I've been thinking about John Kerry, and how totally uninspired I am by him.  I like his politics, I respect him, he seems to very smart, pretty good resume, blah blah blah.

And yet, I just can't get excited.  He doesn't seem like a really strong candidate (though it's very important to keep his primary experience in mind--he seemed weak for the longest time and then suddenly started kicking ass) and seems kind of.....flat.

But then I was thinking about politicians in general, and realizing that hardly any inspire me, despite my near-obsession with politics.  I know that plenty of folks were fired up by Howard Dean, but he was too emotional for me.  Other went crazy for John Edwards, and he may indeed be the party's future.  He's a hell of a speaker, apparently, but his moderate Southerner thing isn't really making me warm and fuzzy.  Now that Wellstone is gone, there really aren't any Senators that I get all fired up about--Russ Feingold was close but then there was that whole "I'll go ahead and vote for Ashcroft" thing.

I think that Henry Waxman is the most inspiring politician out there.  He fights hard, always comes down on the right side, and isn't afraid of anybody.

Of course, he looks a bit like an insect, so I don't really see him running for President.  But I digress.

The point is that I have a terrible time getting excited about Kerry.  Still, I'd cut off a digit or two if it would help him win.

2:21:18 PM    comment []

Tremendously encouraging post on Donkey Rising about the latest poll results, which showed Bush gaining ground on Kerry.  Ruy Teixeira points out that the polls show that nearly all of Bush's support increase can be accounted for by looking at the numbers in the red states--the states that are solidly Bush anyway.  Apparently, he's actually falling in the purple states--the battleground states that will decide the election--and is behind Kerry by 4 points in those, and that with Nader polling at a preposterous seven percent.

This is why election coverage in the major media sucks.  Good bloggers break down these numbers and the analysis.  The Post prints articles by Richard Cohen saying "It's already over for Kerry."  Great.

1:33:21 PM    comment []

The Washington Post has a lengthy story today about Kerry's war record and the controversy associated with it. 

It sure would be nice if there were some coverage of this issue that took into account the contrasts with Kerry's opponent.  Leaving aside the fact that the controversies themselves are stupid (he wasn't hurt badly enough to deserve that Purple Heart, so I'm voting Republican), Kerry's record is pretty impressive by any reasonable standard at all.  Bush, on the other hand.....not so much.  Why isn't the comparison discussed?

The Post should also be absolutely ashamed of itself for printing an article with a link to this website, which is pure trash; it even has the doctored photo of Kerry with Jane Fonda that was debunked on the internet recently.  Shameful.

1:25:55 PM    comment []