This Monday, former first lady Barbara Bush called her son’s potential Democratic opponents for the 2004 presidential campaign a “sorry group” on NBC’s “Today” show. Sadly, I must agree with her — even if she did spawn the beady-eyed, calculating offspring of Lucifer himself.
In a poll released in early September, nearly two-thirds of those questioned couldn’t name even one individual seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination for president.
Now, despite having amassed roughly $95 million in campaign contributions, the nine Democrats vying for their party’s nomination still have failed to pique the public’s interest.
Amazingly, no candidate has been able to separate him-or herself from the others with a positive, powerful message that grips the public. Compared to the widely varying views of these candidates, our current president looks strong and focused — even if he isn’t. You don’t win elections with smear campaigns.
That being said, if you can’t beat George W. Bush, you should be officially disbarred from participating in all other life events. The faces of every person ever to lose to Bush at anything should have their pictures mounted on giant billboards for all the world to see.
That grubby little worm wears his frigid, blackened, unbeating heart on his sleeve, yet more than half of Americans still approve of his performance.
But Howard Dean, John Edwards, John Kerry and Dick Gephardt haven’t distinguished themselves much from their pulseless adversary. Instead of separating themselves from the twisted worldview of the Republicans, Democrats are playing right into their hands with lame and ineffective character attacks.
Not only are these candidates failing themselves, they’re letting down the Party and millions of Americans who are just waiting to see some real leadership from their flaky and spineless party.
Four of the leading contenders have spent a combined $5.5 million on
television advertising in an attempt to sway public opinion. But, judging by a recent USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll, it’s not working.
The poll shows former Republican and military commander Wesley Clark in the lead with support from 19 percent of the nation’s left-leaning public. Following closely behind Clark are Dean, Joe Lieberman, Kerry and Gephardt with 13, 12, 10 and 9 percent support, respectively.
Although their financial capabilities hardly match up to Bush’s $83 million of campaign contributions, it shouldn’t take record dollar amounts to knock a deranged lunatic out of the highest, most respected office in the world. Of course, if the people really demanded government accountability, we would have already driven that degenerate twerp out of the White House with blunt stones and long, sharpened sticks.
But jackass Democrats, unlike their elephant-headed counterparts, are less willing to work together. While the conservative political wing finds more solidarity as it moves farther to the right, Democrats find themselves stranded in an ever-expanding rift of uncertainty and disarray. With the lack of a clear and definite agenda, those dopey Democrats are taking their followers on a scenic trip to nowhere. Nothing else could explain the conservative agenda becoming more exclusive despite its gains in popularity.
Supporters of the Democrats can’t decide on a unified agenda. Because of this, we have a Republican in donkey’s clothing leading the polls, while Jumpin’ Joe Lieberman hops on whatever bandwagon rolls through Washington and Dennis Kucinich sets himself up to be the next scapegoat — à la Ralph Nader — for a potential Democratic failure. None of them knows what’s going on in their campaigns; because of this, Americans who are fed up with the direction of current U.S. policy have, essentially, a more limited choice.
With the party so divided, Republicans can have their way with the American political system and all Democrats will have is an idea of what they won’t do when the next time rolls around.
Either Democrats need to unite under a specific agenda, or the American public should seriously seek to establish a more representative form of democracy than a two-party system.
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