I sit before my computer this evening still reeling from John Kerry's loss. Last night, I went to bed feeling like I had just been broadsided by a freight train. My head and heart ached. It was one of the most painful evenings of my life.
I've held the belief from the beginning of the Democratic Caucus' that beating Bush was a tall order. John Kerry was always the underdog in my book because he not only was tackling a formidable foe but he had to wrestle with a media that has been soft on this administration.
Heading into the election Tuesday, I was optimistic of his chances because of the successes of the new voter registration movements, weak polling results for Bush, monstrous campaign rallies, the support of Bruce Springsteen and Bill Clinton, and the report of missing explosives from Al Qaqaa dogging the Bush campaign. (For more information, see my posts prior to the election Bush: The Little Dutch Boy and Election Predictions.)
Plenty of pundits and bloggers are sharing their thoughts on what the Democrats did wrong, even announcing the party dead. Whatever. Vinchero, perdero.
I've been told that the Democrats lost because our focus was not on Kerry but on Bush, especially focusing on his negatives. I know Bill O'Reilly had it as a main talking point on one of his shows last week. The argument goes something like this: Michael Moore and his film Fahrenheit 9/11 actually helped out the Republicans because of how divisive and spurious that attacks on Bush were.
Indeed, Moore may have been a motivating factor for the Republicans this election cycle. But he played a significant role for the Dems.
If any of these Moore haters would have seen the film, they would have realized that Moore also excoriated the Dems for being soft and maleable. After 9/11, Bush seemed to have them all on leashes and begging for doggie bones.
Howard Dean will go down in history for establishing the modern Democratic organization and volunteer movements. Michael Moore should be remembered for giving the Democratic organization back its spine. In this Fight Club political environment, Moore showed us how to jump in and fight rather than stand at the sidelines crying foul and calling for ethical language and behavior -- play them at their own game.
In Writing 101, one of the first rules you learn is to "know your audience." You have to give both parties credit for adhering to this principle when constructing their gameplans.
I would not change anything about the issues the Democratic campaign picked for this election cycle. I thought that the Democrats were wise in focusing on the issues that face us as a country, especially the economy and the Iraq war debacle. Exit polls suggested that moderates, women, and students leaned toward Kerry because of these issues.
Rather than playing defense to these issues, the Republicans, headed by the mastermind Rove, laid out their own strategy based solely on moral issues and the threat of terrorism. These issues literally brought their base out in storm across the nation, especially in Ohio and Florida. It proved to be the stronger election draw and the winning gameplan.
Like 2000, this election cycle was close. Bush won the popular vote with 51%, that's only a mere 1% of the majority. We can conclude a couple of things from this stat and the electoral college mapping: 1) There is still a great divide in America, a fact that was recognized in both Kerry's concession speech and Bush's victory speech. And 2) we might be seeing a solidification and prominence of Christian fundamentalism in America. More on this later.
I supported Kerry because I believed in his service record in Vietnam, his courage in standing up for what he felt was right when he returned home, his long and notworthy service as senator, his grasp of international and domestic policies, and his vision for America. To me, he was the epitome of a leader. He would have been a damn fine president.
And to you Bush supporters who read my blog, congratulations. I know that this election cycle has meant as much to you as it has for me.
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