Mostly I've seen poorly executed wholesale theft of Reagan's campaigns from the Democrats this election season. It is quite transparent, as the good ol' days of Reagan's vision and optimism and how he turned America around got so much play following his death. Suddenly, the dour, long in the face Kerry has transformed himself into a cheap immitation of Reagan, going around claiming to be "the optimist" and declaring its time to "believe in America again".
Who is it, exactly, that doesn't believe in America?
Could it be Kerry's liberal base that don't believe in America as a matter of ideology?
Of course Kerry's supposed message of "optimism" of how "America can do better" lacks both heart and soul, and Kerry instead only comes across haughty, as though he is lecturing people about why he is better than them.
But even if Kerry's performance wasn't dismal, this still isn't 1980, there is no national malaise (despite what Kerry is desperately tring to sell) and John Kerry is sure as hell no Ronald Reagan.
Kerry's message of "America can do better" is nothing but a hollow slogan at best, and is really just about saying how much he thinks America sucks than about any bright future he envisions.
They are trying to define themselves as the optimist party in such a transparent way...but Kerry AGAIN shot their strategy in the foot with his haughty "I'd have fought Iraq BETTER" answer.
This campaign reminds me of Dole against Clinton. I swear that year the Republican party decided that the standard bearer wasn't Clinton and that was enough, they might as well take the old party hack. This year, Kerry is trying to be the uberBush, and refuses to identify his differences in any way that will differentiate him substantially to the American people, just relying on his longevity and running from his record the way Dole did.
If Kerry had come out against the war, said, "I messed up," at least he'd have sounded like a penitent to the left. He might have even sounded it to the public.
Now, he just sounds like another bandwagon hopper. I am beginning to think Bush might run away with it (jinx jinx jinx).