To borrow an idea from National Journal and the title from one of my favorite episodes of The Simpsons, I have a few awards to deliver as we close out another fun-filled year.
Speech of the Year
Barack Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention was one of the best speeches I’ve ever heard and easily the best of the year. Expectations were high before he delivered it — and he managed to exceed them all and create a national phenomenon. Before the speech, Obama was an exciting Senate candidate. After it, Obama became a rock star.
Worst Speech of the Year
Zell Miller, Obama’s counterpoint as a keynote convention speaker, delivered one of the most breathtakingly ugly speeches in recent political memory. Miller’s hate-filled, wild-eyed rant forever sealed his legacy as a sad, small man.
Political Feud of the Year
I think of Jon Stewart telling Crossfire’s hosts that the show is “hurting America” and continue to smile. Stewart did what had to be done and kicked off a national discussion on the insipid, pointless shouting that these talking-heads shows have become.
(Runner Up: Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert went on national television to suggest that billionaire philanthropist George Soros takes money from international criminal drug cartels. Hastert made the outlandish charge without proof or a hint of support, but felt justified in making the accusation because Soros supports Democrats. Soros later called for an apology and a House ethics investigation. He got neither.)
Coincidence of the Year
The White House released documents detailing Bush’s limited service in the National Guard six times this year. In each instance, the documents were released on a Friday afternoon.
Quote of the Year
“No President has ever done more for human rights than I have.” — George W. Bush in January.
(Runner Up: “[T]he Kay report identified dozens of weapons of mass destruction-related program activities and significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United Nations.” — Bush’s 2004 State of the Union)
Hypocrisy of the Year
“If we make the wrong choice, then the danger is that we’ll get hit again and we’ll be hit in a way that will be devastating from the standpoint of the United States.” — Dick Cheney in September, the same week Bush accused Kerry of running a campaign “based on fear.”
Prop of the Year
Dennis Kucinich thought it would be a good idea to show Howard Dean a home-made chart showing how military spending affects the discretionary budget during a debate in Iowa before the caucuses. The problem: it was a radio debate so no one could see it.
Hyperbole of the Year
James Dobson, while campaigning in Oklahoma for Tom Coburn, told an audience, “Homosexuals are not monogamous. They want to destroy the institution of marriage. It will destroy marriage. It will destroy the Earth.”
Attack of the Year
“Go F— Yourself” — Dick Cheney to Sen. Pat Leahy on the Senate floor in June. The two were together for the annual Senate photo, but Cheney cursed Leahy because the Vermont senator approached the VP in a friendly way after criticizing Cheney’s Halliburton ties a week earlier. Cheney refused to apologize.
Most Ridiculous Spin of the Year
The day the nation learned that 377 tons of explosives were missing from the Al Qaqaa facility, and just 10 days after the president personally learned of the problem, White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card dismissed national concerns bceause, as he put it, “It’s an old story.” He then accused the Kerry campaign of “dwelling on the past.”
(Runner Up: Joe Lieberman was on the Dems’ ticket just four years ago, but in the New Hampshire primary, after literally moving to the state to campaign full time and skipping the Iowa caucuses altogether, Lieberman came in a distant fifth. That night, he told his supporters, “We are in a three-way split decision for third place.” It wasn’t really true, but it was unintentionally hilarious.)
Analogy of the Year
Grover Norquist, a Republican lobbyist and consultant to the president, told NPR that the Nazi Holocaust and Estate Tax were morally equivalent. No one at the White House repudiated the comparison and Norquist continues to be a key Bush insider.
Statistic of the Year
Bob Shrum has worked on eight presidential campaigns, spanning more than three decades. After this year’s work on Kerry’s campaign, Shrum is 0-for-8.
Mystery of the Year
What was under Bush’s jacket during the first presidential debate?
Smear of the Year
At the Republican National Convention, GOP activists thought it would be amusing to mock soldiers wounded in combat.
Worst Trend of the Year
The Bush campaign’s exclusive, invitation-only campaign rallies undermined political tradition, the ideals of the First Amendment, the principles of American democracy, and, in the case of loyalty oaths, good taste. Unfortunately, they were effective, which means Republican candidates will no doubt be trying similar stunts in the future.
(Runner Up: The Bush administration had a disturbing penchant for creating fake news segments — with our money — for distribution to television news outlets nationwide.)
Best Trend of the Year
Online donations made supporting favored candidates as easy as buying a book on Amazon. Indeed, it was even easier. The result was a revolutionary tool for campaign fundraising that helped the Dems keep near parity with the Republicans for the first time.
Offensive Direct Mail Piece of the Year
The Republican National Committee sent out mailings to voters in Arkansas and West Virginia arguing that “liberals” want to “ban” the Bible. No single piece of direct mail better captured Republican hate-mongering and demagoguery better.
Self-Inflicted Wound of the Year
Rudy Giuliani, who avoided military service, made it his personal goal this campaign season to smear John Kerry, a decorated war hero, as anti-military. It’s why it was particularly noteworthy when Giuliani went on national television to blame the military for missing munitions in Iraq: “The president was cautious. The president was prudent…. No matter how you try to blame it on the president, the actual responsibility for it really would be for the troops that were there. Did they search carefully enough? Didn’t they search carefully enough?” It was a disgusting display, which if there’s any justice, will follow Giuliani for the rest of his career.
Worst Candidate of the Year
Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) deteriorated before our eyes in 2004. He failed to show up for events, skipped a debate, and lied about using a teleprompter in a different debate in which he wasn’t supposed to use one. Local newspapers started demanding he release his medical records, but he refused. When a unit of Army Reserve soldiers in Iraq — from Bunning’s hometown — refused an order to deliver fuel because their trucks were lightly armored, the senator said, “I don’t know anything about that.” He later bragged that he doesn’t watch or read the news. Naturally, Bunning won on Election Day with 51% of the vote.
Exit of the Year
Sen. Tom Daschle left the Senate with the same class and grace he showed during his 26 years of service in Congress. His final floor remarks, which encouraged his colleagues to focus on finding “common ground,” ended with Senate Democrats gathering him in their arms to collectively hug him afterward. (In a sign of Republican class, most GOP lawmakers boycotted his farewell address.)
Worst Exit of the Year
Attorney General John Ashcroft, who had clearly worn out his welcome, wrote to the president upon resigning that the “objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved.” The man clearly isn’t well.
And, finally, the award for the man who got exactly what he deserved…
Ralph Nader officially ran out of friends this year. Nader garnered 0.38% of the vote on Election Day, which was about half of his previous worst campaign (he had 0.71% in 1996).
Happy New Year.