I wasn't calling this election - it got so close it was frightful. The result was beyond expectations, Bush not only taking his second term but strengthening the trifecta, more R State governors. And the Supreme Court appointments, which the trifecta gives Bush a fully free hand in terms of the candidates chosen - no compromise.
I'm not going to go over the candidacy - Kerry showed who he was and that was it. More interesting was the campaign method, which the Dems fought as a total war. They pulled all the stops and despite some real problems with Bush they couldn't pull it off. Reason: the cultural clergy has lost its aura of authority. Twenty years ago this was not the case - had Rathergate, or some similar, been levied it would have ruined the candidate, with no avenues of recourse. Now, with the intarweb, it was debunked, and so rapidly, that the President didn't even bother addressing the charge.
This should be cause for concern for the Democrats. They are going to have to take out the long knives if they want to have any future prospects, in short they have to turn respectable, or face masters of the game such as Rove (we have seen the results speak for themselves). The party has to purge the lunatic left fringe and instead focus on capturing the centrist vote.
What the Dems have to do is consider the issues they support, mainly the issues that brought them a defeat.
RKBA - this one's over, the NRA won it. It is a single issue keypoint, worth enough capital to lose battleground challenges. Many Americans are at odds with the Dem's traditional morbid fascination with gun grabbing and for a centrist voter this is enough to swing over.
Sodomite marriage was an extremely poor use of political capital, given that it went after perhaps one percent of the popular vote, which was assuredly theirs already. This issue got onto 11 ballots and won on all 11, with some cases getting support in the high eighties. It had the opposite effect and possibly cost the election, as many fair weather voters were enraged enough to go to the polls and coincidentally vote for Bush at the same time. Now it will probably make it as an ammendment.
Although not an issue this time, the Dems have to dump AA as it is another of their center alienating signature policies. They could do far better supporting race neutral policy. They had better learn this before the Repubs bring out a black Presidential candidate (IMO the only chance one would have has to be R - but I disgress).
Foreign policy and security - they should forget about those, as they are a R stranglehold. Instead, they should take up an issue like UN reform, something that they would be able to play extremely well, something perfectly suited to their position as internationalists. Here, the R's don't have a chance - PNAC stand is to pull out.
Already, the Dem reaction has begun - both Kerry and Edwards conceded. For that action I had great respect. It was the right thing to do.
I'm not going to go over the candidacy - Kerry showed who he was and that was it. More interesting was the campaign method, which the Dems fought as a total war. They pulled all the stops and despite some real problems with Bush they couldn't pull it off. Reason: the cultural clergy has lost its aura of authority. Twenty years ago this was not the case - had Rathergate, or some similar, been levied it would have ruined the candidate, with no avenues of recourse. Now, with the intarweb, it was debunked, and so rapidly, that the President didn't even bother addressing the charge.
This should be cause for concern for the Democrats. They are going to have to take out the long knives if they want to have any future prospects, in short they have to turn respectable, or face masters of the game such as Rove (we have seen the results speak for themselves). The party has to purge the lunatic left fringe and instead focus on capturing the centrist vote.
What the Dems have to do is consider the issues they support, mainly the issues that brought them a defeat.
RKBA - this one's over, the NRA won it. It is a single issue keypoint, worth enough capital to lose battleground challenges. Many Americans are at odds with the Dem's traditional morbid fascination with gun grabbing and for a centrist voter this is enough to swing over.
Sodomite marriage was an extremely poor use of political capital, given that it went after perhaps one percent of the popular vote, which was assuredly theirs already. This issue got onto 11 ballots and won on all 11, with some cases getting support in the high eighties. It had the opposite effect and possibly cost the election, as many fair weather voters were enraged enough to go to the polls and coincidentally vote for Bush at the same time. Now it will probably make it as an ammendment.
Although not an issue this time, the Dems have to dump AA as it is another of their center alienating signature policies. They could do far better supporting race neutral policy. They had better learn this before the Repubs bring out a black Presidential candidate (IMO the only chance one would have has to be R - but I disgress).
Foreign policy and security - they should forget about those, as they are a R stranglehold. Instead, they should take up an issue like UN reform, something that they would be able to play extremely well, something perfectly suited to their position as internationalists. Here, the R's don't have a chance - PNAC stand is to pull out.
Already, the Dem reaction has begun - both Kerry and Edwards conceded. For that action I had great respect. It was the right thing to do.
