Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Bush v. Kerry Episode III
Alas, tonight is the last of the three debates. I'm a little afraid for my boy John. Bush is likely to be on drugs again (still the only real explanation as to why he was leaping around the room in the last debate and yelling like Howard Dean), only he's sort of desperate now, since at the very least, Kerry has pulled even. From all accounts, the talking heads seem to believe that Bush is going to start the "liberal" finger pointing game, which is sort of interesting. From TNR:
But, I think the talking heads miss the point. Bush is NOT a liberal when it comes to things like abortion, or stem cells, or pretty much any issue where the Christian Coalition has a cohesive opinion. And I have a feeling that will be part of the debate tonight, since those are just as important to "domestic" policy as is the economy.
I want to hear Bush call Kerry a baby-killer. I have been praying that someone has given Kerry a decent 10 word answer (yeah West Wing!) that does not involve the sentence "I was an altar boy." I want to talk about guns. I want to talk about immigration. I want to talk about Baby Boomers. I want to talk about free trade.
And I want to hear a public version of why it matters that Bush would appoint a Supreme Court justice that is against the Dred Scott decision (Cliff Notes explanation: Dred Scott is Newspeak for Roe v Wade, i.e. you can't reduce a black person/unborn fetus to non-person status and a) own them or b) kill them at will without punishment. At first I was skeptical, but the more I think about it, the more I am convinced this is what the President meant, and it scares the crap out of me.) I want Kerry to be able to explain this so that everyone in Ohio understands it.
Most of all, I want Kerry to call Bush the "L" word - and I'd settle for either "liberal" or "liar." Bush wins the Beer Poll (Which candidate would you rather meet for a beer after work?) and clearly, no one cares. I want Kerry to come out swinging and hit a home run. This is it. There is no next time.
In other words, go Sox. I'm rooting for Boston tonight, whether I'm looking at Fox (not likely) or NBC.
Tonight, Kerry could render the "liberal" attack impotent if he were to prepare a similar in-your-face reply to Bush on spending and deficits. Rather than try to prove that Bush isn't a compassionate conservative, Kerry could simply remind voters what Bush is: a free-spending, deficit-raising, big-government president. Or, according to the GOP definition, a liberal.
But, I think the talking heads miss the point. Bush is NOT a liberal when it comes to things like abortion, or stem cells, or pretty much any issue where the Christian Coalition has a cohesive opinion. And I have a feeling that will be part of the debate tonight, since those are just as important to "domestic" policy as is the economy.
I want to hear Bush call Kerry a baby-killer. I have been praying that someone has given Kerry a decent 10 word answer (yeah West Wing!) that does not involve the sentence "I was an altar boy." I want to talk about guns. I want to talk about immigration. I want to talk about Baby Boomers. I want to talk about free trade.
And I want to hear a public version of why it matters that Bush would appoint a Supreme Court justice that is against the Dred Scott decision (Cliff Notes explanation: Dred Scott is Newspeak for Roe v Wade, i.e. you can't reduce a black person/unborn fetus to non-person status and a) own them or b) kill them at will without punishment. At first I was skeptical, but the more I think about it, the more I am convinced this is what the President meant, and it scares the crap out of me.) I want Kerry to be able to explain this so that everyone in Ohio understands it.
Most of all, I want Kerry to call Bush the "L" word - and I'd settle for either "liberal" or "liar." Bush wins the Beer Poll (Which candidate would you rather meet for a beer after work?) and clearly, no one cares. I want Kerry to come out swinging and hit a home run. This is it. There is no next time.
In other words, go Sox. I'm rooting for Boston tonight, whether I'm looking at Fox (not likely) or NBC.
