Reply #19: You are forgetting... [View All]

[Meldread]

...the fact that he also needs votes. It isn't all about money. Also, you have to imagine how that would look. He did something similar to that in Iowa during the primaries when Howard Dean was soaring high. It earned him A LOT of flack from Dean supporters as he then used that money to attack Dean. There were also charges that Kerry and Gephardt were pooling their money to attack Dean in Iowa. Gephardt did, basically what I believe should be called a "Suicide attack", where he went just hardcore smear campaigning against Dean which in turn screwed himself. (Basically, he did what he could do to kill Dean's campaign and in turn killed his campaign as well.) Everyone knew that whatever happened in Iowa would set the stage for what would happen in the states that followed. It was set up that way, and it's exactly how it worked out.

Candidates also hate drawing attention to the fact that they are rich. Nothing seems to alienate the American people more than to say, "Hey look at me I live in a Mansion and have 50 cars, never have to worry about money... oh wait... you work two jobs and can't even afford healthcare?" It also makes them be perceived as elitist. It also makes it feel that they cannot relate with the common plight of American life. That is why Bush strives for that "common man" approach. He's rich too, obviously, but listening to him speak and looking at the things he does you wouldn't suspect it. It's all carefully chorographed to look that way.

Anyway, rambling a bit. The point of the matter is Kerry needs and wants - and its a good thing - our vote. To get it he's willing to take up our causes and our issues. Politics being politics, I say embrace the man and use him to our best advantage. Turn him into our megaphone in Congress. Keep demanding more and more of him. See how far he is willing to go.