If Bush wins (and I do mean "if") the key reason will be that Americans are afraid of changing pale horses of death in mid-nightmare. So Kerry needs to shout: "Wake Up!" And he needs to do so in so many different ways that somehow enough people hear it and have time to rise from their brainwashed slumber by November 2. Kerry needs to convey this vibe in all his answers, a sense of almost disbelief at what's going on (laughing and shaking his head in mock shock at the latest Bush attack). And mainly, he needs to be having fun. In every sound byte, we need to see that fun is still possible, that levity and humor can still have a place in the West Wing. Kerry can win if he lifts us out of the pall of terror.
And, I guess it shouldn't be too surprising that current polls are showing that, post-debate, Kerry isn't getting the bounce that he needs. What Kerry needs is to make his own bounce. He needs five (5) big messages that he just pounds on, from here to the election. When you go to www.johnkerry.com, there should be five compelling graphics with these themes, and when you click on them, a one minute video of Kerry talking his core position on the theme comes up, underneath of which there are more choices: Ask a Question Read Policy Paper See what America Thinks See more Video.
Herewith the five themes:
1) Right war or wrong war, we're losing the war...
Kerry explains that we need to recast to win, and that he has the credibility to start fresh, and the experience to run the new war. He must emphasize that he's not going to bail on the war on terror, and that he can be just as tough and vigilant as W.
2) We need allies to win the war; I can get 'em.
Kerry needs to remind us that hitting the reset button buys the US a lot. What might our allies say and do if the entire country throws Bush out. Kerry can reframe the situation. He can say: "I have wiggle room Bush has burnt up." He can use his flip-flopper powers for good! If he is feeling particularly bold, he can even say that he will open up a second "peace" front, because he knows that war is not the only answer.
3) Bush is paid for by the rich and is not your friend. He lied to you and steals from you.
Nobody really cares about this one, but at least one of the five messages has got to say it.
4) I love America and always have - my history proves it.
We need constant, heart-rending rhetoric from Kerry about how "really loving America" means criticizing and helping to fix it. How America is always unfinished, but unless we keep improving it we stagnate. All that classic comic-book rhetoric: we need it now!
5) You can't privatize everything and tax nothing.
Back to the economy, he can just point out again and again that Bush is bankrupting the country, losing us jobs, giving it all to the rich, and has no plan to reverse the trend.
But at the end of the day, Kerry has to show that he is a tough-minded, military-minded, no-nonsense true believe who will not lose control if we hand him the reins. That's the majority of it.
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