If you were Kerry's campaign manager what would you have done differently

[phk]

If you were Kerry's campaign manager in 2004, what would you have done differently in 2004?

[Scam of God]

Selectively focused my efforts on the non-Evangelicals in the mountain West.

[Lunar]

Kerry actually ran a very solid campaign and one cannot point to any mistake on the scale of McCain halting his campaign or even the pick of Palin.  The biggest mistake Kerry made was when he gave the infamous "voted for, before voted against" thing on the war funding bill, so I guess my #1 change would be to:

1) Do not let him talk about the ins and outs of individual pieces of legislation.

Although that's with complete hindsight, natch.

other things...

2) No windsurfing, no doing anything that rich people do.
3) No pretend-hunting and whatnot.  Keep your dignity but without reminding people that you have tens of millions of dollars.

4) Edwards was a tool.  Pick someone better.  My 2008 research on potential VPs was extremely in depth, not so for 2004, so I don't have any good ideas.  Maybe because Kerry's campaign was doomed to lose if it was just "solid" (as fixing 1-3 probably wouldn't have made him win Ohio), the "right" choice would have been a bold, *cough* Palinesque approach?  Jeanne Shaheen?  Whatevsky, something bold would have been key here.

[Scam of God]

1) Do not let him talk about the ins and outs of individual pieces of legislation.

Although that's with complete hindsight, natch.

other things...

2) No windsurfing, no doing anything that rich people do.
3) No pretend-hunting and whatnot.  Keep your dignity but without reminding people that you have tens of millions of dollars.

I find it absolutely pathetic that those things matter at all to the many, many hovel-dwelling ignoramuses that populate our Fruity Plains. In an ideal world a candidate would have enough sense of self-worth not to stoop to mindless cultural pandering, on either side.

4) Edwards was a tool.  Pick someone better.  My 2008 research on potential VPs was extremely in depth, not so for 2004, so I don't have any good ideas.  Maybe because Kerry's campaign was doomed to lose if it was just "solid" (as fixing 1-3 probably wouldn't have made him win Ohio), the "right" choice would have been a bold, *cough* Palinesque approach?  Jeanne Shaheen?  Whatevsky, something bold would have been key here.

Too bad Brian Schweitzer didn't win in '00; he'd have been excellent.

[Lunar]

Yeah, politics is sort of ironic like that.  The entire reason we elect representatives is that the average person is too stupid to understand the complexities of legislating, yet we expect our legislators to be people "like us."  Meh, I'm pretty sure Intro to Psychology 1 has that all covered.

I can't help but think Kerry should have selected a woman "just to shake things up" or what have you.  Kerry ran a boring, textbook campaign because Bush's approval ratings were poor enough that he really didn't have to do anything else.  He lost, but at the time, he probably made the correct decision.  In retrospect, a solid campaign was insufficient and a great campaign, requiring risks (or perceived risks, like selecting a female VP, go figure), was needed.  Meh, it'd need to be a woman who didn't highlight Kerry's perceived super-liberalism... like I said, I have no idea.  Landrieu maybe?  Maybe she'd contrast too much with Kerrydawg.  Someone to placate blue collar men and women in Ohio, basically.  The pick of Edwards ("son of a mill worker") was attempted to be that but he came across as he was, an empty prettyboy.   

I don't really think 2008 would have been the year to go after the Mountain West.  It took the repudiation of the Iraq War for those states to enter play in a close race, which didn't happen until 2006...

[Lunar]

screw it, I might have just done Kerry/Kerrey

[Sensei]

I wouldn't have been Mary Beth Cahill, for one thing.

[JSojourner]

I would have fought back against the lies and smears, for one thing.  I would definitely have avoided the stunts involving windsurfiing and skeet shooting.  Though the party might have tried to prevent it, I would have looked for a liberal Republican running mate.  I am not sure which Republicans endorsed Kerry but I have asked one of them to join him on the ticket.  Someone retired like Alan Simpson or Nancy Kassebaum.

[jokerman]

He simply wasn't authentic enough.  His appeals to the common man were very shallow.  He should have made more of a connection to his soldier background, and stayed more passionate on foreign policy issues.

[King]

I don't really think anything could've been done.

Kerry just wasn't very likable and I really never saw Bush losing from the start of the Dem primaries to the day of the general election.  And despite what far-lefters have you believe, Bush wasn't really hated then.  It was completely his election to lose.

[The Mikado]

In retrospect, Kerry's campaign was tone-deaf, but hardly a catastrophe.  He still almost won.

Einzige's suggestion is not with the times.  Sure, Kerry could've swung New Mexico with a little luck/more effort, but Colorado was probably still beyond the Democrats' reach in 2004.  New Mexico (and even Nevada and Iowa) would've only made it a 269/269 tie that the Republican-controlled Congress would've broken.

For better or worse, Kerry made the right decision on gambling the farm on Ohio.  It didn't work, but it very well might've.

[© Tweed the Younger]

don't talk about Vietnam for an hour at the DNC

[MasterJedi]

Don't run in the first place.

[Rob]

Run well to the left on economic issues. Ohio was ripe for the plucking, but Kerry had no credibility because he voted for NAFTA and endorsed DLC-style economics.

Don't run in the first place.

Yes, that's what any "campaign manager" would tell a candidate who might not be certain of winning. Keep your day job, pal.

[Coburn In 2012]

Tell him to resign for the good of the country and move to Iran or France.  Kerry was the ultimate america hating coward and surrender monkey.

If the DemocRAT party had run Zell Miller then maybe they would show America they were serious about returning to the partys roots rather than kissing minority butt and appeasing our enemies.

[pogo stick]

^^^^ loling at Coburn's stupidity

I would've told Kerry to only campaign in Vermont , no ADs, don't go to the debates, make controversial statements

[Grumps]

Don't run in the first place.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Tell him to resign for the good of the country and move to Iran or France.  Kerry was the ultimate america hating coward and surrender monkey.

I guess you're angry because he opposed gay marriage.

[Kuu ülevaade olulisematest]

Tell him to resign for the good of the country and move to Iran or France.  Kerry was the ultimate america hating coward and surrender monkey.

I guess you're angry because he opposed gay marriage.

Hey, he'll accept it when he's ready. You don't need to keep bothering him about it.