We've had so many diaries in the past 24 hours lamenting the (supposed) state of the race, and predicting doom for the Kerry campaign. I've been here since November of last year, and I can't recall any single day that was as nervous and negative as today.
In an effort to turn that around, please post here what you are doing between now and election day to help Kerry win.
Kerry has yet to go all-out negative on BC04. When do you think he will and how will he do it? The upside to this argument is that when people finally have their doubts about Bushco articulated by effective ads, it will reduce Bush's approval and favorability ratings even further and make it that much harder for Bush to stage a comeback. The downside to this approach is that negative campaigning damps turnout. And higher turnout is always better for Democrats.
What are some of the issues Kerry should go negative on, either with his own money or through 527 surrogates? Is it over the line for a Dem surrogate group to imply in an ad that Bush will reinstate the draft if he's elected?
I went to a great fundraiser for John Edwards yesterday, the first I'd ever attended. It was held at Sunset Station, San Antonio's old railroad station just east of downtown that has now been converted into a cluster of restaurants and bars. My sister and I drove down from Austin and arrived at 11:30, when the event was due to begin. I was surprised that there was no security at the entrance to the Mexican food restaurant where the attendees were served brunch, i.e. no electronic monitors or wands.
According to this article in today's Times, the Bush campaign is suspending its ads for the next few days, and possibly through June 30. Their stated rationale for doing so is that no one is paying attention to the campaign right now and they don't want to waste funds. The Kerry campaign responded by saying that Bush is running out of money and needs to conserve his resources.
I tend to like mostly fiction, but this being a presidential election year, I feel like reading a good presidential biography. I've heard that the John Adams bio by David McCullough is well-written, although perhaps too sentimental in its appraisal of the man. I'm also interested in learning more about FDR, but there seems to be such a mass of books about him that it's hard to know where to begin. Likewise with LBJ. I'd love to get some recommendations for my reading list from the eminently well-informed membership here. I'm open to reading about modern-era Republican presidents as well, but only if the biography is superbly written.
OK, many of us are bruised, discouraged, fuming mad, or filling out our visa applications to New Zealand. With the idea that a little humor never hurt anyone, I'm hereby suggesting a tin-foil hat thread. No idea is too crazy, far-fetched, paranoid, trivial, grandiose or silly here.
If Dean doesn't win the Democratic nomination, what political role do you see him playing in the future? Of course, this depends on how the presidential election plays out, so I'm listing various potential scenarios below:
Several polls out this week showed a significant (even if probably temporary) jump in people who said that the U.S. is safer now that Saddam has been captured and that his arrest represents progress in the war on terror. It occurs to me that this is more than anything an example of desperate wishful thinking on many Americans' part. I think more people are experiencing a constant low-grade anxiety than ever before since 9/11 and they're just looking for someone who can make them feel safer and more secure (hence Bush repeating this phrase ad nauseum at his post-Saddam press conference).
In fact, I believe that this will be the theme upon which Bush will base his campaign: "Vote for me, because I'll make you feel safe." (The subtext of this message, of course, is that the world is a fearful place and the voters need protecting.) My question is: What theme should the Democratic nominee choose in contrast to this? Something short, concise and positive that appeals to people at the gut level and differentiates him from Bush. I myself can't think of any at the moment (Friday before the holidays, don't you know), but I'd be interested in hearing what Dean or Clark should present to the American people, assuming one of them is the nominee. Any thoughts?
Hi, this is my first time posting a diary, so bear with me. My question is: What is being done by the Democrats to bring out the African-American vote en masse next November? I realize that this is probably the most hard-core ABB constituency out there, but does that mean that this group will actually go to the polls come Election Day? There was huge turnout for Gore in 2000, I think largely because of his association with Clinton, whose popularity with most African-Americans is unparalleled. Will we see Clinton actively stumping among the A-A community after the nomination? If Dean does become the nominee, do you think he's doing enough right now to court this demographic or is he waiting to get past Iowa and NH first?
