Americans stricken with virulent strain of political Labor Day fever
As the election nears, the political waters shift and churn with abyssal fury. Both parties are scrambling about, trying to dominate the political stage and deliver a vast plethora of (contradicting) messages to the voters. Above all, Gov. George W. Bush has been working day and night to redirect his campaign. It has not even been a month since Bush held a 17-point lead against his rival Al Gore, yet now he finds himself trailing Gore in polls by as much as four points. Why such a rapid change, people ask? A few weeks back, Gore chose Liebermann as his running mate. This action proved to be the first in a series of actions that has helped Gore gain a nominal lead on the Texas governor. Now, it seems as if the Bush campaign juggernaut, which at one time confidently sailed the political seas, is now trying desperately to steer clear of an iceberg of political disaster.
To some, this is known as Labor Day fever. Traditionally, the presidential elections really kick off right after Labor Day weekend, once the candidates have been nominated and people pay more attention to the news and less attention to summer vacations.
Most notably, though, is the fact that the GOP is in disarray. Republicans just can't agree on what to do next in the campaign. Each and every Senator is bombarding Bush with advice, thinking that they are the final authority of all electoral strategy. One simply cannot help but laugh heartily after observing such a comedic display of discord. It is absurd that a few poll numbers may affect our electoral process in such a drastic way, especially considering the notoriety of polls in the past; rarely do they prove to be truly accurate in the long run.
Which brings us to our next point. Long has Gore criticized the polls, saying that they are an invalid indicator of the "American will." Of course, these comments were all made when he was way behind in the polls. At the same time, the Bush camp has shown satisfaction with the poll numbers, calling them the "vessel of American opinion." Of course, now that the numbers are with Gore, we hear no such criticism from Gore on the polls; by the same token, you won't hear much satisfaction from the Bush campaign, either.
Jump Ship!
You'll notice that the average number of smiles expressed on Bush's face has increased considerably. That's because his party has demanded that he give his campaign a new image.
And so, ladies and gentlemen, here we have it: the new and improved "closer-to-the-people" campaign style! He put this new strategy to the test on Friday, when he sat down and had coffee with some factory workers in Warrendale, Pennsylvania. Commenting on his latest moves, Bush mentioned that "this is what I'm good at.'' "I like meeting people, my fellow citizens, I like interfacing with them,'' he declared. Furthermore, he declared that the people will "...have a friend in the White House.'' Personally, this seems rather irregular to me, especially since what happened the other day during a public event. Bush didn't realize his microphone was still on, so he proceeded to point at a New York Times reporter and mumble "Yeah, that guy? He's an asshole!" Oh, my virgin ears...
It will be interesting to see if this new strategy returns any dividends for Bush.
Yet again, the debate over debates has sparked up, yet this time around the situation is all the more amusing. Bush demands one network debate, in which the Debate Commision would control the argument, and two news show debates. Bush has suggested Larry King Live and Meet the Press as the two possibilities. Bush's proposal doesn't even come close to satisfying Gore, though. The Vice President is demanding the traditional three live network debates, controlled by the Debate Commission. Why the disagreement? Well, those who have followed the two previous elections are probably well aware of Gore's superior debating skills. Last election, Gore took Jack Kemp to the cleaners. Barring his tendency to change opinions every half-hour, Gore has indeed proven himself adept at the fine art of debating.
In another infinitely amusing twist, WWF President Vince McMahon has proposed that a presidential debate be held in their Smack-Down(tm) event. The debate would actually be held in the ring with, get this, Jessee Ventura as the ref!!! Just imagine the candidates debating, with Ventura in the striped uniform. Even better, imagine Ralph Nader, enraged at not being included in the debates, running up the aisle with a metal chair in his arms! Ah, gotta love it...
Well, what do you think? How should the debates be held? And should the candidates accept McMahon's offer of a Smack-Down(tm) debate? Speak out! Email to technews@wpi.edu with your ever-so-humble opinion, and we'll address it.