As the American presidential race comes to a feverish close, manyCanadians may be wondering; why is this race so close?North of the border, support for Democratic challenger John Kerryhovers around 60 per cent, while incumbent Republican President GeorgeW. Bush can only count approximately 20 per cent of Canadiansaccording to several polls.

Of course, the only polls that really matter are those involving thepeople who will actually be voting on November 2, and in the U.S., the twocandidates are running neck and neck.So what exactly are American voters seeing that their neighboursaren’t? For one thing, Fox News, the right-wing newschannel which was recently denied a license in Canada but holds a greatdeal of influence in so-called “red states,” Republican strongholdsconcentrated in the South and heartland.

In Kentucky, Bush currently holds a 15-point lead over Kerryaccording to the Louisville Courier-Journal, and for voters such asconstruction field supervisor Ken Moore, Fox holds a lot more swaythan the big three networks (NBC, ABC, CBS) and rival news channelCNN. “I don’t give them a lot of credit,” said Moore. “I expect thestandard of media to be truth,” he added, “and I don’t see them doingthat.” Along with Fox heavyweight commentator and frequentCanada-basher Bill O’Reilly, Moore said he supplements his viewingwith Internet news sites.

“The media is the worst element,” said Chris Delfs, an Illinoisresident visiting a gun show in Kentucky. “I’ve never heard onepositive thing about the war. What about the humanitarian elements?”Delfs also counts himself as an avid O’ Reilly fan.Although Fox does not have the same broad ratings as its competitors,Keith Runyon, editor of the Courier-Journal‘s forum opinion page,noted that you can’t go into a doctor’s office or hotel lobby withoutseeing Fox. “Even my gym shows Fox,” said Runyon, who attributes thenetwork’s notoriety to its aggressive patriotism. “They have created abuzz that is not substantiated by ratings,” he noted, adding, “Fox hasan appeal for people who like brassy, in-your-face commentators,”which apparently plays well in near-Bible Belt Kentucky.

Not only does Fox seem to hit home with heartland voters, but so doesthe Republican platform on terrorism. “The American way of life is ata crossroads right now,” said Moore, who believes that with a Kerryvictory, “the United States will become another Israel.”Despite recent reports indicating there were no weapons of massdestruction (WMDs) in Iraq, Moore still supports the invasion, echoingthe president’s recent debate assertion that, in regards to nationalsecurity, “we have to be right 100 per cent of the time, theterrorists only have to be right once.” According to Moore, “the more[terrorists] we kill now, the better.”

For elementary school teacher Erin Sumner of West Point, Kentucky,Republican criticisms that Senator Kerry’s platform is unclear ringtrue. “I don’t feel Kerry has said what he proposes to do,” she said.Although Sumner has been concerned with the ineffectiveness of thepresident’s No Child Left Behind education act — something Kerryhammered on during the St. Louis debate — she still intends to voteRepublican because of conservative social issues such as abortion.

The Democratic reputation of being “tax and spend liberals” has alsocaught on with this year’s voters. “I don’t like to give our moneyaway. Democrats tend to give away our money,” said Janet Hooper,visiting Kentucky from Pennsylvania. Ironically, the partisan politicsthat many pundits fear will tear the country apart do not seem to beas dire as expected. Although Hooper has misgivings about the federalDemocrats, she has voted for Democratic candidates in regionalelections, as long as they aren’t too left wing. “I’ll only vote for aconservative candidate,” she noted. In particular, it’s Kerry’sreputation as a “Massachusetts liberal” that really steams Hooper. “Idon’t like to be told I can’t smoke, I don’t like to be told I can’thave a gun. This is the United States of America.”

One Kentucky resident who won’t necessarily be voting for Bush is theCourier-Journal‘s Runyon. As editor of the paper’s opinion’s page for27 years through eight presidential elections, Runyon is puzzled as towhy one party’s attacks on their opponent have stuck with voters,while the other’s have not.

“[Republicans] have managed to make a trueinjured war hero into a cowardly flip-flopper,” said Runyon, addingthat the Republicans have been masterful in hiding their candidate’sflaws. “I have never seen this level of simple distortion anddeception of Bush’s records.” For Runyon, the battle for publicopinion is one-sided in Kentucky. “We try to show people that Bush isbeing deceptive, not Kerry,” he said. “It doesn’t seem to be catchingon.”

According to Runyon, Kentucky — which voted for Clinton twice — is nowlargely a red state where flashpoint issues such as gun control andgay marriage hold heavy sway. “Al Gore lost Kentucky, and it’s becauseof guns,” he noted, adding that a state constitutional amendmentbanning gay marriage on November 2 plays to Bush’s advantage. “I thinkthat’s going to bring a lot of people out.”

Another person that will get people out is Kentucky senior senator andhouse majority whip Mitch McConnell, a very influential politicianexpected to become the next Republican majority leader in the House ofRepresentatives. “Without McConnell there would be no Republican partyin Kentucky,” said Runyon. First elected in 1984, McConnell has been achampion fundraiser, bringing in nearly $4.8 million in 2002 alone,most from individual contributions. “His kind of fundraising has beenexported nationally,” added Runyon.

It is not uncommon to see Kentuckians wearing “My Man Mitch” T-shirtsaround the state, and with a voting record that backs the Christian Coalition, tax reform, and pro-choice groups such as Planned Parenthood, it is not difficult to see why Kerry will have an uphillbattle in the Bluegrass state next month. “The middle class has beenhanded to the Republicans,” said Moore, who used to vote Democratuntil the 2000 election debacle. “I don’t see any way of them winningme back.”