Cleaning up the hard drive tonight when I found a note I wrote from Michigan responding to a friend about the impending 2004 election while convalescing from a nasty fall a few years ago. God bless politics.

When I grow up I want to be a “have.”

“Fuck the “have-nots!” That will be the administration’s slogan when all is said and done, and we as a country will be poorer for it.

Agreed ... there is no clear frontrunner now and there may not be one later ... While Dean’s speech last weekend may have been ranked “most spirited,” his soapbox stands firmly—for now—on one leg. If Bush pulls the proverbial rabbit out of his cowboy hat in Iraq, Dean will be playing doctor again…. and sooner than later. And that goes for the rest of the French as well. In fact a new poll stated that 7 out of 10 Americans would vote for Chirac over Dean, Kucinich, Sharpton and Mosley-Braun combined—if the Iowa caucus was next week.

Whoever said the legs are the last thing to go was right. Dancing Dick has been nearly invisible since 1988 but will dust off the old shoes for one last number. The man has been in Congress for many years but unless you are from Missouri, the question remains: What have you done for me lately? Nobody knows what Gephardt has been doing on Capitol Hill for the past 30 years—with the exception of being shamefully passed over for Dukakis 14 years ago. The Post claims his nomination rests with organized labor—unfortunately Jimmy Hoffa Jr. and his teamsters aren’t as “organized” as the union was under his father. If Dick couldn’t beat the Duke in ’88, he stands little chance—against a candidate like Edwards, who is arguably more qualified (than Duke) and certainly more personable.

Edwards has the personality and wheelbarrows full of cash, but I agree with you and Bubba—the man needs a plan. And in order to be successful I see him taking a page out of W’s campaign—surrounding himself with intelligent, experienced Democrats with a proven record of taking care of business—mentors, or tutors if you will. But my guess is unless Edwards pulls a “Bubba” and drums up immense popularity, or the economy takes a severe turn for the worse, the Dems lead a lamb with less “up-side” or “future” to the alter. I think a lot of Dems view Edwards as a potential “franchise quarterback” with “tremendous upside,” one GM said. He may “need another year or two under the tutelage of a veteran if he wants to really learn the system. This kid could be the cornerstone of the franchise for years to come.”

Like any highly touted prospect, a team must weigh its options. If we hand him the ball in 2004 and he gets whipped—will he still fill seats in 2008?

Lieberman makes Gore look like the life of the party on paper and on TV, but we know that experiment failed miserably in 2000 and a repeat performance is unlikely. Considering how the party has run amok since Bubba humped off into the sunset in 2000 anything is possible though. Lieberman and his campaign team should not only ingest handfuls of speed regularly, but it should be distributed freely at any “Lieberman in 2004” event.

We’ll talk more about Kerry later. Until he recovers from his recent prostate surgery, and hits the trail I’ll keep it simple. He’s been in the business for a long time, he’s a Vietnam vet, he’s got a rich wife and he’s a New Englander. Depending on the day and the general mood of the American people, any one of these qualifications could make him a frontrunner …. or a flop … flip a coin.

So much for simple.

And what about Al and Carol? The always outspoken Rev. Al has the political savvy of a jackhammer and outside of NYC he is a laughingstock. Mosley-Braun is an orphan. She was run out of Congress, Illinois and exiled to New Zealand… never to be heard from again. Behind closed doors on the party plantation, self-anointed “viable candidates” fear the worst: Could Al drum up enough support to jump to the independent ticket, taking enough of the black vote away from the Dems (like Nader and his hippies) to torpedo our chances to put and end to this ridiculous game of Cowboys and Indians?

Texas Hold ‘Em
Is Bush a coward or is he playing his cards right? The longer he waits to pull the trigger on the war, the longer the democratic candidates look like good ole’ Charlie Brown. As much as I hate to admit it, W has the upper hand right now—like Lucy, holding the dreaded football. Do we risk going for ball and falling flat on our backs, or should we go for broke and kick the cunt in the teeth?