The Most Liberal Ticket, Ever

Hi, I'm Bill O'Reilly.  Thank you for watching us tonight.

The Kerry-Edwards ticket is the most liberal ever.  That is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo."  According to the liberal lobbying group, Americans for Democratic Action (search), John Kerry has a lifetime liberal rating of 92 percent and John Edwards stands at 81 percent.  These ratings are based upon their voting records in the Senate.

By contrast, Al Gore's liberal rating was just 65 percent.  Thus, the Kerry-Edwards ticket becomes the most liberal in American history, passing Mondale-Ferraro (search) in 1984.

The Gallup (search) poll people recently studied ideology in the USA and found out that only 19 percent of Americans consider themselves liberal.  By contrast, 41 percent say they're conservative. Thus, the Kerry-Edwards presidential campaign seems to be at a disadvantage.  But maybe not.

Increasingly, Americans are veering away from party lines and voting for candidates on merit.  But if Kerry and Edwards do decide to run left, they will have a problem mainly in the social area.

All the polls show that most Americans don't want a secular society, don't want gay marriage, don't want partial-birth abortion, and despise pressure groups like the ACLU and activist judges.

Kerry and Edwards cannot be seen embracing the likes of Michael Moore (search) and other extremists.  And they cannot be linked up with the George Soros (search) view of the world.  If Americans believe that Kerry and Edwards will put the security of the USA in the hands of the United Nations, for example, they will reject their candidacy.

On paper, President Bush should win this race easily, as most Americans, again according to Gallup, feel more comfortable with his traditional views. But as we all know, the Bush administration has had a very tough time in Iraq.  And the media is heavily weighted against them.  Also, the image of the USA overseas troubles many Americans.  And so, this is one tight horse race.

Kerry and Edwards should realize that the liberal philosophy, once a positive force in civil rights and labor, has been hijacked by fanatics. Just this week, Moore told a French newspaper that he considers capitalism "a diabolical system that benefits the elite."

Moore isn't a liberal; he's a socialist. Make no mistake about it. But many high-profile American liberals have embraced Moore and his loony philosophy.  And that makes some Americans suspicious of all liberals.  So, do the math here.  John Kerry and John Edwards have a lot of work ahead of them.

And that's "The Memo."

The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day

Time now for "The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day"...

You've got to hand it to the folks at PETA (search), who don't want us to eat meat or do anything to animals.  They know how to get publicity.  The latest is a campaign that says, "Vegetarians Make Better Lovers," which features some fooling around and other provocative displays.

They're out here in Times Square. [Video] There they are.  Whoa. There is no truth to the rumor that the catch phrase for this campaign is, "Is that broccoli in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?"  That, of course, would be ridiculous.  As to whether vegetarians are really better rolling around on a mat in Times Square than meat eaters, we don't know.  But they are definitely cheaper dates.