Hewitt - The sprint to the end begins with a very good morning for the president. John Kerry is behind, falling even further back, and forced to give interviews that even when conducted by friendlies, end up hurting him.
John Kerry with Katie Couric this morning, using very old plays from a failed playbook:
"Couric: The Bush campaign is planning to spend the final days of this election saying, "you are weak on terrorism." Dick Cheney has talked about the fact that you voted against the first Gulf War [and] Saddam Hussein would still be in power, he Soviet Union would still exist if it (laughter) were up to you. You voted against intelligence funding after the first world trade center attack in '93. You don't have the record to be a Commander-in-Chief and this weakness invites more terrorism.
Sen. Kerry: Now let me just look you and America in the eye and tell you this. Unlike Dick Cheney and George Bush, I put my life on my line for my country when it counted. I fought for this nation and I defended it as a young man and I will defend America as President of the United States. I have supported the biggest military budgets in American history. I’ve supported the biggest intelligence budgets in American history. I'm not going to take a second seat to anybody about the passion that I bring to defending America."
Kerry. Has. No. Answer. Katie didn't even play hardball ("About that magic hat, Senator, or your non-meetings with the Security Council..."), and Kerry still can't come up with an answer to his nuclear freeze, defense cutting, anti-war voting record. So the last week of the campaign begins on exactly the right issue: Which man is better equipped to run the global war on terrorism --the Commander-in-Chief, or the Massachusetts' liberal who has always been anti-war and anti-defense, who voted against the first Gulf War and against supplies for the troops in the war in Iraq while continually mocking our reliable allies in a vain effort to court France's approval?
Arnold's going to Ohio this week. I know he's headed towards Columbus, but I hope he also makes it to my hometown of Warren, perhaps with Maria, to my alma mater --John F. Kennedy High School, which opened 40 years ago. Northeast Ohio is full of Jack Kennedy Catholics, and their votes will enthusiastically go the president whether or not they get a visit by a big to Warren's city Mollenkoph Stadium or the JFK gym, but it would be fun to watch. This part of the state is full of great Catholic high schools like Youngstown's Mooney and Ursaline, Cleveland's St. Edwards, Akron's Saint Vincent-Saint Mary, well the list goes on and on. But Warren Kennedy seems like a perfect place for Arnold to stop.
Speaking of Ohio, Slate's Chris Suellentrop looks at the big Dem push for new voters, and reveals some disappointing numbers for Kerry:
"In Ohio, ACT sends out between 200 and 250 paid canvassers each day. They get paid between $8 and $10 an hour. Setzer reels off impressive numbers: We've knocked on 3.7 million doors in Ohio, had more than 1 million conversations. On Election Day, ACT will send out 12,000 volunteers, each paid a stipend of $75 for travel and expenses, to make sure voters get to the polls. ACT and the partner organizations that make up America Votes have registered about 300,000 new voters in Ohio, and they'll consider it a success to turn out just half of them. Those voters alone, though, wouldn't swing the election. Four years ago, Bush's margin of victory was nearly 180,000 votes. In all, Ohio has between 700,000 and 800,000 new voters for this election, though Setzer points out that some of that could just be churn from voters who moved."
Not only "churn," but also fraud. Here's a Cincinnati Enquirer article on the returned cards to "new voters." Read down to the bottom for a glimpse of the GOP organization. No crack cocaine was used in the recruitment of that volunteer structure.
The direction of Zogby's tracking over the weekend was great, with Bush adding another point this morning, to a 3 point lead, and with Zogby asserting a double digit lead for the president among independents.
Finally this morning, there is a Washington Post article on pre-election anxiety disorder among political junkies who can't sleep etc. It is a fluffy little piece until the end, where we are treated to lectures on political civility, and what Republicans and Democrats really fear:
"Republicans fear a Kerry victory will mean appeasement to the terrorists and the French, and will be a major step toward the ultimate horror, a Hillary presidency. Democrats believe a Bush reelection will mean endless war and a return to the economic system known as feudalism."
People are invested emotionally in the race because of the race's impact on the war. Those who want out --even though there is no "out"-- know that Kerry is Michael Moore's guy, and will withdraw asap from Iraq. Those who know there is no alternative know that Bush isn't for turning, and that the enemy in Iraq and around the globe would love to stage an "ultimate horror" far, far worse than any second Clinton presidency. A reporter and an editor who can write or allow to pass such a sill phrase as "the ultimate horror, a Hillary presidency" just don't get it. I wonder where they were on 9/11? |
