Tell me everyone doesn't have an opinion on this one...
Why did Kerry lose this election when you have so many people like me, who are conservative, traditional Republicans who jumped the fence.
1. It's tough to overturn a sitting president, trebly so when we've got a war raging uhhh, somewhere. Middle East if I remember right. The news doesn't show much about it.
2. The number of voters expected did NOT turn out despite the long lines. There was a failure of motivation and organization here.
3. October yard signs don't win elections, or Kerry would have gotten a landslide. Corollary: October's a bad time to get the campaign on track. Or September, or August. It's got to happen earlier, if you want to change minds.
4. Money didn't win the election. $600 Million or more was spent this election (vs. $112 Million in 1992) and it didn't seem to change one person's mind. Ouch. The $6 Million Man was more successful.
5. Attack ads deepen both bases, but don't seem to have changed minds. Probably attack ads help incumbants. i.e. Well, if they both suck, I'm sticking with what we have.
6. The Democrats had some key issues they could have pounded Bush on, but either failed to bring the issue up (i.e. Supreme Court nomination powers) or brought it up tooooo late and too weakly.
7. I became "pro-Kerry" as opposed to "anti-Bush" wayyyyy too late in the election cycle. I, and too many of my friends, were almost embarrassed to actually be for Kerry for too long. He didn't earn our vote until it was too late.
8. In a sense, people-power failed. At least, last-minute people power. The Democrats didn't organize early enough, except for Howard Dean, who was not backed by the Democratic party bosses.
9. The Democrats platform seemed mostly "we'll do better, and we won't touch Social Security." Officially, I still don't know what the platform is. And that's not a great platform to espouse. Ultimately, I am very close to Kerry on most issues, but his lack of progressive ideas for each issue (at least until too late) killed his ability to get people in his camp.
Posted by BilFish at November 4, 2004 05:46 AM