Mq, I have been ranting about the lack of political finesse of the Kerry campaign for some time. It began with the incredible error of making Kerry's controversial Vietnam experience the centerpiece of the Democratic convention at a time when it was known that the Swiftvets were ready to unload a full-bore salvo into that leaky boat.
Kerry's post-war energies--Winter Soldier and all that--were equally controversial. Throwing away his medals, accusing all vets of war crimes, etc., simply did not square with the notion that his war "hero" status validates him for today's defense and security problems. He created incredible amounts of cognitive dissonance from which he has not recovered. It did not need to be that way.
Most of the electorate,I think, feels that what happened 30-odd years ago is irrelevant, that perhaps some of the things that Kerry (and Bush, too) said and did then don't really matter.
I therefore hooted and howled when Kerry reported for duty at the Convention, gave a salute, and blissfully walked into a political fusillade which has since then cost him dearly, and may ultimately be the single most important reason why he loses.
A huge political blunder.
The perceived attack on Cheney and Bush for their failure to understand homosexuals by bringing in Cheney's daughter into the fray is one more example of this lack of political skill. Turning family members into political footballs is simply not done.
Very stupid. Even more stupid because it was planned, vetted, and deliberately used as a tactic by both Kerry and Edwards, not some offhand remark. It may very well alienate homosexuals, most of whom I should think would be their natural constituency.
A third, and last example: castigating the Bush campaign for its stance on stem cell research and bringing up Christopher Reeves as an example of someone who could have walked again but for the Bushies' stance at a time when Reeves's body was barely cold.
Crass stuff. Stupid stuff. Politically insane stuff.
I don't want bozos like that dealing with important issues. Their failure to deal with simple political tactics in a rational manner inspires no confidence in me that they can deal effectively with more complex matters. |
