Election Flim-Flam

Yahoo says Wesley Clark is tied with Bush in a recent poll. Why? Why do people prefer a warrior mystery man over other candidates who have been in the race longer and have laid out clear positions on many major issues? Is it because he's new and different, or is it because of his military experience, or both? And what's so appealing about a President with a military background, anyway? Are military solutions really what we need to fix the nation's problems? Is "national security" really such an important issue to most voters, or are people just saying that because the media tells them to? How much difference does it make that Clark appears to be the DNC's new golden boy?

And on the other end of the polls, Carol Moseley Braun officially announced her candidacy for President yesterday. Wouldn't it be cool if these poll numbers were reversed? I mean, why can't the first black woman to run for president shoot to the top of the polls, while another white military-man sinks to the bottom? I do hope that day will come—sooner, rather than later—but unfortunately that's like hoping to see the day when our public schools will have all the money they need and the military will have to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber.

Meanwhile, the "dismal failure" (Gephardt's mantra in the last Democratic debate) will go speak at the U.N. tonight, but to no one's surprise, his audience is going to be a little less than welcoming. It's amazing to think about the support U.N. nations gave the U.S. just two years ago. It's also been exactly a year since the Dismal Failure's last speech to the U.N. during which he told a bunch of lies and took more giant leaps toward erasing the last 50 years of U.S. foreign policy. Gee, tonight's speech will have to be a doozie to even come close to all that.

But don't despair: The next debate to help voters decide who should replace the Dismal Failure is Thursday, probably around 8 p.m., on CNBC and MSNBC. And for a sobering and insightful look inside the way today's media machine destroys the substance of presidential politics, see Dean-a-Palooza by Matt Taibbi. Lots to think about while you're watching the debate, I guess...

Posted 06:51 AM | Comments (3) |