Win, Place, Show
Thanks to Scott’s correction, I saw a replay of the first debate last night (and got my t-shirt), and I cannot believe that anyone could have pegged this as a tie, let alone given it to Bush. I was reminded of nothing so much as of one of the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales, recontextualized as the American political promise that “anyone can grow up to be President.” Remember the one about the two little girls, one of whom is blessed for her kindness and good manners to have every word she speaks manifest in gold coins and jewels, while the other’s rudeness is punished so that she spits snakes and toads? Kerry & Bush represent a similar polarity of ability and manner. I almost feel sorry for George II, stumbling over the lumpy frogs, having to swallow back the hairy spiders, while Kerry’s every utterance is lucid and frank: a gold sovereign, coin of the realm. I felt real hope for the campaign and for the country. Honestly, Kerry hardly needed to show up for this; George wiped the floor with himself.