Morris is the Jerry Tarkanian of politics. It's all he knows, and he lives and dies by public images, demographic groups, and poll results. He is incapable of having a sustained conversation on any other subject. He's not always right (no one is), and his views are all short to mid-term. For instance, he falls head-over-heels for the global warming fraud, and bitterly criticized Bush for not falling as well.
But he is also the most prolific political analyst of his era. I follow his writings because he will sometimes call trends well before anyone else sees them coming.
What is important, IMO, about this latest column of his is that-provided the Bush team takes appropriate advantage of the possibilities-both the 2002 and 2004 elections could be nationalized around the perceptions of Bush as harassed war leader (ala Churchill, 1939 to mid 1941) versus Daschlegephardt as the traitors doing the harassing to feed their ignorant, vote fabricating left wing base. The potential effects are on the ill-informed, usually apathetic "undecided", or "independent" voters-who detest politics in general-many of whom stay home for certain elections, proudly proclaiming "They're ALL crooks!" or "Nobody represents MY view!" (whatever that view may be today). These mush-minded citizens are Morris' speciality. They are also the ones who got the WTC bombing shoved right up their asses by CNN. (Active participants on both right and left were, of course, shocked, but no one who has followed much history should be too shocked to find, once again, that the world is a dangerous and bloody place).
It's also true that a swing of as little as 100,000 votes nationwide can be the difference between a ho-hum election night and a political sea change.
The millions of mush-minded citizens Morris watches so closely can actually determine the course of American history (a dismal thought, unfortunately). What moves the bulk of them to port or starboard is depression and war. In the absence of both, they may be slightly moved by scandal (thus the hours of manufactured ads condemning Congressman Charlie or County Commissioner Mary for this or that "questionable act" or "conflict of interest"). The opportunity here was originally that Clinton left us with a bear market and a severe recession, with the Democrats screaming for tax increases in the face of it all. The opportunity that is now developing is the greater problem of "MUST we go to war led by Hillary Clinton and Tom Daschle, neither of whom can seem to decide which side they're on, or by George Bush, who is now a proven war leader and hero?" It's an opportunity that can change the course of American history for a generation... |
