Demoralized Democrats

Read this, especially the updates.

They are so emotionally involved with Bush -- in a negative way; a kind of political codependency -- that they're being irrational.

Bush is up; Kerry is down. Not good news, but not a catastrophe for them, either.

I hate to give good advice to my political opponents, but this manic-depressive rollercoaster -- this Bipolar Moment, as it were -- is what's going to kill you guys.
Professional soldiers stay calm even in dire situations. Disorganized tribal raiders scream and hoot when they think they're winning, then break and flee the moment they're confronted with a competent enemy.

This may be a dumb point on the level of vapid vamp Maureen Dowd, but it seems to me there's one major political star at the moment, and it's not Kerry. Liberals hate Bush, but he's still a star to them: a villain like Darth Vader, to be sure, but a star nonetheless.

There is no opposing star in this drama. Kerry is, at best, Paris to Bush's Achilles.

I remember with some amount of chagrin the nineties, when the Democrats had a star -- either The Man From Hope or The Rogue Operator, depending on your inclination -- and we just couldn't beat him. Hero, villain, or rogue, his name was always above the title.

Can a bit player beat a star? It happens, but it's tough. It's just not the way the viewers expect it to work out.

posted by Ace at 04:44 PM

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