Back in 1943, Irving Stone wrote a brilliant work, They Also Ran, which provides a historical analysis into the men who lost their respective presidential elections, yet, in some cases, may have actually been better Presidents than those they were defeated by.
The book ends with 1943, which means we never get to see how Stone would have rated men like Stevenson, Humphrey, or the like, which is why I decided that I'd have a few diaries on the 'Also Rans'. The people who might have made a difference, had they only been elected, and let our fellow users decide which one of these Also Rans they think might have made a difference.
And so, I'm diving this up into six separate diaries. The first three will revolve around the Democrats, the second two will revolve around the Republicans, and the final will revolve around the various third party candidates we've seen win actual electoral votes in presidential contests.
Here comes Part III, which will showcase Democrats from the 21st Century who are classified as 'Also Rans'. In this category, we only have two Democrats - Al Gore and John Kerry.
The third part will be showcasing those Democrats who were unfortunately defeated in their respective elections in the 21st Century.
Without further adieu, here they are:
Al Gore, the patron saint of the environmental movement and the man who won the 2000 election, but was never allowed to claim his rightful place in the White House. I'd say most of us know who Gore is and what he's accomplished, yet, we should look at the reasons why his victory was so close in the first place. Gore ran a tired, almost boring campaign back in 2000, and his selection of Democrat in Name Only Joe Lieberman as his running mate didn't serve to make him any more exciting. What's worse is that many Gore votes were splintered by Ralph Nader on election night, as well, giving him a smaller popular vote victory. Gore ran as a populist for a good part of the campaign, shredding some of his DLC credentials in order to connect with the voters better, yet, in some cases, this caused conflict with his running mate, who instructed Gore again and again to run as a 'kinder and gentler Republican'. Gore was 'defeated' by George W. Bush.
John Kerry is another victim, in my opinion, of vote fraud, though in Ohio rather than Florida. Nonetheless, Kerry ran a campaign to counter Bush's own campaign on National Security issues, taking an uneasy middle ground when it came to the Iraq War. Kerry, however, was ultimately destroyed by the conservative media's constant assault on his 'flip-flopping' over and over again, combined with favorable coverage for Bush on nearly every station. Kerry, however, was able to easily outperform Bush in the Presidential debates, and the addition of John Edwards to the ticket also gave the ticket a boost, yet, Kerry was still unable to thoroughly defeat George Bush. Kerry was 'defeated' by George W. Bush.
I've included a poll as well for you to project your views and such, and please don't forget to comment! :)
They Also Ran : The Republicans - Part IV of VI will probably be posted tonight, as it only entails two 19th Century candidates, John C. Fremont and James G. Blaine. Keep a look out for it!