Bush's fumble in the first debate means Cheney has to do a lot tonight.
Captain's Quarters will be live-blogging the Veep debate. He thinks we should be concerned about Edwards' Grisham-like appeal.
CQ's concerns are well well founded. KE04 routinely wins the "cares about people like me" question in presidential tracking polls. Edwards, who talker Laura Ingraham accurately calls Silky Pony, is the reason for that. He looks like he cares. Cheney's funny lip shape and the Halliburton tag have hurt BC04 in the "We care" department, but this doesn't have to be the case.
The Veep should hammer away at Kerry's "global test" gaffe from the first debate, but he would be wise to bring up that there is a local test that Edwards has failed.
John Edwards has failed the local test in North Carolina-- had he run for reelection, he would have lost. Silky Pony voted like he was the third Senator from Massachusetts , not the senior Senator from NC, and the swing states are more like NC than Massachusetts.
Cheney should point out that Edwards voted against body armor for the troops in Iraq despite the fact that he was the Senator from North Carolina, a state with a large active duty military population. When Edwards and Kerry voted against the money and equipment for the troops, they had a four letter place that starts with the letter "I" on their minds, but it was Iowa not Iraq. That vote was about, well, it should have been about, providing the troops with what they need to make it out of Iraq alive, Edwards and Kerry chose to use the vote to get tickets out of the Lefty dominated Iowa caucuses. Cheney should mention that.
If I were Cheney, I would say to Silky Pony: "You grew up in North Carolina. The people over in Iraq weren't abstractions to you. They are the folks from your Church, your neighbors and the people you see at the supermarket. You should've put what was good for you politically aside and stood with them while they were in harm's way."
Cheney was Wyoming's sole representative in the House. In a small state like WY, the Representative in Congress matters. They sent Cheney back to Washington again and again--he passed the local test every two years with flying colors.
When the good folks in WY sent Cheney to Washington, Cheney chose to live in Northern Virginia because it was more like back home. Silky Pony decided to move into a Georgetown mansion so he could go to the elite cocktail parties in the Beltway bubble. The vote against the money for the troops in harm's way was a cocktail party pleaser, but it was the wrong thing to do. Edwards broke faith with the people back home, Cheney should go after Edwards on that hard.
The Veep should use Russ Feingold's record against Silky Pony and Live Shot. Feingold is a liberal's liberal, but a good guy. Feingold voted against the War Resolution, but he voted for the money for the troops. Why did he vote that way? Because he knew the sons and daughters of Wisconsin were in harm's way and his conscience wouldn't permit him to sell them out.
In addition, Joe Biden, darling of the the MSM, said that Silky Pony and Live shot were "dead wrong" for voting against the money for the troops. Cheney should mention that.
Zeroing in on KE04's dreadful voting record on Iraq is a good thing to do. It sends the message to the American people that there was an honorable way to differ with the adminsitration on Iraq, but KE04 didn't do it honorably or responsibly.
Cheney should also point out how KE04 cannot begrudge every cent the administration pays on first responders in Iraq and then argue that they would secure Iraq faster. Kerry has blasted the money spent on cops and firehouses, but I suspect most Americans think Iraq could use more cops.
And if Edwards goes after Halliburton, all Cheney has to do is remind the American people that Halliburton has deployed with America's military for over forty years. And Dick could play the France card too. The Veep should say unapologetically that the adminstration thought an American company with American workers, not French and German corporations, should get taxpayer money. That passes the local test. Dick should also mention that a number of Halliburton workers have died in the line of duty in Iraq. Halliburton could backfire badly on Silky Pony if the Veep plays it right.
The energy issue could also be a boon for BC04 if they play it right. They should point out how labor and the folks in Alaska were behind drilling in ANWR. Had drilling in ANWR gone forward, there would be 100,000 more good paying jobs today then there are now. Mentioning in Cleveland that KE04 stood in the way of 100,000 good union jobs is a smart thing to do. The administration's comprehensive Energy Bill, had it been passed, would have meant jobs, jobs, jobs for Reagan Democrats. Kerry should pay for blocking it.
What Cheney must avoid is coming off too hardcore. A couple of years ago, I caught him at the Al Smith dinner on C-SPAN, and he came off too grim. When they panned the crowd, the women in their gowns look petrified by Cheney unplugged. I know that Peggy Noonan is working for BC04, I just haven't seen much proof of it. I thought Cheney's speech at the RNC convention was Noonanesque in parts, I hope she is on his debate prep team. Edwards is going to be Silky Pony, we can't afford to have cut away shots of Cheney looking like a guy who just participated in a canned hunt.