Before the Iowa caucus, the future looked bleak - Governor Howard Dean was on top. Realist liberals wearily shook their heads. Dean probably would not attract the swing voters we so desperately needed.
Bush supporters danced in the streets. They celebrated that democrats were burying their only viable candidates. Rumors abounded of republicans donating money to Dean's campaign.
All that matters this year - or in any election for that matter - is appealing to those undecided, moderate swing voters. This is not the year to pick a radical, challenging candidate like Dean. It's more important to play it safe with a more experienced, less extreme politician.
Primary voters across the country have made the right decision. They put Sens. John Kerry and John Edwards at the top of the stack. Dean has yet to win a single state and less dynamic candidates have either dropped out (Gen. Wesley Clark and Sen. Joe Lieberman) or should have a long time ago (Rev. Al Sharpton and Rep. Dennis Kucinich). Kerry is clearly the new front runner with Edwards as the underdog and probable vice president choice.
I slightly favor Kerry over Edwards, though the more I see of Edwards the more I lean toward him. Of all the candidates, Kerry is the most distinguished. He fought in Vietnam and returned to become one of the more serious, politically-threatening figures of the anti-war movement; so much that the Nixon administration tried to "destroy" him. A lot of good it did them. Kerry served as a prosecutor and lieutenant governor before being elected to the senate in 1984. He possesses a long history of public service, certainly longer than the president's.
The Right has picked up on Kerry's surging popularity and is scrambling to pick at him wherever they can. All they can really stick him with is the fact that he's a politician. Yes, he's rich and he accepted money from special interest groups and occasionally acted on their behalf. Those charges - especially to the degree to which Kerry is guilty of them in comparison to George W. Bush - really are not going to stop people from voting for him. Attempts to pick at Kerry's voting record and leap to conclusions reek of political oversimplification and black and white thinking.
All that matters is removing the Bush administration from power. I do not care who replaces him. It could seriously be another Republican and I'd probably be fine with it.
I am legitimately, sincerely frightened of where this administration is taking our country. I do not have that feeling about other republicans. Even many conservatives are struggling, especially on the fiscal responsibility issue. Aren't republicans supposed to be all about controlled, sensible spending?
Note the continued use of "administration" instead of just "Bush." That's because the president is only a small part of the problem. Compared to those guiding him, I actually like Bush.
Do Bush supporters know where this frustration comes from? They may have an idea, but I doubt it's correct. My intent is not to attack but rather to promote understanding: "This is where we're coming from. Please understand this is not about partisan BS. It's about something much more important." Look for that in the coming weeks.
Write to David at swimminginbrokenglass@yahoo.com
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