After pouring hours, sleepless nights, and nonstop months into the 2004 presidential campaign, I sit back and ponder ... Why did Kerry lose?
You can blame Walden O'Dell, a GOP fundraiser and the CEO of Diebold (whose voting machines are used in Ohio), who promised to deliver Ohio to Bush. You can blame the Republicans who went to polling locations to "challenge" voters' right to vote (in addition to the hours and hours people waited to simply cast their vote). You can even blame the Swifties.
If the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth have taught us anything, it's that the credibility of an accuser is less important than the explosiveness of the charge.
The thing is: I don't ask why Bush won. The war, the economy, and Bush's own mediocre campaign made this Kerry's election to lose.
When Bush would deliver simple, short speeches, Kerry would go on into great detail to a point where no one could remember what he was talking about. Do you remember when Kerry tried to explain his stance on abortion during the second debate?
Still, Bush turned the national surplus built on fiscal responsible policies, into the largest deficit in our nation's history.
He dipped into the Social Security trust fund, using billions to keep the budget from looking even worse than it already is. His own education reform bill is woefully under-funded, millions of more Americans don't have healthcare.
The economy is in the trenches; we've lost 1.6 million jobs in the U.S. in the past three years. He rushed to war with Iraq built on lies and deception - and Cheney still parades himself in the media, calling it a "great success."
Yes, you can call my rambling spin and democratic rhetoric, but truth remains that Bush entered the November with one of the lowest approval ratings at under 46 percent, according to an ABC News poll.
Still, how did Kerry lose?
To me, it comes down to salesmanship. Which candidate would you rather drink a beer with? Seriously speaking, most Americans prefer a president who struggles in pronouncing the word "nuclear" and maybe screws up every now and then.
While this shouldn't be reasoning behind who should be selected as the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces and principal defender of your nation, the 2004 Election indicates otherwise.
Moreover, Kerry's public relations and communications department failed miserably. They were unable to dispute Bush's wild criticisms and capitalize on the President's blunders. Many Americans polled after the first Presidential Debate were shocked to see Kerry was able to produce a clear, coherent sentence - as they had conceptualized him as an incredible flip-flopper.
I do feel that Kerry over-emphasized the need for strong alliances with foreign allies; Americans are more interested in maximum safety from terrorism.
Notwithstanding, this was Kerry's election to lose; and his mediocrity and communications team's inability to project a consistent image to the American people significantly contributed to the current state of affairs.
Many supporters are justified in feeling alarmed for the potential ramifications of this election. Keep a close eye on the Supreme Court and the national deficit (as another 70 billion dollar cut is expected to be proposed to a Republican Senate and House of Representatives).
Anyone else considering going abroad for longer than a semester?
Jake Resnicow is a sophomore majoring in political science. He volunteers for the DNC Finance Committee.
