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.

What’s the Plan, Man?

As I mentioned in the previous post, Rahm Emmanuel was on GMA this morning and was unable to articulate clearly the Democrats’ plan for Iraq. What, you say, the Republicans have been in charge for the entire course of this war and haven’t had a plan and don’t have one to get out and, if a Democrat has an idea, is immediately dismissed as a cut-and-run, al Qaeda-cheering, unpatriotic liberal traitor and no one calls them on it? P-shaw!

Look, as has been said many times I’m sure, the Democrats need to talk articulately about these things, even if they are shouted or no one listens, no matter the fairness of the other side not being called to task about the same things. For Iraq, here’s a close approximation of what I would say, if I were Rahm Emmanuel:

Iraq is not an easy situation, and a solution can’t be reduced to a sound bite, and the Democrats and myself know this. The reality is is that is no black and white situation, as George W. Bush wants it to be, much like many things in life. But we’re committed to doing something about it.

Unlike what the media says, we have ideas. Jack Murtha has a plan, and you can check his House Web page for more specifics, to redeploy and contain our soldiers in Iraq. Jack Murtha, a decorated war veteran, a man referred to as “the heart and soul of the military,” and someone who had the respect of both parties until he differed with the Republican president, was called a cut-and-run traitor by the Republicans when he suggested this plan last year. Congresswoman Jean Schmidt, an Ohio Republican, referred to him as a coward when he was offering the start of a Democratic plan, what you, the media, and Republicans have been clamoring for us to do. Let me tell you, in case you don’t know, it’s hard to have your voice heard when you’re the minority in both chambers of Congress and the President is of an opposite party. Right now, we don’t control the committees, we don’t control what legislation hits the floor.

Since the Iraq situation is complex, Democrats have a lot of different ideas about what to do. Some call for a timetable to exit, some call for immediate withdrawal, and some call for more troops to secure that country. But we don’t call for “stay the course,” which was the Republican idea until they found it didn’t poll well and they stopped calling it that.

And let me be frank—the media, following the talking points of Republicans, keeps saying, the Democrats don’t have a plan for Iraq. That’s flat out wrong and is a statement made to make it look like we’re somehow weak. Weakness is not admitting you’re wrong, weakness is not doing anything differently when things are going poorly, weakness is attacking and calling your fellow Americans disparaging names when they have different opinions.

Here’s where the legislative role comes in, and something that will look weird to you, the media, and Republicans: we will discuss it on the floor and work out a compromise and do what’s best for the U.S. A legislature that upholds its constitutional responsibilities and is not a rubber stamp for the President. Amazing, huh?

If you want a sound bite, for what’s it worth, here it is: the Democrats are committed to getting, at minimum, the bulk of our troops out of Iraq as soon as possible. This is not “cutting-and-running,” as it will be called, but a sensible overall strategy for extricating ourselves from this poorly managed, disastrous war.

Now I challenge you to ask the Republicans what their plan is if they maintain control of Congress. If it’s “stay the course” or some other wording of the same idea, ask them why they are sticking with a failed plan.

Wile E. Coyote Politics

Happy Halloween. But the trick-or-treating is still a week away.

Just watching some snippets of the network morning shows this morning—yeah, shoot me—I can see the networks are doing their best for the Republicans with a week to go. Karl Rove, George W. Bush, and Dick Cheney are brimming with confidence, so things must be swinging their way. The tag line at the bottom of Good Morning America read, “Are Democrats Losing Ground?” and George Stephanapoulos says indeed, yes they are, in the races for Mark Foley’s and Tom DeLay’s seats! Wow, he found two examples—two extraordinary, unusual circumstances races in solid R districts to prove the point.

On the Today Show, they went to Tony Snow for some “analysis” on the elections (I couldn’t stomach to watch it—I wonder what he said?). Also, they brought up the 2004 election and how the last minute Bin Laden tape sealed the deal for Bush—will it happen again (a “November Surprise,” as they called it). Side note: of course, if you believe the Republican narrative that Bin Laden, in full Wile E. Coyote mode, was trying to influence the elections and have his stateside sympathizers and enablers, the Democratic Party, elected to power, but was thwarted by the God-fearing, bold and courageous citizens of the U.S. who voted for Bush and thusly against terrorism, then, with this result, and with Bin Laden being a despicable murderer but obviously not an idiot, why would he do it again if the result is a Republican victory?

Also, Rahm Emmanuel was on GMA and, as any good establishment Dem is, completely unable to articulate, in simple sound bite terms, a plan for Iraq (more on this later). He was able to articulate other goals, but of course, this was irrelevant to the talking head who kept saying, but is your plan for Iraq? Ah, if only the media would’ve bothered pressing Bush and the Republicans about a plan the last three years.

There’s still a week to go, and the election still has to be held, but here we are, the conservative media desperately looking for a rah-rah story for those beleaguered underdog Republicans and treating this whole thing like a damn football game now that we’re close. Look at the polls for the better part of the year—the Dems have held consistent significant leads over Republicans in general balloting and in specific races, they have been ahead, and in many races where they would not have been considered competitive six months ago, they are making gains. These aren’t last minute, one or two polls showing the Dems ahead. This is consistent polling, across many polls, for 6-8 months. A week to go, these numbers have relatively stayed the same.

Sure, the Republicans have many solid things, including GOTV, money, sleazy strategists like Karl Rove, and incumbency, and the Dems are still behind in these things though they’ve closed the gap a lot and of course, with their recent history, should not be complacent, but let’s get real here. Things aren’t looking so hot for the Republicans. Even if, “magically,” they will still be in a lot of trouble because they will see it as vindication of everything they do and a rejection of all Democrats, when it’ll be nothing of the sort. Nothing will change, because they are arrogant and can’t admit they’re wrong (unless their political lives are on the line, then they might) and will continue doing what they’re doing.

It’ll only be 2 years until 2008, though. Groan if you will, but the Presidential race will be starting soon. There will be no time to sit back and relax.