Howard Fineman, one of the country’s prominent political analysts and reporters, entertained and informed a sold-out crowd last night at Fairfield University’s Quick Center as part of the Open VISIONS Forum presented by University College.
Fineman kept his audience on their toes with frequent jokes, witty comments and quips about both presidential candidates, working in Washington and popular culture.
“The real way to understand Washington D.C. is… to understand that Washington is the nation’s leading center of reality based entertainment,” said Fineman. “We have Survivor, that was Clinton’s presidency and we have The Apprentice, that’s Bush’s presidency.”
Fineman, who was described as a “watchdog over politics and government” in his introduction, predicted that this coming election would be hotly contested and disputed for several reasons.
“It’s going to be close and now we are all sensitive to the mechanics of Elections Day,” said Fineman. “Not to mention that thousands of lawyers have been deputized to fan out everywhere there might be disputes on election day.”
“And we all know where lawyers go, lawsuits follow,” he said.
He expressed his concern for the future of the country, the legitimacy of politics and the electoral process if another presidential election is disputed.
“I don’t take sides but I do care about the country,” he said. “I don’t think we can make it through another disputed election.”
Breaking down the election, Fineman hit upon the crucial areas where he believed the election will actually be fought. The three campaigning hotspots, Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania, the West and the Southwest will be deciding factors. So will the votes cast by three segments within the population, the Jewish, Catholic and Hispanic voters.
This presidential election, touted as one of the most consequential presidential elections facing our republic, has caught the nation’s attention, with 118 million expected voters, a 14 million increase from the 2000 election, according to Fineman.
Having known both men for years, Fineman revealed to the audience intimate aspects and characteristics Senator John Kerry and President George W. Bush possess that the general public was probably not aware of.
“Kerry is a very solitary guy, he likes solitary sports like windsurfing and skiing,” said Fineman. “Because he is this solitary guy, he likes official positions and wants to be elected to these official positions.”
He credits Kerry’s disjointed childhood spent constantly moving around with his solitary nature. Kerry was always the new kid in school and never had that sense of belonging to a group for a long period of time. Kerry strove to excel in Yale, being elected president of his class and the debate club.
Fineman painted a lightheated yet powerful depiction of the person that is President Bush.
“The key thing to understanding Bush is that he was president of his college fraternity,” he said. “He gives everybody nicknames and I always thought he would be the first president to administer noogies.”
The deep Texas roots give Bush his “swagger, certitude, belief in the handshake, and to a point, his black and white thinking,” said Fineman.
“He goes through life like he is pushing through the doors of a saloon,” he said. “He is combative and he takes no prisoners.”
Fineman also credited Bush’s born-again Christianity with saving both his marriage and his life, both deteriorating due to his alcoholism.
While both men’s personal lives are different than their public personas, Fineman has a special insight into each candidate’s true self and was very complimentary of the two.
“They deserve our praise and respect to be in this arena where there is a lack of goodwill among the people,” said Fineman. “The U.S. is almost impossible to lead, we are impervious to leadership.”
While acknowledging the many problems facing our country today, from economic troubles like the stock market, deficit from the war, international dangers like Iraq, Iran and Nortk Korea, safety concerns such as Al- Quada, lower employment rates and an uncertain future, Fineman summed up with positive public sentiment.
“Who among us would rather be living in any other time or any other place with this (these problems),” he said.
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