Alex Cockburn: CLOUDS LOOM OVER KERRY CHALLENGE

[AmericanErrorist]

For the millions of progressives who abandoned Al Gore in 2000 and either stayed at home or voted for Ralph Nader, what has the prospective Democratic nominee, John Kerry, got to offer?

By now the answers are on the record. Kerry wants more troops in Iraq, and he wants austerity at home. By announcing April 9 that as president he would make deficit-reduction his prime task in managing the economy, Kerry as good as stated that he has no plans to combat America's greatest domestic problem: the lack of jobs, currently advertised in the notorious "jobless recovery." So what's left for the progressives to vote for?...

...While Kerry sends out his war-whoops, Nader has now got the message that since Howard Dean was run off the lot by the Democratic Party there's been no convincing peace candidate putting out the message of bring the troops home now (though even here Nader, with inexplicable caution, says "in six months"). So Nader may peel away some vital votes from Kerry on the war issue, while millions more listen to Kerry talk about the deficit and how he's not a "redistributionist," meaning he's got the economic platform of an old-line Republican.

All the while, amid a hail of bad press for the White House surrounding Woodward's book launch and the bad news from Iraq, Bush is pulling ahead in the polls. Can it be true that the Democrats have managed to find a worthy successor to Mondale and Dukakis as their champion? It's early days yet, but it's beginning to look that way.

http://www.creators.com/opinion_show.cfm?columnsName=aco

The only thing Cockburn missied is the whole ABB movement. It has brought mnay progressives over tho the dark side. Are we progressives so silly that the can back a person without any relation to us? Or ae we just doing the decent thing and trying to survive? Perhaps election Kerry would be the free market response to the situation: Bush is losing American money faster that it can be printed (including the Iraq war), so everyone goes to the canadate who can re-start the economy and create a federal surplus.

[sadiesworld]

1. Sorry, whiny brats abound.

[The Zanti Regent]

17. Remember how Cockburn lied about Hillary???????

He used his rag to repeatedly bash Hillary as a Goldwaterite.

I want to know what he is spiking his Kool Aid with!

[rainy]

2. Voting for Kerry is false hope

Face it the old Kerry of the no war days is gone. Here we have a real politician out for self and money. I hate to say it but it might take another 4 years of Bush to really make some REAL changes. If we elect Kerry, who doesn't seem to have great chances right now, we really get more of mostly the same. Sure, he'll toss some bones to the environmentalist and a few to the progressives. But mostly he will toss his lot to the Corporations and Free Marketeers.

So, is it too late to pick a better Democratic front runner?

[StClone]

3. Free me

From the inane Freepish gibberish.

Geesh Kerry has Liberal values and he'll change to get richer than the Billion he has with the Mrs?

[belle]

4. Cockburn isn't a freeper, but he is a tiresome asshat, AFAIC.

Speaking of dour. I tend not to pay him much mind.

[dammit905]

5. Yes

Yes, it really is too late. This is why the Republicans keep winning. One step at a time, man.

[billhos]

6. I think it is too late

Kerry does seem to be a man of contradictions. Probably very compartmentalized. I think if he is elected he will be pretty liberal in most things, or at least as liberal as he can be. Of course he will have to keep up his 30 million dollar houses, so in the end he may not really do away with many tax breaks for the wealthy. I think, however he has to move to the center to be electibile and that is what he is doing. I also think he is not doing it very well and comes across as clumsy. It is however too late too change horses and it would do more damage. But, he sure does not look like a winner to me. Then again I am sometimes wrong. I was wrong as late as 1987 on something. best Bill

[lancdem]

9. When Kerry starts going on the offensive

I think he might change your mind.

[billhos]

10. I think you might be right

I think he looks clumsy now, but that does not mean he won't change his stride and buck up.

[formernaderite]

14. Wake me when he does.....

...I'm getting kind of tired of waiting, and the current political climate is too negative for my energies.

[GreenPartyVoter]

12. I worry about that scenario too.. the "treading water" one.

[GOPBasher]

20. "it might take another 4 years of Bush to" make things better?

Sorry, I disagree. Another four years of Bush may just end America as we know it. Then, things CAN'T get better.

[Mz Pip]

7. Who the f*ck is

Cockburn and why should I care what he thinks?

I will not vote for Bush. I willnot Vote for Nader (vote for Bush) I will not stay home.

I will not do anything to secure a second term for the wackjob who made such a mess of his first term.

So Kerry ain't perfect. Fine. If he screws it up, I won't support his re election. Duh.

MzPip
:dem:

[rasputin1952]

11. You hit the nail right on the head MzPip...

If people would just realize that there is NO ONE who can be everything to everybody, this garbage wouldn't even be going on...:(

There is ONE THING that every American, especially Dems, should realize; this country will not survive 4 more years of bush...he HAS to go. Kerry is the option, and I'm damn sure voting for him!

:)

:kick:

[Nashyra]

13. Thank you Thank you Thankyou

I have gotten 5 new Dem voters just today. 3 new voters and 2 that changed from repuke to Dem!!!!!

[Liberal Gramma]

16. Bingo!

Why are we wasting energy criticizing our only hope? Don't the Repugs do that for us, to free us up for more productive things, like getting our neighbors registered to vote and signing up for phone banks? Of course Kerry isn't perfect. But he's a hell of a better man than Bush.

[lancdem]

8. Obviously written before that new CBS/Times poll came out

:evilgrin:

Also, Kerry is following a specific strategy to lay low while Bush runs through his money. And it appears to be working beautifully. Kerry's negatives have gone up, but so have Bush's, so the race remains close. And Kerry hasn't even really started his counterattack.

[zulchzulu]

15. Is Cockburn smoking the same bad weed as VV's Ridgeway?

They banter about the Dean and Nader thing like they are in on some secret...

Dean proved he couldn't win this time. He's doing a great job now. Most of his fans get it.

Nader is an insipid egomaniac that might appeal to Cockburn's whisky-bathed parlor talk in the Village.

The choice is simple. More bad shit from the Chimp or some decent policies with even some progressive issues with Kerry.

Have another hit, Alexander. Go back to sleep.

[Lexingtonian]

18. He's going Hitchens, isn't he?

I'm trying to remember the last time Alex Cockburn was right on just about any subject. And, like Hitchens, he thinks the country is forever stuck in enamourment with the Right.

And what's his rush to see the General election campaign for 2004 being run before it's even summer? Maybe there just are good reasons why no one asks his advice on anything of the kind.

[GOPBasher]

19. Complaining that Kerry wants to reduce the deficit?

This author obviously has the IQ of a peanut. This deficit will kill the economy if we don't do something about it. There is no way in hell we can get anything we want -- universal health care, more and better paid teachers, sound social security program, etc. -- if we don't reduce the deficit first. Bush has us in the worst fiscal shape of ALL TIME! Our house is on fire; first we have to put it out and *then*, and only then, can we start "making additions" to it.

Kerry's going to repeal the tax cuts for those making over $200,000/year. That's the first step. Once we're in better fiscal health, we can bolster our social programs.

The author forgot to mention one thing when he talked about the progressives who didn't vote for Gore. If they did vote for Gore, and he won, the treasury would still be in the black. With that money to spare, he would be fixing social security, getting more teachers and covering more people with health insurance. Now, we're years away from being in that situation. Everything is so much worse now, we can't even think about doing those things. The damage that has been done in four years is beyone my comprehension. And if we four more years of Bush, I really don't think America will survive in its current state.

[blm]

21. Does Cockburn know how to COUNT? Bush is at 46% approval with Kerry ahead

in the matchups.

Cockburn and the doom and gloomers from the left are standing on HORSESHIT to make their arguments.

Only a fool with no political acumen would take these chioken littles seriously.