Kerry campaign's quest for focus (MSNBC)

[Octafish]

Now I'm getting steamed. It appears that Sen. Kerry's campaign does everything twice. Gee. No wonder the guy's message is muddled — it has to go through two sets of filters. From the Department of Redundancy Department:

Kerry campaign's quest for focus

By Paul Farhi, The Washington Post

Almost everything was set early last month for Sen. John F. Kerry's official announcement that he would seek the Democratic presidential nomination. The late summer weather was hot but clear. The backdrop - a Vietnam War era aircraft carrier, anchored off Charleston, S.C.-was in place. The candidate was ready to go. All that was lacking was the speech.

KERRY DIDN'T like the tone of the announcement address co-written by his campaign manager, Jim Jordan, and communications director, Chris Lehane. Not bold enough, suggested the four-term senator from Massachusetts. But instead of sending his two aides back to the drawing board, Kerry had an alternative already in hand. Bob Shrum, another top adviser, had been working on his version of Kerry's speech at the same time as Jordan and Lehane.

The tale of the two speeches says much about the internal dynamics of Kerry's run for the nomination. Kerry is surrounded by an all-star team of political professionals, including Jordan and Shrum, a top consultant to Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign. But it's also a campaign of uneasy factions and overlapping assignments. Kerry, for example, is advised by two pollsters, two media and advertising experts, and two speechwriting consultants. He also has two inner circles, one comprised of hired hands in Washington, the other of old friends, family members and longtime loyalists in Boston.

SNIP...

The rivalry and duplication may also help explain the persistent criticism of Kerry -- both from Democratic Party operatives and from the media -- that his campaign lacks focus, speed and discipline.

CONTINUED...

http://www.msnbc.com/news/977964.asp

[flpoljunkie]

1. Shrum was responsible for Gore's "People vs. the Powerful" campaign...

which brought Gore's numbers up and enabled him to win the popular vote in 2000.

And if Shrum had input in Kerry's boffo DNC speech, he is the man!

In his DNC speech, Kerry urged us Democrats to "stand up for our values, and have faith in who we are and what we believe". I am looking forward to seeing this in a Kerry campaign ad; it certainly resonated with me!

[Octafish]

9. That's what Kerry should be talking about 24/7...

...IMO. The ideas are there. The policies are there. The real compassion for the People of the United States is there. The thing is, if no one hears and understands and remembers, it's for nought.

Sen. Kerry needs to hammer home a compelling message. Whether it's an umbrella type statement that covers all the bases, or its fine-tailored to suit the needs of the particular audience he's addressing, he needs to put things in a way that people will want to assimilate and act upon.

Kerry's approach is complicated, because the nature of the problems facing our nation are complicated. Your example is the kind of messaging he needs more of, flpoljunkie — straight and to the point!

[ModerateMiddle]

11. "a compelling message"

I think that he will. But I also think that things are evolving in this country, and just what that message, short and sweet, and not complicated as you suggest, should be isn't clear yet. They've floated a few, but IMO, one of the things that Kerry has been doing for months is campaign for the general election, rather than the primary. It's not a terrible option for him, because in a general he would have to fight off labels like "Massachusetts Democrat" etc., so he's been more centrist in his primary campaigns, but it's not resonating with the activists who are naturally angry with Bush as CIC.

I think folks underestimate Kerry at their peril.

[w4rma]

2. wierd.

Dean still on top of money race

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 — In the surreal mind-set of the campaign expectations game, psychology can get twisted at the end of every quarter. Democratic front-runner Howard Dean’s campaign publicly set $15 million as its goal for fund raising for the third quarter, which ended at midnight Tuesday. According to Dean’s Web site he raised $14.8 million, with last-minute contributions still being counted.

DEAN HAD dramatically exceeded fund-raising expectations in the second quarter by collecting $7.6 million. Is his $14.7 million a wee bit of a deflating result for the third quarter? Only if you live on the plane of surreal expectations.

EXTRAORDINARY MONEY MACHINE

Dean’s extraordinary money machine is still far more efficient than anything Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, or the other Democratic contenders have working for them.

Dean is on course to have enough money to air television ads and hire operatives in states where fund-raising laggards may not be able to during the hustle-bustle of primaries that will take place in February and the first week of March.
…
“We do believe it is an important decision that we’re going to have to make, because in the end Bush is just raising this money.... They’re going to raise $200 million and spend it against the Democrats between April and August when we go to the convention.... If we make the decision, it would be to compete with Bush. We’ve already proven that we can compete with the other Democrats.”

Simon Rosenberg, who heads the centrist New Democrat Network, put the Dean bounty in perspective by noting that in a 10-candidate field the former Vermont governor was able to raise 50 percent more than Bill Clinton raised in the best quarter of his 1996 re-election effort. Rosenberg called Dean’s feat “almost miraculous” and added, “We have to recognize that the Dean campaign is the best-run campaign we’ve ever seen.”

Taking the party-wide view, Rosenberg pointed to what almost no one else has noticed: Based on the preliminary estimates for the third quarter, the 10-person Democratic field collectively will have outraised the Bush campaign, an indication of how fired up Democratic donors are.

“If Bush is this supposed fund-raising king, then this so-called ‘weak’ Democratic field — to use Karl Rove’s word — is outraising him,” Rosenberg said.
…
http://www.msnbc.com/news/974339.asp

[NewYorkerfromMass]

3. Well Lehane is now gone

but no matter how many aides Kerry may have he's still the buck-stops-here guy and is a LEADER.

[Octafish]

5. Kerry is the man. The people around him, though, what?

I agree 100-percent, NewYorkerfromMass. My thing is he's getting some lousy communications advice. People I know who support him here in Motown — from way back — say he's not connecting with the average Joe and Jane. For a Democrat, that spells trouble in the primary, let alone general election.

[blm]

12. The media won't cover him to LET him connect.

They keep pushing Dean as the "only" one who speaks out against Bush. I am so sick of hearing that bull for nine months straight!

Kerry's criticisms are substantive and deep-rooted. The media knows it but only directs the public attention on the coarse, surface anger of Dems without focusing on the details of the grievances against Bush.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

14. Change tactics, then.

If what you're doing isn't working...do something else! It's not rocket science.

[blm]

15. Turn into a coarse demagogue?

No thank you.

Bush doesn't want to face Kerry and the media will do as they are told, and no change in tactic will alter that situation.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

17. No change= no change in the staus quo.

You're comfortable with that?

[blm]

19. The campaign will progress - that's not my concern.

I know that the only way Kerry will get to the people is with his own appearances and with television ads, either his own or supporting groups. (environment, IAFF, et al.)

The media will NEVER give his campaign any of THEIR oxygen.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

13. He will connect

Kerry bears up under scrutiny better than any of the candidates.
He's got the deepest character and he's not a hot head.
Time is on his side. And I don't care what the polls say. He is going to win NH.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

6. Got a warning for Clark supporters regarding Lehane?

Iow, was Lehane good or bad for the Kerry campaign? I'd like a supporter's view.

[Octafish]

8. The guy's talent seems to be evaluated by his 1040-A...

... and not by how much a difference he makes in the minds of the voters.

While Lehane was right, IMO, in advocating going after Dean at the earliest opportunity, he couldn't convince or show Kerry why and how. Perhaps it's his youthfulness, he just doesn't seem to get it, when it comes to putting together the big picture on how to go about doing that.

Rats! What do I know? It's just an opinion, RiF.

Here's what he said in an article from today's Boston Globe about Ahnolt in Kally-fornia:

EXCERPT ...

Voters, they said, opted not for conservatism but for change, embracing a celebrity outsider who took progressive stands on social issues and ran against the whole political class.

"In California there was a real sense things are going in the wrong direction and those in office will be held accountable," said Chris Lehane, a Democratic consultant from San Francisco who has worked for Davis. "There's an anti-incumbent mood out there."

CONTINUED... with other Kally-fornia stuff...

So there it is, RUMMYisFROSTED. I like what this guy is supposed to do. I don't like how he's gone about doing it. Why doesn't he believe there's more to things than "anti-incumbent mood out there?" He should've been crafting zingers for Gray gratis: "Arnold ENRON" being what I'd use to build on. Bottom line: Hold his feet to the fire and put the check in the mail after the polls show some bounce.

BTW: While Rove is a crafty turd, I'm still ticked about the laptop. Out of all the SUVs in San Francisco, who would know which SUV to smash into and grab a key campaign aid's computer? At the very least, the guy should have kept it with him at all times.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

10. Thanks.

Interesting take. I pretty much agree with it. It'll be intriguing to see the approach that he takes with Clark.






edit- sp

[blm]

16. My view, RIF, is that Lehane is a weak link.

I really think there is something fishy about him, and thought so back when he worked for Gore. He never ONCE hit the right tone in ANY appearance I witnessed.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

18. Hey!

We agree!

Woo-Hoo!

[cindyw]

4. This article is old news/Lazy Journalism

The Washington post has yet to report on anything new for the campaign. This redundancy issue and lack of focus was resolved when Lehane left. Come on people try some real journalism. What's next we'll all hear about how Dean is the new front runner. Oh even better, how about a hard hitting investigation on how Bush is thinking of starting a war in Iraq.

The problem here lies in lazy journalism. The new Republic grades the candidates. Usually those grades come from things the candidate has done or said. For the most part they have ignored Kerry for the last month and the two times they did grade him were direct opinions from Slate (who does a series specifically to trash all the candidates) and now this old news Washington Post story. What the Kerry campaign needs to do is get a better PR department to communicate what's going on the campaign trail. I was shocked at the difference between the Kerry portrayed in journalism and the passionate, thoughful and strong man in person. Where do they ever report his words on poverty, his obvious passion for veterans or his strong ideas on fixing this economy and getting health care to everyone. They don't. There is some weird bias that makes them look for soap opera stories in his and Calrk's campaigns and for the most part issue oriented stories for Dean and Gephardt.

Heah reporters catch up or find a new job.

[Octafish]

7. The problem is deeper than Lehane.

Certainly, the topic of the John Kerry for President campaign's muddled communication strategy is of interest to Corporate Pravda. I posted it so we could, perhaps, start on getting some ideas together on how to help him improve the effectiveness of his campaign and personal communications.

I was at a table in the front row when Sen. Kerry addressed the Detroit Economic Club and introduced his manufacturing jobs strategy a few weeks back. He spoke eloquently. He described an outstanding plan for the nation's manufacturers that would serve the people, the stakeholders and the strategic interests of the nation. Still, I had a hard time putting together what he had said — and I took notes!

More importantly, the problem was Sen. Kerry seemed to have had a difficult time establishing a rapport with the 500 people in the audience. After a few minutes, many people were looking around and moving their feet and showing other signs of boredom. Something else that irritated me: very few people remained afterwards to try and shake Sen. Kerry's hand.

My analysis is that Kerry talks in a way that is, simply, above the heads of most people. The average American is not an attorney or a legislator. The guy needs to speak at their level, in a way that holds their attention. This may require tweaking the speeches a bit. I don't think it requires re-tooling the candidate.

BTW: My interest is more than professional. I think Kerry is the best candidate to serve as President of the United States — of any party, running or not-running. Why? The guy's smart, experienced, and a good-hearted Joe. The record shows he's been there for the people under his command in Vietnam, under fire. He's been there for the Democratic Party ideals we share, taking the Liberal high ground and doing the heavy lifting hard work requires. Moreover, he's been there for the People of the United States, always.

[tsipple]

20. Public Speaking Ability

Even though I (reluctantly) agree with this analysis ("The problem is deeper than Lehane"), I'm so disappointed in my fellow Americans. :-( :-( I wish more people would/could listen to John Kerry. Some of his ideas are quite thoughtful.

[blm]

21. Economic speeches tend to do that.

But, I thought the one in Cleveland and NH were great. But, then, I loved to listen to Gore speak in detail about policy, too.

The media has the public conditioned for sound bites and demagoguery.

However, I do think the natural progression of the campaign will bring the entertainment level up, as it did in Mass. 96 election.

[cindyw]

25. That was an economic speech though..

I saw him on the stump in LA and people were engrossed. People were nodding, responding and clapping. There was great enthusiasm. People lined up to shake his hand. My husband also spoke with him. It depends on the venue. It is certain in my mind that he would make the best president. he may not always be the most charismatic speaker, but is the most important quality in a great president? I think not. Many people rightly argue that Dean really connects with his audience. Will that make him the better president. Not in my opinion.

What is more important is how can he change the press he gets. When Dean makes any given speech, the media reports on the content his speech. When Kerry gives a rousing speech at the DNC, the best of the bunch I think, the media reports on his seeming criticism of Clark.

He needs a better communications person. Not someone who tries to make him show up in places where he doesn't fit in, but I think you know what I mean. I would like to see more often the Kerry I saw in person, the Kerry we saw at the DNC meeting and the eloquent debater from NY.

[blm]

26. Same here...he was great in SC

in a decidely mixed income group.

He had longshoremen shouting for him right alongside some Steel Magnolias. heh...quite the sight.

[DrFunkenstein]

22. Polls, Money, Quips, and Pop Psychology

Is anyone surprised that journalism is being taken over by communications majors?

Even Dean supporters must be annoyed that journalists never talk about policy. Kerry is a brilliant man just overflowing with ideas to make America better. He reminds me so much of a Walt Whitman or Thomas Edison - that same sense of American optimism and explosion of thought. He may not have mastered the art of the sound bite, but I'm not sure if Jefferson would have, either.

[Vis Numar]

23. This is relavent:

Coincidence?

The Clark campaign is riddled with stories of internal dissent. Chris Lehane joins the Clark campaign. The very next day, there's a story in the Washington Post about internal dissent in the Kerry campaign -- the former employer of who else, Chris Lehane.

Yeah, this is how Lehane plays. He schmoozes political reporters, he leaks, he attacks. The more personal the attack, the better.

So get ready everyone. Do you really think Chris Lehane left all that Dean opposition research (and Kerry for that matter ) behind with his old teammates. Puhleeze. I can just see Lehane taping photocopies to his wimpy torso before heading out the door the final time.

It's sad what these evil bastards are about to do to General Clark, who I think is a good and decent man and a welcome addition to the Democratic Party.

Posted by danconley at October 9, 2003 02:19 PM

[NewYorkerfromMass]

24. Thanks. Hang in there Kerry fans

He will prevail.