Tuesday, September 21, 2004
Post-election scenario
Andy Sullivan asks
The candidates gave no indication that this has occurred to either of them. But if it does cross their minds between now and Nov. 2, we could see a post-election situation that would be the mirror image of the one that followed the last election. Imagine: The election is just as close as 2000, or even closer. Several states' results are in dispute, Florida in particular . . .
Kerry: "I concede."
Bush: "Ladies and gentlemen, my opponent wanted to be president before he didn't. That sure sounds like a flip flop to me. Well, lemme tell you something. I have made up my mind to concede. And I will stay the course. I will not falter. I will not fail."
Kerry: "My friends, let me tell you, I am not going to let someone who avoided service question my commitment to conceding. And I am here to tell you, I have conceded and Mr. Bush cannot concede."
Bush: "Look . . . heh heh . . . See, lemme tell ya how this works. I'm the commander, see? And what I say goes. And I say I concede."
Kerry: "I pledge to you now that I have already conceded. Bush is president by default."
Bush: "Somebody has to make the hard decisions. And I'm that guy, the decision guy. And my decision is I concede."
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Andy Sullivan asks
I wonder if either candidate has pondered the benefits of actually losing this election? If Kerry wins, you can see how the Republicans would then blame all the inevitable mess in Iraq on his vacillation (even if he doesn't budge an inch), and marshall a Tet offensive argument that implies that if only Washington hadn't given up, the Blessed Leader would have seen the war to victory. Kerry wouldn't be able to win, whatever he does. And because he'd be more fiscally responsible than Bush (could anyone be less fiscally responsible?) he wouldn't have much in the way of domestic goodies to keep his base happy. But if Bush wins and heads into a real, live second Vietnam in Iraq, his party will split, the country will become even more bitterly polarized than now (especially if he's re-elected because he's not Kerry) and he'll become another end-of-career Lyndon Johnson.
The candidates gave no indication that this has occurred to either of them. But if it does cross their minds between now and Nov. 2, we could see a post-election situation that would be the mirror image of the one that followed the last election. Imagine: The election is just as close as 2000, or even closer. Several states' results are in dispute, Florida in particular . . .
Kerry: "I concede."
Bush: "Ladies and gentlemen, my opponent wanted to be president before he didn't. That sure sounds like a flip flop to me. Well, lemme tell you something. I have made up my mind to concede. And I will stay the course. I will not falter. I will not fail."
Kerry: "My friends, let me tell you, I am not going to let someone who avoided service question my commitment to conceding. And I am here to tell you, I have conceded and Mr. Bush cannot concede."
Bush: "Look . . . heh heh . . . See, lemme tell ya how this works. I'm the commander, see? And what I say goes. And I say I concede."
Kerry: "I pledge to you now that I have already conceded. Bush is president by default."
Bush: "Somebody has to make the hard decisions. And I'm that guy, the decision guy. And my decision is I concede."
