Posted on 07/11/2004 8:25:50 AM PDT by PhiKapMom
Mark Green, The Oklahoman
July 11, 2004
WASHINGTON - Thanks, John Kerry. Bring it on!
You've made sure the months leading up to the quadrennial presidential derby will be exciting and no holds barred. As they say, that's entertainment.
Kerry is indeed pro-choice. His selection of fellow senator John Edwards to be his running mate means we will have clear ideological choice in November. The namby-pambies who always complain about the lack of contrast between Democrats and Republicans can just shut up. Houston, we have contrast!
Even now voters are awakening from their four-year slumber to an eye-gouging, hair-pulling contest in the making. Editorialists and pundits are happy, their troughs filling with choice fodder. Vice President Dick Cheney has been spotted thumbing through a thesaurus, searching for new verbs and adjectives to employ in the upcoming veep debate.
Now, the safe pick for Kerry would've been someone like Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt or Sen. Bob Graham of Florida. Both are old war horses who would pass the experience test a significant hurdle for Edwards, who looks 23 and hasn't yet completed a full term in the Senate. Either Gephardt or Graham also would've given the Democrats a shot at a key toss-up state.
That's fine, but those two would've been bor-r-r-r-r-r-ring.
Instead, Kerry went for sizzle and as a byproduct, the country gets a clear, unmistakable election ballot variety.
By now probably everyone knows John Kerry is numero uno in the Senate when it comes to liberal pedigree, put there by the nonpartisan National Journal. According to the publication's analysis of voting records, Kerry is more liberal than Hillary Rodham Clinton, even more liberal than Teddy Kennedy. But guess what? So is John Edwards!
Edwards comes in at No. 4, which means the two of them together average out at 2.5. That's way, way out there. You have to flip back to Mondale-Ferraro (1984) or McGovern-(Eagleton)-Shriver ('72) to find a tandem as liberal. I think it's safe to say the Democratic Party's strategic, centrist tack under Bill Clinton was a detour. And it's over.
Terrific!
Democrats trying to reside in the moderate middle just confused voters, anyway. They were like the folks who move into the neighborhood and immediately decorate the front yard with an old junker on cinder blocks.
Again, the Naderites and Greens and Mugwumps can't complain that the two national tickets are just alike. Not this year.
Republicans will go with a team that is Reagan conservative. Democrats are decked out in Great Society retro. Lots of choice, little echo.
Look at the major issues. Tax-cutters vs. bigger spenders. Free traders vs. thinly veiled protectionists. Family values vs. gay marriage. On foreign policy, the Bush doctrine of protecting U.S. interests first is matched against the Kerry doctrine of first checking with the United Nations to see if protecting those interests is OK.
Edwards is a pretty face, a syrupy drawl and a compelling life story. But he's also like Alka-Seltzer to the Electoral College watchers in the GOP, who were worried sick that Kerry would pick Graham, gift-wrapping Florida's 27 electors for the Democrats and making Bush's re-election pretty dicey.
Edwards doesn't really deliver any state to Kerry. For every vote in North Carolina or Louisiana gained by the aw-shucks drawl, there'll be two or three lost when folks see that most of Edwards' positions get a big hug from Michael Moore.
Edwards' trademark "two Americas" speech plays well before red-meat Democratic audiences, but it just sounds goofy and conspiratorial to the average bear in America. As one business community rep said on a national radio talk show this week, there are two Americas: the one that works to create wealth, and the one that works to redistribute it.
Most Americans are glad there are rich people in this country, because they themselves want to be rich some day and are working toward it. Most don't believe the rich got rich by victimizing the rest of us, one of the central themes in Edwards' "two Americas" rant.
In a way this smells like a Republican set up. Those rascally Republicans! They won a nail-biter in 2000, and they've watched with glee as Democrats stayed angry indeed, got angrier. Now it appears the Dems have given in to their fury by trotting out a far-left ticket.
This is as clear a choice as America has seen in two decades. I think Republicans are glad Democrats did them this favor.
Green is national editorial writer for The Oklahoman.
Excellent comment!
BTTT
This is a MUST READ for anyone that thinks that the two parties are alike with their candidates.
You mean they're not?
/damnnear worldclass sarcasm
What an excellent editorial. I'm sorry you had to introduce a false partisanship into the thread, but that's life.
We are at war PhiKapMom. When it comes to our borders, there isn't a lick of difference between Kerry/Edwards and Bush/Cheney. Both teams advance the idea of some sort of what most people would term an amnesty, even though they deny that's what it is.
When it comes to Israel, Collin Powell and the Bush team are all too willing to criticize Israel in the interest of appearing balanced. What this creates is an atomosphere where Israel has essentially nobody backing them 100% of the time. If you criticize your ally for defending themselves, it makes it that much harder for them to do so. Note the full court press by the EU and the UN to get Israel to destroy their nuclear stockpile, and tear down the wall to prevent terrorist attacks. We make that full court press sound more rational, because we participate in the criticisms of Israel.
When it comes to overspending, outside of the additional expenses related to the War on Terrorism, there have been massive increases in the budget for the Department of Education, the very folks who are spending that money to indoctinate our children to be good little leftists, have no moral values whatsoever, even judging parents to be wrong when it comes to the issue of homosexuality vs heterosexual marriage. Other budgetary increases have been just as difficult to defend. We are NOT supposed to be the party of big-spenders. $400-$500 billion just isn't supportable.
Of course Bush/Cheney are better than Kerry/Edwards. A Kerry/Edwards presidency would be a complete disaster. That's why those who call Bush/Cheney on their shortcomings will none the less vote for them. But as conservatives, we have an obligation to voice support for sound policy over party icons.
This does not mean that we don't like Bush or Cheney. I like Bush a lot and think Cheney is fantastic. That doesn't lessen my desire to see them change certain policies.
If I didn't conduct myself this way, I'd be just as guilty as Clinton supporters who never thought it necessary to be honest about his shortcomings. Nope, I'll never go that route with any candidate.
Decided I am tired getting disgusted on here and time to fight back against these people.
A most important message. I hope people will realize that our country is at stake here. And now Kerry has promised to remove the ban on immigrants that have AIDS. What more do people need????
Your post was my Sunday breakfast grin. Lunch is at 12 noon ......get on it Dave !!
Stay safe !
What sort of principles lead people to abandon responsibility for the outcome of their votes?
Speaking of single-issue voters, the campaign of Ralph Nader and his Socialist Worker's Party cohort is championing the cause of closing the border, protecting American jobs from the invading foreign dish washers and lawn clippers, and persecuting those evil, greedy corporations (owned by retirees in town) who hire illegals. I don't think these single-issue ideologue-driven voters' ballots would be going to the conservative anyway.
After hearing how upbeat our two Congressmen were last night and listening to Dr. Coburn speak, I have great faith that the American people will not be taken in by two shyster attorneys on election day!
Thanks for the article and your great mini rant:
"We have a clear choice this November. Time for some of you one issue people who threaten to stay home because they don't like something President Bush has said or done or threaten to vote 3rd party knowing the candidate cannot win realize that this election is for the heart and soul of this Country. We cannot allow the liberal ticket of Kerry/Edwards to win in November.
"This mantra of teaching us a lesson is the dumbest thing we have heard of on here -- America's future is too important to "teach anyone a lesson by voting for a 3rd party or staying home."
BUMP! Thank you sir!
I'm one of those who thinks our political system is basically a two-headed monster, which is why I'm thrilled with this glaringly obvious display of the differences between conservative Americans with a love of tradition and the dastardly lefties! Thank God! Maybe it will set a trend!! This election is going to make my life of exposing leftie lies SOOOOOOO easy! And the bonus is how much FUN it's going to be!! YEE HAW!
Terrific article.
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Excellent post!
C'mon, gimme a break! Wish it were so.
Glad that I was able to provide your Sunday Brunch Grin!
We will have a lot of fun with the DNC's Metro Sexual version of Batman and Robin until the election.
Have a good week and stay safe.
At a campaign stop in Pennsylvania today, Mr. Edwards was in the middle of a speech when he emitted a high-pitched yelp, apparently in response to yet another unexpected display of affection from Sen. Kerry.
LOL! Edwards needs to find an attorney to deal with unwanted contact in the workplace! Oh the irony!
But, but, but... the Democrats are the party against sexual harassment!?!?!? Of course... as long as it isn't by a white hetero in amorous pursuit of marriage. Gang-bangers, S&M, GLBT (hold the mayo), or boinking an intern are all okee-dokee.
Anything goes as long as it's for the revolution. TV says it's "normal" and proves it by feeding us so much of it, that it starts to look that way. It's amazing how many "moderates" can't see to what degree they are being conditioned to accept ever more, much less what's at stake. Meanwhile, the kids blow up from the stress or sink into depression, while their parents just don't get it. Antonio Gramsci laughs from the grave while America commits slow suicide.
So we run to our enclaves pretending they will protect us, while the revulsion revolution follows us through the cable in the wall. As the kids grow ever more depraved, we pray they will "out-grow it." Since when does somebody "out-grow" teen pregnancy, promiscuity, drug abuse or AIDS? Much of this damage is irreversible no matter how hard the child turns straight.
Between the schools wrecking our kids and a steady influx of dependent immigrants with aggressive claims on property and power as reinforced by affirmative action, conservatives will lose the long demographic war unless we fight back a lot harder than we have historically. Hopefully, we are waking up to the fact that we are in a multi-front war with more at stake than just our lives.
It is partisan for the crap that has been posted on here recently. I am totally fed up and sorry that you cannot see what is happening. People on here are out to depress the vote and support of this President and that in turn will give us Kerry/Edwards.
I am not going to take it lying down anymore -- too important to let the people threaten not to vote. I didn't say the Administration cannot be criticized for stands but what I am totally disgusted about are the "two parties are alike" crowd. That is beyond my comprehension and I am sick and tired of reading the crap. There is a difference in criticizing something you don't like and what has been going on with some Freepers.
This election is very partisan and I will continue to press for Bush-Cheney's re-election against two shyster lawyers who want to redistribute wealth and errode our military and intelligence communities once again. I will spend every last minute I have working to elect Conservative Republicans this November and that includes Bush-Cheney.
When we send Dr. Tom Coburn to the Senate next January maybe some other states will wake up to the fact that we need 99 other Dr. Tom Coburn's in the Senate.
Mom, mom, mom you just don't get it. These whining one-issue nay sayers are a bunch of miserable people who want nothing else but for everyone else to be as angry and miserable as they are.
We could run a ticket of Alan Keyes/Pat Buchanon and they would bitch and complain about it not being conservative enough and how they are going to not vote blah blah blah.
Did you catch Dr.Coburn on Flashpoint this morning? He went right back on his point of cutting waste after Turpen mouthed off about the Bush tax cut. Especially interesting was the end of the segment when Coburn pointed out he had, as a Congressman, a 100% NRA/GOA 2d Amendment rating and it didn't matter if Carson was a bird hunter.
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