January 20, 2004
Iowa-shcmiowa...
Call me Dr. Dean and tell me why you would make a better president than Mr. Kerry or General Clark. Call me Mr. Lieberman, Reverend Sharpton, Mr. Edwards — Hell, I’d even like to get a phone call from you, President Bush. Tell me where you honestly stand and give me good, solid reasons why and I might decide to vote for you. Personally, I’m getting sick and tired of hearing why any of you have decided to put your faith in Iowa or New Hampshire and why the voters in one state are more important than any voter in any state. Granted, some states may offer up more electoral votes than others, and some campaign contributors may offer up more funds than others, but I’m calling your bluff here — every last one of you. Face it: you’re all charlatans to me, at this point, unless you can prove that 2004 is anything more than a numbers game.
Iowa is done so now the Democratic entourage, along with the associated parasitic press, moves to New England like a plague of locusts to clog the airwaves with talk of ratings, numbers, and polls. Dr. Dean, who cares if people "personally attacked" you — if you're above that then don't give them the honor of a response (that's what my mother always told me about bullys). As for you, General Clark, Madonna's endorsement doesn't say a thing (s**t, she's endorsing/producing Britney Spears, what does that tell you?) so you're not getting plus marks from me and, honestly, that is what causes apathy. That is what drives voters away — it makes voting look like a high-stakes version of "Survivor" or "American Idol". Do you think we aren't an educated electorate, that we are just the political-power Nielsen Ratings and each 30 seconds we give comes in (non-tax-deductible) cash donations? Maybe I am wrong in saying all this but which one of you will prove me so? Which one of you candidates (Democratic, Independent, or Republican) can offer me more than empty promises and "No Child Left Behind"? Once, Ralph Kramden promised his wife a trip to the Moon but, nowadays, we'd consider that spousal abuse...have times changed or are you all abusing me?
Posted by huxley75 at January 20, 2004 12:35 AMI tend to agree that the tremendous amounts of hype surrounding the Iowa cacus and the New Hampshire primary is ridiculous. Both states are small, predominantly white, middle class, rural, etc. These states don’t deal with the issues that California, Florida, New York, etc. deal with.
I have lots of family in Iowa, so I get first hand accounts of the hype. My grandmother got to meet three of the candidates. My cousin — who does happen to be director of Democratic staff in the Iowa House — has been featured on the CBS nightly news and quoted in the first line of a front page NY Times article.
I’d really like to see a shortened primary season with the states grouped into a few “super Tuesday” election days, dividing up the states to get a good cross-section of large and small, rural and urban, northern and southern. And rotate the order of the groupings so that it isn’t always the same states where the candidates hunker down for the first year of campaigning.
Posted by: blipsman at January 20, 2004 06:49 PM
