Don’t (Blank), Be (Blank)
April 28th, 2006John Kerry wants to be the President, and the articles urging him not to run are starting again, as are the attacks on his beliefs and priorities. I won’t lie or equivocate — I do not want John Kerry to run for President, and I’m sure he won’t win. Beyond that, Kerry’s a link to the past, and in terms of electoral politics, no more. He’s the same man he was in 2004 — the same man who appears wishy washy, calculating and fickle. As a man, Kerry’s decent and honorable, but he’s weak on the stump and aloof. Campaigning in Massachussetts isn’t the same as running for President, and losing the Presidency isn’t the same as winning. In today’s day, you only get one shot unless someone rescues you by making you their Vice President (or if you win the Popular Vote). Kerry doesn’t have the latter and can’t count on the former.
John Kerry, in 2008, is set to play two roles: a supporting actor in a major film, who can do a ton of good behind the scenes, or he’ll be a liabilty, dragging the Party in a Kerry-centric direction because that’s what Bob Shrum advises him to do. Don’t run, Senator — be a supporting actor. John Kerry isn’t Morgan Freeman — he’s Wesley Snipes.
“Don’t Hate, Be Taxxy” is Michael Kinsley’s message about oil companies, and it’s quite the message. Giving it a read, it’s hard to dispute the idea that raising taxes on that industry would be beneficial to the country at large.
Don’t Spin, Be Informative seems to be new White House Press Secretary Tony Snow’s view on the Press Secretary’s job, and he’s set to bring an informative, independent act before the Press Corpse every morning. Now, to shift focus a bit from one Secretary to a predecessor: Ari Fleischer, the former Press Secretary, is out advising Tony Snow: “Don’t Inform, Be Spinny.”
Actually, in reading Fleischer’s account on the Press Secretary position, I cringe a tad. His account is one of how the television camera has led to a decline in the quality of press briefings, and he writes about the combative nature of the modern press secretary position. My first thought? “And this is what some people want to bring to the Supreme Court?” The second: the press corpse and the White House need to wake up and understand that their jobs are to request information and supply it, respectively, or deny it. It isn’t to assault each other. That’s why God gave us editorials. And blogs.
Don’t Praise, Be Critical. What’s that mean? Rolling Stone has a piece, “The Worst President in History?” that’s worthy of a read. As is this rebuttal.
For my money, “Worst President Ever” is a relative matter that can’t be decided by any one person and it’s up to us all to decide who that one is for us. I don’t buy into the “Buchanan is the worst!” talk, and the man I lean toward — Warren Harding — had a handful of major successes in foreign policy, followed by millions of failures. It all depends on what you’re looking at.