TIME: How John Kerry Won Iowa

[Feanorcurufinwe]

<snip>

Kerry was clearly benefiting from voter concern over Dean’s verbal missteps. Curt Nedoba, a 64-year-old Cedar Rapids psychotherapist, had been a Dean supporter until two weeks ago. But he was sitting at a Kerry rally with Ted Kennedy at a Waterloo elementary school Sunday afternoon and planning to caucus for Kerry the next night. Dean had finally turned him off with the report that he’d disparaged the Iowa caucuses four years ago as governor. That swipe and “other Dean statements were kind of impulsive,” Nedoba believed, “and it reminded me of the kind of things that George W. said. So if you want a change you don’t want someone who’s unelectable.”

<snip>

Last week’s surge by Kerry opened the money spigot for his cash-strapped campaign. Kerry fundraisers who’d been stiff-armed a month ago suddenly found more of their calls being returned for contributors. “The money is coming in,” says one campaign adviser. Over a five-day period from last Monday through Friday, the campaign collected about $300,000, a hefty one-week take considering it had raised just $2.5 million from October through December. About $100,000 of it was rushed to Iowa for last-minute get-out-the-vote efforts.

<snip>

Kerry’s aides would have been ecstatic if the surge in the polls had been in New Hampshire, a primary state; but in a caucus state like Iowa the survey numbers meant far less. They did create momentum for the campaign and heated up the media buzz over Kerry, all of which helps entice supporters to go to the caucuses “because they like to be with a winner,” said Kerry’s Iowa director John Norris. But as Kerry told more than 750 people Sunday at a rally in an Iowa City mall, “polls don’t turn out caucus goers, people turn out caucus goers.” It was the candidate with the best ground organization to turn out caucus goers who wins in Iowa. The question senior Kerry advisers were asking themselves privately: “can our ground organization catch up with the momentum?” as one told TIME.

<snip>

By the end of last week Kerry’s aides worried privately that his momentum in the polls could backfire by raising media expectations for a surprise victory when his ground organization could only reasonably expect to produce a second- or respectable third-place finish. “Six days ago we were absolutely dead,” Whouly complained in one campaign meeting last week. “Now you want me to win this thing?” Kerry, whose voice was growing raspy and whose body was becoming bone tired from only four hours sleep a night, would have preferred to have his surge sneak up unnoticed on the other candidates. But in an age of instantly released tracking polls and 24-hour news coverage, that was impossible. So Kerry faced the peculiar problem of peaking too early with poll numbers that didn’t count.

http://www.time.com/time/election2004/article/0,18471,579103,00.html

[candy331]

1. I'll say it again it is easy to travel

on a well blazed trail. You have to applaud Kerry and Edwards for using it to their advantage.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

2. I guess it is better

than blazing a new trail that heads off a cliff.

[Selwynn]

3. Exactomundo!

[blm]

4. I think it is amazing that Kerry and Edwards broke thru the media barriers

and got their messages heard by the public. Their ads must be VERY strong because the network news declared Kerry dead months ago and treated Edwards like an asterisk.

These are two incredibly strong candidates if they can break through the way they did.

[jcgadfly]

5. What media barrier?

If you're saying that no one's getting heard, I agree.

If you're saying it because all you've heard are positive reports on Dean, check this link.

http://www.cmpa.com/pressrel/EW200401.htm

[blm]

7. That was a Scaife generated story, jc...check out the organization

and its funding.

You really believe a "study" that lumps ALL the other candidates "collectively" against Dean's press?

This was Scaife's way of dividing the party to make Dean supporters feel more aggrieved and to cover up for all the media focus on Dean for the past year.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

6. They covered a lot of physical ground- literally met thousands of people

Kerry really worked hard for every single vote. No multi-tasking or distractions- Kerry listened to every voter who took the time to speak with Kerry, and never stopped until he was sure he had won the person's vote or not.

Special mention to the veterans and firefighters who worked hard to support Kerry's message as well. It was a real, grinding, blue collar- lunch pail victory.

[tjdee]

9. Hey blm! ITA.

I am so proud of Edwards--and Kerry has had a lot to deal with as well. I'm very impressed with both of them and I hope this trend continues.

[KittyWampus]

8. Could All Those Big Time GOP Operatives That Went To Iowa Last Week

have something to do with it?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

10. Yep, anytime things don't go your way, it's a conspiracy.

lol

[GalleryGod]

11. Right! Who's that guy on the Grassy Knoll!?

:tinfoilhat: :shrug: :puffpiece: