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Random commentary and senseless acts of blogging.
The first Republican president once said, "While the people retain their virtue and their vigilance, no administration by any extreme of wickedness or folly can seriously injure the government in the short space of four years." If Mr. Lincoln could see what's happened in these last three-and-a-half years, he might hedge a little on that statement. Blog critics Gryffindor House Slytherin House Ravenclaw House House Elves Beth Jacob Prisoners of Azkaban Muggles
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Friday, February 06, 2004
Back From the Trail I suspended blogging to spend a few days in Arizona working for Wesley Clark. It was a great trip - I had the opportunity to see Clark speak in Flagstaff on Sunday, after which I and other volunteers, along with Arizona voters, were able to talk to Clark during the Super Bowl. Chatting with Clark and being able to observe him chatting with others was a great experience, and confirmed me in the belief that I made the right choice. Clark is friendly and completely at ease talking to ordinary folks. He was polite to everyone, including the woman who tried to bend his ear with a lecture on agricultural policy and the faults of the official groups that represent farmers which would probably still be going on if he hadn't gently persuaded her to finish off and give others a chance who were waiting to talk to him. Unfortunately, the outcome of the election means there is little chance the Democratic Party will join me in picking the best man.
Kerry support was extremely weak in Northern Arizona. During the time I spent there, I never saw a Kerry button, yard sign, or bumper sticker, and never spoke to a single voter that really was committed to Kerry as a candidate. There was a strong local Clark campaign, and a significant presence of Dean volunteers, although Dean had no office in Northern Arizona. In walking precincts we often found that the Deanies had gone by leaving literature before us, but there was more support for Clark.
In spite of the lack of enthusiasm, Kerry won Coconino, Flagstaff's county, although by a small margin compared to the substantial margin he carried the state by. I think the amount of free media Kerry received, constantly being identified as the frontrunner and leader, caused people to simply climb on to the bandwagon without looking hard at who he is or his considerable vulnerabilities in a general election. The good news is that Bush has equal vulnerabilities. Although I think Clark would be both a better candidate and a better president, I believe Kerry has a solid chance of winning if he is the nominee, an outcome which now looks extremely probable. This blog will of course support Kerry should he be nominated; with all his flaws he is vastly better than George Bush. |
