As the presidential campaign moves into its final week, both Bush and Kerry are campaigning hard. Kerry has been sticking to his strengths, which are apparently speaking Spanish, talking about God, and... hunting? While both candidates are guilty of this last-second pandering, Kerry's embarrassing goose-hunting escapade gives another example of why he is not fit to be president.
To avoid going crazy on the campaign trail one day, Kerry decided to blow off some steam. Conveniently, he was in the hotly contested swing state of Ohio, and he had a hankering for fresh goose. "Get me my gun!" he shouted. His people called up the networks, which they are prone to do whenever Kerry does something "normal" Americans do, like eat a Philly cheese steak, play soccer, or watch the Red Sox while drinking (American!) beer. Once the cameras arrived, the Kerry campaign got its hunt on.
Bullets, smoke, feathers, blood, and the death cries of innocent geese soon filled the air. As Kerry and his cohorts triumphantly returned to camp, photographers went wild. Immediately, the image of Kerry as a boring, out-of-touch politician was replaced with the "real" John Kerry?a man who is unafraid to say, "Screw you!" to PETA and do what good old American boys are prone to do, which is killing things, apparently. At least, this was the intention of the Kerry campaign. Unfortunately, Kerry has next to no idea about what good old boys are.
Kerry has had his finger to the wind during his entire campaign, so when he heard that blue-collar folks in Ohio were leaning in Bush's direction, he rushed to reinvent himself as a gun and hunting enthusiast?who has a lifetime "F" rating from the NRA.
Of course, appealing to blue-collar voters is a challenge for both candidates, so we can't blame them for trying. The closest Bush has been to a blue-collar job was when he had to rake the front yard as a kid, and private detectives remain unsure about whether he actually finished. Kerry, if elected, will be by far the wealthiest president in history and would have to agonize over at which of his five gorgeous houses he should spend his vacations.
Bush seems to understand this personal disconnect, and avoids publicity stunts. Instead, he tries (successfully and unsuccessfully) to appeal to the working class by celebrating their resolve during tough times, outlining his record and his new plans, and promising that things will improve. In contrast, when Kerry hears that he needs to pander to the working class, he ignores his record of 20 years in the Senate, attacks Bush, buys a new camo getup (which is so 2002, by the way) and a rifle, and starts blasting away at geese.
The hunting trip was yet another desperate attempt by the Kerry campaign to garner cheap votes with style rather than substance. It provides even more evidence that Kerry's political pandering is pathological. He has proven time and again that he wants to be everything to everyone. Somehow, he is a proud SUV owner (in front of auto workers) and anti-SUV (in front of environmentalists). Somehow, he wants to lower the deficit while increasing spending. Somehow, he vows to do whatever is necessary to protect America while at the same time advocating a "global test" before military action. And, as the nail in the coffin, he can be animal rights advocate for PETA, but also be a hunting enthusiast.
Kerry simply lacks the personal resolve necessary to be a great leader. He is so obsessed with nuance that he cannot comprehend black and white issues. The great presidents of this country were not afraid to do what they felt was right, no matter what the political consequences were at the time. They were unafraid of being unpopular. Kerry looks at the polls rather than his values. George W. Bush is a proven leader, which is why he is the clear choice for president on November 2.