Kerry Staffers Brace for New Film

[julialnyc]

(I found this at Rawstory)

September 26, 2005

Kerry Staffers Brace for New Film

Lloyd Grove says Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) loyalists "are kicking themselves for cooperating last year with filmmaker Steve Rosenbaum on Inside the Bubble, a potentially devastating behind-the-scenes look at the Massachusetts senator's failed presidential campaign."

"I'm also told that Hillary Clinton partisans are licking their chops to see the film, which 'could end up being the silver bullet that kills Kerry's presidential chances for 2008."

The film won't be seen publicly until Thursday, but a press release claims the movie "turns a harsh but deeply revealing mirror on the campaign ... a disorganized, contentious, self-absorbed team that thought they could win by 'not making mistakes,' and keeping their candidate in the public eye without clarifying a position on anything."

Key highlights from those who've seen it privately: "Clinton scowling and rolling her eyes over an apparent Kerry gaffe during a presidential debate; Kerry pretending to interview himself and babbling in Italian while waiting for a real interview to begin; Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) cursing at reporters during a campaign stop, and Kerry message guru Robert Shrum confidently declaring a few days before the 2004 election: 'Zogby just announced who's gonna win. Us!'"
Link | Related News | Categories: Media Buzz
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2005/09/26/kerry_staffers_brace_for_new_film.html

[tuvor]

1. Kerry didn't claim victory when he won in '04

He's forfeited running again as far as I'm concerned.

[Arkana]

2. And this will matter...why, exactly?

[Mass]

3. So what?

[fedupinBushcountry]

4. And your point

in posting this. Now let me see if I can guess. Why not post something on this corrupt administration. How lame.

[julialnyc]

5. It is dumb not to learn from your mistakes

I would have thought before this year that it wouldn't matter who the candidate was because Bush was so bad, but I was wrong (even if the election was stolen Kerry should have won in a LANDSLIDE), but Bush was more media savvy and sometimes in our 24 hour news cycle world that plays a huge role. We can't just cover our ears when the criticism is on us.We must learn from our mistakes and improve for the next time around as that is much more important than any ego bruising.

Here is an article I found interesting:
John Kerry: Survivor All-Star?
Steve Rosenbaum, the founder of New York production company CameraPlanet and the mind behind the recent DiscoveryTimes program, Staffers, is halfway through shooting his next project, a documentary on the candidacy of Senator John Kerry. With Inside the Bubble, Rosenbaum plans to show “who the guy really is . . . show John Kerry is when he’s with the people he likes and trusts.” Documentary crews got to work filming the Senator on his off-hours (when are there really off-hours on the campaign trail?) and plan to continue until his denouement at the Democratic National Convention in Boston this July.
I find two things particularly interesting about Rosenbaum’s work. On one hand, CameraPlanet represents the fulfillment of the promise of a fully-featured, desktop production studio. On the other, Rosenbaum’s projects adapt the lessons learned from reality television to the political documentary medium. Such a fusion seems perfectly natural – after all, what could be a better manifestation of the voted-off-the-island concept than the American democratic process? Jon Murray and Mary-Ellis Bunim (The Real World), along with Mark Burnett (Survivor) among others, built a market for the around-the-clock coverage of people in competition, and it is thus no surprise that, according to Variety, “interest from leading specialty distribs has been high.” More intriguing, perhaps, is the potentially broader effect of life imitating art when this new medium consumes presidential politics. The advent of television irrevocably changed the strategy of campaigning by forcing candidates to develop a competitive media persona, an image that looked best to the viewing audience. The Kennedy-Nixon debates marked the beginning of an era in which a candidate needed to be “on” when the cameras were rolling. As the reality-style documentary takes hold and the cameras are rolling twenty-four hours a day, will the winning chief executive be the candidate who is “on” all the time? Or, God forbid, will the winning candidate be the one whom viewers believe to be the most “real”?
http://cinemocracy.blogs.com/cinemocracy/2004/04/john_kerry_surv.html

[FreedomAngel82]

54. How do you know he didn't win in a landslide?

Voting machine's remember? The program makes it 51-48 (or 49?) by the end of the day so you don't really know what Kerry's final outcome was, do we?

[julialnyc]

59. I'm talking about the non-diabold states

but I do agree with you that that could be the biggest deal breaker of all, I just think Kerry could have done better in places that didn't use diabold.

[paineinthearse]

6. I'll venture a guess

The initial reason is for its newsworthyness.

The underlying reason is our 2008 candidate must be electable, a figher and someone who will not fold under pressure.

[WI_DEM]

48. But the whole point in '04 (in the primaries) was Kerry's electability

The media kept harping on how Kerry could win and Dean couldn't.

[Pig_Latin_Lover]

7. Silver bullet?

I thought the 2004 campaign was the silver bullet that killed Kerry's presidential chances for 2008. Huh.

[truebrit71]

9. Well that and his refusal to fight the theft of Ohio preclude him...

...from running again...

You DON'T say "reporting for duty" and then promptly DON'T report...

He quit.

He doesn't get another shot.

Period.

[never_get_over_it]

103. Isn't it ironic

I think he didn't fight exactly because he wanted to run again in '08 and alot of us wouldn't begin to consider him again because he didn't fight for the vote count.....

[LittleClarkie]

105. Does the lawsuit he's in with the GLibs count as fighting?

How about two more lawsuits re: the suppression, one of them with the League of Women Voters?

And it only precludes him from running for YOU, not necessarily everyone. Most of the folks around me thought he did the smart thing and the only thing he could do.

And he should get credit for what he IS doing re: the lawsuits. Considering how many folks shouted that he was chickening out again when there was a rumor he might quit the GLib lawsuit, it should at least be acknowledged that you can't QUIT something unless you've been doing it in the first place.

[Mass]

8. Lloyd is a gossip journalist - May be we can use something better

when it come to criticize Kerry or the campaign.

Constructive criticism is ALWAYS useful. It needs to have sound sources. This article in a gossip column is not one. May be the movie will be, who knows?

[julialnyc]

10. That link was from Rawstory

no matter what Lloyd is quoted as saying I think the reason Rawstory gave that link is to let people know the film is coming out this week.

[TayTay]

11. So is one by Kerry's daughter

and there will probably be more. (Ahm, unless I was absent last year or suffered from some sort of head trauma, it was a big election last year. There will be documentaries on it. Most documentaries air to tiny audiences. This will probably be the case for the post-election documentaries as well.)

As to viability: well the Senator raised $50,000 at one event last week for his PAC. Sounds like he is viable to me.

[tinrobot]

12. Sad thing is... he did win.

I'm convinced it was stolen.

[julialnyc]

13. here is a better write up

A Democratic Look in the Mirror
So, the word is out. We'll see what that means. Wonkettte today broke the news that after almost 18 months of soul searching, hair pulling, and long nights... the film known as "Inside The Bubble" will premier in New York on September 29th.

Those of you who've followed this film know that it's been an emotional road. No one sets out to make a film about a losing candidate for President. We though we were chronicalling a winner. And after that fateful day in November, 2004 - we spent a bunch of months with the footage under lock and key. But in the end - it seemed like someone needed to pull thier head out of the sand and ask the painful question 'What Happened?'

That said - the 80 min. film should give Democrats alot to think about. Which is not to say the film is grim - far from it. The truth is the experience of being on the road with the Kerry team was upbeat, exhausting, and expensive. But in the end - the questions come down to ideas. Who has them. Who can express them. And how many American's are willing to sign up for a candidates platform. I won't spoil the movie - except to say, it's not what you expect.

===

The 'Inside The Bubble' screenings - Thursday Sept. 29th, 6pm screening / The Phillips Theatre. Second screening Sunday at 4pm at the Milk 2 Theatre.
NewYorkTelevisionVideoFestival

Tickets are available on the phone 1-866-NYTVFTX – or 212-404-2860 or one the web site: New York Television Video Festival"

[Mass]

14. Much better write-up. Thanks.

[LittleClarkie]

75. Without the snark

The other one sounded like it was written by a Clinton partisan. Neutrality would have been preferable at least.

[TWiley]

15. It is no secret that Kerry ran a shoddy campaign.

A record number of volunteers, a record amount of money raised, an extremely defeat-able president, and a campaign strategy so crappy that anyone the republicans selected would have won.

Every time someone says "oh lets not point out our opponents faults" and "we need to be above all that" or some similar "stick your butt high in the air with the head buried deeply in the sand" comment, they need to be reminded just how poorly their arrogance worked out in 04.

[PurityOfEssence]

16. Silver bullet? He has no chances.

I like John Kerry, but he blew that campaign, even though he won.

He's a good guy, and his heart is in the right place, but that's not what gets people elected as president.

Not fighting against ridiculous lies hurt him almost as much as being unwilling to fight class warfare and calling Junior out for being a con-artist. When you're in a barroom brawl, you don't play chess.

Hillary has NO CHANCE, and if she and the bizarre powers-that-be within the Democratic Party force her nomination, it will be an incredible disaster.

Hillary SHOULDN'T have a chance. She's an appeaser and someone who will get virtually no crossover while alienating the base. This is ridiculous. Even though she was a Goldwater Republican and a tireless campaigner, she will get NO help from the right. From the left, she's correctly seen as far too moderate and with too great a habit of accommodating reactionaries.

Truman put it best: Given the choice between a Republican and someone who acts like a Republican, people will vote for the real Republican all the time."

This shouldn't be hard to understand.

[FreedomAngel82]

56. Truman is right

Definitley need to remember that in the primaries and for next year as well with the house and senate and any other seat coming up. Plus, what would be the difference between the republican and the republican-lite? Probably nothing except a few stances on some issues to gain votes on both sides of the isle.

[TWiley]

88. You are right about Hillary.

Don't get me wrong, I like Hillary, but I do not think she is electable as president.

The only people I hear talking about her running for president are either the conservative talking heads, or the conservative church people.

I think the republicans are trying to pick our candidate for us. One they can beat.

Maybe we should try their own strategy on them.

[txaslftist]

17. So Hillary's crew is licking their chops to go after Kerry?

How like us to eat our own.

[Tower]

18. Who funded that movie?

Sounds almost like the right-wing attack machine was getting ready to tear the Kerry presidency down even before the election.

[KittyWampus]

47. how would a right wing attack machine get in such close proximity?

if Kerry's campaign DID have such operatives in his midst, that tells us something.

And the "Hillary licking her chops" bit is lame in any kind of report.

[Tower]

70. Anybody can represent themselves as non-partisan

to gain access. And besides- it's not like the Kerry campaign was particularly astute about things like that.

[John Q. Citizen]

19. As a Kerry supporter who gave both time and money

to the campaign and who still likes Kerry for his courageous stance in working to get the US out of Vietnam as well as his Kerry Commission work (BCCI) and much of his sponsored legislation in the Senate, I still honestly have to say that this criticism seems on the mark.

"....that thought they could win by 'not making mistakes,' and keeping their candidate in the public eye without clarifying a position on anything."

I hope Gore runs in '08. He won handily even with the challenge from Nader on the left and his speeches and activities since the stolen election of 2000 are right on!

[graywarrior]

20. Why are they beating a dead horse?

Give it up for crissakes. What is it about Kerry that they feel they have to kick him when he's already been down since November?

It's getting old.

[julialnyc]

22. It is not a dead horse... it is a valuable lesson..the film is not anti-ker

The film is not anti-Kerry (if you read the link above it shows that the filmmakers thought it would be a winning campaign) it is a look into how the Kerry staffers tried to mold a media image of Kerry.

Kerry should have won (and probably did), but Bush had a more media savvy team (master of media manipulation). The democrats need to learn that in this reality based (24 hour sound bite) world that we live in we need a huge plan to deal with the role of media message and party synchrony.

[graywarrior]

27. and again, I jumpt to conclusions

guess if I read the article without also designing websites and listening to Pink Floyd and yelling on the phone at a credit card company, I'd have a handle on things.

[FreedomAngel82]

57. Had a more media savvy team?

Kinda easy if you're paying for it right?

[julialnyc]

61. ??

I didn't get that one.


Both parties pay for their media relations staff/PR team

[karynnj]

84. Not the team - Bush paid (bribed) reporters

sometimes with government money

[Fla Dem]

21. Would like to see a similar film done on the Chimp's campaign. It

would show how only invited people were allowed to any rallies or events. How the Chimp had certain phrases to use to answer all questions, whether they fit the question or not. Rather see a campaign that struggles to find the right answers to get America back on its feet, than one that's programmed for sound bites. And if the Kerry campaign was so much in disarray, more credos to them that they just barely lost the election. Says something for them, eh?

[julialnyc]

23. I have a feeling this movie does cover all that stuff

This film is all about the message the media prompts up about the candidates.I would be very surprised if much of it wasn't about the Bush teams controlled media perception and erasing any negative quotients from the equation.

[second edition]

26. Me too! Especially after the first debate with Kerry.

What I would have given to be a fly on the wall then!

[Beelzebud]

24. Kerry has a chance in 08? LOL If so, we're doomed.

I'll never waste a vote on John Kerry again.

[second edition]

25. I think Kerry is one of our best choices in 2008. n/t

Sorry you can't get past the last election. John Kerry would make an excellent President. I don't consider any of the time and money I donated to his last campaign a waste in any way. He was working for us then and he is working for us even now.

[andyhappy]

29. me too

he blew it, big time...can't wait to see that film

[second edition]

36. Kerry's campaign garnered him more votes then even Clinton

or Gore. How can you say he blew it?

[Beelzebud]

39. Hew blew it because he lost to the worst president ever.

I think we need to try someone new. Kerry had his chance.

When asked if he would vote for authorization to war with Iraq, knowing what he knows now, he replied that yes he would.

I knew the election was lost the second he said that.

He should NOT get another chance. He doesn't deserve one.

[andyhappy]

53. totally!

he drove me crazy watching him waffle.

oiy!

shoulda been dean! or clark or kucinish or sharpton for petes sake!

Kerry is another yale skull and bones career politician terrified democrat!

they should rotate where the primaries start. I am sick of new hampshire and iowa deciding who we run!

lets start them here in california!

[FreedomAngel82]

60. Voting machines hon

Kerry did win.

[blm]

66. The worst prez ever being sold by 90% of broadcast media as the greatest

fighter of terrorists and most Christian president ever.

[saracat]

93. Baloney. There is NO evidence that he lost.

There is however a great deal of implocation that the election was stolen. Now if their were only some election officials with integrity that could have been compelled to release the evidence, we might be talking about a different administration. But without the release of the solid evidence and the GOP controlling eberything, what could Kerry do? He is still involved in two cases in Ohio!

[Beelzebud]

94. He could have picked up a few more states for starters.

Ohio wouldn't have been a factor if he made up the slack in other places.

[saracat]

95. What makes you think he didn't?

We have reason to believe that he won several states assigned to the Bush column. New Mexico for one. And the Governor wouldn't allow a recount. Staffers on the ground in several states KNOW something wasn't kosher.

[Skwmom]

44. Those anti-Bush votes really added up. n/t

[second edition]

37. self delete- dup! n/t

[Clark2008]

28. Clinton's staff can lick their chops all they want

She's not going to win Iowa or any of the early Southern states in the first place.

But, neither would Kerry.

[second edition]

38. Don't discount Kerry, he has more appeal in the South then you

might think and more name recognition.

[Clark2008]

40. Really now?

I think Dems in my state realized their mistake the day after the election when the local newspaper ran an article quoting both Dems and Reps which pretty much said Kerry couldn't win the state in the general election - and he didn't - by any stretch of the imagination. Edwards and Clark would have had a better chance. Oh, and Kerry didn't win the state - and by a worse margin than Gore in 2000 (he lost ground, is my point).

I think the South will probably go with someone else this time (and not Hillary). But that's my two cents worth.

[julialnyc]

42. plus I don't think Iowa and New Hampshire will decide it this time

many more people will have the opportunity to let their vote be counted instead of just listening to the media momentum.


Not to mention the fact that the republicans will be having their primaries too so the media focus will have to be more spread out.

[ultraist]

49. An Edwards-Clark ticket would carry many Southern states

AND, many midwestern states. Edwards came in with a strong second in Iowa last time and has spent a lot of time there recently.

Kerry won Iowa during the primaries because Vilsack and his wife, endorsed him and campaigned heavily for him. I really don't think that will happen again. Vilsack is now a major leader with the DLC and will be behind Hillary, another DLCer.

People in the South generally did not like Kerry and Kerry barely campaigned in the South which only made it worse, of course. In my state, people voted for the Dem ticket, because Edwards is our homeboy. Had someone else been VP, Kerry would have done far worse.

Furthermore, Kerry said, early on, that "I don't need to win a Southern state" and people in the South were NOT pleased about him writing them off.

Hillary does NOT stand a chance to win the Iowa caucus or any Southern state. She also doesn't really stand a chance to carry any midwestern state. Midwesterners are very provincial and are not ready to vote a woman in, as President, particularly during wartime.

We will be doomed to lose, if they coronate Hillary!

[FreedomAngel82]

62. And who knows Clark?

What experience does he have besides the military? Please, I don't want Clark. He didn't win the primaries or even in the top at the end was he?

[julialnyc]

68. Clark has plenty of experience

He was Supreme Commander of NATO which entails much more than military skills (it is like being the governor of a small state dealing with everything from health care to education).
The only person to win the primaries was Kerry and that certainly doesn't mean he will the next time around.

You should look into Clark, he has many areas of expertise and is an amazing diplomat (that' why so many ambassadors endorsed him)

[FreedomAngel82]

69. Not enough experience for me

Liking someone doesn't mean anything. I want someone who has experience of being involved in the government. Kerry has twenty plus years in the Senate. Al Gore was in Congress and the Senate before he ran. Clinton was a governor. Can Clark do a balanced budget and get a surplus again like Clinton did? Can Clark make sure there is a job out there for me instead of going over seas?

[ICantBelieve]

72. Please...

At least go to Borders and thumb through Waging Modern War. Wes has got plenty of experience in government.

[julialnyc]

74. Clark can balance the budget and will not send jobs over seas

He is both a student and professor of economics and was the Supreme Commander of NATO (balancing their budget, figuring out education for the military and their families).

On the campaign trail Clark only traveled in cars that were american made (I believe he sent a foreign car back once).



And to think McCain might be who we will be up against who better5 to run than a 4 star general that sits on many peace committees.

[ArkySue]

83. A bit more on economics

He worked as a White House Fellow in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in the 70's, and one exercise he was given was drawing up a Federal Budget from scratch.

"Major Clark is the most able White House Fellow I have known during my seven years in Washington...He brought to his work a brilliant mind and rare common sense. He has initiative, style, imagination, moral courage, and integrity-each in extraordinary degree...He has a rare sensitivity to others and a remarkable ability to motivate and lead them....He is totally dedicated to public service as a military officer."
-James T. Lynn, Director, Office of Management and Budget, July 8, 1976

edited for typos.

[Name removed]

78. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[tkmorris]

87. That isn't called for

It has been my experience that most Clark supporters are a good deal more civil in tone than this. Luckily for Clark.

[TWiley]

90. Hello donjo, and welcome to DU

I would not listen much to those who try to be so proper. After all, it was their influence of "trying to take the high road", or "we need to be better than that" that cost us the last election.

[ICantBelieve]

71. A little about Wes

Clark was the only person in the primaries (besides Kerry) to win a state where he wasn't the "favorite son." Edwards won NC (where he lived) and SC (where he grew up). Dean won Vermont (where he lived). Clark won OK, a state where he had no affiliation. Clark was not on the ballot by the time his home state, Arkansas's, primary rolled around.

Many times people think of generals as guys who sit around moving toy tanks on a table top model of a battle field. That is not what Clark did. Wes held 19 nations together diplomatically during the Kosovo War. Read his book Waging Modern War and you'll see how little of what he did during that period is "traditional military." Clark was also pivotally involved in the negotiations of the Dayton Peace Accords. And, of course, he did all the things necessary to run a small state when he ran military bases--education, healthcare, etc.

Since retiring from the military, Clark has been VP of James Lee Witt and Associates. You may recognize that name. James Lee Witt is the former director of FEMA who was appointed by Governor Blanco to handle the recovery from Katrina in Lousiana.

Clark recently participated in the Clinton Global Initiative on the Global Climate Change committee. You'll see links to his statement, Q&A and a post-discussion of it at http://www.securingamerica.com/ccn.

From his biography at securingamerica.com:

General Clark graduated from the United States Military Academy (B.S.) in 1966 and completed degrees at Oxford University B.A. and M.A.) as a Rhodes Scholar. He is also a graduate of the Ranger and Airborne schools.

General Clark currently serves in leadership roles with a number of non-profit public service organizations, including the Center for Strategic and International Studies (Distinguished Senior Adviser), the Center for American Progress (Trustee), the International Crisis Group (Board Member), City Year Little Rock (Board Chair), the National Endowment for Democracy (Board Member), the United States Institute of Peace (United Nations Task Force Member), and the General Accountability Office (Advisory Board Member).

And be sure to check out his 100-year vision: http://securingamerica.com/vision

Please come back to us with more questions or come on over to Clark's blog at http://www.securingamerica.com/ccn. I think you're going to find out that he's not at all like you're thinking.

[julialnyc]

77. Clark has also gotten very good with the media

He can handle the pressure of the camera as he has been doing tons of media (he was one of Kerry's best defenders during the election, he goes on Meets the Press and can go face to face with blowhards like O'Reilly leaving minds changed).

Clark knows how to make complex issues digestible to the average person very much like Clinton (Bill) did.

[Clark2008]

98. He came in third in your state, Freedom.

In fact, he beat Edwards in five of the nine races in which they both competed; although Tennessee wasn't one of them (he came in third, here, despite a complete lack of coverage. The media only mentioned his win in Oklahoma in context with his driver getting a speeding ticket. :eyes: ).

I really don't see how you get that he didn't win anything. He won Oklahoma (the only primary candidate outside of Kerry to win anything but his home state - and he dropped out well before Arkansas' primary), he came in second in Mexico, Arizona and North Dakota and he came in third in Tennessee, Virginia, New Hampshire. Not bad for someone who only ran for four months (versus the year or two the other guys had been running) and had never run for a political office before in his life.

And, yes, he has experience other than military. He was a White House fellow, working on economics and military projects during the Ford Administration (remember, he had to serve whoever the commander in chief was and that was his assignment), he has been a successful businessman upon his retirement, including helping develop environmentally-friendly traveling alternatives for police and military; as NATO commander, he had to go ask Congress for appropriations to run the European theater (in much the same way a governor would go to the General Assembly), he's testified in front of the House Armed Services Committee asking that we NOT go to war in Iraq and providing reasons why, he wrote a Friend of the Court brief on behalf of maintaining Affirmative Action in a case involving the University of Michigan, he and his men, single-handedly helped save a near-extinct desert turtle, earning him an Audobon Society award, and he's been writing legislation for the Dems in Congress. In addition, he was a professor of and holds a master's degree in Econoics.

What experience does he have outside of the military? Plenty.

But what he brings to the table is leadership.

[donjo]

80. Edwards

couldn't even carry his own state and wouldn't have been re-elected to the Senate if he chose to run. Enough Edwards already; no more ex-senators!

[Clark2008]

100. Flip it.

We need the foreign policy and diplomacy expert as the CinC and the former senator in charge of the Senate.

[karynnj]

85. But it's Gore's home state

[Clark2008]

99. And, apparently, that didn't matter, did it.

Gore still did horribly in the rest of the South.

And, don't get me wrong, I love Gore. He was my first political crush and is one of the sweetest men I've ever had the pleasure to interview.

In any case, Gore (or more likely his advisors - and Kerry's advisors for that matter) failed to run a 50-state campaign.

[julialnyc]

101. failing to run a fifty state campaign was both their problems

they focused on too few places and too few people (the supposed swing voters). The reason some of the campaigns lacked passion is because they compromised so much for the this tiny demographic instead of speaking truly (which would have rallied more people. They have to deal with the fact that not everyone will like them and it is more important to stick to your ideals.

[second edition]

30. I wonder if this film is actually about the larger picture?

How the whole Democratic party let Kerry down by not having a clearer message and a united defense against repub attacks.

[MellowOne]

31. Apparently Kerry is fighting back on the election

It was posted on a thread that his legal case comes to trial in, I believe, August 2006.

[slampoet]

34. Kerry should be nervous about this....

Coming from Rhode Island i can tell you that the Kerry staff were COMPLETELY removed from the people.

I know folkes who had 25 year resumes in their local political area who were brushed aside for Ivy League interns, when Kerry came to looking for voluteers and staff.

Also the "only campaign in states that are in play" method has cost at least a million votes in the last two cycles. It also has cost a lot of Democratic candidates their whole campaigns and contributed to the Demo numbers in congress currently.

[ultraist]

51. That is so true!

Fresh out of college, Ivy leaguers, (daddy knows somebody) were given positions over local people who really knew the lay of the land, and the local climate. Why they had 22 year olds, with no experience, running things on the ground, locally, is beyond me.

[fujiyama]

106. This is very interesting

and shows that the Kerry campaign and the party in general learned little from the Dean campaign's mistakes (I'm reminded of the orange hat wearing people who went to IA from out of state).

I like Kerry, but the campaign was a mess. I don't see how anyone can deny there were too many stupid mistakes made.

[SoCalDem]

32. Until dems learn to keep some things to themselves, they will not win

Strategy ideas should be kept "close to the vest", and not paraded in public.

There is plenty of time to second-guess what worked and what did not....after the election win...

[seabeyond]

33. wow. rawstory able to bash 3 leading dems in 1 swing

they are on who's side?

[julialnyc]

35. how can we deal with the media?

It is a complex problem dealing with media perception.

For John Kerry the media built up Kerry going into the primaries (Iowa and New Hampshire won him the candidacy) and then ripped into him during the GE.

I believe very much in media bias, but also think that media and consumer laziness reduced campaigns into sound bites. Some people thought Kerry didn't sound as natural as Bush, but sound bites ARE NOT NATURAL WAYS OF TALKING.

This films focus is on staffers and Kerry's trust in them. At the end of this I'm guessing that a message might be that you need a 2004 staff (trained in media, internet, ect...) for a 2004 election rather than recycling Shrum and others (who might just be out of touch with modern elections)

[second edition]

41. Schrum was bad news! He also ran Gore's campaign.

Apparently, he is unable to present the human side of those he reps.Both Kery and Gore were percived as having very little personality and we just know that wasn't true.

[julialnyc]

43. he is the opposite of media savvy

both Kerry and Gore were perceived as boring and wimpy where they should have been thought of as experienced and intelligent. He let the "tough cowboy" and "man's man" approach win (and Bush is a silver spooner form CT). We need to get rid of Shrum and find the dems a good version of Rove (one equipped with the strategy but that also has a heart!)

[karynnj]

89. Donna Brazille ran Gore's campaign

Gore had the reputation back into the 80s of being stiff. But what is worse being too serious or being incompetent. Kerry actually was considered by some to be TOO charismatic to be Gore's VP. He has lived a genuinely interesting life and really did reach the people who actually saw him. He had huge crowds that were very poorly covered.

In both cases, consider the media. Gore sighed at Bush's lame answers - I didn't notice. They then took the loudest sighs and replayed them endlessly. (Dean scream anyone?) The best argument they had was he changed how he came across to counter media criticism (this is no win - if he stayed the same it would have been "he doesn't learn". Imagine if they instead replayed the lame answers. Or if they commented that Bush had 3 (all pretty poor) personalities in the 2004 debates, wile Kerry was Kerry. Some of the reporters covering Bush, notably Candy Crowley were almost Bush Groupies.

If the media was fair, Bush would be shown as far inferior to either Gore or Kerry.

[ultraist]

52. Not only do you need a staff that is in touch with real voters

But you need a candidate, that is in touch with real voters and whom regular Americans can relate to. I'm sorry, but Kerry's communication style does not fit that bill.

[julialnyc]

55. it is amazing to compare Kerry to Clinton (Bill)

Bill Clinton's communication skills are incredible. Mix that with innovate staffers (Carville was great) and you have a team.

[blm]

63. Clinton had a completely different media playing field when he won.

He also had Kerry's IranContra and BCCI investigations putting out bad headlines for Bush1 from 1986 - 1992.

Kerry had a media that was 90% controlled by the GOP machine, and few savvy Dem spokespeople to pound on that machine.

Kerry won his matchup with Bush all 3 times.

The DNC failed its matchup with the RNC and the RW media machine stayed on message and kicked the crap out of the left leaning and objective media on a daily basis.

And still Bush needed to lie, cheat and steal the votes to stay in power.

BTW...even after a writing a book and a publicity tour, Clinton was still perceived by today's media as having been asleep at the wheel on the terror issue. A complete lie pushed by the RW media machine, but even silver-tongued Clinton was unable to change that perception with the media claiming otherwise.

[FreedomAngel82]

73. It's easy when you pay for the media

and the media is in your pockets. The DNC didn't want any Bush bashing which I thought was completley ridiculous. Remember also what happened with Al Sharpton and his speech. The DNC was ran by McAullife who had ties to the DLC. I also remember reading an interivew last year with Kerry's ex-wife Julia and she said they still talked and he wanted to go after the SBVT guys but they wouldn't let him for whatever purpose. I think there could have been a lot of moles inside the whole ordeal. Isn't a conservative now working for the DLC? How did that person get the job?

[julialnyc]

76. I remember hearing the ex-wife say

that Kerry wanted to go after the SBVT guys....it's too bad he listened to the staffers.I think your right that there could have been a mole........or the staff didn't know what they were doing, which was evident at times. Why on earth did they let Bush frame everything.They would yell l"the dems are just negative" and the campaign would throw out sunshine", the Bush people would call Kerry weak on terror and Kerry would flex a muscle. Kerry should have been shouting from the rooftops Look at how dangerous Bush has made our world!!! I am running so that our country gets back on a positive track!!

Really, last year was one none of us will forget! I think the stressed shaved years off my life!

[karynnj]

86. The media declared Kerry politically dead in December

The Iowa primary was in the first week of February. Dean, then (the perfect knight in shining armor) Clark, then Edwards all had more positive press before Iowa. Go look at the cover stories of the main news magazines -

[julialnyc]

96. the media made Kerry's momentum unstoppable

first putting out the notion that Dean wasn't electable was what propelled Kerry to win (remember them making him the trusted "security" candidate) Iowa (the media made him the anti-Dean).
It could have been Dean if the media didn't crucify him and it could have been Clark if he ran in Iowa, but after Iowa the media gave Kerry unstoppable momentum.

Next time around the primaries won't be so front-loaded and maybe we will all have a bigger say so in who the nominee is. For once I would like my vote to have some influence. I know my state will go blue..... thank God,but I would like to think that people who don't live in the chosen states (swing states) could still be involved in the process!

[blm]

102. Actually, the media had been under-reporting Kerry's support on the

ground in Iowa since Nov.2003, while they over-reported Dean's support.

You know why Dean and Trippi didn't contest any results in Iowa? Because they knew their internals numbers had been slipping for a few months by then and they were not surprised at Dean's 3rd place finish. Unfortunately, thanks to the constant media hype, Dean's supporters were the ones who were shocked.

Broadcast media thought they killed Kerry off first, then went for Edwards and Clark, and in the last weeks before the caucus they went after Dean.

[julialnyc]

107. you can say that about Iowa, but after that

nobody had a shot with the way he was deemed unstoppable.

It would have been nice if more states had a say so.

[blm]

108. Except Kerry was always expected to win NH, anyway. The press still gave

more focus to Dean afterwards as if the real story was that dean burned himself out, and played that angle more than that Kerry earned his wins.

I feel the media deliberately took that angle to downplay Kerry's effective support from firefighters and the veterans and the college students who voted in greater numbers for Kerry. No doubt Rove played a part in the way the media perception was skewed. It made Dean supporters angry and it kep the focus off the real story of the firefighters and the veterans.

[politicasista]

45. 2006! 2006! 2006!

Chimpy, Smirky, Blinky Bush! Doughboy!, Go ____ yourself Mr. Cheney.

Remember them? Probably not because we are too busy rehashing the past, which is what the Repukes want. Worry about 2008 later.

[julialnyc]

46. I think this is a lesson for 2006

Dems should watch this to see how important it is to thoroughly put together a campaign that plays out on the media. They should look to see where they need to money and their mouths (media relations being a top priority).

[FreedomAngel82]

67. Definitley

And for future elections.

[FreedomAngel82]

50. I'm sure some stuff is nothing new on the film

I think anybody, whether a Kerry fan or not, knows how disorganized the campaign was. It was his first presidential bid and totally different from running as a senator and I'm sure that it's been a while since he had to do a campaign.

[julialnyc]

58. if there is any lesson the dems can learn from the republicans

it is that you will never please everyone so stick to your ideals and message instead of being apologist to the few that disagree.

Go for you base not the bloody swing voters! Be a loud proud democrat, not a wishy washy appealer to the 5 swing voters out there.

[garybeck]

64. he deserves it...

I fought my ass off for Kerry and he didn't "cover our backs"

[Mr_Spock]

65. Yeah, millions are gonna line up to see the barnbuster

:eyes:

Nobody but us politicos who already have an opinion will see it.

[elehhhhna]

79. Whatever. JK is soooo 2004. He & Hil can pound sand for all I care.

[julialnyc]

82. ha! John squared is waaay 2004!

Hil should worry about 2006.... and then stay there


In fact NO MORE SENATORS PLEASE!!!!

[derby378]

81. A better title: "How NOT To Win the Presidency"

Too many missteps, too many bad judgment calls, too much schmoozing with too many insiders and centrists.

And then the DLC blamed Michael Moore for costing Dems the election.

[TWiley]

92. Well, the DLC was full of crap wasn't it?

It was their stupidity that cost the election. Had they followed Michael Moore, we would have a different president today.

You will notice that these same lamers also attacked Howard Dean for speaking the obvious truth about the bushtapo.

We need to rid ourselves of these "oh, I do not want to be offensive" folks and find leaders like Dean who are not afraid of calling things as they are.

[julialnyc]

97. thus the bubble

he needs to know passion that is outside the bubble

[Beelzebud]

91. I know how he can deal with it. Just ignore it for 8 months!

Just like he dealt with the Swift Liars.

[formernaderite]

104. A word of advice...Hillary don't bet the farm on

this helping you. Theresa was a breathe of fresh air, next to you. Kerry's greatest fault was his naievite in trusting the press would report accurately.

[julialnyc]

109. clips from film

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2005/09/27/inside_the_bubble_promo.html