11 February 2004

back to politics.

horse race story from the times...like everyone else, they seem to have decided that kerry's the man. i don't really understand.

after the company with dan and abram last night, the three of us, plus laurel, ended up in an extended discussion of who the nominee would be/should be (yeah, super original, i know).

i referenced ben's site, which contains an amusing and well-drawn discussion (scroll down to february 4) of who can actually win the electoral votes (edwards, in his opinion). i'm almost inclined to agree, for several reasons: edwards can beat the pants off the skull-and-bones boys (bush and kerry) when it comes to american dreaminess. in the following ways: he's cute, he has good hair, he doesn't look like an organ-grinder's monkey, and he was born dirt poor and made all his own millions.

he's from the south, which seems to be the only way for dems to take southern states these days.

he's (relatively) soft on guns.

as referenced above, however, edwards is not happening. the media, in its inimitably self-fulfilling way, has decided to give this one to kerry. as laurel said last night, now that lieberman's out, there's no one i'd really have to hold my nose to vote for, and now that dean's basically done, there's no one i'm gonna stick my neck out for. edwards might be more electable in the general, but a nomination seems highly unlikely.

...which is a little scary, but basically fine. i'd have joyfully taken edwards over bush, but as far as experience and actual policy stances go, i'd rather have kerry be president. there is, or should be, something compelling about a bona fide war hero who later articulately opposed the war he fought in. i mean, hell, he was on nixon's enemies list. that's gotta count for something. he also has a ton of political and policy know-how that neither edwards nor bush can match. provided he remembers what he's been saying on the campaign trail (wrt iraq, no child left behind, jobs, economy, etc.), i think he'll do well. the only problem, as ben points out, may be actually getting him there.

so, commenters, considering all our demographics, which VP nominee is going to swing the most votes in kerry's direction?