Sometimes it's helpful to read the more conservative press to get away from the echo chamber we set up here. And in looking ahead to a Kerry-Bush battle (yeah, it ain't over yet) it does seem clear that part of Kerry's strategery is moving toward the middle while painting Bush as a right-wing extremist (which, btw, BushCo is). (John Harwood in the WSJ):
The weakened state of his challengers freed Sen. Kerry over the weekend to begin casting the November election as a choice between, in his words, "the mainstream values that have defined our country" and "the extreme path of the Bush administration, a path fundamentally at odds with our history and our hopes." He accused the president of leaving the U.S. "weaker economically" with tax cuts for the affluent and "weaker militarily by overextending our forces, overstraining our reserves and driving away our allies."
Moreover, Sen. Kerry made clear his intent to use his decorated Vietnam service to defend himself against charges of excessive liberalism and offer a contrast with Mr. Bush's wartime stint in the U.S. National Guard. Thanking veterans for their support, he said in Richmond, Va., that "we may be a little older, a little grayer, but we still know how to fight for our country."
Mr. Bush, by contrast, was forced to defend his Guard service against charges from Democratic National Chairman Terry McAuliffe that he had gone "AWOL," or absent without leave, by failing to report for part of his duty in the early 1970s. On "Meet the Press," the president said, "I put in my time" and was honorably discharged, while pledging to make public any military pay stubs or tax records that could substantiate his record of service.
'Course, that doesn't make Kerry especially popular around here, even if it wins elections.
Mr. Bush's appearance underscored how much the president's record -- on the war, the messy occupation of Iraq and the economic strength of the U.S. -- has placed him on the defensive as momentum gathers for the 2004 campaign. Bush campaign aides had hoped to dominate the early election agenda with his State of the Union address, the budget proposal he unveiled last week and campaign-style appearances in critical states. But they have grown concerned that the president's message isn't breaking through the national focus on the Democratic primaries, not to mention the increasingly critical public assessments of his job performance.
It's always a fine line between swinging middle and keeping the base. So expect howls of protest at one point or another from posters about something Kerry said (or didn't say), or about what he did (or didn't do) as Kerry attempts the difficult task of going about the job of winning the election in November (and it will be difficult, as even our cloudy crystal ball predicts).
Part of Kerry's appeal has been to moderates and independents. Not a group especially admired and emulated on dKos, but an important chunk of voters nonetheless, who often win elections. They used to be called swing voters. I think now they're called sheeple.
Doesn't mean his feet shouldn't be kept to the fire on this stuff (see gay marriage and its nuances). But we're awfully good of losing sight of the forest in fighting for the trees.
