I admit I've been one who has been reluctant to actively support Kerry. When Howard Dean said Kerry was Bush-lite, he was unfortunately not exactly wrong. However, he wasn't exactly right, either. Or maybe he was 100% correct then, but the context has changed. When we had other choices, Kerry was Bush-lite; now, Kerry looks like the anti-Bush. If you fight through the media meme that says "nobody knows who Kerry is or where he stands," you'll find that's just not true. He's a lifetime liberal who has occasionally flirted with radicalism (primarily when protesting Vietnam upon his return from there), but who has mostly played as safe as he could while still trying to advance a fairly standard, fairly old-school liberal agenda. Again, when compared to what I'd consider a real progressive agenda, Kerry's life work sadly comes up short. But I accept that now, in 2004, it's too much to ask for a progressive. Maybe next time. For now, Kerry is so much better than Bush it's not even funny.
All of this is to say: I'm really going to try to put away the "Bush sucks" shirts for a while (not that I actually own any, but figuratively speaking). I think everyone with whom that message is going to register has heard and taken heed. For the next few months, I think a better message, one that will do more to actually get Bush out of office, is a positive one. Instead of the negative "Bush sucks," I will, from now until November, try very hard to stay on a different message: Kerry's cool. Kerry protects the environment. Kerry has actually done things to help workers and the labor movement, and John Edwards will keep him honest on that score. Kerry actually thinks it's a problem that so many Americans have poor or no health care. No doubt about it: Kerry's better.
Really.
