Bush V Kerry Redux: Weird and Unexpected After-shocks

[Sensitivity]

The Bush-Kerry fracas has turned into quite a "SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM" with surprising benefits to the Democrats.

First, all lot of prissy pundits are feeling the insult to their intelligence. The have been used and abused by BushCo, and they are not keeping quite:

Tom Friedman’s “Bush thinks you’re stupid,” Andrew Sullivan “that (Bush) .. could authorize and exploit such a thing – low, low, low ..” and Christopher Hitchens “.. nothing more shamelessly distorted – quite Nixonian, is just part of this pundit backlash.

Second: Bush at his best really does not compare well with Kerry at his worst.

Regardless of the spin, Bush's smirking and snarling face on the TV trashing Kerry did not go over well against Kerry's senatorial and studied sense of dignity.

There is a lot more buyer's remorse in the electorate than most pols think.

Third, most interestingly, the folk were coaxed into thinking about Iraq more than the beleaguered congressional Republican ever wanted.

Every time BushCo lied about "our troops in Iraq" they kept reminding
people that the burning issue is not gay marriage or inter-racial dating, or
corruption on the NJ docks, or even novel sex ---- but IRAQ.

The Democratic critique of Bush's Iraq debacle got a lot more free airtime in every possible media than it could conceivably have received without the "cover" of a bash-Kerry story.

The farcical and disingenuous debate about Kerry’s “botched joke” was unpleasant to liberal activists, but it may have been just the sweet liqueur that helped the folks swallow the bitter reminder of the Bush FIASCO.

By the end of the day, the folk may be more convinced than ever that "Bush is really stupid."

Did Rove just make his election-rig assignment a lot harder?

[requiem99]

1. To the final bolded quote: No. It's still easy to claim high base turnout with fixed numbers.

[riverwalker]

2. Rove didn't count on Haggard

to take the wind out of the base.

[elehhhhna]

4. don't you mean "suck the wind..."

[Sensitivity]

13. It is hard for Dems to take credit for the self-destruction of the RW

They have really outed themselves.

[DeeDeeNY]

3. Cause for optimism

The fact that they had to seize on this one botched joke the way they did means maybe they don't have a surprise OBL tape or heightened security alert ready to go the day before the election.

[Sensitivity]

18. Their Nov Surprise plans are in caos, I think.

[wisteria]

5. I am relieved it has been turning out as it has. Kerry was the victim

of a deliberate smear tactic and he wasn't even running for an office. I do however, remain angry and very disappointed in our party leaders that were stupid and fell for this hook,line, and sinker. Kerry knew better, but they were all more concerned with their own self-interests (those in tight races in Southern states I will give half a pass to) and listening to the out of touch Washington insiders who seem more an more to be giving bad advice.
You know, I am not a fan of Carville, but he got it too.

[Sensitivity]

7. Big revelation is about the "whipped " psychology of the Dem Party

[blm]

9. Dem STRATEGIST wing ran scared and sided with Bush over Kerry.

,

[Sensitivity]

14. At least Carville didn't go along with the cowardly crap.

[blm]

16. only on the outside....who was advising Clinton behind closed doors?

Outwardly, Carville was advising DNC in 2004 - behind closed doors he was caught feeding privileged info to Matalin on election night.

[Sensitivity]

17. I can't damn a guy for talking to his wife -- after the election. Bad judgement

but forgiveable.

[wisteria]

19. I am no fan of his, but he got it. Maybe, he should come over to

Kerry's camp and drop her majesty.

[Sensitivity]

20. Does Kerry have a "camp"? I get the feeling that Kerry does not

standing group of really engaged advisors. He could have handled the "botched joke"
better if he had.

[Doctor_J]

6. Jimmy Kimmel

"thank God we are protected from a decorated war hero like John Kerry by draft dodgers like Bush and Cheney".

[SouthernBelle82]

8. I like that

Very good to point out.

[MH1]

10. There was a dailykos diary pointing out Bush's high disapproval ratings

- 57% by Rasmussen, iirc - and that anything that put Bush more front and center in this campaign, would most likely be a benefit to Democrats.

Not to mention "nationalizing" the election when most candidates were striving mightily to keep their races local and about them, not their party.

I tend to agree. It must suck to be John Kerry right now, but I'm not totally convinced there was any net loss to the Democratic Party. (And as a Kerry supporter, I take comfort knowing the man's been kicked hard before, and he's always gotten back up and kept fighting for us. JK will be fine. Hillary may remain bruised by her show of cowardice though.)

[Shadoobie]

11. Bush at his best

Bush says something smart as often as Kerry says something dumb. And just like Kerry, it's an accident.

Greg

[Joe Chi Minh]

12. A good post, Sensitivity. But I don't think, "buyers' remorse" quite

rings true.

Neither the American public nor the US "bought" Bushco in 2002, or in 2000. Extra-terrestrial machines and extra-curricular judges, respectively, were responsible for this bizarre inter-regnum.

I don't think you can afford to wait for * to attain his majority, least of all with Lon Cheney as Regent.

[seabeyond]

15. reminder to the american people how bushco uses emotional turmoil

(kerry bashing troops) for the american people to experience, and it wasnt true. was wasted emotion for them. to only find out they were fools believing bush, kerry actually bashed troops.

this is what is disgusting the repugs with their party. and bushco did it clearly, in the face, no finese, but obvious. total without conscience manipulation of the people

[Sensitivity]

21. PISSED is the emotion as folks realize they have been scammed by Bush

AGAIN.