I'm among the first people to say that Kerry's campaign could have been run better. Every campaign can be run better. But on the day before the last debate, I want to list some of the things Team Kerry has done very right.
1. Didn't get sucked into inevitably damaging debate about who loves God more. Conventional wisdom and the corporate press that writes it, said that Kerry had to prove to America that he loves the Baby Jesus. Kerry said, "no, my beliefs are my own" and he was right. Any discussion about religion was a lose/lose proposition for him from the start and I give him credit for leaving Rove's tarbaby alone.
2. Attacked BushCo on his perceived strength. Lately Kerry has been coming after BushCo on the grounds that "I'm a simple man of strength" may not be the best approach to leading a country in a time of a very complicated war. "Ignorance is not strength" is a good sound bite. He's used the debates to expose the limits of BushCo's thinking on foreign policy brilliantly. He's turned "resolute" into "stubborn and out-of-touch."
3. He pisses BushCo off. Atrios long ago observed that Team BushCo can't play defense. It's a systemic problem in the White House and in the campaign. It's only because of a compliant corporate press and a Congress incapable of oversight that the whole administration hasn't imploded years ago. Kerry knows that what bugs BushCo the most is a college boy with all his book learnin' telling him that he's wrong. Kerry's been up in BushCo's face with the idea that he's flat out smarter than him since the first debate. And he does it so well that America isn't even getting the idea that he's doing it. They only see an unhinged BushCo yelling on a stage, charging Charlie Gibson and stumbling through answers to what should be simple questions. Really, Kerry knows he doesn't have to do anything but make his case, stay calm and be Kerry, BushCo's natural enemy, to have all BushCo's insecurities well up and explode.
4. This one is a prediction. I'm hoping against hope that Kerry will finally unveil his Manhattan Project to solve our energy crisis tonight and follow it up with a major policy address on Thursday. From what I read in the Halbfinger story on 10/12, it seems that he's going in that direction. The debate will be the perfect venue to do it since they've been getting crazy ratings and this is the last one. Kerry's already proved that he's more presidential than BushCo, smarter than BushCo, less batshit insane than BushCo - now he needs to give America that big idea they can rally behind. Oil one of BushCo's weakest points. His answer to an energy question is to say that it's the Senate's fault for not being able to pass his bill. Then he blathers about a "hydrogen-generated automobile" and clean coal. As it happens, oil prices are sky high and our soldiers are dying every day for a cause that isn't clear. There's a blood-for-oil BushCo leitmotif running through the public consciousness for a reason. Kerry can exploit all of that tonight.
I've underestimated Kerry in the past and he's proven me wrong. I'm hoping he'll meet my expectations tonight.
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