Kerry Gives Bush A Run for his Money in Texas

   Now that both the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations are essentially uncontested, the comparisons between the results in the two parties are even more meaningful.

   The March 9, 2004 primaries in Louisiana, Texas, Florida and Mississippi show that George W. Bush's re-election campaign is in serious trouble.  That is the reason that the actual vote totals were nowhere to be found on primary night or on the Associated Press wire today.  Mississippi's vote totals will not be available until next week.

   In Texas, George Bush's home state, John Kerry came within 70,113 votes of the former Governor.  Kerry got 562,287 to Bush's 632,400.  Given the fact that only 683,764 Republican votes were cast (51,364 for uncommitted) compared to the 839,746 Democratic votes (120,452 for Edwards; 39,991 for Dean; 15,993 for Kucinich; 31,146 for Sharpton; 25,599 for Lieberman) shows that if the election were held today, even Texas might vote for Kerry.

   Contrary to the currently accepted wisdom, while the country is sharply divided and the race will be close, at the moment the race is close all over the country, without regard to geographic distinctions.  The mess of the 2000 election with the confusion in the arcane electoral college plus the unprecedented intervention of the Supreme Court in a presidential election, with the resulting catastrophic condition of public and private finances and the first major attack on American soil since 1941, means that the major objective of the electorate in this presidential year is to unite the country.

   Although the race will be close in popular vote, the margin in the electoral college is going to be huge.