Inside Politics

‘Lack of passion’

Chuck Todd, editor in chief of the Hotline, National Journal’s daily briefing on politics, still has a few doubts about presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, despite the Massachusetts Democrat’s impressive victories in Iowa and New Hampshire.

“The lack of passion at Kerry rallies that we observed over the last two weeks should be troublesome to his aides,” Mr. Todd writes at www.nationaljournal.com.

“It’s not Kerry that lacks the passion, but his supporters. His backers are quintessential establishment Democrats: older voters and members of the rank-and-file Democratic groups. Clark, Edwards and Dean all seem to attract more enthusiastic supporters. We know enthusiasm doesn’t necessarily translate to support, but it sure can energize folks — and Kerry needs a spark that will make supporters of his foes comfortable and excited in unity.

“And while we’ll admit we’re thisclose from anointing Kerry as the nominee, there’s one thing that gives us pause — and that’s John Kerry. He was a terrible front-runner early last year, and how he deals with the upcoming scrutiny and attacks will tell us whether he has the temperament to pull this off. Kerry didn’t show that temperament in the spring of ‘03, but he has of late. Can he keep his old self under wraps long enough to put this nomination away? It’s looking like it.”

Alien species

“The conservative movement, which at various points has felt slighted, ignored, abused, dismissed and otherwise thoroughly adrift in coverage by New York’s ‘media elites,’ has finally found a place in the New York Times. Sort of,” the New York Observer reports.

“For the next year, David Kirkpatrick — formerly the man charged with covering the book publishing industry — will cover conservatives. Not the Republican Party or the Bush administration. No, it’s real conservatives,” Observer staffer Sridhar Pappu writes.

“In an announcement earlier this month, Times national editor Jim Roberts said that Mr. Kirkpatrick ‘will examine conservative forces in religion, politics, law, business and the media — a job that will take him across the country and make him a frequent presence in Washington.

” ‘His coverage will cut across the political campaigns this season,’ Mr. Roberts continued, ‘but we expect that much of what he does will transcend the race itself and delve into the issues and personalities that drive — and sometimes divide — conservatives.’

” ‘I winced a little when I read that job announcement,’ said Times executive editor Bill Keller, ‘because it was a little like “The New York Times discovers this strange, alien species called conservatives,” and that’s not what this is about.’ …

“What The Times’ new beat means to do, Mr. Keller said, is this: Give a great big bear hug to the disparate but at times interconnected conservative organizations — evangelical Christians and anti-abortionists, for example — all as a way of gaining a peek into who the Bush administration listens to, and why.”

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