The Impact of Fahrenheit 9/11

Ken AshfordElection 2004, Popular CultureLeave a Comment

I was among the many who thought that, once you get past all the controversy and noise, "Fahrenheit 9/11" would simply be a movie that preached to the choir. It wasn’t going to sway many on the right (who wouldn’t see it because they were on the right). Nor was it going to sway many in the center (on the … Read More

What Is Rove Doing?

Ken AshfordElection 2004Leave a Comment

That’s the question that has been plaguing me for a while. I see Bush going out to states where he is already doing well, and talking about issues that merely mobilize his base, rather than trying to attract the crucial swing voters. How can he hope to win an election THAT way, I constantly ask? Well, according to this analysis, … Read More

Reasons’ Reasons

Ken AshfordElection 2004Leave a Comment

Libertarian magazine Reason gives its list of ten reasons why Bush has got to go. The article endorses Kerry. Sort of. I mean, it clearly states that Kerry sucks, too, but it places him as the far lesser of two evils.

Voting While Under Attack

Ken AshfordElection 2004, War on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

I’m only half-following the story about the balloon being floated regarding the suspension of elections (if there is an AQ attack or something). And my thoughts on it are in the formative stages. Still, my initial reaction is that the Constitution does not permit the President to suspend presidential elections. Why not? Quite simple. Article II, Section 4 says that … Read More

Who Al Qaeda Wants For President

Ken AshfordElection 2004, War on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

I normally don’t like to cut & paste wholesale from other blogs/sites, but this comment from Atrios makes too much sense to ignore: The entire debate over the past three months about how Al Qaeda really wants to influence the election is collectively the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard, and that’s after a year of mainlining campaign coverage from the … Read More

And Your Point Is . . . What?

Ken AshfordElection 2004Leave a Comment

Drudge is concerned that Kerry and Edwards touch each other too much. He’s displayed a montage of nine photos, 5 of which look like there were taken within a span of two to three seconds. The message — apparently — is that Kerry and Edwards are . . . what . . . gay??? My take: Homophobia is a sure … Read More

What a Shame!

Ken AshfordElection 2004Leave a Comment

When Bush finally dumped a bunch of documents on us hoping to quiet all the "AWOL" accusations, he didn’t include the payroll records from the third quarter of 1972. That time period was controversial — it was when Bush never showed up for his physical, when Bush was grounded, and when Bush apparently went to Alabama to work on a … Read More

Cheney – Not Bush’s “First Choice” for VP?

Ken AshfordElection 2004Leave a Comment

Apparently not. Here’s Sen John McCain on the Early Show, from March of this year: McCain: “Look, I don’t want to be Vice President of the United States, I do not want to leave the Republican party, I would not be Vice President of the United States on either ticket. I told President Bush when he asked me in 2000 … Read More

Conviction Deficit at the White House

Ken AshfordElection 2004Leave a Comment

Some have recently ragged on Kerry for not following through on his convictions regarding when life begins (and why that hasn’t translated into an anti-abortion political stance). Maybe that’s why this little lack-of-conviction struck me as odd/humorous. Yesterday, WH Press Secretary Scott McLellan was asked: Q Scott, one last thing, in all of your pronouncements about the campaign and the … Read More

Republicans Trying To Cheat In Florida Again

Ken AshfordElection 2004Leave a Comment

Well, it worked in the 2000 election, so why not try again? More than 2,100 Florida voters — many of them black Democrats — could be wrongly barred from voting in November because Tallahassee elections officials included them on a list of felons potentially ineligible to vote, a Herald investigation has found. A Florida Division of Elections database lists more … Read More

Ruminations of ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ – Part II of II

Ken AshfordBush & Co., Election 2004, Popular CultureLeave a Comment

Well, shit. Kevin Drum took my Part II point. Almost verbatim. [T]he thing that really struck me about the film was the almost poetic parallellism between its own slanders and cheap shots and the slanders and cheap shots of pro-war supporters themselves over the past couple of years. If Moore had done this deliberately, it would have been worthy of … Read More

Ruminations of ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ – Part I of II

Ken AshfordBush & Co., Election 2004, Popular CultureLeave a Comment

Warning: “Fahrenheit 9/11” is a rich film jam-packed with facts, factoids, opinions, interviews, and messages. Unless one recounts every little moment, it is impossible for a review to “spoil” the entire film in a Rosebud-is-his-sled-type manner. Nevertheless, my essay below does reveal certain parts of the film — so if you plan on seeing it and don’t want anything revealed … Read More

Huge Non-endorsement Of Bush

Ken AshfordBush & Co., Election 2004Leave a Comment

From the Associated Press, as printed here: WASHINGTON — Angered by Bush administration policies they contend endanger national security, 26 retired U.S. diplomats and military officers are urging Americans to vote President Bush out of office in November. The group, which calls itself Diplomats and Military Commanders for Change, does not explicitly endorse Democrat John Kerry for president in its … Read More

Bush Campaign Enlisting Help Of Churches

Ken AshfordBush & Co., Election 2004, GodstuffLeave a Comment

As reported here: The Bush campaign is seeking to enlist thousands of religious congregations around the country in distributing campaign information and registering voters, according to an e-mail message sent to many members of the clergy and others in Pennsylvania. Liberal groups charged that the effort invited violations of the separation of church and state and jeopardized the tax-exempt status … Read More