Archy is thinking about the ’04
US elections and is fairly optimistic. Don’t forget to check out the cute cat pictures as well. Awww.
The war is over and the election has begun. Bush’s little trip to California is typical of what we can expect for the next year and a half: photo ops with military hardware (The USS Abraham Lincoln) and friendly military crowds, avoiding any possibility of being protested (San Francisco), hobnobbing with world leaders who supported his war and snubbing those who did not (John Howard of Australia and Jean Chretien of Canada, respectively), and limiting economic talk to someplace that will prosper from a military build-up (United Defense Industries of Santa Clara, developer of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle). That is: easy crowds, no air time for critics, petty carrot and stick behavior, and the constant presence of images military might and security.
You can’t blame him for playing to his strengths (well, actually I do blame him, but that’s the subject of a different essay). And he has lots of strengths coming into the election season. However, there are eighteen months between now and the election. Lots can happen. Wednesday I went over some of his advantages. Today I’ll go over some of the things that could happen to his disadvantage. Later I’ll suggest some ways the opposition–both the Democratic Party and others–might help those things happen.