--This is my first diary entry so please forgive me if I screwed anything up. :-\
I think I'm recovering somewhat from post-election shock and now I'm thinking about it... trying to figure out how the hell we lost.
There's been alot of talk about why the Democrats lost the election. There's a lot of ideas out there from liberals trying to make sense of it all. Demographically-speaking, America's Heartland contains most of the country's poorest citizens. How could they be persuaded to vote against their best interests?
People are saying that the Democrats lost because this election was about morals and values and gays, God and guns... it's because of terrorism, it's because Bush's message was simple and easier to understand than Kerry's, it's the language, it's the war, stupid, it's the way those snooty East and West coast liberals condescend the South and the Midland.
Me? I think it's probably a little of all of those things.
Being from small town, Texas, I was born and raised in America's Heartland. Texans are stereotyped as redneck good ole' boys who talk too slow and drive beat up pick-up trucks with shotguns in the back or as big-haired cheerleaders who married their high school sweethearts and raised their children on the farm. I always resented the stereotype... not because I thought being a cowboy, a farmer or a big-haired cheerleader was a bad thing, but because I hate stereotypes in general.
Most regions in the country are categorized in one way or another. Californians are all health nuts who surf, go to yoga classes and have holistic doctors. New Yorkers are grouchy and mean. New Jersey is home to those Eye-talians and the mafia. Stereotyping has been going on long before George W. Bush decided to run for office.
But when you look at specifics, those stereotypes never really hold up. Although California is a solid blue state, its populace elected a Republican governor. And until Tom Delay gerrymandered the district lines in Texas, the very red state of Texas had quite a few elected Democrats. The metropolis areas tend to hold more intellectuals and the more liberally-inclined than that of rural regions, a fact that holds true in many states.
So maybe Bush won because the Heartland was tired of being stereotyped as dumb hicks. But probably not.
Was it morals and values? Did people fear gay marriage so much that they showed up in droves to stop the advance of the pink army? While you can certainly say that the Christian Right was more mobalized than Christian Democrats (the Washington Post reported that "As the presidential race was heating up in June and July, a pair of leaked documents showed that the Bush-Cheney reelection campaign was urging Christian supporters to turn over their church directories and was seeking to identify "friendly congregations" in battleground states.") the numbers are indicating that the evangelical showing wasn't much more prominent than it was in 2000.
Was it because of terrorism? I tend to lean towards this more than anything. Bush's message was simple from the start... "I will do everything I can to defend America. I will keep us safe." Nevermind that he didn't. Nevermind that he never held anyone in his intelligence agency accountable for the miserable failures that led to 9/11 and for false information that led us into an unneccessary war. Nevermind that although he projects himself as a strong leader for our nation, he is really very weak in regards to leadership. What mattered to a majority of the American people (who voted) was that his message was simple and comforting, while Kerry's message was quite wordy and involved, albeit correct.
Maybe it was all about language? The conservative think tanks have been working on the use of language in politics for years. They've done research and studies on what makes people tick... what words do they react most strongly to? Of course, you can assume that "I will keep you safe" will appeal to Americans more fearful of a second terrorist attack than they are of losing jobs, America's huge debt and a President who lied. Doesn't matter. Because Bush told us he'd keep us safe and that's what we wanted to hear. The Bush campaign used strong words that punched through our boredom and our election fatigue and hit home. "Good versus evil", "Freedom on the march", "With us or against us", etc. etc. etc. His message was simple but powerful and was repeated over and over and over again. This doesn't mean that it was honest and/or correct.
So why did the Democrats lose the election?
All of the above, in my opinion. The Demorats need to simplify, simplify, simplify. Get the message out in a way that the American people can identify with. The American Heartland contains intelligent, gentle and open-minded folks... I know, because I'm one of them. Find a message that they can identify with and you have a chance of winning their vote. A strong candidate is needed for the Democratic Pary... one that, I hate to say it, is not only strong in his Party's beliefs but strong in appearance as well (hey, don't beat me up... it's not my fault most of us react to physical appearances). This candidate needs to slam the Republicans with the facts... use a damned chart like Ross Perot did, if he has to. The Republicans (and Karl Rove) are too good at rhetoric and spin. We need facts, facts and more facts. There were so many facts to be used against this administration in this election that I still don't understand why or how the Kerry campaign didn't use them better.
1. Bush was the flip-flopper, not Kerry.
A. He first opposed the bipartisan idea of a Homeland Security Dept. then supported it after 9/11 and took credit for it.
B. He promised not to touch the social security surplus then proposed a new budget that spent the surplus.
C. He vetoed the Patient's Bill of Rights while Governor of Texas then he took credit for the bill (which passed despite him) when he ran for Pres. in 04.
D. He said he supported a woman's right to choose when he ran for Pres. in 04. When he became elected he spoke out against abortion.
2. He opposed the formation of the 9/11 Commission
A. He said that Condi Rice would not testify before the Commission "as a matter of principle" then he ordered her to testify.
B. He refused to testify before the Commission himself but when public pressure mounted he agreed... but only if Cheney appeared with him.
3. He used his father's connections to avoid fighting in Vietnam.
A. He attacked the service of his fellow party member, Senator John McCain in the primaries. John McCain spent 5 1/2 years as a POW.
B. He attacked the service of Max Cleland, who lost limbs in Vietnam.
C. He attacked Kerry's service.
D. All three of these men have won metals and have sacrificed much in service to their country.
These facts were, of course, mentioned by the Kerry campaign. But I think that Kerry spent to much time on those pesky "issues" and did not hammer the damning facts of the Bush presidency home. He also spent a lot of time on the defensive. The Bush campaign ran the most negative ad in history and you know what? It worked. Not only did he win, but his negative tactics worked in mobilizing not only his base, but Kerry's as well. More Americans voted in this election than in any election in recent history.
So my advice (for what it's worth) is this:
Stick to our Democratic beliefs. Democrats believe in fiscal responsibility. We believe in providing health care and social security to our seniors. We believe in a woman's right to choose. We believe in war as a very last resort. We believe that keeping our borders safe is just as important as catching terrorists abroad. We believe in civil unions for gay couples and we oppose a constitutional amendment that would restrict the rights of any Americans. Most of us are Christians who believe in an individual American's right to worship in whatever church he or she chooses... or no church at all. We believe in the right of privacy for all Americans. We believe that political debate is the cornerstone of American politics and just because you don't agree with us, we don't think you're unpatriotic. We believe that technology has made the world a smaller place and diplomacy and good relations with the world is vital to our success. We believe in the American dream and defending that dream. We believe that we can defend this country against all who would threaten it.
Including George W. Bush.