So It's Official

John Kerry will be the nominee.

His victories yesterday ensure that he will be the standard bearer for the Democrats this cycle.

I don't know how I feel about this. Or, frankly, if I even care. I know that I wish him well, and hope that the currently faltering-gang-that-couldn't-shoot-straight approach of the White House continues. But it's truly hard to see the benefits of the White House's demise accrue for a man like John Kerry.

The only advantage over my guy is that Kerry won't mess up. He is the political version of Mark Lemke, or maybe more fairly Hal Morris. He's not flashy. He won't hit it out of the park, and make you rise to your feet, fists pumping, chest beating, and hope restored. That's not his thing. He will however not begin to name states and Yeaarrghh!. John Kerry is a solid candidate...and the collapse (if it continues) of the Bushies may make Solid John a good candidate.

In any kind of a world, though, where we need to excite and inspire (two distinctly different ideas) the base John's going to fall short. Dean, for all his foibles (and there were some), was able to go yard. Dean may strike out (confederate flags, scream) but those were only because of big swings, where if he connected it'd be a new ballgame. I miss that about our politics. I more aptly, I don't miss it, because I don't know that I've experienced it beyond Wellstone and Dean. I yearn for it. That's more accurate. I want a politics where the power to expand our base, the power to EMpower is seen as the great asset and not the great concern. A politics where blood rushing to your face, and people standing on street corners waving signs is a valid measure of the talent of the speaker and not whether he parses words well. I want a politics where tepid politicians are mocked...as PGA golfers would be at WWE matches.

But as the AP article indicates--I'll have to wait.