Kerry's Message

Pundits on both sides are saying that no one is hearing Kerry's message. Some attribute it to his flip-flopping, some say it's his indecisiveness, some say he hasn't been able to form a coherent message. That's all true but that isn't the problem. If you know an alcoholic, you may say that the obvious problem is the booze. It IS a problem, but the booze is the result, not the cause. It's the same with Kerry. It's not the message or lack thereof.

Kerry's problem is like booze. The alcoholic is addicted to booze. He or she doesn't particularly care what brand of booze they drink, as long as it's booze! It doesn't matter to Kerry what he's saying. It doesn't matter if it is 180 degrees different then what he said yesterday, that doesn't really matter. If he thinks it gets the result, he'll say it.

The real problem with Kerry is not what he says. He could be saying the right things (He's not, but that isn't the point), but there is an underlying problem. You can't stand to listen to him for more than a few seconds. It doesn't matter what he says. He could say that all of a sudden he had some epiphany and is now a born-again Christian and endorse George W. Bush. It's not that anyone wouldn't believe him (OK they wouldn't, but for the sake of argument, bear with me), it's because within 3.8437 seconds, people have tuned him out!

Kerry oozes. When you listen to him, all you hear this northeast, green, yucky, liberal ooze that sounds like he is talking to you like a pedantic professor explaining Keats to a student who just asked a patronizing question. Only the patronizing student cares and the rest of the class fell asleep 3.8437 seconds after he started the explanation. I'm reminded of the Iowa Primary when Kerry beat Dean. How many times did I hear the clip, "Thank you Iowa for making me the comeback Kerry!" It sounded like some rich northeasterner thanking someone for their dollar donation to the "Friends of the Symphony." It oozes with look-down-your-nose insincerity.

I know that Dubya isn't exactly Mr. Orator. Dubya can mangle a word faster than a rattlesnake can strike. Dubya's style is not Reaganesque by any means. The difference is not so much his message or the words, it's that whatever he says, you feel like he believes it and wants you to believe it too. He might jumble a word, but he delivers it with a genuine sincerity that Bill Clinton wished he could muster. People believe Bush and it's not that a lot don't disbelieve Kerry per se; they just don't hear 90% of what he has to say.

Anybody agree or disagree?

What do you think?

VW