Why Kerry lost

Although the Kerry campaign, in the spirit that we have come to expect from this election season, is contemplating contesting this election, the 25,000 vote Bush edge in Florida is likely to hold. So it’s not premature to ask – why did Kerry lose?

Note that the question is not why Bush won. The economy, the war, the Bush-haters, and Bush’s own mediocre campaign made this Kerry’s election to lose.

Many will blame the Swifties or, relatedly, Kerry’s decision to make Viet Nam the central issue. How, they will ask, did Kerry manage to lose an election in 2004 on the war in Viet Nam?

The answer is that he no choice. He supported the Iraq war, with the lame exception that he would get the French to save us by saying s’il vous plait. He offered up the same sized deficits as the republicans, dubiously hoping that lower-income taxpayers wouldn't mind if the rich suffered more.

Should the democrats have backed a different horse? Not the ranting Dean, tired Gephardt or the Not Ready for Prime Time Players. Lieberman combined maturity, wisdom, values and strength with the standard democrat agenda. But he ran about even with Sharpton. The reason is that Lieberman was a republican on the issues that resonated with voters, and a democrat the rest of the time.

In other words, it was the democratic party that lost, not Kerry.

Comments

[Tom Grey]

I don't think so -- they should have Edwards. DEAN should have gone on to attack Kerry, and use the Swifties earlier. In fact, Bush-hate blinded the Dems and the press to almost any flaws in any of the Dem primaries; you're about this aspect of Dems dooming themselves

I downloaded JE's 56 page proposal, though only looked at it, not studied it. He was positive, which would have been fine with "distanced" Bush-haters. "inexperienced" would have been OK, more electable than
Kerry LIED, 2 million Died.

[spud]

It is already over.
First Bush repeatly painted an IMAGE of Kerry as flip-flop,wimp traitor to his country.
Second Bush has a economic PLAN. Kerry has only criticism.
First Kerry should have painted an IMAGE of arrogate, ignorate, incompentent Napoleanic, power hungry liar.
Kerry lost the election.

[kipp]

The reason that Kerry lost is that Americans, especially younger ones, though they are socially quite liberal- they are conservative in terms of economics and foreign affairs. They realize that the war and taxes are much bigger concerns than the "crisis" of health care and abortion. Things really aren't going badly for the under 40 Americans, while in the meantime the older liberals from the WWII era are dying daily. The U.S. is moving to the right quickly, and this is very bad news for the Democrats. They will need to adopt a different tactic. Right now, most democrats are single issue voters. i.e. Environmentalists, gays, abortion advocates, etc... They don't actually embrace a liberal "philosphy". Republicans, however, almost universally consider themselves to be conservatives. They have a philosphy and a mission. That is why they are winning

[Nate Riley]

Wrong Kerry hasn't lost simply you gauys a re al jaded CNN/Fox news junkies who believe everything you hear Judy Woodrift spews. Tom "Second Bush has a economic PLAN. Kerry has only criticism.
First Kerry should have painted an IMAGE of arrogate, ignorate, incompentent Napoleanic, power hungry liar.
Kerry lost the election. If the economy is growing there should be interet rates should be hiked but if it isn't tax cut but both why tax cut,it wins votes.Kipp conservative as in 500billion in debt?

[deborah]

How can Bush fool so many people. He stole the 2000 election, literally stole it. He lied to the American people about Iraq. He put our country back into a deficiet. He made huge consessions to Big Business at the expense of middle America. He continues to deny resonably priced health care to the middle class. Why? Why? Why?

[Lou Pereira]

Kerry´s campaing failed to Identify the central election issue: Iraq. Cleary Kerry lost for not having confronted the war issues from start. We all know the war was illegal and many Americans and the world alike repudiated G.W. Bush and his policies. At the end, there was no substantial difference between both candidates. If Jonh Kerry had offered the voters for example a complete pull-out from Iraq and based his campaing on such issue, the outcome could have been different. Americans dislike war and Kerry offered no option to put and end to it. He failed to question Mr. Bush presidency as Bush clearly stole the 2000 elections. America would have dethroned him by the power of the vote and undo Bush´s wrongs.

[Randy]

Kerry lost because he is a talker and Bush is a doer.

[Michael McMiller]

Kerry,

Kerry and his folks need to focus on more then what Bush didn't do and direct all efforts on what "kerry" will do and given the time they have. he has a chance to say something to the american people.

Kerry keep striving high and one day you will make it!!!

Michael McMiller - Oak Park, IL 12year old student

[jackson]

kerry lost because he sucks

[HC]

I've read so many reasons but there is one that noone see it. Kerry was picking the wrong running mate. If edwards can give him his own state what make you think he was a plus for Kerry ticket. That's the main reason. Edwards was not even strong on his debate. How can amrican trust this guy to run the country if something happen to Kerry ? That's a reason fellas.

[John Smith]

It is all about values.

Across the nation Democrats are engaging in vehement self-reflection. How, with all the anti-Bush sentiment in the country did George W. Bush garner more votes than any other president in American history? How did the GOP win an even greater majority in Congress? One needs to only look at the county-by-county voting result map in the 11/4/04 USAToday to see that almost all of America is colored red for the GOP. The pockets of blue are small and clustered only around urban areas. The aggregate blue area is significantly smaller than in the 2000 election.

How did the President who, according to the opposition, presided over significant job losses, massive deficits increases, “lost” all three debates, lied about Iraq, etc…how did he win? And, worse yet, how did he win in such a huge fashion?

The answer is simple: values. Democrats aren’t wrong, misguided, or out-of-touch, they simply believe differently, and the fact that they do is GOOD for the Nation. We need a viable two-party system.

The problem is they have aligned themselves with leaders most Americans don’t respect and never will. It’s not about right or left, conservative or liberals. It’s about values. The polls all confirmed it, and more importantly, the vote confirmed it.

John Kerry did not have the respect of most Americans. More than half of the 59.1% of the electorate who voted Tuesday did not respect him enough to vote for him. You don’t return the medals of the United States of America and then expect them to elect you Commander-in-Chief, regardless of how passionately you felt about the Vietnam war.

Look at the other standard-bearers for the Democratic Party. Ted Kennedy, Bill Clinton, John Kerry, Jesse Jackson, these are all people most Americans can’t respect.

Manslaughter, adultery, returning military medals, vehement rhetoric…average Americans have rejected these actions and always will. Democrats won’t get respect until they send these people packing…forever.

Instead, they are treated as celebrities. Bill Clinton should not be embraced by another candidate ever again, simply because he defiled the most hallowed ground in America…he had sex in the Oval Office and lied about it. Thanks for playing, Bill…end of story. Go home.

Another clear issue this election showed is that the majority of Americans take their spirituality seriously. One Nation, Under God…ALCU be damned. Democrats need to get over that, in fact…they might do well to embrace it.

And stop aligning yourself with Hollywood celebrities. Most Americans care what celebrities wear, who they are sleeping with and where they vacation, but most Americans do not care what they think. And they really do not need or want to hear them lecture on politics. Bottom line, celebrities are successful because of their talent, not their intellect. Some celebs are quite bright -- others are simply talented. There’s nothing wrong with that, just stick to what you’re good at doing.

Tuesday’s vote seems to suggest that the President reflect the values of a significant majority of Americans. You know where he stands. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with him, you always know that come tomorrow he’ll still be standing in the same place.

The majority of Americans voted for someone who most closely represented their beliefs. That is the real reason John Kerry is not in the White House…plain and simple.

Democrats need to find the candidate who can compete in this arena. Until that happens, they risk becoming less relevant and that is not good for America. A consistent level of healthy friction and discourse is required for progress.

[Matt Voorhees]

Values is a conservative catchphrase with little substance behind it. Fact is Republicans, both as a party and as individuals, deserve no more respect for their "values" and "high morals" than dems or liberals do. Its just a misguided belief that Bush used to steer simple-minded people away from the bigger picture of what his administration stood for.

[Joe Regular]

people vote for personalities more than ideals. while kerry is a bit more charismatic than that wet dishrag, gore, he still was no match for cowboy party-guy bush. i think dem's need to not only seek celebrity endorsement, but nominate them to run for office. ronnie, jessie ventura, arnold- it works for the republicans, why wouldn't it work for the democrats?

[CC]

Moral values? When and who said Kerry does not have moral values? For all the Bible scholars - First commandment is Thou shall not kill. I consider that to be a moral value. I am saddened that George W only believes it is a value before birth and not after. I also consider educating our children to be a moral value. Again, I hope GW can become a "doer" and not a "talker". There are "too many children left behind" for having that being the name of the nation's educational improvment plan.
George W. won because he tells Americans what they want to hear. Saddly 51% believe him and everyone else in the country knows better.

[sewh]

Gore/Bayh

[DR]

"...the Democrats never grasped the passions aroused by the marriage debate.
***
Kerry repeatedly said he opposed gay marriage, but favored civil unions. Kerry also opposed a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. His positions were nuanced. Bush's weren't. That made a difference."

From: A Victory for 'Values,' but Whose?
By Joel Achenbach
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 4, 2004; Page C01

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23700-2004Nov3.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bush won because he deflected the debate from the disastrous war in Iraq to the "Culture Wars". He used gay marriage as the wedge issue to mobilize his "base" esp. evangelicals all over the country and esp. in FL and OH.

[Gil Brass]

All Kerry could say was "I have a plan"..However never stated what any of his plans were...

[Arun]

Kerry Lost becuase he never explanied to Americas how can do better than BUSH. He is much better candidate than Bill Clinton ( who was a liar)but not better than Bush. Majority of Americans still has strong social values and Democrats have to learn a lesson from this.

[Forsakenangel]

well the only reason kerry lost is because Bush never put Kerry down but Kerry always puts Bush down!!

[Bob]

Deborah, Bush did not steal the election, Gore tried to steal it. Those recounts in counties that Gore had already taken by large margins were stupid and were nothing but an attempt to create votes for Gore from non-votes.

[Robert J. Lipsett]

Kerry lost the election just by how the Democrats lost their bid for congress in 2002. Afraid to be called UN-AMERICAN and UNPATRIOTIC over "Home Land Security and the illegal invasion of a defenseless country. (Iraq)
Bush won by the installation of FEAR, Guns, Gays and Abortion in 2004.
It took Howard Dean with guts to tell the straight fact and if it wasn't for the Democratic Party influence Dean would have made a better opposition for George W.
Never in my nearly seventy (70) years have I ever heard or witnessed a President of the USA call the Democratic Senate UN-AMERICAN and UNPATRIOTIC for not voting for the bill that he really didn't want until he found that he could negate the collective bargaining rights of the civil servants.
Kerry lost due to the lack of courage to really stand up for what he truly believed. He told the people what he thought they wanted to hear.