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Abnormally Keen Despair, Chapter One brought to you by:
The Town CourierExtra Bonus Rickey "Not French Like John Kerry" Powell Guest Feature:
Tim " I Shouldn't Have Said I Hate Gay People" Hardaway
"I'm not the first to point out that the Obama campaign seems dangerously close to becoming a cult of personality. We've already had that from the Bush administration."
-Paul Krugman
That's EXACTLY the point. The Obama campaign recognizes, in a way that the rest of the eggheaded Democratic Party elites don't, that Presidental Elections are won via the cult of personality. Dukakis? Gore? Kerry? Adlai Stevenson? Much smarter than their opponents. Much better policies. Much better platforms. But that's irrelevant in presidential elections. You can keep nominating your policy wonks. You will keep losing.
The problem with the Bush Administration is not that it was elected using the cult of personality (that's about the only thing it did right). It's the personality that we elected that's the problem.
Here's some insight in to the average voter mind. These are comments from a 63 year old, politically moderate/politically indifferent woman who lives in the DC area and is reasonably intelligent. Perhaps this is even more informed than the average voter given that as a DC-area resident she is bombarded daily with inside DC news and gossip.
"I like Guiliani. He did well under pressure.""I like Romney. He seems like a good person."
That's IT. Those aren't samples of her insight into those presidential candidates. Those are the GRAND SUM TOTAL of her insight into those presidential candidates. That is what she will base her decision on. And this from a woman who is probably more informed than most American voters.
Go ahead and write your 800 page policy platform. No one gives a shit. It matters, yes. (See Project for a New American Century.) But no one gives a shit. It's not going to get you elected.
-Rickey "Reporting for Duty" Powell
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