Despite the desires of French derivatives and Muslim terrorists, we are still in the modern era. Anyone who starts seriously using the postmodern trope is going up a blind alley. 'Postmodern' is premodern: a return to magical thinking.
Ferguson is good:
But by fall the weirdness will drop away, as politics leaves its self-referential cocoon and emerges into the harsh light of that other, larger world, where nonpolitical people live. I don't know what the harsh light will reveal, but I can guess. Is it possible that electability will no longer be a good reason to elect a candidate whose message is his message?
The Bush message, if the Reps have any common sense, should be now, and in the Fall, "The Dems are soft on national security and they will tax you to death. Tax, tax, tax, and make nice to the bad guys: That's all they know. We, as you know, will defend our country, promote its aspirations, and nurture its growth."
They shouldn't talk about it. They should get out and tell it.
Kerry's hopeless. He talks about the Bushites being "crooks," as if this is going to grab the hearts of the undecideds. It won't. Reagan slept whilst his appointees tried to steal the country and he still got re-elected because enough undecideds knew what he stood for and he was demonstrably a bit ga-ga! But it was clear he wasn't so ga-ga he would deviate. Bush isn't ga-ga at all.
Kerry has at least two positions on everything. It seems to depend on who he spoke with last. I can hear it now: "Do you want the country's policies made on the parking lot?"
If I was Carville, my favourite happy warrior, I'd take the election off and do my wife's photocopying.... |
