Comments on: Then Again, He Was Endorsed By The International Iron Worker’s Union

By: monty python

monty python — Sat, 03 Jul 2004 18:25:53 +0000

Disdain for boring midwesterners is probably a bad idea for Democrats in 2004, if you look at what states are in play. And I think the Dems have a real chance there, as midwesterners tend to be receptive to economic populism and are relatively iffy about wars and such, at least compared to the South. Kerry needs to do more to show that he has advantages in these areas that overcome the reluctance of socially conservative midwesterners to support the party of Zippergate. People malign Gore’s convention fling with populism, but the fact is he jumped 17% in the polls when he did it, only to revert to unexciting Clintonian mush rhetoric later (and then lose). Kerry should realise that catching blue collar midwestern swing voters doesnt necesarrily mean cautious centrism. If he were to go populist, a working class midwestern labor guy like Gephardt might work quite well. Yes, Gephardt is kind of a boring guy, and Vilsack isn’t exactly a thrilling fellow either (I should know, he’s my governor), but in that respect they resemble average midwesterners. It may not be a bad kind of boring, though, as its the “boring” associated with stoical workaholics from humble backgrounds, and to ordinary voters that maybe doesnt look so bad. Kerry, on the other hand…

By: Susan Nunes

Susan Nunes — Thu, 01 Jul 2004 16:20:46 +0000

If John Kerry picks anybody other than John Edwards as running mate, he can expect to lose 49 states. If he picks Edwards, he will likely lose around 40 states, but it won’t be as embarrassing to the Democratic Party. In other words, it doesn’t matter who John Kerry picks to run with him. The guy will lose the election handily to Bush. The Republicans saw to it when they had the media crown the unelectable John Kerry as the nominee as soon as he won Iowa and New Hampshire.

By: Zizka

Zizka — Tue, 29 Jun 2004 15:07:50 +0000

McCain is a right-wing superhawk with good press. The Dem VP buzz was submissive wetting on the part of the right-wing SM bottoms in the Democratic Party.

By: Erik

Erik — Tue, 29 Jun 2004 14:18:03 +0000

If you believe the theory that the McCain ‘candidacy’ was a Karl Rove plot to make the real VP choice seem lame in comparison, then the consideration for Gephardt can only be the Dem’s counter-plot—and a damn fine one it is.

By: Frank Wilhoit

Frank Wilhoit — Mon, 28 Jun 2004 23:04:49 +0000

Congratulations on your ensnarement—by the ankle, meseem—in the superior noose of Giblets.

By: rvman

rvman — Mon, 28 Jun 2004 21:14:48 +0000

I don’t see why the Dems shouldn’t pick a duck. The Reps plucked a Quayle from the Bush a few years back. The Democratic response 4 years later involved quite a bit of Gore. Gore allowed to fester long enough to be President can be nasty, too.

By: JP

JP — Mon, 28 Jun 2004 21:07:50 +0000

In that case, I say let’s get him on the ballot. As I once read in an election law casebook, Donald Duck has a long and illustrious history as the candidate of choice for the disgruntled voter. Evidently, Donald has consistently outpolled every other protest vote out there by a landslide (including Mickey Mouse, who is so much more popular in every other realm), for reasons no one has ever been able to fathom.

By: bryan

bryan — Mon, 28 Jun 2004 20:03:45 +0000

two things: 1. Belle, I recognized your style and looked up to confirm you had posted this. 2. Donald Duck is way older than 35. He is an old, embittered boring man. Donald Duck could be Dick Cheney but Dick Cheney could never be Donald Duck, because Dick Cheney if he had nephews would already have had their spinal fluid drained to support his necrotic existence as a drake of the dark side.

By: Anno-nymous

Anno-nymous — Mon, 28 Jun 2004 19:20:42 +0000

An off-topic (and not original) joke with two punchlines: Jim is wandering past a hotel pool when he comes across a group of people shouting numbers at one another. One man says “132.” and the whole group starts laughing. Another yells out “53.” and is met with knowing smiles. Jim watches this for about 5 minutes, at which point some says “321!” and everyone just dissolves in laughter. They fall off their chairs, they’re dying. Jim can’t suppress his curiosity anymore, so he asks one of the guys what’s going on. “Oh, we meet up here every year, we’re all old friends. And to save time, we numbered our stories them and say the numbers instead of the stories—it saves time, so we can reminisce about more.” “Alright… so why was 321 so funny?” Punchline A) “We’d never heard that one before.” Punchline B) “Oh, we were laughing at George—he always screws up the Scottish accent.”

By: Zizka

Zizka — Mon, 28 Jun 2004 19:07:38 +0000

People who laugh at Gephardt laugh at Vilsack too, but a joke can really only have one punchline. As for why some Democrats are solicitous of the inaccessible Southern vote, while flipping off the Midwest—well, given that we’re talking about the Democratic Party, the possibility that they’re morons has to be considered. Being a Democrat isn’t always fun.

By: kevin quinn

kevin quinn — Mon, 28 Jun 2004 18:36:53 +0000

Fafnir wrote: I did some research an yknow there isnt a duck out there who can live to be 35. It is tragic. An entire species excluded from the electoral process! I would vote for a Kerry/duck ticket in a heartbeat! That woud make America believe again. Yes but the republicans would all be telling those duck jokes. Ask me once more and I’ll nail your beak to the bar – you know the ones. So that’s a downside. Or just “why a duck.” The Duck/Cheney debate would be fun: Quack Quack Quack! – F**k off! – Quack Quack -F**k off!

By: Matt Weiner

Matt Weiner — Mon, 28 Jun 2004 18:22:12 +0000

Seth G—Unfortunately, there aren’t any Democratic Senators from Missouri. That’s not just a cheap shot—one of the raps on Gephardt is that he won’t have any pull in Missouri outside his heavily Democratic district.
Anyway, I draw comfort from Dave Barry’s words about the Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, whose responsibilities “include wearing a suit and phoning the Governor every day to see if he is dead.” Bush’s father won the election in ‘88 with a completely loserly veep, so maybe Gep wouldn’t be so bad.

By: Russell Arben Fox

Russell Arben Fox — Mon, 28 Jun 2004 18:16:23 +0000

Zizka and Bob make many intelligent comments, but these are surely their most intelligent yet. Believe it or not, some American citizens actually vote for people like Gephardt. The fact that such “boring Midwesterners” may not be familiar with the profound repository of wisdom that is Giblets may indeed be reason to mock and dismiss them, but until and unless voting rights are restricted to only those who demonstrate the sufficient wit and sophistication as to be hip to Giblets, I’d suggest such makes for a crappy and demeaning electoral strategy.

By: Anno-nymous

Anno-nymous — Mon, 28 Jun 2004 18:15:04 +0000

Zizka writes: a lot of the animosity against Gephardt comes from a.) people who are biased against boring, snuffy Midwestern types I don’t know if that holds water—wouldn’t that imply animosity against Vilsack as well? Anyway, the same people (hip metrosexuals) who would be biased against Midwesterners should also be biased against Southerners, which doesn’t explain the downright enthusiasm for John “Agricultural Subsidies” Edwards. My point is merely that people are willing to look beyond their regional biases for, if nothing else, electoral vote considerations; people are not willing to look beyond their anti-Gephardt biases, and that suggests something else is at work.

By: Paul

Paul — Mon, 28 Jun 2004 16:45:16 +0000

Dick Gephardt, George W. Bush, or Easy Cheese. Now there’s a new definition of Hell.