I fear that Kerry is a coward. This is the last thing needed right now, and I hope that I will be proven wrong soon. But there are some uncomfortable signs of Kerry trying to look like some sort of a mild Republican. Nobody in this country votes for mild Republicans: there are two camps of voters now, and they're far removed from each other. I blame the right-wing media for this split and the turning of the Republican party into a homecoming party for Attila the Hun spliced with Savonarola. Not a party to which I'd be invited, except perhaps as an interesting savory course.
So I'd like Kerry to show a bit more guts and courage; those old-fashioned values which suit both men and women equally well. Besides, we all know what Bush is like, and there's no way Kerry could run successfully as a whey-faced imitation. People either want the real thing (poor misguided souls) or absolutely detest it (the rest of us), and if Kerry acts too moderate and tame too soon, the latter group will give up and start planning their emigration even sooner.
I'm not alone with these thoughts. Roger K. Smith's article on this topic is well worth reading. Here's a snippet from it to whet your appetites:
In recent days, Senator Kerry has repeatedly emphasized his centrist credentials. At a top-dollar fundraiser, he assured well-heeled New Yorkers that he was "not a redistribution Democrat." He has already begun retracting his own proposals for new spending programs, signaling Wall Street that paying down Dubya's deficit will trump his domestic agenda. He swiftly approved of Bush's craven concessions to Ariel Sharon -- concessions that sound the death knell for Middle East peace negotiations -- for fear of showing insufficient fealty to the Israeli right.
This all surely placates the DLC mandarins, but it must be recognized that these are perilous tactics. The more daylight he darkens between himself and Bush/Cheney, the more he legitimates their policies and alienates those left-liberals who ought to be his most fervent supporters.
Are you reading, Mr. Kerry?