Congratulations, John Kerry, it appears you will be the one
earning the honor of losing to President Bush in this year’s
election. Come November, an all too common question heard around
Washington will be, “Hey, John, why the long face?”
Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary gave the Massachusetts
senator his second political victory in as many weeks. Kerry won 38
percent of the vote, well ahead of second- place finisher Howard
Dean, who tallied 26 percent. Kerry now turns his momentum toward
the seven states that will have either primaries or caucuses on
Feb. 3.
Questions remain however as to whether or not Kerry is a
candidate behind whom the Democratic Party can unite. Kerry hails
from one of the most liberal states in the union and is far from
being a centrist. When it comes time for the national election,
moderate swing voters may well see him as being too extreme for
their interests.
Furthermore, Kerry’s service in the Senate will also be
used against him. His 19-year voting record shows he has
consistently contradicted himself, often changing his mind on the
issues.
Kerry’s most recent about-face is with regard to Operation
Iraqi Freedom. He initially voted to support the war. However, he
eventually changed his position on the war in general and voted
against the $87 billion package meant to support the troops and
help rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan. He cast his vote to send our
brave soldiers into the Middle East. Common sense dictates the
troops must be given the resources needed to carry out their
mission.
It is a new feeling for Kerry to be the leader of the pack. The
early front-runner Dean witnessed his popularity plummet in recent
weeks. What the former Vermont governor has done to his campaign
can only be described as a doctor-assisted suicide. Dean’s
storied temper growled through when he flamed out at a 66-year-old
man attending an Iowa debate. His strong anti-war stance and his
assertions that the Iraqi people are clearly no better off without
Saddam Hussein have also alienated potential supporters.
Iowans realized Dean was an unelectable choice and voted
accordingly. The man who once had a stranglehold on the Hawkeye
State ended up finishing third in his first real test. Dean tried
to convince the American public that only a caucus sucker would buy
into the results of Iowa.
His distant finish in New Hampshire, however, suggests Dean has
about as much of chance of winning the nomination as Jessica
Simpson does of being the winner on “Celebrity
Jeopardy.”
The capture of Hussein and the resurgence of the economy already
gave Bush substantial appeal heading into re-election. A lack of
any real strong opponent has only strengthened his chances.
The Democratic presidential candidates have been plagued by
their relative anonymity. Each candidate has not only needed to
present his platform to the people, but his persona as well. They
have gone out of the way to make themselves appear more personable
to potential voters ““ be it by shaking hands on the street
corner or flipping flapjacks in a local diner.
Despite their best efforts though, the candidates have done
little to endear themselves to the voting public. John Edwards has
notably been the one of the most charismatic campaigners, however
most voters want a president who at least looks old enough to drink
the champagne at his inauguration.
As sure as Dean can say “Yeeeeeehaaaaaaa,” Democrats
are looking at 2008 as a more realistic chance of taking back the
White House.
Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Edwards will each be seen as
viable candidates and will give voters in the primaries legitimate
options, something they do not have this time around. Now
Democratic voters must make do with what they have and pray the
results are not too embarrassing.
The bottom line is that the only way the Democrats will be able
to see the Oval Office during the next four years would be if
President Bush decided to do an episode of “MTV’s
Cribs.”
Pfohl supports Lance Bass’ dream of going into space.
He does not, however, support allowing him to return to Earth.
Pfohl is a fourth-year political science and history student.
E-mail Pfohl at jpfohl@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to
viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.