John Kerry and Fourth Grade Politics
Now on to the great controversy of this election season: John Kerry flubbing a joke about poor education and Bush getting us stuck in Iraq, apparently leading some to believe he was insulting the troops in Iraq. Despite the mounting, interminable violence in Iraq and the plague of Republican sex predators and their enablers in Congress, this is the most pressing issue now, ready to swing the polls back toward the Republicans and help their chances next Tuesday.
Kerry stumbles on a line, Republicans pick up on it and, with their media enablers, and make it a big fake controversy and demand he apologize. Kerry, showing he has stones unlike in ‘04, clarified what he said and refused to apologize. Even further, he came out swinging against the right, going after Tony Snow, Rush Limbaugh, Republicans in general, and their war gone awry. Now, in what can only be comfort to the Republicans, there’s some handwringing on the Dem side, worrying that Kerry is blowing the election for the Democrats, and some Dems are showing their scared, cowardly side that the Republicans are always willing to exploit, and the media is, of course, playing right into this, making it the biggest controversy ever.
Of course, Kerry clarifies what he says, that he was calling Bush an idiot and not the troops, but the headlines and Republicans are both screaming that he insulted the troops. It doesn’t matter what he meant, it’s what he said, and if he screwed up but had different intentions and it’s not anything he meant (unlike Bush and Cheney saying, over and over, voting for Democrats means the terrorist win, which no one seems to have a problem with), then, oh well, too late, no taking it back, we gotcha, so sorry, nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah!
It’s fourth grade politics. You know how when your nine years old and you say something stupid, and then all your friends jump on it, repeat it over and over in loud voices as you try to defend yourself, even holding hands over ears, screaming, I’m not listening, I’m not listening? Well, here it is with adults in politics. Here comes McCain and Bush over to Kerry, ready to kick him in the crotch and hit him in the head with the dodge ball, and look for some Dems to pile on as well. It doesn’t matter what Kerry said yesterday or now—everyone has their hands over their ears and is stomping up and down while screaming.
Sure, maybe it would’ve been for the best that Kerry either said it right or not at all, but it happened so now we deal with it. Kerry not apologizing is great, because the standard play is that a Dem says or does something, often trivial, Republicans in lockstep call outrage and demand apology (often with Dems knocking over Republicans to get to the mic first to do both), and Dem sheepishly acquiesces, apologizes profusely, and continues being beaten from the right while he meekly recedes into the shadows. A Kerry apology would’ve only been an apology to Republicans, no one else. But Kerry performed a move that Dems (including Kerry during the ’04 election season) should’ve been doing all along: refuse to apologize and subsequently attack your opponents. When every Democrat in front of a microphone from now until Tuesday is asked if they agree with Kerry and should he apologize, as of course will happen, they should say, no apology necessary because Kerry clarified what he said and that was true, and they should proceed to talk about the failed campaign in Iraq.
If it wasn’t Kerry saying this, it would’ve been something that Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Al Franken or Barbra Streisand said, wrote, or did within the last day, last year, or last 20 years. You know something like this would come out this close to the election and that the media would be more than happy to stoke the fires. The last thing the Republicans want to do is talk about the real issues because they’re being destroyed in the polls by such reality. Some bullshit like this was going to come along and hiding our desks praying it goes away isn’t effective.
If it costs the Democrats Congress, then really, this nation is truly fucked. Kerry is not even running for office, and what he said was a misstatement not anything he believes. Yeah, the media and Republicans are pouncing it, making it more than what it is, and we have to not discount that. But it’s thin, reeeeal thin, as Danny Glover would say in Lethal Weapon. If the Democrats’ prospects—which have looked consistently upbeat throughout the year in the polls—are going to truly turn on such a flimsy dime, then there is no hope and we might as well pack it in.
Update: Kerry is now canceling some campaign appearance with Dems in light of the “controversy.” This is probably a good move, since it removes him from being a topic of their campaigns. Of course, MSNBC.com’s headline reads, “Ducking for Cover,” which of course jumps on both his military experience and the nature of the comments and implies cowardice on his part. Some liberal media, huh? Time for some more “Straight Talk” with John McCain on the subject, I suppose. Kerry comes out swinging and they now throw a coward’s tag on him. See, it doesn’t matter what he said or did, they’re going to pile on him about it. Might as well fight when that happens.
Kerry stumbles on a line, Republicans pick up on it and, with their media enablers, and make it a big fake controversy and demand he apologize. Kerry, showing he has stones unlike in ‘04, clarified what he said and refused to apologize. Even further, he came out swinging against the right, going after Tony Snow, Rush Limbaugh, Republicans in general, and their war gone awry. Now, in what can only be comfort to the Republicans, there’s some handwringing on the Dem side, worrying that Kerry is blowing the election for the Democrats, and some Dems are showing their scared, cowardly side that the Republicans are always willing to exploit, and the media is, of course, playing right into this, making it the biggest controversy ever.
Of course, Kerry clarifies what he says, that he was calling Bush an idiot and not the troops, but the headlines and Republicans are both screaming that he insulted the troops. It doesn’t matter what he meant, it’s what he said, and if he screwed up but had different intentions and it’s not anything he meant (unlike Bush and Cheney saying, over and over, voting for Democrats means the terrorist win, which no one seems to have a problem with), then, oh well, too late, no taking it back, we gotcha, so sorry, nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah!
It’s fourth grade politics. You know how when your nine years old and you say something stupid, and then all your friends jump on it, repeat it over and over in loud voices as you try to defend yourself, even holding hands over ears, screaming, I’m not listening, I’m not listening? Well, here it is with adults in politics. Here comes McCain and Bush over to Kerry, ready to kick him in the crotch and hit him in the head with the dodge ball, and look for some Dems to pile on as well. It doesn’t matter what Kerry said yesterday or now—everyone has their hands over their ears and is stomping up and down while screaming.
Sure, maybe it would’ve been for the best that Kerry either said it right or not at all, but it happened so now we deal with it. Kerry not apologizing is great, because the standard play is that a Dem says or does something, often trivial, Republicans in lockstep call outrage and demand apology (often with Dems knocking over Republicans to get to the mic first to do both), and Dem sheepishly acquiesces, apologizes profusely, and continues being beaten from the right while he meekly recedes into the shadows. A Kerry apology would’ve only been an apology to Republicans, no one else. But Kerry performed a move that Dems (including Kerry during the ’04 election season) should’ve been doing all along: refuse to apologize and subsequently attack your opponents. When every Democrat in front of a microphone from now until Tuesday is asked if they agree with Kerry and should he apologize, as of course will happen, they should say, no apology necessary because Kerry clarified what he said and that was true, and they should proceed to talk about the failed campaign in Iraq.
If it wasn’t Kerry saying this, it would’ve been something that Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Al Franken or Barbra Streisand said, wrote, or did within the last day, last year, or last 20 years. You know something like this would come out this close to the election and that the media would be more than happy to stoke the fires. The last thing the Republicans want to do is talk about the real issues because they’re being destroyed in the polls by such reality. Some bullshit like this was going to come along and hiding our desks praying it goes away isn’t effective.
If it costs the Democrats Congress, then really, this nation is truly fucked. Kerry is not even running for office, and what he said was a misstatement not anything he believes. Yeah, the media and Republicans are pouncing it, making it more than what it is, and we have to not discount that. But it’s thin, reeeeal thin, as Danny Glover would say in Lethal Weapon. If the Democrats’ prospects—which have looked consistently upbeat throughout the year in the polls—are going to truly turn on such a flimsy dime, then there is no hope and we might as well pack it in.
Update: Kerry is now canceling some campaign appearance with Dems in light of the “controversy.” This is probably a good move, since it removes him from being a topic of their campaigns. Of course, MSNBC.com’s headline reads, “Ducking for Cover,” which of course jumps on both his military experience and the nature of the comments and implies cowardice on his part. Some liberal media, huh? Time for some more “Straight Talk” with John McCain on the subject, I suppose. Kerry comes out swinging and they now throw a coward’s tag on him. See, it doesn’t matter what he said or did, they’re going to pile on him about it. Might as well fight when that happens.
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