Kerry's courtship of Senator John McCain to be his running mate was longer-standing and more intense than previously reported. As far back as August 2003, Kerry had taken McCain to breakfast to sound him out to run on a unity ticket. McCain batted away the idea as not serious, but Kerry, after he wrapped up the nomination in March, went back after McCain a half-dozen more times. "To show just how sincere he was, he made an outlandish offer," Newsweek's Thomas reports. "If McCain said yes he would expand the role of vice president to include secretary of Defense and the overall control of foreign policy. McCain exclaimed, 'You're out of your mind. I don't even know if it's constitutional, and it certainly wouldn't sell.'" Kerry was thwarted and furious. "Why the f--- didn't he take it? After what the Bush people did to him...'"
From the same report, there's also this intriguing exclamation from Kerry (as he watched election returns):
"He said with a sigh to one top staffer, 'I can't believe I'm losing to this idiot.'"
Believe, brother!
What I can't believe is that Kerry would miss a golden opportunity he had to win the election by doing something as appealing and reassuring to middle America as it was long overdue: simply putting Michael Moore in his place. Instead, he left it to John McCain -- and the moderate Republicans got the credit.
That Jimmy Carter/Michael Moore photo was bad enough for the Democrats. Middle America remembers....
Kerry has an opportunity here.
If he doesn't take it, he'll be sorry.
Well, he didn't take it, and so here I went, two days later, on July 30:
In last night's speech, John Kerry failed to take my advice that he distance himself from Michael Moore. Perhaps he thinks that Dale Earnhardt's support of Moore means that Moore's message plays well in middle America. In any event Kerry seems to be following Moore's advice.
If you read the rest of the post, you'll see that Kerry's daughter (and advisor) Alexandra is a Moore fan. It's too bad she had more influence on her father than political reality.
There's only one thing worse than having the Democrats ignore my advice.
Clinton attributed Kerry's loss to the Democrats' failure to combat how they were portrayed by Republicans to small-town America.
"If we let people believe that our party doesn't believe in faith and family, doesn't believe in work and freedom, that's our fault," he said.
Democrats "need a clear national message, and they have to do this without one big advantage the Republicans have, which is they won't have a theological message that basically paints the other guy as evil," he said.
Clinton said the country was more divided than it was in 1968 and called for an end to the "culture war."
Fair enough. But who's fueling the Culture War? Isn't it a bit disingenous to stoke the fire of something you claim you want extinguished?
MORE AND MOORE: Here's Mark Steyn on Michael Moore:
The Michael Mooronification of the Democratic Party proved a fatal error. Moore is the chief promoter of what's now the received opinion of Bush among the condescending Left -- Chimpy Bushitler the World's Dumbest Fascist. There are some takers for this view, but not enough. By running a campaign fuelled by Moore's caricature of Bush, the Democrats were doomed to defeat.
MORE: Michael Moore agrees that the election was stolen again -- and by golly, he's got proof!
UPDATE: Roger L. Simon also thinks that Kerry lost the perfect opportunity for a Sister Souljah moment, while Jeff Jarvis (who sounded an early warning) thinks the execrable Moore lost the election for Kerry. Well, I'd say they're in agreement that Moore was a primary cause of Kerry's loss.
So why is Carville blaming "homos in Hollywood?" Does he know something about Moore the rest of us don't?
posted by Eric on 11.06.04 at 11:00 AM
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The owner of the exit poll company said on television yesterday he believed the exit polls were skewed because Bush people lied to the poll takers, or declined to participate in the poll, more than did Kerry voters. This is a more plausible cause than an army of Democratic operatives working for a bandwagon effect, because the latter explanation would have reqired many participants, some of whom would have blabbed by now.
There is a strong animus in the red states toward the mainstream media, and a yawning credibility gap. It has been exacerbated this year by the networks' blatant attempts to elect Kerry, which were not limited to the Rather forgeries and the suppression of swift boat vet revelations. They also gave aid to the enemy in their zeal to defeat Bush, and probably prolonged the troubles in Iraq--just watch how the war news suddenly seems more patriotic now that the election is over. Many of us in red states have thus had a heightened hostility to the MSM in recent weeks, which could easily explain the skewed exit polls... The culture gap is very wide indeed between red states and blue states. When the Reality Based Community hear the phrase "moral values," they immediately jump to the conclusion the conversation will be about homosexuals. In red state America, however, one first assumes the talk will concern adultery. In the context of Bush-Kerry, it might first bring to mind the man who married two very rich women. And if you ask a red stater to apply "moral values" to George W. Bush, he might recall Bush is a man who says what he means and means what he says, just as quickly as recalling his devout Methodism, which does not seem so unusual. The questionnaire was probably drafted in New York or Boston by people who have no idea how mores change West of the Hudson, and may never have met anybody who says what he means and means what he says. They could bone up on this easily by renting a few John Wayne movies; it's probably not covered in their handy Margaret Mead readers.
LarryH · November 7, 2004 02:47 AM
Larry H. wrote:
"When the Reality Based Community hear the phrase "moral values," they immediately jump to the conclusion the conversation will be about homosexuals. In red state America, however, one first assumes the talk will concern adultery."
That is true, for under the influence of Dawn and Norma, 11 states (New Mexico, Arizona, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii) have ratified amendments to their state Constitutions recognizing and instituting Total Commitment Marriage, including homosexual Total Commitment Marriage, i.e., holy Dawn's and holy Norma's own Total Commitment Marriage, the tight and high bond of eternal fidelity. Conservative. Be Holy. Worship the Goddesses. Oppose Communism. Oppose Adultery.
Holy Dawn must eternally struggle against all temptations to adultery with wicked Wanda and her women (Wendy, Cindy, Sandy, Candy, Brandy, Brenda, Glenda, Stella, Hannah...) Holy Dawn must eternally struggle to be faithful to her holy Negro wife Norma. Holy Dawn is Norma's captive, Norma's captive Goddess.
In case the HUAC wishes to ask, I hereby testify that I am not now nor have I ever been a member of any community, and most obviously not any reality-based community.
The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler
Don?t bang your head!
The owner of the exit poll company said on television yesterday he believed the exit polls were skewed because Bush people lied to the poll takers, or declined to participate in the poll, more than did Kerry voters. This is a more plausible cause than an army of Democratic operatives working for a bandwagon effect, because the latter explanation would have reqired many participants, some of whom would have blabbed by now.
There is a strong animus in the red states toward the mainstream media, and a yawning credibility gap. It has been exacerbated this year by the networks' blatant attempts to elect Kerry, which were not limited to the Rather forgeries and the suppression of swift boat vet revelations. They also gave aid to the enemy in their zeal to defeat Bush, and probably prolonged the troubles in Iraq--just watch how the war news suddenly seems more patriotic now that the election is over. Many of us in red states have thus had a heightened hostility to the MSM in recent weeks, which could easily explain the skewed exit polls... The culture gap is very wide indeed between red states and blue states. When the Reality Based Community hear the phrase "moral values," they immediately jump to the conclusion the conversation will be about homosexuals. In red state America, however, one first assumes the talk will concern adultery. In the context of Bush-Kerry, it might first bring to mind the man who married two very rich women. And if you ask a red stater to apply "moral values" to George W. Bush, he might recall Bush is a man who says what he means and means what he says, just as quickly as recalling his devout Methodism, which does not seem so unusual. The questionnaire was probably drafted in New York or Boston by people who have no idea how mores change West of the Hudson, and may never have met anybody who says what he means and means what he says. They could bone up on this easily by renting a few John Wayne movies; it's probably not covered in their handy Margaret Mead readers.