Why are Kerry and Edwards doing so well?

[LiberalVoice]

This is in no way meant to slam either one of them. Shit, I'm an Edwards supporter.

The reason I ask is because of the simple fact that one second, everyone is talking about how it's going to be Clark and Dean the whole way and now all of the sudden its Kerry this or Edwards that. Neither Clark nor Dean are making nearly the dent everyone has been saying they would. Well, not so far anyway.

The media has been propping Dean up as the guy that was gonna win it all, and lets face facts, for the most part what the media says, happens. For the simple fact that most of the citizens of this country are idiots. What the picture box says, they do.

I'm just all over the place trying to figure this out. I'm only 20 so the only other real experience I've had with elections was in 2000. Maybe someone can site some example of how it usually works.

Thanks

Zak

[leftyandproud]

1. here's why..

edwards...southern accent...charming...appears moderate

kerry...vietnam vet...appears strong on defense to people who don't care about politics...they will support a war hero regardless


all about charm and electability...people to compete with shrub on defense issues...

even IF Kerry had voted against every war and every expansion of the pentagon budget (he didn't by the way), he can still say "I was there...I fought...my friends died...Where were you Bush?"

They can criticize Kerry all day on his liberal voting record...but they can't take away the fact that he fought for his country.


this is a BIG plus for him...lots of vets and political moderates will be supporting Kerry because of this...Kerry will look competitive with Bush on defense. Edwards is a charming moderate who would make a great VP. Bushco has no answer for these things...The "McGovern" Dean is practically finished...and Bush has a real fight on his hands now. They didn't expect this.

a true Karl Rove nightmare...

:)

[isbister]

2. The cream has risen to the top

I believe Kerry and Edwards bring a more complete package to the table. They have fewer gaps in their resumes and their messages.

[molly]

9. Yep

they have both charisma and history.

[spooky3]

3. I would not count Clark out yet.

He had a strong showing in a lot of states last night.

[HazMat]

4. One word: moderates

This year the liberal base was very unified around one issue (the war) and one candidate in Howard Dean. Not only that, the Internet allowed them to contribute easily. So for the first time in history you had an insurgent candidate who displayed all the strength of a traditional establishment frontrunner (poll strength, media hype, money, endorsements). The problem with this is that the moderates -- people who make up the majority of the party and who thought all along that Howard Dean was unelectable -- had not weighed in yet. When the moderates started really weighing in (about 2 weeks before Iowa) the polls started changing dramatically in Kerry and Edwards favor, and they eventually took about 70% of the vote.

[LiberalVoice]

5. I think this explantion helps make sense for me.

[dusty64]

10. This is true.

The middle has spoken and they seem happy with the status quo. I really hope that strategy works this time around, I'm sick of losing. It seem as though Kerry will be the nominee and usually the VP pick matters little to me, this time it will. I'll be watching it closely and think it would be to the advantage to pick early and start campaigning for the general election as soon as possible. No on really watching the conventions anymore anyways.

I really will hate to see his Senate seat go rethug and hope it can be taken back, but if I'm not mistaken it will be 4 years before that can happen. My vision of a 50/50 Senate (the best scenario I'm seeing) is gone now and the thought of another Democratic President having to deal with an extremist Congress makes me really wonder if it will be worth it in the end.

Sorry for my gloom, but it may all be pointless if we can't take back the House and Senate. The WH will only be a firewall against the most vile of the rightwing agenda, which I guess is better than nothing. Of course, I'm envisioning a shitstorm of media contrived "scandals" taking up most of their time and "investigations" into the most trivial and manufactured things. Am I crazy for thinking this way?

[dusty64]

13. Any thoughts

on this?

[Mountainman]

19. I believe that the VRWC has disbanded and will not be a factor

I have nothing to go on but gut feelings but I believe that the once powerful right wing machine is running out of gas. It took them years and years to get where they are with their think tanks and their control of talk radio but what did the country get for it? A smirking chimp for president and a government of the corporations by the corporations and for the corporations.

People are beginning to wake up and smell the coffee.

I thought that the age of conservatism was coming to an end when all branches of the government went repug and I still believe it. People are beginning to hurt enough to want a change.

This is our time and this is our place. The Dems shall rise again.

[AnnitaR]

6. The Iowa Dean/Gephardt "murder/suicide".

Iowa started it all. Clark made huge mistake sitting Iowa out. Dean & Gephardt imploded there.

Kerry & Edwards were the last men standing and have rode the media wave thus far.

I am quite sure that the Clark campaign has some major, major regrets now about sitting Iowa out. However, to their defense who could have imagined what would happen to both Gephardt and Dean.

It has been one wild ride so far.

[robbedvoter]

7. Free publicity? Media - teflon and all that?

Clark did quite good himself IN SPITE of the media blackout - so maybe we shouls ask - why did Clark do so well?

[Zech Marquis]

8. it's what both bring to the table that's helping them both

Kerry is a true war vet and hero--even despite his throwing his medals at the Capitol, you can't take away his scts of bravery in Vietnam. The fellow vet whose live he saved by pulling him out of the water really struck me on that point. That's a HUGE plus.

Edwards has the southern charm, the looks, and that "down hom" feeling. I'm sure that sounds vague, but I also live in Virginia, and southerners LOVE that. I can't wait to see my boss today--she was so nervous about Edwards ysterday, so I know she'll be on cloud 9 all week long. BTW, I think Edwards will be in Norfolk today-I THINK, I need to double check.

Kerry's campaign will start running his ads here in the Hampton Roads maket for the first time today. Clarks'been running his for weeks or so. Edwards being from NC will et a big boost here and TN. his OK strong showing was much more than I expected :bounce:

[spooky3]

12. yes, johnedwards2004.com said he'd be in Norfolk today

So far his schedule does not include any trips to No. VA before the primary. I know he has many conflicting demands, but I wish there were some way to get up here. There are TONS of people who live up here including a lot of good Democrats who would turn out at the polls for him.

[Armstead]

11. Manufactured "conventional wisdom"

Not to take away credit from the present frontrunners, but we let the media whores and Beltway politicos drive the process, despite the appearance of democracy.

The media likes to take a concept and storyline and beat it into the ground. And the way the ptimaries are set up, and presented as a "horse race" things get very distorted.

Let's say, for example, that instead of Iowa and New Hampshire, the first voter tests were Oklahoma and South Carolina. Right now, the pundits and political gurus would be talking about a two-man race between Clark and Edwards, with Kerry as an also-ran.

All these little "mems" that get injected also distort perceptions. Like "electability." Even though the media and Beltway politicos were saying Dean was the frontrunner earlier, they were also saying that he is "unelectable" so he got tarred with that label. In reality, he has as many "electable" pluses and minuses as Kerry. But Dean was an outsider and didn't The Mold exactly, so he was given the Scarlet Letter of "unelectability."

I dunno how to fix this machine that manufactures perceptions rather than simply reflecting and reporting, but we gotta fix it.

[Ripley]

23. Exactly. They built Dean up in order to rip him up.

With the help of dirty tricks by other candidates. Can anyone tell me how Dean was ahead of everyone in Iowa and NH (by 20 points) until one day before Iowa, then he dropped to 3rd? It stinks to hell.

Gee, it didn't have anything to do with every single news channel having blatant titles on their screen like "Dean is Dead" and "Bizarre Behavior" about his speech. I guess that was good solid journalism and therefore it is only right that the smart people of NH decided to drop Dean because he is crazy afterall. The media told me so.

[GreenArrow]

14. in brief:

Kerry has stature, he has name recognition, his votes on IWR and the Patriot Act will appeal to independents and moderate voters.

Edwards is conventionally "pretty" (in the eye of the beholder) he's conservative and safe, he's a McPolitican, he's McEdwards--he's safe, he's convenient, he's cheap, and he's dependable; in a word, he's thoroughly homogeneous.

[KittyWampus]

15. When The HELL Did The Media Say It Would Be Clark?

From the start, Clark has had the words "Shelton-Character-Integrity" attached to his name.

Just before the last debate MSNBC did a bit making it look like Clark gave a speech to Terrorist supporting Arabs.

The ONLY reason Edwards is doing so well is bogus polling, Diebold, Republicans voting for him and padding the numbers at his rallies and glowing media coverage.

Kerry is doing well largely for the same reasons.

We can also throw in a complicit Democratic Leadership and Party.

[SangamonTaylor]

16. how insulting...

>>The ONLY reason Edwards is doing so well is bogus polling, >>Diebold, Republicans voting for him and padding the numbers at his >>rallies and glowing media coverage.

Edwards is doing well because he's a winner. He came out of Iowa as a 'winner' (even though he finished six points behind Kerry) after receiving virtually zero media coverage in Iowa. Media coverage comes from winning (bad coverage from losing). He exceeded everyone's expectations and he has been getting more attention because of that.

I don't understand this 'media blackout' nonsense. Clark sat on the bench in Iowa. He didn't even try. He placed in a virtual tie in NH and OK. The media just doesn't have much to say about him now.

He never made a story by calling his shot. Standing at the plate, pointing his bat to the outfield bleachers and hitting a homerun like Edwards did in South Carolina.

Clark could have taken that chance in OK. It would have been a great media story. Instead he played it safe.

I congradulate Clark on his victory in OK. It is well deserved. However, he should lay it all on the line and say that if he doesn't win in Virginia, Tennessee, Washington, or Michigan then he'll drop the race. The same goes for Edwards and Dean. Otherwise this is a solo dance by Kerry all the way to Boston.

[Cuban_Liberal]

21. That's bogus!

"...The ONLY reason Edwards is doing so well is bogus polling, Diebold, Republicans voting for him and padding the numbers at his rallies and glowing media coverage....

'Bogus polling'? If one actually looks at the results of the polls, the only thing that has been 'bogus' about them is that they have consistently understated Edwards' support, i.e., he finishes higher each time than his pre-election polling numbers indicated that he would.

Regarding the 'Republicans voting for him', I have two questions: 1.) Is there any evidence whatsoever to back up such a charge?; 2.) Even if true, aren't republican and Independent votes tyhe key to winning in November?

There is no evidence of 'padding the numbers at his rallies'--- none.

John Edwards is finally receiving favorable media coverage because he is doing well with the voters. Should he receive negative coverage because the voters like him? :eyes:

[rocktivity]

17. It think it's because Kerry is the most "Presidential" of the candidates

He projects maturity, political experience, courage, a down-home "horse" sense--oh, and can put two sentences together. I'm praying that he'll pick Edwards as his running mate because he'd balance the ticket perfectly and be in line for the next election if Hillary isn't interested.


rocknation

[CWebster]

18. friends in high places. nt

[mb7588a]

20. DU is an accurate representation of

the candidates popular on the internet. For some reason Dean and Clark didn't seem to catch on come time to visit the polls. Clark or Dean still win every DU preference poll. Success on the internet doesn't seem to translate into electoral success. This will be studied and questioned for years.

Reasons?
1. Dean camp relied a little too heavily on young people who simply don't and never will vote.
2. The electorate reallly took into account the most important goal - ABB - issues were only secondary.
3. Great campaigns can't make up for dismal candidates? We can all admit that every dem. candidate has had a few misfires.... :(

[He loved Big Brother]

24. Young people don't vote because they don't have a reason to

They are, for the most part, pretty liberal and progressive, yes? And that tranlates to being ignored...or worse yet, dismissed as "the loony fringe lefties" who aren't to be taken seriosuly.

Candidates ignore the youth, and the youth return the favor.

[meisje]

22. The sheeple have their instructions

and so it will be