Usually, the day after a primary election day, I go through the results. Under the circumstances, let’s skip that and just say John Kerry had a very good day yesterday.
No matter which candidate one supported through the nominating process, it’s hard to deny that Kerry’s run from Iowa to Super Tuesday has been incredibly impressive. He was part of one of the largest, most diverse fields of presidential candidates ever. He was an early favorite who was written off completely two months before a vote had been cast. I remember one pundit in November describing him as “Dead Man Walking.”
Kerry not only came back, he ultimately crushed his competitors. The man not only deserves the nomination, he’s fought hard to earn it.
So, is he going to win? I, for one, am very optimistic at this point. The polls are encouraging, but more importantly, Kerry has demonstrated a willingness to challenge Bush aggressively and effectively.
In fact, over the last month or so, as the White House has started focusing its attention on Kerry, every attack has been met with an equally effective response.
* On Feb. 13, Bush’s campaign unveiled an online attack ad on Kerry’s ties to special interests (Mr. Pot, meet Mr. Kettle). A day later, Kerry’s camp unveiled a powerful response with online ad of their own.
* A week later, the Bush campaign started using a surrogate — Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R) — to attack Kerry’s military record. Kerry responded with a well-publicized reponse to Bush asking, “I’d like to know what it is Republicans who didn’t serve in Vietnam have against those of us who did.” Now that’s a great line.
* On Feb. 23, Bush used his speech to the National Governors’ Association to accuse Kerry of policy inconsistencies. 48 hours later, Kerry delivered another well-publicized speech calling Bush a “walking contradiction,” followed by another powerful online ad highlighting Bush’s failure to “keep his word” on a series of policy issues.
This is the kind of campaign the Dems desperately need. Kerry can and will run a tough, focused campaign against Bush. I like his chances.