Commentary by H.G. Listiak

Tuesday 11/18/2003

Welcome to my world. The pundits say President Bush has the edge for his 2004 re-election. Incumbents rarely lose when the economy is turning sharply up, Americans tend to rally around their Presidents during wartime, and Bush will probably have a record 200 million dollar war chest to battle his Democratic opponent. Noticing that the President has 'em up a creek with no paddle, the Democrats, desperate to regain the White House, have a 5-point plan that could get ugly and backfire. Point one is to neutralize Bush's national security edge by fanning doubts about the Iraq War that most of them voted to get into. Point two will be to craft economic attacks even if the economy keeps improving. Point three takes it below the belt, finding ways to hurt the President's reputation for honesty and competence. Just calling him a liar isn't working. Point four is to mobilize Democratic partisans in 17 states that Bush barely won, or lost in 2000. And point five is to maneuver around the new campaign finance law by redirecting now banned big donations away from the actual Democratic Party to a new set of groups that will coordinate attacks on Bush in the press and electronic media, groups like the hard left Clintonesque MoveOn.org. In other words, using soft money coming from well known Bush haters like Soros and Ickes. It looks like the Democrats special interest gangs aren't even waiting for a candidate to drop the gauntlet. Then again, by the time the other candidates get done with him there won't be much left for the Republicans to take apart when they get serious, probably around March of next year. The problem the Democrats have right now is that they tend to show off and advertise their secret plots and plans. A two party system would be nice to have if one party wouldn't be so bent on self destruction, as I see it ... I'm H.G. Listiak.