Thursday, October 28, 2004

Recent commentary: Party communication

Which of the two national party conventions was more effective in communicating what the party has to offer?

(published 13-Sep-2004, Appleton Post-Crescent)

Is that what you think conventions are for? Nah! It's Teresa Heinz Kerry vs. Laura Bush and Bill Clinton vs. Arnold Schwarzenegger. You gotta admit that the Terminator had the best one-liner: "Don't be economic girlie-men!" Will it be "Anybody but Bush" or "Jean Francois Kerry?" – you're paying for the show. Might as well enjoy it. H. L. Mencken had it right: "Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule - and both commonly succeed, and are right." Some people can't stand Bush: they don't like his little smirk, or they still believe his election was rigged. Others can't stand Kerry: he's as dull as Al Gore, and they wish he'd shut up about Vietnam. The real question is this: If Clinton REALLY wanted Kerry to be President, why wait until AFTER the Republican convention for bypass surgery, eh?

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