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Edited on Fri Sep-10-04 06:25 PM by hiphopnation23
And, what's more, are we able to consider them while at the same time not letting failure in November enter into our personal "spheres of possibility"? (When I use the words "us" and "we" I refer to you and me as individuals, not The Party. This disclaimer is for those who mistake critique with attack and seek to immediately disassociate The Democratic Party from the person giving the critique.)
C'mon folks! There are some valid points made here and the poster IS NOT attacking Kerry, repeating "Rovian" talking points, "dooming and glooming", and definitely not conceding defeat! Some here act as though such a critique is all of the above and that by even discussing such issues we've all but lost the race. I have to believe that DUers are smarter than that. No?
I'm not sure that all of these points are correct but I will echo the sentiments of scarletwoman; if the campaign is just hunky dory why the hell is this even a contest??
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(1) The Corporate Media wants Bush to win, and we haven't figured out a way to beat both Bush and the Media.
(2) Kerry is not likable (or has been successfully painted as not likable). No matter what anyone says, the #1 issue for most voters is whether they like or inspired by a candidate. That's why I supported Edwards and to a lesser extent Clark in the primaries. People gotta like you/feel comfortable with you and be inspired by you. No way around that.
(3) Flip-Flop Label Stuck: Back in March when the primaries were wrapped up (due to the DNC's brilliant idea to have shortened primaries), what happened? Answer: Nothing. Kerry basically pissed off March and April as Bush said they were going to "define John Kerry (as a flip-flopper) before he defined himself" Kerry never specifically fought that charge, and it stuck. No one will vote for someone who they think doesn't have principles.
(4) Failure to develop a theme: Quick someone tell what is Kerry's overarching message and the 4 things he's going to do if elected. Didn't think you could.
(5) Mistaking Dissent for Discord: Here at DU, and I'm sure in the Campaign itself, there is a sizable contingent that says "Kerry's doing fine, don't complain." Well he's not doing fine. While we ultimately all need to be on the same page, the healthy exchange of ideas, preferably in March and April, when it would have been more helpful, would have been good. A general campaign election is like building a house. Start with the foundation, frame and then drywall. During those early periods, he needed to involve a wide array of people and ideas from all walks of life to truly get the best ideas (many of which are seen on DU), and really brainstormed about the best ideas. Call it a summit or whatever, just get on the table the best ideas. I see no evidence that happened, and we're witnessing the result: a scattershot approach to issues.
(6) Ground Operation: Do we have enough people and the right people on the ground in key states? Do we have precinct captains and the appropriate precinct level research of voters. Who knows if its a problem now, but I hear no one talking about it.
(7) Terrible use of Surrogates: Who are our main spokespeople? Seems to change everyday. Where was our response to the RNC that built up Bush as a "Strong Leader"
(8) Bad Campaign Staff: Mary Beth Cahill and Stephanie Cutter have never run an actual campaign, much less a presidential campaign, and is evident from Kerry's stumbles, especially response to Swiftboats. Why only look to Clinton's people (the only Democrats who have actually won in a generation) at the last minute.
(9) Lack of killer instinct by Kerry and Democrats in general
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