Dragging in Poor Marcus

The Democrats' continued failure to drown Bush in his repeated failures also continues to boggle the mind. It is also a sad statement about the American voters, in my humble opinion, that the Republicans continue to get away with their shameless, flamboyant lies as the beat goes on ("Kerry will raise YOUR taxes" when he is out there saying he won't; "Kerry will not act internationally unless the UN sanctions it"; etc...) Still, who are these Democratic strategists that constantly seem to get beaten on strategic terms by their Republican counterparts? It was frustrating to see the mistakes of Gore, but to have the situation basically repeat itself (weak candidate, can never get control of the message) after Bush has failed on every front? How will they ever beat the Republicans again if they cannot this time? Maybe given the bounty of Indiana Jones analogies out there, we should consider that as a potential future blog theme. For now, consider the Democratic Presidential (!!) Campaign as synonymous with lonely Marcus wandering the bazaar for someone who speaks Ancient Greek. Whether it was the issue of Nader's decision to join the fray or the post-RNC bounce, the Kerry camp always seems to be running scared. Contrast that with Matthew Dowd's pre-DNC prediction that Kerry would have a 15% lead - overly cautious, ever triumphant. That plays right into their storybook. Surely there are Democratic minds out there that could have found this Grail already...