If Kerry is elected, was this the key event in his campaign?

[SinCityGuy]

Discuss.

Meltdown (http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/multimedia/dean_nuts.mpga)

[Dynasty]

Not really. Kerry had the Democratic nomination locked up as soon as he won Iowa. Dean's scream came after the Iowa results were in.

Terry McAullife and the DNC decided on a primary set-up which would pick a winner early without a lot of Democratic in-fighting. Once Kerry won Iowa, it was inevitable that he would quickly rise in the polls in his backyard of New Hampshire and win there too.

After Iowa and New Hampshire, all the candidates were essentially broke. But, Kerry's victories allowed him to raise money whereas the other holdouts (Edwards, Clark, and Dean) couldn't get any money to come in.

McAullife's strategy sort of worked. But, I think that strategy also gave them a candidate that wasn't really tested on the national stage. Kerry is a weak candidate despite the 50-50 nature of this election. He hasn't been able to persuade many people to vote "for" him. He can only get people to vote "against" Bush.

[Nate tha' Great]

Debate #1 vs. Bush. Not close.

I very much agree with Dynasty's point about the primary process.

[Bigdaddydvo]

Absolutely agree w/you about how the Dems nominated a marginal candidate. I voted for Bush via absentee already, but I would feel so much better if he was running against more competent Dem like Gephardt or Lieberman. The latter aren't members of the far left dove wing of the Democratic Party, and I'd sleep much better at night with one of those guys as Commander in Chief should my guy lose.

[lastchance]

Ditto to both of your points. Not saying Kerry is an awful candidate, I dunno, but you should get more play out of the primaries, to get a tested candidate who has proven himself already, and is capable. It may tear apart the Party a bit, but at the same time, you also run someone up who has taken a bit of a test.

[Nate tha' Great]

Gephardt is even more institutional than Kerry, and Lieberman is even blander. I also think that it has ultimately been helpful to his chances for Kerry to come out relatively strongly against the Iraq war, and I don't know that Gephardt or Lieberman would have been able to do that. I think this election would have played out more like Clinton-Dole 1996 if one of those tired souls were the nomintee.

The one what-if that I'll always be intensely curious about, should the Dems go down to defeat, is Wesley Clark.

[pc in NM]

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Debate #1 vs. Bush. Not close.

I very much agree with Dynasty's point about the primary process.

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Ditto!!