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March 25, 2004
We're Mad as... oooh, Smoothies!
What is John Kerry's biggest asset going into the 2004 election? Other than being married to a rich heiress? Many would say George W. Bush, or, more specifically, the complete and total contempt felt for Bush by those on the far-left. Many would argue that Democrats never got over Florida, including Democrats, themselves. A fine example of this is an interview given by Congressman Charlie Rangel, D-NY, last month:
I can't forget Florida. I really can't forget Florida. It took a long time for my people to get the right to vote. And once they got it, they did it the way that they should have. We won the popular vote. And then all of a sudden, the Supreme Court comes in and says, "We got enough votes for Bush. Stop counting." And that's what happened. ...there is no question that people who are entitled to vote were not allowed to vote in Florida. And so it was a bad count that we got. And we will never, never, never forget Florida. This is the only time that we have an appointed president of the United States in our history.
Ignore, for a moment, the fact that an elected Congressman apparently does not understand and/or acknowledge the existence of the Electoral College. Ignore, also, the fact that he doesn't seem to remember that Gerald Ford, less than 30 years ago, became the first appointed president. Finally, ignore the fact that what he is saying is complete hogwash. Rangel's point is that he's mad, and so are a lot of other people in Florida, and they're not going to take it any more! Starting in November.
It is undeniable that, for whatever reason or, more likely, myriad of reasons, Democrats really, REALLY hate George W. Bush. A quick look at "grassroots" websites like MoveOn.org and Democratic Underground will confirms this, as does a quick listen to the rhetoric of John F.C.C. Kerry, Howard Dean, John Edwards, and the staff at NBC Nightly News. Check out the anti-war protests that have been going on for the past year: these people are, with a straight face, comparing Bush to Hitler. That's as absurd (Hitler would have gassed them all, and long before the protests ever got started) as it is downright mean. Sure, Republicans hate(d) Clinton, but they never compared him to Hitler; Larry Flynt, perhaps, but that was about it.
So, since they're so darn upset, Democrats have been showing up in droves for the primaries, voicing their support for Kerry, their chosen candidate and savior (from things like tax cuts, apparently), right? Well, not so much. A study conducted by long-time Democrat Curtis Gans for the non-partisan Committee for the Study of the American Electorate, showed that primary turnouts have been at record lows this year. For the GOP, this is understandable since Bush faced no challenger. The Democrats, however, have a bit more to be worried about: they couldn't even get people to show up in Florida.
While the dismal turnout in Florida can be explained away, in part, at least, by the fact that Kerry faced no legitimate competition, it should still be cause for concern among devoted Democrats: if they are so angry and so motivated, shouldn't they at least be able to get out of the house for long enough to express their displeasure? Furthermore, the low turnout Florida mirrors the primaries that took place BEFORE Kerry had the nomination sewn up (excluding Iowa and New Hampshire). As the Washington Times points out, in a close election, voter turnout will be key, and, as of now, things do not look very promising for the challenger.
In fact, about the only news that could possibly be worse for the Kerry campaign would be the F.C.C. announcing a 10-second tape-delay on debates due to concerns about what he might say on live television.
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Finally, from FoxNews.com, a sure sign that legal fees and court-room demands are getting out of hand:
Posted by Pat at March 25, 2004 04:19 PM
Comments
I believe that what is wrong with today's legal system is there is not enough "sex in trials" I for one would like more sex in trials and if we had more, I would certainly spend more time watching court TV.
Posted by: Jim at March 26, 2004 08:25 AM
Kobe's lawyer is a good one. He is defending the charges by desiring a recreation of the steamy encounter. He's getting kobe off of the hook, and some action!
Posted by: Adam at March 26, 2004 12:37 PM
I missed your blogs while I was away. You're my favorite pundit. Spent a lot of time at the hospital in Evansville, Indiana, a town about the size and demographic of Cedar Rapids. You'd think it would be blue-collar, labor, Democratic up the wazoo, but an informal exit poll conducted from my dad's hospital room showed about a 2:1 advantage for Bush. I have a couple of amusing anectdotes I'll write about at my site when I get over my travel-weariness.
Posted by: Kathy at March 26, 2004 08:30 PM
I'm not sure your "Ignore, for a moment, the fact that an elected Congressman apparently does not understand and/or acknowledge the existence of the Electoral College." comment is fair, if it's about Rangel saying, "I can't forget Florida...We won the popular vote. And then all of a sudden, the Supreme Court comes in and says, "We got enough votes for Bush. Stop counting.""
It seems obvious he was talking about the votes in Florida, which would show he understands all of Florida's electoral votes are based on who wins Florida's popular vote.
Also, even Gerald Ford wasn't the first appointed president. President Hayes probably holds that distinction from the 1876 election (in a race even more contentious, and certainly even more corrupt, than the 2000 race).
Republicans did compare Clinton (both Clintons, actually) to Hitler, of course. Just check Google. Truthfully, I don't know if there's a nationally known politician who hasn't been compared to Hitler now and then -- it's just about the most popular way to demonize your opponent.
The reasoning for Clinton/Bush demonizing is similar, too. Hillary has said things republican news orgs like WorldNetDaily take as fascist. And Bush is being demonized partly because people keep getting arrested at his rallies for expressing anti-Bush sentiments outside of designated "free speech zones", a term coined by this administration.
Posted by: ken at August 5, 2004 03:12 PM