August 30, 2004
GOOD ADVICE, JUST NOT FOR JOHN KERRY:
How to Beat Bush: The former campaign manager for Gore-Lieberman 2000 offers four critical tips to the Kerry-Edwards campaign (Donna Brazile, Aug. 29, 2004,
Newsweek)
It’s hard to travel across the country these days without seeing an old familiar bumper sticker: “Somewhere in Texas, a village is missing its idiot.” Perhaps the slogan rang true for many progressive voters in this highly partisan, highly charged and highly polarized electorate. But, if the bumper-sticker crowd believes it refers to George W. Bush, they are sorely mistaken.Sen. John Kerry can win this election by understanding that he is running against a shrewd, clever and an extremely intelligent opponent who was trained in political combat by the late GOP strategist Lee Atwater. [...]
[T]o defeat George W. Bush, Team Kerry-Edwards must do four things well (and avoid any strategic mistakes we made in 2000 that would place him on the defense) for the rest of the electoral season. [...]
Message MattersDuring the final months of the 2000 presidential campaign, we struggled to create a strong, compelling message on how Gore could stand up and fight for ordinary people and build on the Clinton-Gore record of prosperity. [...]
Minimize Mistakes
In an election this close, the candidate who wins may be the one who makes the fewest mistakes. [...]
Debates
Don't approach these crucial presidential debates like they are a Harvard-Yale Society debate. This will serve as Kerry’s chance to show voters who he is as a person. [...]
The bottom line is Kerry should feel, look and act like a winner.
She's telling this--message, mistake-free, personality, winner-like-- to a guy whose only message is now mired in the banks of the Mekong, who has run the worst campaign in modern presidential politics, who is considered--even by allies--to be personally unlikable, and who's never won a tough race? Posted by Orrin Judd at August 30, 2004 12:00 AM
This article was laughably banal and obvious, akin to a coach exhorting his team to win by scoring more points than their opponent. "Don't make mistakes." "Be likeable." "Act like a winner." Does she really get paid for rendering this tripe to her paying clients?
Posted by: Fred Jacobsen (San Fran) at August 30, 2004 12:32 AMWouldn't his campaign against William Weld be considered a tough race that he won?
Posted by: Chris Durnell at August 30, 2004 12:46 AMChris: By definition there are no tough races for incumbent Democrat Senators in New Englans, Not even drunken ones who drown their girlfriends.
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at August 30, 2004 12:55 AMRobert, you have a point, but Chris is right: he nearly lost to Weld.
Kerry was also able to ride in on the Clinton margin of victory over Dole in '96, and the Bay State Democrats' general anger at that time about losing control of the Senate two years earlier. It's hard to think of a charsimatic Democratic senator running in a swing state this year that Kerry could pull a reverse coattail move on and ride to victory on the crest of the big Democratic downballot vote (Colorado's Senate race is about the only one I can think of that even comes close to that category, and that doesn't have an incument involved).
Posted by: John at August 30, 2004 1:59 AMChris:
Why? He was an incumbent and Clinton carried the state by 40 points.
Posted by: oj at August 30, 2004 7:10 AMHe also broke an agreement with Weld on spending limits at the last minute.
I could be projecting, but I'm starting to hear the traveling press corp's dislike for Kerry and (reluctant) affection for the President in their reports. Yesterday, on NPR, both were clear.
Posted by: David Cohen at August 30, 2004 7:35 AMMickey Kaus is right. Kerry should dissapear. Never to be seen again until Nov. 3. He should claim to not want to debate GWB ever.
He does much better in the polls when he's an empty vessel that people can pour their anxiety about the future into.
Posted by: AML at August 30, 2004 10:55 AMOJ, then what's your definition of a tough race? Wasn't Weld an extremely popular MA Governor? I can't remember much about the race in '96, but wasn't Weld picked to win?
Posted by: Chris Durnell at August 30, 2004 11:43 AMChris:
Weld was doing well in the polls for awhile but in an overwhelmingly Democrat-registration state where Clinton was winning by 40 points he had no chance.
Posted by: oj at August 30, 2004 1:16 PMOJ:
And yet the Republicans have held the MA governorships for, what, over a decade? Replace the gerrymanders with rectangles and the dynamics of the state legislature would be become interesting within a cycle or three.
Posted by: mike earl at August 30, 2004 3:11 PMIf anyone has contact with Kerry's campaign, I have some advice on his advertising tv commercials. I want to make sure he directs his attention different, because it seems as if he is trying to reach out to the democrats, and not the Republicans. He needs to reach out to the Republicans and Bush. He already has the vote of the Democrats. You cannot be a "man for the people" and not reach out to everyone. Let the people know the facts about Bush, but don't let the people see you putting him down. People will draw their on conclusion. Those are evil tactics toward winning. People want to be lead by a man who "care about everyone(republicans too) and not just the democrats." Bush is making us think he is a "self made man," as if you can't be brought down. His motives are being built on greed. With greed, our country will be lead to self-destruction. Once you get the Republicans vote, Kerry then needs to reach out to Bush. Bush in return, will step down. In the long run, if Kerry reaches out to Bush he can get Bush's vote too. If he is a man of the people, Bush will know this and eventually step down. Bush knows he has let the country down. If anyone can get this message to Kerry, please let him know, and get back to me.
Sincerely God's messenger,
Tomisha
954 662 8719