Tuesday, November 04, 2003
Election Day
Today's election day in various cities around the country, and governorships are on the ballot in Kentucky and Mississippi. While it's easy to characterize the gubernatorial elections as "bellwethers" for the presidential race next fall, they may not be bellwethers in the way most people think. The 2004 election is going to be a referendum on Iraq, and neither Kentucky nor Mississippi has a foreign policy (even if they do seem like foreign countries to a Wisconsin Yankee). But they are bellwethers in the sense that they reveal Republican strategy for 2004.
In Kentucky, Democrat Ben Chandler is criticizing his Republican opponent, Congressman Ernie Fletcher, for supporting economic policies that have cost jobs in the state. Fletcher, meanwhile, is somehow arguing that Chandler should not be governor because the current governor, Democrat Paul Patton, was involved in a sex scandal. That presumably makes sense to Republicans, but precisely how is unclear to me. In Mississippi, Republican hack Haley Barbour is outspending incumbent Ronnie Musgrove, who is handicapped by having to run on his record during a time when Republican policies served to tank the economy in his state.
So here's what we'll see all around the country from Republicans in 2004: Reflect talk of issues that can kill you by talking about morality wherever you can, spend as much money as you can, and blame your opponents entirely for what you are at least partially responsible for. Unless Fletcher and Barbour lose. Then there's always fear of terrorists to fall back on.
Today's election day in various cities around the country, and governorships are on the ballot in Kentucky and Mississippi. While it's easy to characterize the gubernatorial elections as "bellwethers" for the presidential race next fall, they may not be bellwethers in the way most people think. The 2004 election is going to be a referendum on Iraq, and neither Kentucky nor Mississippi has a foreign policy (even if they do seem like foreign countries to a Wisconsin Yankee). But they are bellwethers in the sense that they reveal Republican strategy for 2004.
In Kentucky, Democrat Ben Chandler is criticizing his Republican opponent, Congressman Ernie Fletcher, for supporting economic policies that have cost jobs in the state. Fletcher, meanwhile, is somehow arguing that Chandler should not be governor because the current governor, Democrat Paul Patton, was involved in a sex scandal. That presumably makes sense to Republicans, but precisely how is unclear to me. In Mississippi, Republican hack Haley Barbour is outspending incumbent Ronnie Musgrove, who is handicapped by having to run on his record during a time when Republican policies served to tank the economy in his state.
So here's what we'll see all around the country from Republicans in 2004: Reflect talk of issues that can kill you by talking about morality wherever you can, spend as much money as you can, and blame your opponents entirely for what you are at least partially responsible for. Unless Fletcher and Barbour lose. Then there's always fear of terrorists to fall back on.
