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CrimQuips
Social
Commentary by Barry Crimmins
http://www.barrycrimmins.com
1/30/04
Just a couple of quips followed by a brief primary update...
The world would be a much better place if the court-appointed Bush
Administration knew the difference between Americana and Ghengiskhana.
The upside of the media enhanced Dean Iowa debacle is that it resulted
in a new course of psychiatric treatment. It's called "primary
scream therapy."
Speaking of the primaries...
I have seen it spun that John Kerry's New Hampshire Primary victory
isn't that big of a deal since he comes from neighboring Massachusetts.
Come on. It would be one thing if he had led in New Hampshire from
wire to wire but Kerry picked up 34 points on Howard Dean in a matter
of weeks and that is pretty impressive no matter where you're from.
Massachusetts has a common border with the home of the first primary
in the nation but New Hampshire and Vermont interlock and he regained
that ground on the former governor of the Green Mountain State.
At this point if you're in in the Anyone But Bush club, you must
take a long look at Kerry.
I love Dennis Kucinich but was disappointed when exit polls showed
that he lost the crucial battle for New Hampshire's delusional voters
by a 3-1 margin to Joe Lieberman. This means that, at least in the
Granite State, far more deluded people believe Lieberman is a Democrat
than believe a Democratic candidate should stand up for progressive
causes. Alas.
The Dean folks have a lot invested in their candidate and so they
are going through a real Miami Dolphins fan moment. Each year the
Dolphins kick ass in September but as the season winds down and
the games become life and death, the Fins fade faster than newsprint
in a greenhouse. With veteran beltway operative Roy Neel taking
over the Dean run, so long to a campaign staple -- haranguing Washington
insiders. Dean's best hope may rest on finding a way to prove thus
far unsubstantiated charges of dirty tricks by the Kerry campaign
(electronic "Dean" calls at imprudent hours, calls to
Dean supporters with incorrect caucus addresses and so on). Some
Dean boosters tried to blame their boy's loss in the Iowa CAUCUS
on touch screen voting irregularities until they were reminded of
just how preposterous, not to mention wrong, that was. This time
around they would be well advised to double-check their case before
taking it out in public.
Wesley Clark is definitely the best general running for president,
bar none! Unfortunately, many voters don't relate to his penchant
for equating everything to how he ran military facilities. In regular
life we have hospitals, not sick bays; stores and not PX's; jails
and not brigs or guardhouses; cafeterias and not mess halls. To
us debates start at 7 o'clock and not 1900 hours. And some of us
are just a tad nervous about a man who served in Vietnam, saw what
took place over there and then deemed the military a sane career
choice. Many of the nervous people are Vietnam vets. It could be
argued that nobody has done more for John Kerry than Wesley Clark.
If the word 'electability' ends up in the dictionary, Clark's
campaign will be largely responsible. When Kerry was lagging and
Dean was apparently headed for the Super Bowl, Clark's foot soldiers
began planting doubt about Dean's general appeal (if you'll forgive
the term). The concept of "electability" has done more
damage to Howard Dean (and I'm not saying it is fair or right, I
am just reporting the facts here) than even his caterwaul heard
'round the world, which really, really hurt. Granted the media played
gotcha by using the feed line from Dean's mike but even with the
crowd howling, it was a pretty weird moment. And the timing was
horrific considering he had just gotten his face rubbed in an Iowa
pigsty by the formerly dead -to-rights Kerry. Much to the dismay
of General Clark and his supporters, Senator Kerry, a man with serious
military and public service credentials, and a candidate possessed
of a veteran political organization, now seems the most likely person
to end up with his picture next to 'electability' in the dictionary.
It is nonsense to say that America will not elect a candidate from
the Northeast. This myth grew out of Michael Dukakis's bungled campaign
in 1988. It says here that, should he be nominated, John Kerry is
shrewd enough to run against Bush the unelected's weaknesses in
a manner in which Duke refused to engage against Bush the (soon
to be)elected. The Dukakis campaign chose to completely ignore the
Iran-Contra scandal and 41's role in it. Why remains unclear to
this day. To further handcuff himself, he chose Lloyd Bentsen, a
pro-Contra Dem as his running mate. And then Dukakis iced his layer
cake of doom with braggadocio about the "Massachusetts Economic
Miracle," a phenomena almost completely resultant from Reagan's
massive military buildup. The Gipper's Pentagon spending spree infused
cash into the Route 128 high tech corridor surrounding Boston faster
than you could say "Raytheon and General Dynamics." Of
course it only took the tweaking and/or delay of a few contracts
to
set the Bay State back on the economic skids. It also didn't take
the media long to investigate the Massachusetts economy west of
Boston and find it in anything but miraculous repair.
Kerry's campaign rhetoric already indicates that he will not provide
W with a pass on the scandals that surround the court-appointed
presidency. In fact the "Real Deal" label his campaign
has adopted takes the fraudulence of the current regime to task
in just two words. And Jr is going to have a hard time pinning the
economic woes of our nation on John Kerry or any Democrat. So please
spare us the oppression of the conventional wisdom of Southern Strategies.
The South is full of people who'd be happy to vote for a war hero
who speaks candidly about George W. Bush's impervious attitudes
toward contemporary soldiers and working people.
There is but one other Southern card to play. Senator John Edwards
of North Carolina is the sweetest confectionary to arise from Dixie
since the moon pie. He is a staunch advocate of good manners and
will politely disagree with anyone who feels differently. Edwards
has opted against a Senate re-election run, which could cost the
Dems a crucial seat in the next Congress. Now there's a Southern
Strategy. If a zephyr were to dislodge a cloud of cotton candy from
its stick and send it careening into Edwards, you get the feeling
he'd wind up with at least a few broken bones. That said, he might
be the perfect VP candidate, particularly when contrasted with Fang
Cheney.
OK, I am hitting the road. Hope to see some of you in Hartford
Saturday.
*******
I will be performing this Saturday night, January 31 in Hartford,
Ct at the Real Art Ways Speak Out Extravaganza, hosted by Citizen
Reno with special guests The Yes Men. This political variety show
kicks off a year-long series of programming promoting political
awareness. Co-sponsored by WHUS FM, Hartford Public Access TV and
The Hartford Advocate. Check out www.speakoutct.org
with Reno and The Yes Men. For details: http://www.realartways.org/livearts_f.htm
And if you can't get there Saturday, check out Real Art Ways when
you are in Hartford. Will K. Wilkins and the entire staff have created
one of the most vibrant art spaces in America.
Real Art Ways
56 Arbor St
Hartford, Ct.
860.232.1006
*******
Today's Link: http://www.cursor.org
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