in the final analysis we vote for someone with whom we are attuned on the issues--war, health care, education, whatever, and we hold our noses if we have to over character issues.
For me, the big issues in a Presidential election are 1) the economy - taxes, interest rates, trade, outsourcing laws, etc - and defense. Do I like what the candidate did or promises to do in these areas? Kerry and Bush have very different stances on both these issues, despite Kerry's reluctant statement that he would have gone to war against Iraq too. IMO issues like health care and education only come into play when we are at peace and the economy is booming, obviously not the case now. So yes, people who agree strongly with either candidate are not likely to be affected by the news that Kerry's "heroism" is a fraud. The impact of a character issue like this may be difficult to measure, but another possible scenario (apart from influencing the undecided) is that people who may have voted for Kerry may be so disgusted with him that they just stay home. Bush's character has been so maligned and burlesqued in the media that this issue likely will swing few Kerry voters to him. |
