George W. Bush is going to win re-election. Yeah, the lawyers will haggle about Ohio. But this time, Democrats don’t have the popular vote on their side. Bush does.
He also offers advice to the Democrats for next time. Kerry, it seems was too nuanced:
Bush is a very simple man. You may think that makes him a bad president, as I do, but lots of people don’t—and there are more of them than there are of us. If you don’t believe me, take a look at those numbers on your TV screen. . . .
Bush ended his sentences when you expected him to say more; Kerry went on and on, adding one prepositional phrase after another, until nobody could remember what he was talking about. Now Bush has two big states that mean everything, and Kerry has a bunch of little ones that add up to nothing.
Saletan’s halfway there, I’d say. There’s a bit of condescension here, but I do think he’s right that Edwards would have been a stronger candidate this time, and would run well in 2008. If, that is, he avoids being tarred as a sore loser this time around.