Posted on 11/23/2004 3:26:04 PM PST by swilhelm73
At one of the panel discussions on the recent (sigh) cruise, we panellists were invited to opine about what GWB did right this election, and what JFK did wrong. I laid out my own contribution in the form of a Letterman-style Top Ten. Several people have asked me to post it. Here is as much as I can glean from my notes.
---What Bush did right
10. Married Laura. She was a great asset to W's campaign, a natural.
9. Showed humor. Steve Sailer argues that W is a teaser on humor -- always seems on the point of making a joke but never quite does so. This is asking too much. W gives the impression of being a *humorous man* -- a man who likes to laugh, and who could probably tell a joke if he felt inclined, but at any rate will laugh heartily at someone else's joke. For campaign purposes, that's quite sufficient to give him a big likeability boost.
8. Went on The O'Reilly Factor. That was W at his best: relaxed, charming, engaging. I have never seen him present himself so well. I don't know if it was something O'Reilly did, or something the producers did, or perhaps we just caught W on a good day. Whatever it was, it must have been worth half a million votes.
7. Kept Cheney on ticket. I doubt there was ever a thought of taking Cheney *off* the ticket, but if there was, it was a thought well discarded.
6. The convention. What a convention! It was my first, and seemed to me really good; but because it was my first I wasn't sure of my impressions, and checked with colleagues. Yes, they all agreed, theis was a *really* good convention. Zell Miller... Arnold... Rudy... Cheney... Oh boy!
5. Stood aloof. From the dirty stuff. The new wild card in this campaign was the 527s. W mildly dissed the Swifties, but otherwise gave the impression of paying no attention to the 527s. Which was the right thing for *him* to do. (But see my point on Kerry below.)
4. Steered straight on Iraq. Unusually for a conservative magazine, NR is right where the broad US public is on Iraq: Willing to be patient & see if the current strategy bears fruit. If it doesn't (in a few months), willing to clamor for a new strategy. So the course through Sept-Oct-Nov was steady as she goes. It was what we wanted; it was what the public wanted; it was exactly right.
3. Cut taxes. What people expect from a GOP administration is tax cuts. Even people who don't vote Republican expect them, and are disturbed if they don't get them. ("Darn it, the GOP got in. Oh, well, at least we'll get a tax cut...") To some degree, a party must live up to expectations, otherwise the electorate gets queasy. Compare Bush 41...
2. Got out the vote. What a great ground game we played! I had a chance to talk to some of the foot soldiers on the cruise. They did a MAGNIFICENT job. God bless you all (especially you, Shawn).
1. Was himself. W is not always an attractive character. He has a mean streak -- remember all those Church Lady faces in debate 1. There is, however, a core of great steadiness and sincerity there, and the campaign brought it out. Say what you like about the "intrusiveness" of modern presidential campaigns, but we really get to know these guys. As we should.
---What Kerry did wrong.
10. Windsurfed. Kerry carries around with him a whiff of the old WASP sportiness (as did Bush 41). It's a net negative, and windsurfing in a $1,000 wet suit really didn't help.
9. Married Teresa. I'm going to be a gentleman and say no more, but you all know where we are here.
8. Goose hunted. In camouflage! Dukakis redux! Don't they ever LEARN? If there's anything worse than a WASP showing off WASP sportiness, it's one faking red-state sportiness.
7. Picked Edwards. America has a complicated psychological relationship with trial lawyers -- all those lawyer jokes, yet still they can pull off the thing about standing up for the little guy against those big, evil corporations. Being a trial lawyer could be made to work in a campaign context, I am sure, but Edwards didn't find the right formula. He came over as phoney, I think. In part this was his boyishness. Guys in their 50s are not SUPPOSED to be boyish. Gravitas deficit without any compensating likeability.
6. Did NOT go on The O'Reilly Factor. I know, you want to argue with me all day about what O'Reilly is and isn't. Fact is, though, that a lot of thoughtful, persuadable people watch his show. W went on there, K should have done so too, else the assumption is: (a) he's chicken, or (b) he disdains the kind of people who watch O'Reilly.
5. Stood aloof. For Kerry, this was the WRONG way to deal with the 527s. He should have held a news conference and laid out his side of the case forcefully, then left it alone.
4. Gravitas overload. He just overdid it, became the visiting judge in Tom Sawyer, too grand to approach. His physical appearance was all against him here -- he couldn't even smile convincingly, and his laugh made me cringe. This is unfair, but hey.
3. Flipped & flopped. In contrast to W's strong clear line. Not a man of firm convictions -- who ever thought so? In times like these, that won't do.
2. He lawyered up. The shadow of 2000 loomed -- fears of a constitutional crisis. That got the GOP lawyers out -- yes! there are lots of them! Whatever we think of lawyers, we are pretty unanimous that we don't want them deciding our elections for us.
1. Was himself. Every time I saw John Kerry's face on TV it brought to mind Dr. Johnson's remark about Mrs. Thrale: "Sir, the insolence of wealth will creep out." Yes, it will. It did.
Kerry also failed because his only reason for wanting the presidency was because he wanted the presidency.
Paul Atreides (OT - I wonder how many will get the Dune reference? Well I like it)
Kerry lost because he had no clear plan for America - no vision...only criticism.
And when it comes down to it, we need a decisive Commander in Chief not a flip-flopping Critic in Chief.
Wow. John Derbyshire really has it nailed. My thoughts exactly (but better said!).
You have the order wrong, at least for what you label # 10 on both lists. David's Top Tens leave the best for last.
The best thing GWB did was to marry Laura.
Steven Scharf
SCSMedia@aol.com
Well said.
bttt
Excellent post! I think that sums it up perfectly.
Even to the point of proposing to "farm out" the authority and responsibility for foreign relations and the conduct of the War on Terror to his Vice-President (McCain).
Kerry didn't want the job, he wanted the title.
Kerry didn't want the job, he wanted the title.
That is the best analysis in the fewest words I have read.
PITHY!!! well done!
I agree..One thing I noted that had many posters wringing their hands:
5. Stood aloof. From the dirty stuff. The new wild card in this campaign was the 527s. W mildly dissed the Swifties, but otherwise gave the impression of paying no attention to the 527s. Which was the right thing for *him* to do. (But see my point on Kerry below.)
Many posters here were outraged by the dirty ads and wanted Bush to respond..understandable.. but it usually only dignifies the accusations.
It worked for Bush to stay above the fray...It did not work for Kerry..because the swifties and their ads were so powerful and credible to everyone but the MSM and lefty libs and Kerry could not afford such close scrutiny?
What Kerry REALLY did wrong was what he did from 1969-1971.
That period defined him as he really is and he couldn't escape it - especially with John O'Neill making sure that nobody forgot any of the details.
The one thing Kerry did right was make it very unlikely that The Hildabeest will be nominated in 2008.
BTTT
What??? No mention about Kerry's records in Senate? Or embracing the leftists hollywood?
Oh he had lots of plans. He told us they were all on his web site. Don't you remember?
He was a coreless, flip-flopping, elitist, gold-digging, do-nothing, antiwar, Massachusetts ultra-liberal Senator who bailed out on his Vietnam crew by soliciting Purple Hearts for band-aid wounds and who believes he is "entitled" to the Presidency and was willing to say anything to anybody if he thought it would get him votes. Oh yeah, and he introduced his idiot wife to the American public.
There it is. Bravo!
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