...I'm okay with being REALITY-based.




Monday, July 05, 2004
      ( 3:44 PM )
 
Speculation Conflagration!

Busy bees are buzzing. Who will Kerry pick? The annoucement supposedly will be made at the close of the July 4 weekend (Tuesday morning). Kos makes a good argument for why we should support Gep if he is the pick, among other reasons:

Is Gephardt my favorite choice? Nope. But neither was Kerry. I consider Kerry the "last gasp of the old establishment", and who better to close out the current chapter of our party's history than another stalwarth of that old establishment? Gephardt.

This mama's personal opinion has always been that Edwards is the better choice simply because Kerry still has a "vision deficit," in my opinion. As much as he is trying to fight the negatives of the Bush war machine, he has so far been unable to articulate a clear vision or even a catch slogan that inspires hope. Edwards' campaign showed that his positive message and his ability to speak with such passion about the tough issues like poverty and race really appealed to people. While politically, Edwards may seem a risk to some of the Dem old guard because of his own aspirations, I think Kerry doesn't have many better choices.

Edwards has the name recognition, the young spirit and energy the campaign needs. He is the absolute contrast to Cheney, which in most dem voters' estimation is an excellent quality. Being a trail attorney, he will do well in any debate or press conference situation. While some people don't like the "trial attorney" label, that is merely another outcropping of the Repbulican Wurlitzer, like "liberal media" - a phrase that connotes evil despite reality.

In any event, while Kos' final estimation is that this election is the last gasp of the Democratic "old guard" and that we will have our progressive candidate next time, I do not agree that it's okay just to "let them have it" this time. The entire point of government is to maintain the status quo, and if we don't fight hard NOW for a progressive voice and a new face in the Democratic party, we can't guarantee that a neo-Democrat will be the candidate next time around. In my estimation, Edwards bridges the gap very well. He is still rich and white and voted for things like NAFTA and the Patriot Act. At the same time, he is young, went against the DLC and was endorsed by Nader early on for his progressive votes in the Senate and his willingness to discuss issues of poverty and race.

I guess the mystery will be put to rest tomorrow. But my vote is in. Of course I went down in the last round too. Sigh.

| -- permanent link