At least his wife ... tolerates him.
Posted on 10/17/2004 8:21:20 AM PDT by Mike Fieschko
The dead have been used, the admired exploited, and the gay outed. The 2004 election is certainly not the dirtiest campaign in American history - no sexual sleaze or corruption charges, so far - but this week has seen its share of the distasteful.Less than a day after the actor who personified Superman died, John Edwards was on the stump in Iowa: "If we do the work that we can do in this country, the work that we will do when John Kerry is president, people like Christopher Reeve are going to walk, get up out of that wheelchair and walk again."
The Democratic vice-presidential candidate meant that he and his political master are champions of science, promising to open for research embryonic stem-cell lines blocked by the Bush administration - a move that restricts the possible discovery of cures for degenerative diseases and disability.
Leaving aside the devastatingly complex challenge posed by spinal-cord injury, the uncertain contribution that stem-cell research will make to remedying paralysis, and the merits of politicians proffering false hope to patients, there was something simply tasteless about using Reeve's name for political purposes as his family mourned.
For different reasons, President George W. Bush's use of John McCain, the former prisoner of war and current Arizona senator who is widely polled as the most respected politician in America, is hard to stomach.
Four years ago, the Bush campaign questioned Mr McCain's mental stability. Their allies suggested he had sired a black love child. But under pressure to toe the party line - if he is to have any chance of making another run for the White House in 2008 - one of the more independent-minded men in the US Senate has been back this week serving as a campaign prop for the president.
"I'm proud to be introduced by a unique and strong and great American in John McCain," Mr Bush told a Reno, Nevada, rally after yet another cursory hug. "When he says he's for you, he's really for you." Really?
The bad form award of the week, though, goes to Mr Kerry. The Democratic challenger's reference to the sexuality of Mary Cheney, the vice-president's daughter - who Mr Kerry told the 52m people watching Wednesday night's debate "is a lesbian" - appeared unpresidential.
The calculated decision intended to expose White House divisions over gay marriage played badly. The language jarred and Mr Kerry had to issue a statement the following day in Las Vegas, explaining the use of a candidate's child as a talking point. All of this matters because on November 2, the levels of dislike may well sway the election.
All year, pundits have tracked likeability. Mr Bush's "have a beer with" numbers have been consistently high - not bad for a teetotaller. And even the wind-surfing, Hermes-tie wearing Brahmin Kerry has gradually earned America's liking. In fact, as doubts about the White House's candour over Iraq appear to have weighed on Mr Bush's likeability, Mr Kerry's growing aura of credibility seems to have increased the numbers who like him.
But the negatives are more revealing. The percentage of people who dislike Mr Kerry have outnumbered those who dislike Mr Bush. And the dislikeability gap - apologies: elections mangle language - may well count. Loathing of the president has been the "Anybody but Bush" jet-fuel powering the Democrats and their successful voter registration drive. But misgivings about Mr Kerry threaten to sap Democratic turnout.
Mr Kerry makes the point that "judgment is what Americans look for in a president". At least one curious piece of data backs him up: John Zogby told the New Yorker magazine that his polling group asked people a few weeks ago to imagine they were living in Oz and had to choose between the Scarecrow, all heart and no brains, and the Tin Man, all brains and no heart. The Tin Man came out 10 points ahead. In 2000, they were neck-and-neck.
It is a truism that Americans like to like their leaders. It is true, too, that people will vote for someone they respect, but not necessarily want to hang out with. But, what is perhaps more pertinent this year, is that they will not vote for someone they dislike.
At least his wife ... tolerates him.
Yeah but the democrats are trying to push the cowardly lion on us. Who wants to vote for that?
Gee...calculated stand on gay marriage? What about core beliefs? Most Americans believe in marriage between a man and a woman.
I do not think people buy the leftist spin.
The gay agenda may be extremely vocal, but people know homosexuality is a perversion, Christian or not.
Societies that fall into such gross perversion, always fall. (ie. Rome, Greece)
Senator has never been likeable. He drones on and on...and he has nothing to say.
LOL -- quality!
Outrageous! How disgusting that Bush should say something complimentary about a politician that endorses him and is travelling on the stump with him!
If anyone is being disingenuous here it is McCain who is playing both sides to hedge his bets like the little weasel that he is.
Outrageous! How disgusting that Bush should say something complimentary about a politician that endorses him and is travelling on the stump with him!
If anyone is being disingenuous here it is McCain who is playing both sides to hedge his bets like the little weasel that he is.
"I TOLD you they'd be happy if I cancelled the nucleur bunker busters!
A good indication of how repugnent John Kerry is to look at the fact that his celebrity ex-girlfriends donated money to his opponents in the primaries. You know that there is something fundamentally wrong with Kerry when you see his exes donating money to Howard Dean. I assume these women know him better than anyone and they vote no on Kerry. Here's a story about where they donated their money.
http://thetrack.bostonherald.com/moreTrack/view.bg?articleid=17838&format=
That pic is absolutely priceless.
Here is a little flaw in the article. The reason Kerry was hidden in August and has been kept from the press is that he is almost instantly unlikeable. His uncomfortable haughtiness and Swiss boarding school manner repel the vast majority of people. The rabid hate-Bush people gird themselves and look past this, just as a starving man would close his eyes and eat road kill if that was all he had. But that is a group that will top out in the low 30s (percentage wise). Another 10-15% will never engage enough to understand this guy for what he is, but are liberals who will vote Democratic.
The other segment--the Reagan Democrats and many left-leaning but thinking Independents--and quite possibly a a surprising number of black voters--just do not connect with or like this guy personally. This is the chief reason the Preident will win even if his approval numbers are below 50%.
I was made aware of that. I was looking for some link to show what I meant by this "price."
I'll admit that I didn't thoroughly investigate the entire site. Maybe I can find another site that has this bit of history in it.
When I think about people I'd like to hang out with John Kerry does not exactly head the list.
"Yeah but the democrats are trying to push the cowardly lion on us. Who wants to vote for that?"
The cowardly lion had some endearing qualities. The dim's are trying to push one of the screaming flying monkeys on us.
I thought Dean was the flying screaming monkey. Either way we all know who the witch is.
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.
