Lexington

摘要

It is hard not to become fixated on personalities in the final tages of a presidential campaign. Is George Bush too pigheaded to be trusted with another four years? Is John Kerry too much of a flip-flopper? Did Mr Bush's peevish expression in the first debate display his real nature? Or is his folksy charm still preferable to Mr Kerry's Brahmin condescension? But presidential elections are not just tests of the character of the individual candidates. They are also tests of the character of the parties they lead. And this year the two parties present a study in contrasts. The most obvious concerns momentum. Momentum in the presidential race may shift from day to day, but momentum in the battle to become America's dominant party seems to be largely in the Republicans' direction. Forty years ago, Democrats outnumbered Republicans by two to one. Today they outnumber them by just a few percentage points. Forty years ago the Democrats had a lock on Congress. This November the Republicans have a good chance of retaining control of both the House and the Senate. Forty years ago the Democrats set the political agenda. Today the Republicans are a much more fertile source of ideas on everything from foreign policy to school reform.