The Keys to the White House vs.The Shrum Curse...What Happened in 2000?

[KoKo]

The Keys to the White House vs.The Shrum Curse
What Really Happened in the 2000 Presidential Election & What to Expect in 2004
by Karyn Strickler


Few people know the real reason why Al Gore simultaneously won and lost his bid for U.S. President in 2000. It was the clash of two mighty forces of American Presidential history that came together to create the divergence between the Electoral College and the popular vote for the first time since 1888: The Keys to the White House vs. The Shrum Curse.

Bob Shrum is a brilliant, Democratic political consultant with notable successes on Gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races -- but with a 100% losing record on Presidential elections. Shrum consulted on every Democratic Presidential campaign from John Lindsay to Al Gore. Jimmy Carter’s campaign would have ended “The Curse,” but Shrum quit only days into his consultancy on that campaign, keeping the losing streak alive.

Talk of the Shrum Curse is normally only discussed in hushed tones in Washington, DC political circles. But a recent article in The Washington Post let the Genie out of the bottle, freeing me to discuss what really happened in the 2000 Presidential election.

Bob Shrum worked on Al Gore’s campaign in 2000 and his unbroken track record virtually guaranteed that Gore would lose the election -- except that The Keys to the White House also had a 100% track record of accuracy and they were predicting a Gore victory in 2000.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0918-01.htm

[Me.]

1. Fascinating!

Wonder if the dems have learned their lesson yet or if they won't be able to pull themselves from the "this is the way we've always done it" glue and put Schrum in charge of the next one. Maybe the next dem presidential candidiate will be smart enough not to listen to advice like"don't reply to the swift liars and they'll go away".

[left is right]

2. I would never advocate

a contract being taken out on this Schrum guy but maybe we could have him committed to a mental hospital during the next election. Obviously, he is insane, he thinks he is a political consultant.

[KoKo]

3. Kick .....

[RaulVB]

4. I guess I need to remind you that Gore and Kerry won BOTH ELECTIONS (n/t)

[jsw_81]

6. Gore won

But sadly Kerry did not. I think it's time that DUers accepted this reality.

[Pooka Fey]

8. Sorry. Kerry won '04. Repugs cheated. YOU need to accept this reality.

If you can't, just work in the Election '06/'08 forum and stay out of 2004 Election Results and Discussion. This is where we are working on election reform so we can have a prayer of a chance at the political table in the future.

[tritsofme]

9. Head, meet sand.

[Me.]

10. With All Due Respect

I am more than a little tired of being told what is acceptable to be discussed and what isn't. That being said, I do believe there was cheating but I also believe Kerry ran a stinking campaign. Given the mess of lies the shrub had on his plate, the election should have been a Kerry sweep (which would have hampered the success of the cheat) yet even if the votes were counted properly, I don't believe he would have had a landslide. He didn't attack ***H for the great Iraq lie, for Plame , or Chalabi or any number of topics which should have been addressed. Why? Because he was advised not to, by Schrum for one, and if the dems insist on keeping this guy on board we have no chance of winning even if every vote is properly counted.

[marcologico]

5. Interesting article but it leaves out Abu Ghraib and the debates,

both of which played to Kerry's favor. Kerry was a lot stronger on Nov. 2 than he was on Sept. 18.

[jsw_81]

7. What I'd like to know

Why the hell do Dem candidates keep hiring this guy?!? I don't want him within 500 feet of our nominee next time.