...in offices around the country. Well, at least in mine. The brief chatter by the water cooler or in the elevator goes something like this:
"How is it going?"
"Well, you know what Bush said: 'It's hard work. Really hard work. And ...err... yeah... it's hard work, you know...'"
Bush has become the laughing stock among educated conservative swing voters. I cannot imagine how conservative working class people all around the country cannot be anything but pissed off about Bush, who never had to work in his life, but who said that it's hard work eleven times in 90 minutes.
Maybe these people are not yet Kerry voters, but sure as hell Kerry and Bush have given them many reasons to at least stay home and NOT vote Bush.
The general feeling among my conservative co-workers was one of embarrassment for Bush and surprise about Kerry. "Bush could have done a little better and I was surprised how well Kerry did", one said. He still called it a tie, but he really knows it wasn't. Would he still vote Bush today? Maybe. But there's three more debates coming up and he'll watch them - and after three more debates like this, he might well stay home Nov 2, because it's become too embarrassing to vote Bush.
Also, he pretty quickly changed to the next subject: taxes. No, his total tax burden didn't actually go down under Bush, he admitted, but he feels like under Kerry, it'll be even worse.
Round one of the debate has settled the score on Iraq and on who will be the better commander-in-chief. Kerry is the clear winner. Bush didn't gain any new votes. Some, maybe a lot, conservatives will stay home. Kerry won some undecideds. In this tight race -and it is very tight, nevermind Gallup, just check out Zogby, one of the few who had it right in 2000 - this means alot.
Next rounds: taxes and the economy. Just as Kerry has established himself as a very plausible commander in chief for these voters, he will establish himself as the guy who will not raise middle-class taxes, but will raise taxes on the rich, and he will tell the American people why that's a good thing. He will be clear on why that doesn't mean lost jobs for small businesses and why, in fact, healthcare is a boost especially for small businesses and the economy as a whole. I think that this will be key again: there's a wrong way to reduce taxes to stimulate the economy, and there's a right way. Kerry's way is the right way, and healthcare is an essential part of that right way, as healthcare is not a liability, but an investment.
Yes, I was a little worried before the debate. But Kerry clearly has a working strategy to win this race - and he will win on Nov 2.
