Progressives and the disaffected are rife with them. Guns, abortion rights, and now Iraq war votes. Please give this excellent summary from
First Read re state of the campaign. Also note opinion re Bush attacks (which worry some of us):
USA Today, in a long story laying out and preemptively truth-squadding various possible points of GOP attack on Kerry: "Already, Republicans are depicting Kerry as a product of Washington, beholden to special interests and out of touch with regular Americans," as well as a "Massachusetts liberal."
"The drawback to the Bush strategy is that much of it has been tried before, most recently by Kerry's rivals for the nomination... Those criticisms have not slowed Kerry in the Democratic primaries. But Bush strategists believe that the sustained attack they began last week will take hold with voters and raise doubts. Bush's campaign will have at least $170 million to spend, much of it on TV ads hammering Kerry's record."
Disclaimer: This is not a call for unity, or browbeating for whom you have to vote for, it's a report of what's happening and that's all.
I am always struck by these reports because they vary so much from the impression one gets just reading here. There are some of us who have major, major problems with kerry's Iraq vote and think he's doomed by it. Others of us, and apparently most of the voters, think it's a non-issue since it's Bush's war in the voter's mind, not Kerry's war or Edwards' war.
The biggest tent allows the most varied of opinions. And garners the most votes. That'll be an important concept as Kerry and co. inevitably vie for the center with the GOoPer extremists in the WH.
Tolerance and compromise; two words in short supply everywhere.
On the flip side, the Wall Street Journal considers the "beat Bush"-driven rush to unify behind Kerry: "To a surprising degree, Democratic factions aren't feuding. Instead, they are agreeing as rarely before to put aside litmus tests and policy disputes to pursue what all of them have decided is a paramount goal: dumping George W. Bush."
"Labor unions are swinging behind John Kerry, even though the Massachusetts senator has always voted for free-trade deals. Gay and lesbian activists are preparing to do the same even though Mr. Kerry opposes gay marriage and hasn't taken a stand on a constitutional amendment to prohibit it in his home state. So are gun-control activists, even though Mr. Kerry poses for pictures with his hunting rifle."
"Liberal African-American leaders are also embracing Mr. Kerry even as old statements from the Massachusetts senator surface in which he noted adverse effects of affirmative action. The chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, who previously endorsed Mr. Dean, is calling on the former Vermont governor to quit the race while preparing to meet with Mr. Kerry."
Another Journal story adds: "Like the rest of the Democratic establishment, the party's deep-pocketed supporters on Wall Street and in New York's business community now are coalescing around Sen. Kerry."
Even the Kerry campaign is seeking to make the most of the situation, issuing an e-mail solicitation that reads, "Although the Republicans' misleading and negative focus on our campaign may make it seem otherwise, the Democratic nomination is not decided... Especially since nearly three-quarters of delegates must still be chosen."