A Bad Week for John Kerry

This week's focus on the death of Ronald Reagan has brought a welcome respite from the raucous mudslinging of the presidential campaign. It has been magnificently peaceful not hearing the hysterical voices of Teddy Kennedy, Al Gore, Nancy Pelosi, and Robert Byrd. It meant not having to listen to a boring John Kerry as he moves from subject to subject, trying desperately to find some issue for which he could say “gotcha”. Meanwhile, the pomp and circumstance associated with the passing of the Great Communicator is allowing Americans to refocus on the greatness of America, the feelings of warmth, confidence, and patriotism that was Ronald Reagan’s gift to the nation. It has reinforced the sagging appreciation of principles and virtue in our country. The outpouring of devotion by the tens of thousands of people who waited hours in line to pay their tribute to a giant of a man was undisputable testimony to what really matters to the common man.

While all of this was taking place, the United Nations Security Counsel unanimously approved the US/British-sponsored Resolution that will end the occupation of Iraq, give the Iraqis control over their own destiny, and significantly reduce the involvement of US forces in providing security in that country.  Perhaps just as significant is the international unity and cooperation that the passing of the Resolution signifies, as well as its implication that we may be entering the final phase of this specific battle in the War on Terror. It almost seems as if the Gipper was there at the UN, guiding the hands of the signers of the Resolution.

The day before our great loss, the Department of Labor announced that 248,000 more jobs were added during the month of May, bringing the total for the year to 1.2 million. At the same time, the new home sales rate reached its highest levels ever, OPEC agreed to increase oil production by 2.5 million barrels per day by August 1, and gas prices began to come down. The bull market on Wall Street clearly shows that investor confidence is up and uncertainty is down.

This combination of good news for the Bush Administration makes one wonder what John Kerry will do when his (admirably) self-imposed moratorium on campaigning ends next week. The intense focus by the media on the legacy of Ronald Reagan can only serve to highlight the similarities between the Reagan and Bush Administrations.  The negative statements regarding Reagan that have come from some members of the far left will only serve to isolate them more, making them even more irrelevant than they already are. The news concerning Iraq minimizes Kerry’s charges of unilateralism and poor planning for the War.   The good economic news, especially regarding gas prices, weakens another of his primary campaign issues.

John Kerry has basically three choices going forward. He can continue to focus on the issues of the War in Iraq and the economy by minimizing the importance of the recent events, thereby presenting an image of pessimism that does not endear a candidate to voters. Alternatively, he could acknowledge the good news, but claim that he could have brought it about quicker or more efficiently. By adopting this approach, however, he would be placing the focus on the past rather than the future, which is not usually a successful strategy. Voters place more value on success than on promises. Third, he could focus on a different group of issues altogether, while hoping that an event or a mistake by the Bush Administration would allow him to come back to what are unquestionably the key issues. He would run the risk of appearing irrelevant if he did this, unwilling to address those issue that most concern Americans.

While the major Kerry Campaign gunslingers have been respectfully quiet during our period of mourning, much to their credit, there have been a few of the lesser slugs of the far left who, along with members of the supposed “objective” media (such as the New York Times), have made every attempt to either minimize Reagan’s accomplishments or have outright demonized him during the week of mourning. Their stated rationale for this utterly tasteless behavior was that “the Republicans were using Reagan’s death to their own political benefit” and that they were merely acting in self-defense. Apparently to them, eulogizing a dead President is considered to be political activity. This sorry excuse illustrates better than anything else the total lack of any adherence to traditional principle, a common trait in today’s Democratic Party as well as in the media.   

When the mourning and the moratorium ends, John Kerry will find himself in a far less favorable position than he enjoyed last week. It is possible that the weeklong focus of attention on the successful Reagan presidency will rekindle some support for Republican policies, but more important, Kerry’s talking points are being chipped away one after another. There is also likely to be a backlash to the antics of some of Kerry’s supporters that could result in independent votes swinging to Bush. If instead Kerry repudiates these activities, the radicals’ votes could swing to Nader. He is damned if he does, and damned if he doesn’t.

RETURN TO ARCHIVES PAGE