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"Now we will carry this campaign and the cause of a stronger, fairer, more prosperous America to every part of America. We will take nothing for granted; we will compete everywhere - and in November, with your help, we will defeat George W. Bush." -- Senator John Kerry, 02/03/04

Tuesday, February 3, 2004

By Ralf Seiffe

So far, the most important factor in the presidential campaign is not the primal scream, but John F. Kerry’s campaign finance strategy. At the nadir of his fortunes, when the pundits on both sides had written him off, JFK II took stock and invested in himself.

Kerry’s decision to mortgage his home and spend the money on what appeared to be a hopeless effort will be lauded as evidence that voters can trust the internal compass of the man. It will become the moment that defines his character much like cherry trees, San Juan Hill, PT-109 and “Tear down that Wall, Mr. Gorbachev “ did for other politicians.

The entire chattering class is excoriating Dr. Dean for his perfectly understandable attempt at cheerleading when his troops were down, disappointed that adults had rescued the party by coming to the caucuses. Establishment Democrats, keen on keeping control of the DNC, saw their opportunity and quickly launched torpedoes against Dean’s campaign. Reliable Democratic media outlets featured pictures of the good doctor looking like he needed to prescribe himself a massive dose of blood pressure meds. Republicans simply giggled.

Entertaining as this is, it is but a side show. The real news is that the Democrats are willing to back anyone who can beat George Bush. The message from Iowa wasn’t health care, pulling troops from Iraq or arresting global warming, it was “Anybody but Bush!” This is a dangerous attitude because it permits the party to swing wildly, not on ideas or issues but who can win, regardless of character.

Apparently bereft of any core values other than regaining federal power, Democrats are taken with John Kerry, a candidate that has a better “liberal” rating than even Teddy Kennedy, according to the Americans for Democratic Action.

Republicans should take him seriously because he can beat Bush in a 50/50% nation. He’s able to cut into the issues that usually favor Republicans; a decorated veteran, a veteran debater and an anti-crime prosecutor from Willie Horton-land. He’s a member of the Intelligence Committee who claims he was a first-hand victim of the CIA and of the Administration’s prevarications regarding Iraq.

Democrats are beginning to recognize that JFK II is their best bet to beat the president.

On television, JFK II’s bragged he’ll be the one to beat Bush and when he does, he’ll chase the special interests out of Washington.

But should he have that chance? By his own definition, John Kerry is a tool of special interests and should be roundly rejected by those who believe the country is run by special interests. When John Kerry and his fellow Democrats rail against special interests, they mean private interests that use their wealth and influence to obtain favorable, but otherwise unobtainable political outcomes. This requires an interest with wherewithal and a set of politicians willing to ignore the will and interests of the people.

Isn’t this exactly what JFK II did?

Kerry’s campaign seems to meet the definition of a special interest. First he’s wealthy. Through family and marriage, JFK II has a net worth of some half-billion dollars. That’s very special because there are very few organizations active in politics commanding that dimension of resources -- including both political parties combined.

Next, he used that wealth to influence a political process and to obtain a result that was otherwise unachievable. When JFK II put the $6.5 million into his campaign, it looked to all the world that he had peaked and had worn out out. He was reduced to being defined by his profanity in Rolling Stone Magazine, his curious motorcycle attire and the futility of his campaign.

Nevertheless, against the call of nearly every pundit---including me---JFK II was able to thwart the reported will of the people, break through in Iowa and claim the more desirable “F” word---frontrunner.

Special interests do not exist in a vacuum; they exist to influence someone. For most Democrats it’s the gullible or craven Republicans influenced by Halliburton or the NRA. This time, Democrats should look in mirrors.

Kerry is the ultimate special interest. Unlike organizations that must balance the views of widely varying members, JFK II is beholden to himself alone. His backroom deals are struck behind a haircut. If he had an ounce of integrity, JFK II would show the courage to forego certain victory in the nominating process and never permit himself to be the Democrat standard bearer. Instead, he looked fate in the eye, anted 1% of his wealth and bet he could become the leader of the free world. It appears his special gamble has worked. Too bad the rest of us aren’t so special.

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Ralf Seiffe advises business start-ups and product launches from Chicago, Illinois and is a political analyst and columnist for the Illinois Leader.