Normally, I am in church during MEET THE PRESS's presentation each Sunday, but a extruded herniated disk has made me somewhat of a shut-in, so I was able to catch John Kerry's interview with Tim Russert this weekend. Mr. Kerry was calm, composed, and articulate.
Unfortunely, he continues to drive home an impression that in my opinion threatens his candidacy. Mr. Kerry is an entirely negative candidate. His position on the War? "George W Bush is wrong." His position on Cuba? "George W. Bush is wrong." His position on North Korea? "George W. Bush is wrong." His position on campaign finance reform? "George W. Bush is wrong." His entire platform, as presented to most of American can be summed up in that single sentence: "George W. Bush is wrong."
Now, whenever you have someone challenging an incumbent, it is normal for the challenger to be largely negative toward the past administration. After the powerful personality of President Clinton, it was expected that George W. Bush could win by simply reminding people that he was not Mr. Clinton, and promising no infidelity in the White House. But instead, he came out with many positive plans as well: faith-based initiatives being the most memorable. Voters were not simply voting against Clinton/Gore, but also for Bush/Cheney.
Can Mr. Kerry change his image and bring a positive spin to his campaign? Yes. All he needs is one big idea. But will he do so? I tend to doubt it. Mr. Kerry has seized upon Howard Dean's anger and recognized the vast pool of anti-Bush sentiment in the Democratic party. This is what has catapulted him from obscurity to victory, and he will count on it to carry him to victory.
The problem is, Americans do not tend to vote for the negative. They look for hope, opportunity, and daring. And Mr. Kerry so far has shown none of these.
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