Now what?

I must confess that I’m not really ready to commit to either Kerry or Edwards yet. I have concerns about both, and I also have great respect for them both. (You see, to me Clark was the perfect amalgam of both Kerry and Edwards, but he’s gone now, so it’s desperately hard to choose). Obviously, I think each of them could defeat George Bush. I’ll be honest – I like Edwards better. I like his message, and his biography. I like his focus on the economy, and I think it’ll play well upstate. Basically, I’m concerned that Edwards is somewhat of a lightweight – especially on foreign policy. Of course, GWB was (and is) a lightweight on every issue. He’s really a great and inspiring communicator, though, and I think that would be a stark contrast with the current mumbler-in-chief. On the other hand, Clark endorsed Kerry, and that counts a lot for me. Quite frankly, I have so much respect for Clark that his endorsement alone may find me in Kerry’s corner sooner rather than later. I think Kerry has more “gravitas” and is a more serious candidate. I also respect both his military service and his outspoken opposition to Vietnam. My concerns with Kerry are that: 1) Karl Rove and his stormtroopers will misrepresent portions of Kerry’s personal, military and congressional record; 2) That same crowd will (possibly with some effect) pin Kerry as a new Dukakis; 3) That Kerry won’t do well in the South. Doing well in the South is important– About a month ago, Kerry made a bad gaffe that may come back to haunt him. He said that Al Gore proved that you don’t have to win the South to become President. I would argue that Gore proved that you DO have to win the South to become President. Gore won the popular, but that didn’t count. Kerry needs to absorb a little of that Dean inspiration (not too much – just a little) and really start firing people up. Josh Marshall recommends that you just go compare www.johnkerry.com and www.johnedwards2004.com, then come back and tell me which campaign is more fired-up and inspired. I’m not quite ready to go to work for either Kerry or Edwards yet, but I’ll make a decision soon.