Since when are career politicians "unelectable"?

[eileen_d]

Have I been taking crazy pills? Some of the arguments against Kerry on this site are cracking me up.

"He has a long record of voting for liberal issues! He is a Washington insider! There have been recorded sightings of him making mistakes and campaigning with less-than-snow-white tactics! The man has money and friends in high places... he will NEVER win the general election!"

Come on now... you may prefer an "outsider" for the election, and I have no argument with your preference -- but there is no need to deny the reality that presidential elections in the United States have been won by candidates with one or several of these qualities.

[creativelcro]

1. Two reasons: he's a NE liberal and he is NO Kennedy

Ergo, he is unelectable, nationally.

[eileen_d]

2. I guess that keeps things simple.

It would also seem to be an argument that Dean is unelectable.

[EXE619K]

3. Everyone's "electable" if you vote for him/her.

Kerry is certainly "electable".

But, people who support Dean don't stick with the "electable" notion and that's my opinion.

Everyone's so afraid of Bush that they will compromise everything just to get a candidate "elected".

It's fear that dominates the Democratic voters this season.

But, like I said....that's just my opinion.

[asjr]

8. Yes, it is fear

but mostly it is anger. To the point we try to decide who is electable. We really will not know until the convention who we will run against Bush. By that time I hope we will all have come together.

[creativelcro]

9. I hope the race stays on until the last minute

that would minimize the time the GOP machine has to start trashing our nominee...

[mikehiggins]

4. True, and they are lost by the same folks

The unelectable argument doesn't mean he can't win AN election; it means he most likely can't win THIS election.

WHile Kerry may seem the best thing since home-made bread to a group of Democrat voters in a small state, on the larger stage his lifetime voting record as a left-liberal Senator comes into play.

We are a polarised nation, as everyone rushes to say, but Kerry has represented a point-of-view over the years that the AMerican public has come to "stereotype" as somewhat effeminate and somewhat less than totally all-American. That is one of the reasons that Kerry strives so hard to project that "man's man" image of a biker and a hockey playing veteran.

Up against an incumbent president during a time of "war", Kerry is still just a NE-liberal insider, three catagories not guaranteed to resound well with the general voting public.

Just a fact, jack.

[bowens43]

6. Funny,

in NH Kerry received most of his support from people who described themselves as moderate and conservative. He also received a larger chunk of the military families votes then Clark (as did Dean). Liberal is NOT a dirty word nor is being a liberal a detriment in the general election, it just means we won't get the repug vote. That's fine , we don't need them. The last thing we need is to move further to the right, especially in a polarized nation. We need to accentuate the differences between us and them , not blur them.
Slam liberals all you like, but it won't change any minds.

[creativelcro]

7. Don't get me wrong. I like "liberal", but it does not matter, does it?

In NH, how many people voted Kerry because they simply moved to NH from MA within the last few years ? There are many such people.

[bowens43]

10. Huh?

His win was convincing. He won in EVERY category except those who labeled themselves liberal and the liberals went overwhelmingly for Dean. Trying to paint his as a left wing fringe liberal won't work.

He won because of people who moved from MA to NH??? That's silly.

BTW, I'm a Dean supporter but I won't make excuses for Kerry's win, Kerry has momentum right now and in November, he could easily defeat bush.

[creativelcro]

12. It's not silly. Look at the numbers and geogr. distribution of results.

The counties that are overwhelmingly for Kerry are Rockingham and Hillsborough, bordering MA. These counties have a ton of people from MA (many still commute to MA to work).

[Loonman]

5. "Outsider" candidate? Yeah, we tried that with Nader

That worked.

Not.

[lucidmadman]

11. You just don't understand...

...Kerry can't be elected because he gets too many votes.