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.
Good Sunday morning, PKMom. Here is an Oklahoma Aggie bump for you and Mr. Green's column....
Do you think this had anything to do with trying to offset Nader defections?
mugwumps , slang term in U.S. political history for the Republicans who in 1884 deserted their party nominee, James G. Blaine, to vote for the Democratic nominee, Grover Cleveland.
http://www.borowitzreport.com/archive_rpt.asp?rec=903
EDWARDS ASKS KERRY TO STOP GRABBING HIS ASS
Public Displays of Affection ‘Distracting,’ Says Kerry’s No. 2
After a mere two days on the campaign trail, the first signs of tension between John Kerry and running mate John Edwards emerged today as Sen. Edwards requested, firmly and unequivocally, that Mr. Kerry stop grabbing his ass.
“I think Sen. Kerry has made it very clear in our joint appearances that he is happy to have me on the ticket,” Mr. Edwards told reporters. “He really doesn’t have to prove it by repeatedly grabbing my ass.”
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.
“Jesus, John,” a visibly annoyed Mr. Edwards said to Mr. Kerry, who merely stood behind him smiling mischievously.
In a sign that Mr. Kerry’s unwanted embraces may be taking their toll on the newly-minted vice-presidential candidate, Mr. Edwards departed from his prepared remarks, telling hs audience, “There are two Americas – one that gets to grab ass, and one that gets its ass grabbed.”
Intriguingly, a source confirmed that Mr. Kerry’s penchant for ass-grabbing was the principal reason Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-Missouri) did not make the Democratic ticket: “The whole idea of it grossed Dick out.”
Elsewhere, indicted former Enron CEO Ken Lay today announced that he would seek amnesty by applying for a position as an Iraqi insurgent.
And in Washington, Attorney General John Ashcroft told all Americans to be on the lookout for a terror suspect disguised as an obese man wearing glasses and a baseball cap, accompanied by a documentary film crew.
Once again The Oklahoman has come through with one of the best editorials I have seen to date about Kerry and Edwards. Mark Green does a great job of explaining the differences to those not in tune with just how liberal the Dems have gone.
For those people here on FR that keep repeating the RAT mantra of the two parties are alike or the "sky is falling" or the "doom and gloom" crowd or the trolls who keep trying to downplay Republican chances in November -- this article is for all of you.
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."
Suggest you naysayers read this and if you don't understand then we know who the trolls are!
My mini rant for the morning.
"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."
It certainly does. It's all so retro, so pinko, so 1930s.
Last weekend I was looking around at my brother-in-law's house, he's no rich guy by any means, just a young striver with a wife & two little kids. But they've got a dishwasher, a beautiful brand new refridgerator, double pane windows, a deck, a giant grill. And I thought to myself, this is luxury, we all live in pretty much luxury in this country. God Bless America! (Well, it was the 4th of July and I'd had a couple of beers, so I get a little sentimental). And as for the red-meat dems, I'm sure they are living a well-heeled life themselves and if they would even give things a moment's thought they'd realize what BS they were being told.
Kerry and Edwards seem to have forgotten that we continue to be engaged in a war with people who don't just want to take away our dishwashers and barbecue grills, they want to cut our heads off and kill our children. I don't think the rest of the country has forgotten, however. Time will tell if I'm right or wrong, but I will feel sorry for this land if those two shallow, elitist, nincompoops carry the day in November.
BTTT, this couldn't have been written by the Mark Green of New York City.
I'll BUMP for that!
Oh my! ROFLOLOLOL
BUMPEDY BUMP
Well, don't you know the President Bush isn't(fill in the single issue, ignorance filled screed blank here) enough for me, so I am going sit at home to teach everyone else a lesson or vote for the third party whack job du jour,won't see themselves? They "jus wanna hep th' Presidint", like their true soulmate, Jim Wright .
Right.
happydogdesign would you please post your great graphic art picture showing al Queery patting little John/John's butt!
Thanks!
Thank you sir! I was at an Ice Cream Social for Republican candidates last night at Sen Wilcoxson's. Dr. Tom Coburn was obviously the crowd favorite including from our other candidates.
Cong Tom Cole was once again the highlight speaker along with Cong Istook -- Love it when Cong Cole "still" uses his Osama Bin Laden would be voting Kerry even though the media went after him. He has stood his ground!
We are so lucky in this state to have four very good Congressman and soon to be joining the Congress IMHO will Dr. Tom Coburn, freshman Senator from OK. Feel really confident that Dr. Coburn is going to be our next Senator.
Great article. I'm forwarding it on. BTW, I'm on vacation starting tomorrow for 3 whole weeks.
This is Mark Green from Washington, D.C., Oklahoman's national editorial writer. Definitely not the other Mark Green.
Good rant. :) I'm with you.
Three weeks vacation -- that is terrific!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.