That’s the entire reason for the deficit. Yeah, right. But how can he ignore the obvious place of exploding domestic discretionary spending under Bush? Well, we have long learned about the fragility of his intellectual honesty. The lesson for Republican presidents: you will never get credit for spending, so don’t do it. Cut taxes; reduce spending. It’s the only governing philosophy that conservatives ever have a chance of winning with. But they never learn, do they?
KERRY’S ZIG-ZAGGERY: It’s impressive. Mickey has more evidence. But the fact that Kerry has taken (and rarely followed through on) many neo-liberal and even almost neoconservative positions over the years surely makes it harder for Rove to paint him as a stereotypical liberal. Yes, we pundits can rightly notice a man who’s as slinky as John Edwards’ bangs; but confusion about whether someone is a real liberal or “thoughtful” can only help insulate Kerry from being Dukakised. Weld tried it – and he still lost. More Kerryiana: John Ellis thinks writing off the South is simply Kerry’s advance spin before South Carolina. But I wonder if it isn’t a decent strategy. Imagine that the Dems don’t have to win the increasingly evangelical South. Couldn’t they tailor a message more to the libertarian West and Southwest, as well as Midwest and Northeast? There are many parts of the South that could be appealed to in a similar fashion. The GOP does the reverse, of course. They start with Southern white evangelicals and move out from there. Why can’t the Dems do the reverse?
The Dish 