Message to Kerry: get positive!

[Thomas Veil]

What I'm seeing in this final week before the election is that Bush in his speeches and commercials, and even his 527s, seem to be pushing a positive message. There's less of the harsh rhetoric, and more of an emphasis on what Bush likes to think of as his steady leadership.

It may be too late now to do anything, but I wish Kerry had taken that tack. If there's one thing (perhaps the only thing) that rings true in Bush's criticism of Kerry is that "a litany of complaints is not a plan." True enough...and the problem is, Kerry has been doing a lot of complaining, and very little inspiring.

What happened to the hopeful messages we heard at the Democratic National Convention? I think right now Kerry needs to talk much more about a hopeful future, instead of just attacking Bush's record. I think that'll sit better with the undecideds.

[solvs]

The positive way was tried at first. It didn't do so well against the spin machines. So they started attacking more. Really lashing out. The other side got worse as well. People got sick of them both pretending to take the high road while tearing each other to shreads. "Great, we know why the other guy sucks. Why are you so good? Why should I vote for you?" Bush started realizing that as the attacks started backfiring, and he finally had to give some speeches in front of people who were not "true believers", maybe he should talk about why we should re-elect him. Despite the overwhelming evidence to vote against him. So he started talking about how his was a campaign of positivity, while Kerry's was of fear. As Cheney gives a speech about how we are all going to be attacked again and Bush says 9/11 so many times, our heads explode.

Meanwhile, Kerry talks about his plans and ideas... the audience falls asleep. Realizing people are not actually voting for him, but against Bush (and the fact that the ambiguity was actually working for him), he went back on the attack. People are more and more pissed off, and he is using that anger to make himself look better by comparison.

Works for me.

[wowser]

oh come one, didn't you see Clinton's speech? (or was it Kerry's?) about offering an America that appealed to people's hopes rather than their fears (as Bush's campaign promotes)

[Thomas Veil]

Well, that's what I was getting at. In fact, Clinton's speech is what inspired me to start this topic.

I couldn't help but notice the contrast between Clinton the suave, uplifting speaker, and Kerry, the monotone, downbeat candidate.

[wowser]

Bless ol' Lurch

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/steve_bell/2004/07/28/stevebell1.jpg

[yellow]

I have to agree, I wish Kerry had taken the high road here at the end of the campaign process..

[Thomas Veil]

Well, whuddaya know? Ask and ye shall receive (http://easylink.playstream.com/ctsg/MediaFund/envision_final.wvx).