Howard Kurtz on what the pundits think of John Kerry:

Early Reviews Not Good for Kerry
John Kerry, it seems, is like one of those Rorschach ink blots: Everyone sees what they want.

Innovative thinker or cliched Massachusetts liberal. Vietnam War hero or foreign-policy waffler. Senator of stature or distant patrician.

This was dramatically demonstrated after Kerry's appearance with Tim Russert on Sunday. ... Some viewers undoubtedly saw an articulate, experienced man challenging Bush on a variety of issues. But others – including just about every pundit who has declaimed on the subject – saw a slippery, calculating human being.

Once again it comes down to what the Kool Kidz think. Notice how Kurtz avoids putting himself in that category by talking about them in the third person. Who's being slippery now?

To put it mildly, Kerry has a warmth problem. He recites his positions but doesn't tell any folksy stories, doesn't connect, doesn't seem to be speaking from the heart. His super-serious demeanor gave way to one half-smile and one laugh only at the very end of the 40-minute interview.

He doesn't smile enough! He doesn't tell cute folksy stories! Of course, when Democrats do that, the Kool Kidz criticize them for "fake folksiness". C'est la vie!

There are serious problems facing us every day (terrorism, corporate corruption, poverty, poor health care, crumbling education systems, etc). But that stuff is just such a bummer. Can't Kerry talk about the kind of things Bush talks about? Why does he have to be so serious!

Even when talking about the impact of his Vietnam ordeal, when he was wounded three times, and his affection for his comrades in arms, Kerry seemed to be delivering a speech he has given before rather than showing real emotion.

So Kurtz and the rest of his buddies in the media have set themselves up as the arbiters of the proper reaction to war-time experiences. It makes me wonder: What battles did you fight in Howie? How many times were you wounded Howie? How many of your buddies did you see blown into little bloody bits Howie?.

Well, after all, these are the same people who tsked-tsked the Wellstone Memorial. It's okay to grieve in public, but only if you do it in a way that meets the pundit seal of approval.

And his split-the-difference stands are sometimes odd: He opposes the death penalty for murderers and everyone else – but makes an exception for terrorists.

And this is odd because...?

This is how the Kool Kidz operate: they will criticize someone, but they won't do so in a fashion that is specific enough to be refuted. If Howied had specifically explained what was odd about Kerry's distinction on this point then Kerry could respond to it. As it is Kerry would be reduced to simply wondering how to respond to this without looking as clueless as the question that was asked.

The Kool Kidz are as slippery as the slimiest politician.

They are also cowards.

...

But it's becoming clear, for those who pay attention to such things, that Kerry's personality will be an outsized issue. Voters support candidates who make them feel comfortable. And the media, in their collective, elitist wisdom, have decided that John Kerry is for now outside their comfort zone.

Howard admits that the media is elitist. They have put themselves forward as the first voice in deciding who it is that the voters will feel comfortable with. And if the voters don't agree with their wisdom (as they did in 98 when they overwhelmingly supported Clinton and in 2000 when they gave Gore the majority of the votes) then there must be something wrong with their judgement.

Kurtz is one of the most interesting of the Kool Kidz because he has a habit of admitting to the elitism of the media without admitting that this might skew their observations. To Kurtz and his buddies, their provincialism is purely a problem for those who come to suffer their disapproval (typically Democrats). It is the rest of the world that has to adjust to their line of thought.

Is it any wonder that they like Bush so much?.