Why John Kerry Lost

With the upcoming elections, I thought I would give you guys a rundown on what can go wrong for a candidate. I'll use John Kerry's unsuccessful presidential bid in 2004 as an example. While he did have momentum going for him, he lost because of several reason.

He wasn't a good choice, even for Democrats. There were many Democrats who just wanted someone, ANYONE other then George W. Bush in office. They settled on John Kerry. They were willing to take a gamble on a Massachusetts senator with a military background to help lead them into the White House. While this sounds good on paper, it doesn't work in the real world.

He "flip flopped" on too many issues. Everyone remembers the quote "I actually voted for the bill funding our troops in Iraq before I voted against it." It was only 3 years after 9/11 and America needed a strong leader who would stand up and deliver when it came to security issues. Comments like that gave the impression that, given any amount of pressure, John Kerry would buckle and let America take one to the chin.

The Swift Boat people. Many of John Kerry's former military buddies were actively campaigning against him. Why? Well there was talk that he was a traitor for his activities after the war. He accused his fellow buddies of war crimes without proof. When you go through war with a person, you will generally have a friendship that lasts a lifetime. You save their life, they save yours. When they campaign against you, that says something significant. There were rumors of John shooting an unarmed fleeing Vietnamese teenager in the back. John Kerry took too much time in denying these claims, making everyone believe that there was a bit of truth to them.

John Kerry's wife. Theresa Heinz just didn't know when to shut the fuck up. Her comments about Laura Bush "never having a real job" while Mrs. Bush had indeed been a librarian, made Theresa and John look like pompous rich assholes who looked down their noses to other people. Mrs. Heinz also had the fact that she married into her fortune count against her as an additional mark that gave the impression that her and John Kerry look down their noses at people.

I'm Not George W. Bush Syndrome. This seemed to be the greatest argument for John Kerry's campaign. I'm not George W. Bush. Well no shit, I'm not George W. Bush either, but that doesn't make me qualified to run the most powerful country on earth. Many people saw through this bullshit and thought the same things I did.

Monday Morning Quarterbacking. John Kerry openly criticized George W. Bush's reaction on September 11th. This was still an open wound for people and John Kerry used the words "If I were president, I would have...." Note to John, NO ONE likes a Monday Morning Quarterback. Unless you've been in the hot seat before, shut the fuck up. We've all been in situations where we thought we should have reacted or said something different. However, if someone else suggests something, we might be open to listen. However, if you criticize about the way we react and have never been in that situation before, you'll turn a lot of people off.

Lack Of A Plan. John Kerry spoke of many things that George W. Bush did wrong. The Economy, Iraq, 9/11, and spoke of if he were president, he'd do things differently. However, John Kerry never spoke of specifics. George W. Bush isn't perfect. No president in history has ever been. However, I'm more then willing to listen to you if you do have new ideas to bring to the table, regardless of if you're a Democrat or Republican. John Kerry wouldn't go into specifics. He would just say "vote for me and I'll fix everything with all my ideas" and never gave them. Personally, I think he didn't want to give up his ideas, if he had any, to George W. Bush and have Bush take credit for them. Either way, you need to come in fresh and ready to hit the ground running when you're campaigning for the presidency.

Loud Mouths. John Kerry isn't responsible for this one, but there were many people in this country who would shout out all sorts of bullshit on how Bush was Hitler and other such nonsense. It would turn people off. Michael Moore, Janeane Garofalo, Alec Baldwin, and others would yell at the top of their lungs about all sorts of things wrong with Bush, but wouldn't necessarily say what's right about John Kerry. Many of these celebrities would state that if George W. Bush would win the election, they would move out of the country. To date, NONE of them have. What does that tell you? It tells you that they are full of shit and enjoy all the wonderful things America has to offer.

September 11th. Democrats are typically weak on terrorism and they got a reminder shortly before the election. Osama Bin Laden released a video shortly before the election and American got a nice fresh reminder of the threats we face. We all knew what we were getting with George W. Bush, a tough, rough around the edges politician who wouldn't mind going it alone when it came to the security and safety of America. With John Kerry, there were too many "unknowns" John Kerry talked about going through the UN, which is viewed almost universally in the USA as a weak and useless body that never sticks to its guns even if resolutions have been voted and agreed upon. The current situation in North Korea and Iran prove this. John Kerry talked about negotiations and agreements with allied nations. This resonated too much like giving into terrorists and we weren't having it.

John Kerry's Charisma. The sad fact is that this guy has none. Bill Clinton, who's policies and actions have cost this nation dearly, is admittedly very charismatic. John Kerry isn't personable. He isn't the kind of guy you'd want to hang around and have a beer or a glass of wine with. EVERY successful leader has charisma.

John Edwards's Charisma. This guy is an even bigger stiff then Al Gore. Good God, this guy was as plain as day and stiff as a 2x4. If you're gonna need a running partner for a campaign, at least get a guy who'll help get votes.

John Kerry's Values. Simply put, his values don't jive with most of America's values. His stance on many issues puts many American's off and will make him less likely to gather votes.

After the election, there was talk of George W. Bush "stealing the election". This is very doubtful for a number of reasons. The more people you have involved in a conspiracy like that and the further out it goes, the more likely you are to have people who will say something. I find it VERY unlikely for something like that to happen. It seems like when Democrats lose, they look for someone to blame. When Republicans lose, they look at themselves to blame. It goes hand in hand with my Personal Responsibility article. Now, are the Democrats going to read my site, take notes, learn from their mistakes and win in November? Highly doubtful, but I think this is a shining example of what can go wrong if you don't plan, don't think, and don't move in an election. It would say something very loudly if they didn't take over congress this election however. The stars are lining up for a perfect environment for Democrats to take over. If they can't gain control over the house or senate, then they need to take a good, hard look at themselves and see what they're doing wrong.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com