How bad is John Kerry's campaign? So bad that the race is already over.

http://www.crushkerry.com ^ | David Carney

[Reagan is King]

How bad is John Kerry's campaign? So bad that the race is already over. By David M. Carney

Trust me. I know a dead campaign when I see one

John Kerry is in trouble. More precisely, Kerry's campaign is in trouble. I should know: I served on two of the worst-run national presidential campaigns in history, Bush-Quayle '92 and Dole-Kemp in '96. Watching the Kerry campaign flounder is giving me nightmares and flashbacks to those bad old days.

There is no way that Kerry can win this race. He and his merry band of elitists have done everything in their power to blow it. They have given many of us pleasure in the knowledge that in a few weeks others will carry the mantle of "the worst run race in presidential history." Thank you Mary Beth, Bob, Joe, James, Paul and the rest.

In honor of Kerry's appearance on Late Night with David Letterman, I would like to list the top 10 reasons why the 2004 race for the White House is over.

10) If a simple yes will do but you insist on explaining why no is a viable alternative, the flip-flopping tag will stick

9) When the number of folks participating on conference calls for your rapid-response team exceeds the number of days left in the campaign, the calls are neither rapid nor responsive. They merely provide excuses for Nov. 2.

8) When there are more sightings of your vice presidential running mate on milk cartons than on the campaign trial, you are going to lose. Your VP choice is supposed to help win the election, not reassure the trial bar.

7) When your battleground states become the states that Walter Mondale carried in 1984, you may notice campaign staffers updating their resumes.

6) When your most loyal backer, Don Imus, is trashing you while you're still on the phone and not waiting until after you hang up, the noise you're hearing is the fat lady warming up.

5) When your friends are more effective taking you off message (i.e., the Texas Democrats, Dan Rather and Max Cleland) than your opponent, you can kiss that Nantucket White House goodbye.

4) When the Electoral College scoreboard has tilted toward your opponent after $300 million worth of negative attacks, there's not much hope for the $40 million you have left.

3) When you need to pull out every trick in the book to keep folks off the ballot, like Ralph Nader, it says two things: One, you have no confidence in your own platform and two, you're not very tolerant of others' views. Not appealing traits to swing voters.

2) When the makers of flip-flops are considering a defamation suit for spoiling their good name, it's time to take a position, any position and stick with it.

1) When your Senate Democrat leader, Tom Daschle, is cutting his losses and embracing President Bush, put a fork in your arm, John, you're done.

Events out of the control of the Kerry campaign could still change the outcome. Barring that, if Republicans keep on the offense and work hard and Kerry keeps adding to the number of chairs on the deck, this race is over.

Now, for those true believers who cling to the impossible and consider Kerry to be the real deal, here is my reality check for you:

If you believe anyone's better than Bush, you are not like the rest of America. Real folks don't hate Bush; only you and your friends do. Folks like Bush much more than Kerry.

If you believe the debates will change the dynamics of the race, I'm afraid the reality will never live up to your fantasy. The debates will not change the election.

First, they are not debates but joint appearances. Second, Kerry will have to reach too far and make up to much ground to ever meet expectations.

Third, Kerry may be smart, but he cannot connect with average voters, and this will never be more painfully obvious than during the "debates."

If you believe Iraq will save the day, look at the last few weeks. Kerry has had too many positions to be an effective voice for change, and Bush will always win on the war/national security issue, just as he has done since the Republican convention. You can take book that Kerry will have at least three more stands on this issue before election day.

If you believe Kerry's new team will straighten all this out and Kerry will be on message, take a second look. They are on board now, and let's see, their new message is . . . ? Okay, give up? Is it "W stands for wrong," "the excuse president" or "the buck starts here?" That was just from three days last week. Kerry has the message discipline of a spoiled brat. He would not know a talking point if it stuck him in the eye.

If you believe the battleground states will pull him through, it's time for you to get a new map. Deep blue states of New Jersey, Maine, Minnesota, Oregon and New York are in play. This race is on the verge of being a landslide.

Finally, if you believe Kerry is always best when he's behind, check your history. Kerry is a liberal from Massachusetts. When was the last time he was behind in a race? The fact that he even had a race the last time he ran for reelection only shows how bad a campaigner he really is.

The elitist Bush bashers were scared of Howard Dean and rallied around the one guy they believed had been vetted and had been through tough campaigns before. They were wrong.

And there are many Republican political operatives, like me, who are ready to relinquish the mantle of running the worst campaign ever.

Thank you, John Kerry.

(David M. Carney has been involved in Republican politics, as well as both state and federal government, since 1982. He is president of Norway Hill Associates, a Hancock political consulting firm.)

[The Sons of Liberty]

I pray that this is correct, but a lot can happen between now and November 2nd.

[Jack Deth]

An excellent post. RiK.

Though Dems have been known to have many, many dead people cast votes in major cities. Like Parris Glendenning did in Baltimore, Maryland in 1988 against Ellen Sauerbrey.

Jack.