EDITORIAL: Kerry's Unreal Deal

Wednesday, March 3, 2004
By William Safire

New York Times Op-Ed Columnist

In the current phase, with the nomination in his pocket, he can stop emulating Dean's anger and copying Edwards's dual-Americanism. (Where will the Deaniacs and the trial lawyers go — to Nader? No; they will swallow the old Kerry — perhaps the real Kerry — to beat Bush.) That means he will have to cut the adopted negativist rhetoric of the early phases, like last week's "heartbreaking reminder of the millions of Americans without work" whose "mainstream values are scorned by a White House that puts privilege first." Such red meat tastes great to the already convinced, but will come across as hot air to independents who decide close general elections — a group where Kerry is weakest.

WASHINGTON -- NYT
Yogi Berra was wrong: even though it ain't over, it's over. Super Tuesday has met its Democratic Superman. John Kerry now enters Phase III of his four-phase campaign.

Phase I was: "I am just as antiwar as Howard Dean, despite my vote, and I'm just as incensed at Bush's unilateralism. But I'm not a nutty newcomer, and I won't self-destruct."

This message, combined with Ted Kennedy's help and the inept anti-Dean military mount chosen by the Clintonites, propelled "the new Kerry" to front-runnership.

Phase II was to beat off the smooth spellbinder from the South who — had just a few thousand Iowans switched — would have taken the Big Mo into New Hampshire.

Kerry did it by again absorbing his main opponent's message. John Edwards was gaining populist support by riding the railings against free trade, picking up protectionist votes by spreading fear of wild Indians in global back rooms serving U.S. stockbrokers.

But the Massachusetts senator, a lifelong free trader who had warmly embraced Nafta, spun on a dime and denounced the "special interests" who were "outsourcing jobs" and "bilking our people." The strategy of the newest new Kerry culminated in yesterday's coast-to-coast sweep. By stealing the trial lawyer's summation, he clinched the Democratic nomination.

Now come the harder parts...

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Dan