The Presidential Campaign Reimagined as a Function of Musical Taste (Or Lack Thereof)

So here's this story, describing a recording by the band that the young John Kerry was in in high school. After reading it, the light went on, and I finally figured out what's wrong with Kerry's campaign: he's running it like a bass player. He's steadily plonking along, not drawing too much attention to himself...but no one except wonks really pays any attention to what the bass player is doing.

George Bush, on the other hand, is running his campaign rather like, oh, Doc Severinsen or somebody: shrill, blasting, unmusical and showboating shriekingly high trumpet notes that thrill the denizens of mall-based record stores, even though whether those notes are in tune, are at all tasteful, or belong there in the first place doesn't seem to bother him at all.