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Edwards
wave has crested
by
IseFire
- Tue 02/17/04; 10:51 pm EST
Edwards
came in a close second in WI. But, I think maybe
his wave has crested.
One
main reason is simply this: Edwards' message
can and will be co-opted by Kerry. Conversely, Edwards can't
overnight become a war veteran. Kerry in his victory
speech sounded more like Edwards (but w/o as passionate of a delivery!);
Kerry stressed the unfairness of the US's trade agreements. That's
a far more typical Edwards or even Dean line.
The message is getting co-opted already...and I like that fact:
it's further proof that Kerry can adjust his message without compromising
its heart. (According to both my research and my own recollections,
the "Real Deal" nickname/motto Kerry uses was first applied
to Clark. Kerry co-opted that, too. But if someone else runs with
your idea better than you can yourself, is that "wrong"?
Nah.)
Other reasons to think the Edwards wave has crested despite his
strong showing tonight: *Edwards out-spent Kerry in WI. But
now Kerry has quite a bit more money left over.
*Edwards spent more time in WI. But while Edwards campaigned
in WI, Kerry was spending more time in several states with upcoming
primaries.
*Also, some unions lately
have switched to Kerry from Dean. I don't know any that have switched
to Edwards.
*Edwards has won only one contest--South Carolina--and hasn't
won any other southern states! In OK, Wes
Clark, now not even in the race, out-performed Edwards, albeit just
slightly.
No matter how you slice it or dice it, Kerry's victory recently
in Southern states made the nomination his to lose. That's still
the case tonight.
Dean's
exit strategy
by
IseFire
- Sun 02/15/04; 11:31 pm EST
It's not a full-fledged strategy, but
a "vision thing" for Dean that I welcome: Dean
will find a way to use his influence to help in Congressional races.
[Excerpt: Officials said they are discussing ways to use Dean's
network to help elect Democrats to Congress, action that effectively,
but not directly, support Kerry's agenda as president.]
NYC
nightlife is part of what makes the Big Apple big
by
IseFire
- Sun 02/15/04; 10:47 pm EST
My dear friend Bob Zuckerman, the Exec.
Dir. of the New
York Nightlife Association, was recently quoted
by the BBC in an article about something that, as
a progressive, I oppose: a plan by the NYC Dept. of Consumer Affairs
(DCA) to further create a Big Brother like morality police environment
here by curtailing private citizens' behavior and pursuit of happiness.
The DCA is proposing a new licensing regime that would essentially
close NYC bars and clubs at 1 a.m. International tourism also
would be hurt further by such a policy; international tourism is
already way down in NYC because of the Mayor's smoking ban, which
has forced all the noise from inside bars and clubs out onto the
sidewalk, disrupting quality of life all over the city.
Bloomberg, the "let me tell you how to live" Republican
mayor, needs to go, a Democratic candidate--whether it's Speaker
of the NY
City Council Gifford Miller, NYC Controller
Bill Thompson, Congressman Anthony Wiener, or someone else, needs
to oust "Bloomy" in 2005, before the City That Never Sleeps
becomes The Sleepy City, and ceases to be what it has always been,
and instead becomes a giant gentrified hell hole of Baby Gaps and
quiet zones, devoid of the nighttime frenzy that's always been part
of its legacy as a center for emerging art, thought, and cultural
trends.
Breaking
AP story: Bush administration shelved MTBE ban
by
IseFire
- Sun 02/15/04; 7:44 pm EST
[Excerpt]
The Bush administration quietly shelved a proposal to ban a gasoline
additive that contaminates drinking water in many communities, helping
an industry that has donated more than $1 million to Republicans.
Read
more here.
Interview
with Trippi
by
IseFire
- Sun 02/15/04; 7:04 pm EST
Here's a very interesting interview
with Joe Trippi. It keals a lot with assessing the
dymanics of the primary process and some IT aspects of the Dean
campaign.
I don't have much to offer beyond that. An old friend in New Haven,
CT, e-mailed me the below joke. Okay, it's not the most insightful
IseFire post ever, but I'm utterly drained from long and--more consequentially--intense
days at work, plus getting together CFD's largest newsletter of
the year this week, the February Board elections issue. So passing
along a joke is about all I can muster this weekend. I promise better
this upcoming week!
Government
Announcement
The
government today announced that it is changing its emblem from an
Eagle to a condom because it more accurately reflects the government's
political stance.
A
condom doesn't mind inflation, halts production, destroys the next
generation, protects a bunch of pricks, and gives you a sense of
security while you're actually being screwed.
1969:
Kerry fights and bleeds, while Nixon flies Dubya to White House
for a date with his daughter
by
IseFire
- Wed 02/11/04; 7:34 am EST
Compare
Kerry's service (3 purple hearts, acts of heroism) with George W.
Bush's (political favors to avoid real tests; flying in the "Champagne
Unit" for rich kids).
My
horse is out of the race
by
IseFire
- Wed 02/11/04; 2:14 am EST
Wes
Clark is dropping out. He did well for a total novice
to national politics, and political blogs tonight are abuzz with
praise for the contributions he's made to the rediscovered "voice"
of the Democrats, and to his ability to shield Dems from the right-wing's
insidious and cheap charge of being unpatriotic or "weak on
defense." (My spin: Damn right we're weak on defense; it's
all OFFENSE now--We're on the attack, and Rove's worried!) The
meme developing is that the two candidates who contributed
most to a lost party's sense of self, the same
two to bring the most new people into
the party as well, are Clark and Dean. Kerry's lying if he ever
says their messages haven't improved his own, and he--we--will need
every one of those Deaniacs and Clark foot soilders if we're to
win in November.
Cartoon by Mike Luckovich of Atlanta
Journal-Constitution
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