Step Off The Duke
The comparisons between Kerry and Dukakis bother me on two counts.
First: I don't think it's inconceivable that this past weekend's polling isn't being ginned to create overconfidence and complacency among Republicans. I have nothing to base that on, I just never trust pollsters, and nothing is beneath the major media in their attempt to elect Kerry in this election.
Overheated conspiracy theories aside, though, the comparisons bother me for another reason; Dukakis wasn't a bad person. Like Paul Wellstone, he was a person of principles so intense they caused visible pain when speaking.
Roger L. Simon puts it better:
Dukakis, whatever his (considerable) deficiencies as a candidate, was a man who usually tried to fight for his principles, whether you agreed with them or not...
Kerry is the opposite. He has never seemed committed to any issue. That goes back to the days when he supposedly was against the war in Vietnam and then volunteered to fight in it (the only one I knew of at Yale then to do such a thing - we all assumed it was resume padding for future electoral battles and we were right). And now he brags about his heroism in that same war after coming back to oppose it vehemently. No wonder Clinton is advising him to shut up. I'd advise him to resign. To have a man with this lack of values in the White House in this era is terrifying.
Leave Michael Dukakis alone. He's been the butt of enough jokes. He's teaching government now (at UCLA and elsewhere) and I'm told by a friend who would know he is an excellent professor. Good for him.
Maybe we should put it this way to the new "JFK": I knew Michael Dukakis. And you, sir, are no Michael Dukakis!Wouldn't that be the political epitaph from hell?
Posted by Mitch at
September 6, 2004 02:40 PM
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Perhaps instead of being 'another Dukakis' Kerry is actually the result of Dukakis. In other words, die-hard Dem's know they can't win by putting forth someone who espouses their true beliefs and values. (I agree that Dukakis is a good and decent man who fervently believes in what he says. My sister worked hard for his campaign in '88 and said he is a very good person.) They can win with a Clinton, but only by virtue of Clinton's, er, UNIQUE personality and ability to co-opt many Republican initiatives. Run a true believer such as Mondale, Dukakis, etc., and you get trounced. So what to do? I know! Run a guy with no real beliefs. He can dupe the swing vote into thinking he's a war hero, but we know he's anti-war. He's the most liberal guy in the Senate so we can love him, but he can pass himself off to the swing vote as something else.
Posted by: chris at September 7, 2004 10:42 AMKerry is a walking Faustian bargain. He is an admission by an entire political party (whose delegates were almost universally anti-war and pro-appeasement) that they know they can't win based on their own beliefs and can only win by putting forth a 'military hero.' The whole party went through the same thought progression last year: I love Dean, he stands for everything I believe in! Oh wait, Dean would get crushed, and beating Bush is more important than my beliefs. Clark! Clark is the guy! A NATO Supreme Commander who's a Democrat! Oh wait, he's nuts. OK, let's go Kerry! He can do the only thing we truly care about, beat Bushitler! He's got the medals (or ribbons, or whatever, who cares?) and he's got Teddy to tell him what he believes. He's perfect!
How many Volvos have you seen with both Dean and Kerry bumper stickers? The only reason they skipped Clark is everyone realized he's nuts before they could even be printed.
Kerry is perfect willing to go along with anything, to say anything, because, well, he's SUPPOSED to be president, he's ENTITLED to be president... almost PRE-ORDAINED to be president. Anyone who questions him just doesn't get it.
I don't think the poll numbers are inflated, but I do worry about them causing complacency. I think they will tighten back up to the point where the press can say IT'S A HORSE RACE AGAIN! (and call Kerry another comeback kid), and then Bush will win by double digits or close to it. Remember, the American people have 2 more months to grow to loathe Kerry even more!
Sorry to be so wordy!
Posted by: chris at September 7, 2004 10:43 AM