Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Poisoning the well
Understandably, there has been quite a bit of talk lately about a possible "nightmare scenario" in the upcoming election. Most of the discussion centers around the 2000 election, with pundits worried about a tie in the electoral college or some election breakdown that would result in throwing the election to the House of Representatives or, God forbid, the Supreme Court. As we saw in 2000, such a result allows the losing side to constantly question the legitimacy of the winner, thereby weakening the presidency.
In his column today, Jonas Goldberg points out that the lessons of 2000 have not been lost on the Democrats. He details a clear, coordinated strategy by the Kerry Campaign to make sure that a victory by Bush, no matter how close, can be disputed. The strategy is a simple, but effective one. First, have Democrat hacks allege widespread attempts by the GOP to disenfranchise minority voters (extra points for including phrases like "Jim Crow" and "dirty tricks"). Second, instruct all local Democrat operatives to allege voter intimidation even if it doesn't exist. Third, have Kerry claim that a million black voters were denied their right to vote in 2000 and insinuate that it may happen again. Finally, once the Democrats have lost the presidential election, every Birkenstock-wearing leftist can spend four more years yelling "Bush is not my President!" by claiming that Kerry would have one had the GOP not been turning fire hoses and German Shepherds on black voters trying to get to the polls.
I guess Kerry really does know something about exit strategies.
Extra: Click here for a more humorous spin.
Update: It looks like the Dems have acually added a step to the process. Damn, they're good.
In his column today, Jonas Goldberg points out that the lessons of 2000 have not been lost on the Democrats. He details a clear, coordinated strategy by the Kerry Campaign to make sure that a victory by Bush, no matter how close, can be disputed. The strategy is a simple, but effective one. First, have Democrat hacks allege widespread attempts by the GOP to disenfranchise minority voters (extra points for including phrases like "Jim Crow" and "dirty tricks"). Second, instruct all local Democrat operatives to allege voter intimidation even if it doesn't exist. Third, have Kerry claim that a million black voters were denied their right to vote in 2000 and insinuate that it may happen again. Finally, once the Democrats have lost the presidential election, every Birkenstock-wearing leftist can spend four more years yelling "Bush is not my President!" by claiming that Kerry would have one had the GOP not been turning fire hoses and German Shepherds on black voters trying to get to the polls.
I guess Kerry really does know something about exit strategies.
Extra: Click here for a more humorous spin.
Update: It looks like the Dems have acually added a step to the process. Damn, they're good.
Centinel 7:38 AM #