, the mayor further elaborated that people whose noses pointed the wrong way (to the left) tended to flip flop on issues more than others, and that was why all presidents since 1904 had noses pointing to the right. "Strong leaders don't flip-flop; they just randomly pick a course and stay hell-bent on it no matter what happens, or how many people die." If what he says is true, Kerry is no doubt in for a reckoning come November.
Funny, but what does it have to do with my point? Kerry has shown himself to be petty and sniping through his own actions. Karl Rove can't put words into John Kerry's mouth. Machiavelli would tell you that taking lame potshots at your opponent is a self-defeating strategy, especially when you have underlings to do that sort of thing. Kerry chooses to take potshots anyway, further cementing his reputation as cold and petty (remember when he called the secret serviceman a son of a bitch on the slopes?). Such pettiness is not politically astute, yet Kerry repeatedly engages in it, ergo he is stupid (doesn't understand the unwritten rules of campaigning) or emotionally limited (knows it's probably not smart but can't resist shooting off at the mouth anyway). But of course, Kerry is from the senate, where temper tantrums are thrown on a daily basis and people can be as petty or vindictive as they want. Leading the country from the white house is a whole different ball game, one that Kerry apparently does not know how to play. Not a satire piece from the onion, just a basic observation based on Kerry's own actions. Senators grandstand and snipe, Presidents lead and make tough decisions. Kerry is a senator who is showing that he can't make the transition.
But of course, Kerry is from the senate,..... or he used to be anyway. I heard on the news recently how long it had been since he showed up for work and although I forgot the exact time it has been months and months since he's voted. I wander if he's still drawing a senate pay check....at taxpayers expense.
Lol. If Kerry was intentionally trying to portray himself as a rich snot career politician I don't think he could do much better than he's been doing.
Well, so this means you are bull on USD ? Most analysts I've seen cite the record-breaking deficits in trade balance and government budgets along with busting consumer credit increase as huge warning signs. In Britain they're talking about a rate hike or bust now, but for the financially adept Bush-camp this probably is not something that'll ever penetrate to their hidden neuron. The US economy is mostly consumer-driven, GDP has been rising - yet wages are lagging - and thus consumer power is lagging - albeit almost 0% rates are seriously subsidizing this. Companies are not aking about much capex increases either - so, then, we see who's been pocketing the money. That's not good in a capitalistic way - consumers should be further empowered - not short-changed by a social sissy club of skulls & bones. Keep dreaming those grand dreams - using a lot of 'if' and 'whether'. Both of them still stinks with the regards to the economy - but Bush is a menace and liability to the US. That's the difference.