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April 15, 2004

How Kerry Wins

By Byron LaMasters

This Salon article (free daily pass) is a great piece of insight by a longtime Kerry aide Dan Payne of how Kerry wins his campaigns. It goes back to Kerry's first failed bid for Congress, through his runs for Lt. Governor and U.S. Senate ending with Kerry employing his same tactics to win in Iowa. How does Kerry win?

Kerry's first election as Lt. Governor in Massachusetts provides some good insight:


In the very next debate, a seething Kerry told Shannon, "You impugn the service of veterans in that war by saying they are somehow dopes or wrong for going," he said. Shannon balked. Employing a Southernism popular in Congress to assail an argument as baseless, Shannon said, "John, you know that dog won't hunt."

The Doghunters were born. A band of Vietnam vets who supported Kerry heard their own service demeaned and rallied almost spontaneously.

One of the lead Doghunters was John Hurley, who had first watched Kerry nearly steal a caucus from his candidate, Drinan, 14 years before. (Hurley is now Kerry's national vets recruiter.) Another was Tom Vallely, an ex-Marine and longtime Kerry friend who now runs the Vietnam Program at Harvard University. Chris Gregory, a Vietnam veteran leader, led former soldiers who staked out Shannon's headquarters and shadowed him as he campaigned. In the days and years ahead, the ranks of the Doghunters would swell.

Vietnam veterans supplied the energy, an opponent gave him the opening, his field organization run again by Whouley turned out the vote, and John Kerry tightened his message. He won by three points. Had he known, Howard Dean might have seen it coming.


Also of intest to me was the comparison of the political fights of Kerry and Dukakis, and why in Payne's assessment, Kerry is much better prepared for a national election:


It's worth comparing Kerry with his fellow Massachussetts Democrat Michael Dukakis to understand why Kerry is more likely to prevail. For Kerry, unlike Dukakis, Massachusetts was a crucible that readied him for the national battle ahead. Dukakis' toughest fights were primaries. Kerry has had to run in both difficult primaries and general elections. In every case, he seems to need to feel the shape and impact of the attacks before he acts, which frustrates supporters who panic in the heat of battle and expect Kerry to act precipitously. But as soon as Kerry judges that the charges he's facing are similar to those he has faced before, he and those who have been with him know what to do, almost by instinct -- even if they disappoint the Beltway by not responding in the next e-mail.

Kerry's election is by no means certain, but he will not lose because he was thrown off balance by what will be hurled at him in the months ahead.


Read the full article if you have a chance.


Posted by Byron LaMasters at April 15, 2004 08:46 PM | TrackBack


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