Regards, Ivan
Posted on 07/27/2004 3:26:50 PM PDT by MadIvan
HAS John Kerry just blundered into his own Dukakis moment? Of all the lessons learned by Democrats after Michael Dukakis’s disastrous 1988 presidential run, one has been seared into the party’s campaign rulebook like no other: avoid goofy outfits.
The defining image of the Dukakis defeat to George Bush Sr was the ruinous decision to stick the diminutive Massachusetts governor in an M1 battle tank, his head swamped by an oversize helmet, in an attempt to portray him as a tough-guy defence hawk.
He looked like a schoolboy rather than a fearless commander-in-chief, and a nation guffawed. Mr Dukakis never recovered.
So what on earth was Mr Kerry doing yesterday wandering around in a green hooded jumpsuit during a visit to the Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral, an outfit that one newspaper said made him look like an oversize condom? Republicans seized on Mr Kerry’s sartorial attempt at hara-kari, comparing it to Mr Dukakis in his tank. They emailed the photos to reporters under the headline “Earth to Kerry”.
Kerry aides immediately counterattacked, circulating pictures of President Bush wearing matching kimonos with Australian Prime Minister John Howard and picking his nose at a baseball game: just the kind of vigorous political debate voters are looking for in such momentous times.
Who’s the donkey?
THIS year’s most spectacular act of political self-immolation was Howard Dean’s Iowa scream.
It is easy to forget that until Mr Kerry’s unexpected primary victory in Iowa in January, the former Vermont Governor was the runaway favourite to be Mr Bush’s challenger this year. This should have been his big week to accept the nomination.
Instead, he has come to Boston, no longer the fire-breathing Bush-basher that so terrified the Democrat establishment, but more of a clown and unafraid to indulge in self-parody. The delegates are loving it.
Yesterday he excelled in a game of toss-the-donkey at life-size cutouts of such Republican hate figures as Donald Rumsfeld, the Defence Secretary, and Mr Bush, before letting out a toned-down version of the “Yee-aagh” that hastened his demise.
Dr Dean even mulled over taking another shot at the White House.
Asked whether he might run again, he said: “I hope I don’t have to think about it until 2012.” But he admitted that he has discussed it with his wife. She probably screamed.
Moving request
Not all states are created equal. Delegates from key battleground states, including Ohio, Florida and Michigan, have been housed in the best hotels and have ringside seats in the convention hall. The most exciting guest speakers attend their breakfasts. Those from committed Bush states, like Texas or Idaho, struggle in from motels miles from central Boston. And for the Democrats Abroad delegation? The message is move home: they have the worst seats in the house.
Banner headline
AMERICANS tuning into TV convention coverage will see giant electronic banners for the major television networks, but not al-Jazeera. The Arab network, which has angered the White House by its coverage of the Iraq war, was ordered by organisers to remove a huge banner it had placed near the speakers’ podium.
And finally . . .
The Washington Post is publishing 10,000 copies a day of a special convention issue under the banner: “ELECTION 2000” — perhaps a bad omen for Democrats.
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
Brit Hume just said that despite the Kerry campaign's dismay that the photos of Kerry at NASA yesterday were published, the Kerry campaign was given a look at the photos before they were posted on the NASA website.
NASA did not give the photos to the press, but the press must have gone to the NASA website and looked at the pictures that the Kerry campaign approved. Hah!
Now he's crying like a baby because he doesn't like the pics.
BWAHAHAHAHA!
He posed for them. Tough breaks, John-John.
Brit was talking to Kerry's campaign manager and she said they were leaked..(Them right wing conspirators no doubt)
Nah! Let him fall!
I understand what Kerry's campaign manager said. But NASA tells a completely different story.
The outfit is strange looking enough, but the silly expression on his face makes it even worse.
What does NASA know and when did they know it?
LOL! Kerry had to know anything posted on NASA's website was going to turn up in the press.
"...party’s campaign rulebook like no other: avoid goofy outfits."
The windsurfing outfit he wears looks pretty squirrelly to me! He is sooooo skinny!
I'll take President Bush in his jeans, working boots, and cowboy hat any day.
This is ground control to Major John, you're circuit's dead there's something wrong. Can you hear me Major John?
Looks like a full body condom.
More like an Umpa Lumpa from Willy Wonka!
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