If you were John Kerry's campaign manager what would you have done different?

[J. J.]

1.  In the Spring, Kerry drifted to the left on the war in order to fight Howard Dean, and ultimately leading to "I voted for the $87 million befor I voted against it."

I would have advised him on a "This is war badly made," strategy (ten points for who said it first).  Kerry should have suggested that the war was a good thing and Hussein was bad, but we needed more troops and a "smarter" management of the aftermath.

2.  Gephardt should have been the VP nominee.

3.  The DNC presented him to retrospectively.  After he saluted, his speech should have been something along the lines, "That was then, this is now."  It should have focused of "solving" the Iraq war.

4.  There should have been a stonger response to the "Swift Boat" ads.  Kerry should have released his records, prior to the DNC. 

5.  Forget FL in specific and the South in general.  The target of the campaign should have been the upper midwest, OH, PA, and MO.

6.  When asked about why some people are homosexual, he should have answered the question honestly and not suggested that the VP's daughter "who is a Lesbian" would the question would answer one way.  Here is the answer:

"I'm a candidate for president, not for a doctorate in genetics, behavioral sciences, or early childhood development.  I don't know the answer to why some people are Gay and some people are straight. 

I do know that some people are Gay and I believe that they should have the ability to to legally form unions with each other, as heterosexual couples do.  They are families and they should have at least some protection.

I also hope that the families, parents and siblings, will help and be supportive of Gay members.  I disagree with the politics Vice President Cheney, but I admire how supportive he, and his family, is of one of his daughter, who is a Lesbian, and openly so.  I know that for many it is troubling, but I hope that more American families will follow his example in supporting members who happen to be Gay.

Now, with that, we might have been going to the Kerry Inagural.

[J. J.]

I would have done what James Carvelle did in 1992, and set up a 24 hour "war room" at campaign headquarters to IMMEDIATLEY respond to any Republican attacks/rumors/accusations.

Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.  Kerry seems to have been looking toward Dukakis (1988), not Clinton (1992).