(Flashback - I'm a big John Edwards guy - more on this some other time...)
The first good indication I received on how desperate BushCo is at the moment -- they dragged out the Crypt Keeper today -- Zell Miller is stumping for Bush. It simply gets no more desperate. Zell has no pull - zip, zero, nada - on the national scene. On the 'inside politics' side of the tape, everyone knows what Zell is all about. We saw his Joe Goebbels imitation at the GOP convention. This move smelled pretty fetid to me.
The second sign from my political ouji board was simply listening to Bush's voice and inflection over the past few days. This is a guy who already knows he's following in poppy's footsteps. He's reading from Rove's script now. There's absolutely no passion in his inflection. For Bush, it's become, "if it's Wednesday, it must be Cleveland". I'll give the RNC credit, though - that they've been able to hold him together this long is either testament to the miracles of modern medicine, they're using a body double, or it's Weekend at Bernie's with Rove behind the body, waving the arms (if you didn't see the movie you probably have no idea what I'm talking about, so let it pass).
As Exhibit 3, I offer the results of internal polling from Fabrizio, McLaughlin & Associates (FMA), a GOP polling and strategic consulting firm based in Alexandria, Va. The results are quite enlightening, shocking, and energizing. Basically, FMA is saying that Bush is burnt toast. Unless BushCo can somehow supress every minority vote in America, they might as well be reserving the U-Hauls right now.
Lastly (and this is from several sources), CBS was supposed to release a Florida poll earlier this week. The poll showed a 6 to 8 point Kerry advantage. CBS told the polling organization to go back and do it again. (Sound familiar? "Clarke, go back and look again. See if Iraq is connected.") The second poll Florida poll came back with a 4 point Kerry lead. Now CBS is conflicted, and won't release the poll. I guess Rathergate really did rattle the cages at the Tiffany Network.
I want no one to get complacent - but this is looking really good. We have 5 days and a wakeup to sprint to the finish line. At lunchtime today, I was passing out flyers on the streets of Philly. I'll do the same tomorrow. Friday, I've got something really unique planned for a busy corner. And I've already offered my services to the DNC anywhere in the country from Saturday through Monday evening. Don't know if they'll take me up on it...if they don't...it's local phone banking (and the DNC's loss).
From here on out, it's all GOTV, folks. Do what you can. Fire off emails to everyone in your address book - and do it daily, if you feel so moved - tell 'em why you're so passionate about regime change. Call you local Kerry / Edwards headquarters, and offer to do some canvassing or phone banking this weekend. They'll appreciate the offer, believe me. Set up a card table outside of your local grocery story, and pass out stuff you downloaded and printed from the web. Talk to people at church on Sunday.
But for jeebus' sakes, don't do nothing (I know, I know, double negative for you pedants). This is within our grasp. We can sleep when we're dead. Don't wake up with any regrets on 11/03/04.
