As the restless Democratic winds gather speed during the primary process, it is hoped that the unfocused fury of the country’s moderate and left-leaning partisans will coalesce into a tornado-like vortex, capable of wreaking a huge swath of destruction on the Republican landscape. Inexorably, the nominating process will lead to one candidate, whose singular goal will be to upend the reign of the Emperor Bush and his Neocon Nazis.
It is hard to imagine a more consequential moment in the history of our Republic. The coming election offers us a critical choice, a momentary fork in the road with two widely divergent paths streaming from it. The Democratic nominee will strive to paint a brutally clear picture of where these two very different roads will lead. The Rovian Propaganda Ministry will attempt, as always, to obscure and distort what the public most needs to know – the truth.
Iowa and New Hampshire are now behind us, and Senator John Kerry has claimed the mantle of a dramatic victory in both states. Will Senator Kerry continue this sweeping march to victory in the South and the West, or will the candidacies of John Edwards, Wesley Clark, and Howard Dean gain new momentum in the coming weeks as the primary process spreads far and wide across the American homeland?
The next big primary events are on February 3rd in South Carolina, Missouri, Arizona, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Delaware. Kerry is still under the beneficial impact of Jupiter square his Moon for these primaries and is likely to do well, but it will not be a clean sweep. He will, however, greatly benefit from the Mars opposition to his Venus on February 7 and 8, which indicates great promise for the very delegate-rich Michigan and Washington primary combination.
John Edwards will also benefit from events on February 3, probably winning in South Carolina, due to the Venus transit to his MC. But this may only bring a brief boost. Wesley Clark, on the other hand, remains in the midst of a Saturn return, with Saturn additionally square his Neptune, so he is not likely to fare well enough to gain much traction. This Saturn transit is not allowing him to get away with any statements, past or present, that are the least bit unsubstantiated or unfocused (Neptune). He is being pummeled by critical detail (Saturn), and his lack of experience as a candidate is perceived as a weakness (Neptune). The transit of the Sun to his Venus on February 3 will begin to dissipate before the polls close, suggesting he will not have a big win in Oklahoma. We may, however, see a brief surge in Clark’s fortunes between February 28 and March 6, 2004,due to the crossing of Jupiter to his Midheaven during the time of the Super Tuesday primaries. But this momentum is likely to weaken within a few days.
Howard Dean, on the other hand, may gain some small boost on February 3, since two of his current progressions are activated. The Sun will oppose his converse progressed Venus/Pluto conjunction, and Mars will trine his natal Jupiter, currently square converse progressed Sun. In addition, Jupiter will be on his IC until February 5. But all of this comes under the larger umbrella of the Saturn transit to his Ascendant (9 Cancer) which has really taken much of the air out of his campaign. Saturn recrossed his Ascendant at the end of December and during the first 10 days of January, during the time he was being battered from all directions prior to the Iowa caucus. Although Saturn has passed its exact conjunction, its February /March station remains within three degrees of Dean’s Ascendant, and the planet’s ponderous and restrictive energy lingers, making a really strong expansion at this point difficult.
Dean’s two most important progressions will both begin to wane after March 1, suggesting a significant dimming of his campaign energies shortly thereafter. In addition, Uranus will begin a long opposition to his Saturn, from late March through early August, which suggests some disruptive and uncomfortable challenges during that period. Most significantly, Dean will undergo transiting Saturn square to his natal Venus and semisquare his natal Saturn during and just after the Democratic Convention. Given his natal semisquare between these two planets, this transit indicates an emotionally difficult time, with a generally inward and unhappy feel to it, nothing close to the likely feel of a candidate being launched by the Party to run for president.
Returning for a closer look at John Kerry’s chart, we find two major planetary aspects to the angles during 2004. Pluto is squaring his Midheaven, and Uranus will soon be square to his Ascendant. These are both life-changing aspects, and coming together, they signify huge shifts in his stature in the world (MC), as well as personally (Ascendant). Pluto square the MC creates a tremendous power struggle for one’s place in the world, as well as a relentless striving for power. Interestingly, Dean had the same aspect in 2003. The first crossing of this transit for Kerry was from late December 2003 through January 20, 2004, simultaneous with Jupiter square his Sun. This coincided with his tremendous rise in political fortunes after being written off as all but finished by almost everyone. Pluto is the planet of “death and rebirth”. The Pluto square to Kerry’s MC, with its determined push for dominance, remains in effect in February and March 2004, though slightly less potent, returning to its full intensity again in late March through May 2004.
Simultaneous to this rising Pluto strength in late March, some very strong Jupiter energy is again in play. The second half of March and early April 2004 will be an exceptional period for Kerry and may bring about the actual nomination. His progressed Moon will be conjunct natal Jupiter from March 11 through April 11, and transiting Jupiter will be square his natal Mars (3/23 to 4/1). This strong Jupiter presence will bring success, optimism, and expansion. Because it is triggering progressed Mars conjunct natal Mars, it may also bring forth a vicious volley of attacks between Kerry and the administration.
The first crossing of Uranus square to Kerry’s Ascendant will also take place during this critical time, from 3/16 to 4/4/04. This transit will bring a change in Kerry’s position and stature, a sudden shift in personal status, as well as a fiercely independent streak. Combined with the success of Jupiter and the power surge of Pluto, the Uranus transit could signify the shift to becoming the nominee.
The second crossing of Uranus square to Kerry’s Ascendant is also noteworthy, since it will come during and after the Democratic Convention, suggesting another change in status and an acceleration of energy swirling around the candidate. A strong Jupiter influence, indicating success, expansion, and optimism once again will accompany this transit. Jupiter will square Kerry’s Sun during and just after the Convention, and then move to cross his Midheaven during the first half of August. It is hard to imagine that the timing of these transits does not indicate that Kerry will be the nominee.
Every successful candidate, especially in the technological age, needs a certain amount of charisma and attractiveness to appeal to the voters. This is often manifested astrologically by Venus – activated in some way by transit or progression. In November 1992, Bill Clinton had progressed Sun conjunct natal Venus. In November 1996, Clinton had progressed Venus square natal Sun. In November 2000, George Bush had converse progressed Sun square natal Venus and converse progressed Venus trine natal Moon. These are all very potent Venus progressions, which were able to create an aura of attractiveness that overcame many other obstacles (such as George Bush’s obvious inexperience and intellectual deficiencies). In contrast, Al Gore had Saturn, the inhibitor, conjunct his natal Venus for the 2000 election, somewhat muting his attraction to the voters and making his “stiffness” an issue.
For the 2004 election, Kerry will have progressed Venus quincunx natal Moon from August 2004 through June 2005, and transiting Uranus trine natal Venus, stationary from September through December 2004. Neither of these is as potent as the Venus aspects found in the previously mentioned elections. However, they may well suffice for Kerry in 2004. The reason for this is twofold. In the first place, the voters today want a warrior to go against George Bush. They want someone who will take Bush to the mat, thrash him, and punch him out. There is so much residual anger at this administration for reasons too numerous to describe that voters want a candidate who will channel their rage and then forcefully evict the current White House resident. This has been the tremendous appeal of Howard Dean, who seems the consummate scrapper. But it is also the appeal of John Kerry, a Viet Nam veteran and motorcycle aficionado whose campaign resonates with a bristling sense of war against the right-wing fanatics in the White House, and who repeatedly uses the words “courage” and “fight” to describe his ethos. The voters’ goal is a warrior now, a diplomat and policy buff later. In his chart, Kerry’s progressed Mars currently conjunct natal Mars is stimulating this Warrior archetype, so appealing to the rumbling, angry thunder heard everywhere in the Democratic electorate.
The second reason Kerry’s progressed Venus quincunx Moon and transit of Uranus trine Venus signal enough of an “attraction” quotient is that they far surpass anything in Bush’s chart for late 2004. Indeed, Bush will have progressed Venus square Saturn, converse progressed Venus semisquare Saturn, and transiting Saturn there to trigger them both, while sitting on Bush’s natal Saturn from late September to mid-December 2004. This combination suggests that Bush’s popularity will have diminished appreciably and that he will seem stiff and uncomfortable in the public forum. The stench of failure will waft around him, despite the relentless Rove attack machine and the White House spinners frantically attempting to spin straw into gold.
The final square of Pluto to Kerry’s MC will happen from mid-October through mid-November 2004, suggesting the completion of his transformation and surge to power of 2004. The final square of Uranus to Kerry’s Ascendant will come during January 2005, signaling the last stage in the shift of his personal status, the one that is likely to usher Senator John Kerry into the White House.