Now that we have finished watching "So Goes the Nation", it's time to respond. Please answer the following:
1) What was the main message of the Kerry campaign? How did the Bush campaign respond?
2) What was the main message of the Bush campaign? How did the Kerry campaign respond?
3) Compare and contrast the campaign staffs and their styles. Which one did you prefer and why?
1) The main message of the Kerry campaign derived from Clintonian centrism which promotes the reduction of the deficit, spurring economic growth and easing the squeeze of the middle class. Also, he wished to pull troops from Iraq, promote gay marriage, and etc. He was also known for his indecisiveness in policy because he's contradicted himself many times. Bush responded with all the opposite ideas which makes sense because he is a Republican. He also attacked Kerry about his indecisiveness at some points. Bush wants to spur the economy as well, but in a different way. He also wishes to cut the deficit in half over five years.
ReplyDelete2) Bush's main message was to improve the economy by cutting the deficit and to support the war in Iraq to help end terrorism. Bush was also against gay marriage. Kerry responded against this from his "soldier" point of view to end this war. Kerry wanted to make gay marriage legal and supported it immensely. He also wanted to improve the economy by cutting the deficit, but in a different way.
3) Bush's campaigning strategy was a lot more superior than that of Kerry's; however, Kerry did have the ability to become president. Kerry stumbled through the campaigns by providing a false image and by showing evidence of indecisiveness. Bush's style was more of a decisive and strong stance compared to Kerry. Bush's campaign also suggested that Bush felt a lot more strongly than Kerry about traditional moral values. The Bush strategy on focusing on terrorism and traditional moral values proved to be stronger than Kerry's political ideals on the economy and Iraq. I guess I would prefer Bush's style because I think a more decisive president that is pursuing to improve the nation is better than an indecisive one.
1) The main message of the Kerry campaign was to focus all of their resources on a persuadable market and develop a "stronger America". Kerry's message for the general election campaign was a return to the promise of Clintonian centrism; such as reducing the deficit, spurring economic growth, and trying to ease "the squeeze on middle-class America". The Bush campaign responded with different views, mainly because of his Republican political views. He questioned Kerry about his tentativeness on some points.
ReplyDelete2)The main message of the Bush campaign was to eliminate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and he felt strongly against same-sex marriage. Kerry responded against Bush's views, from his point of view of being a war veteran, to end the war in Iraq. In his fight for democracy, Kerry was very much for gay marriage.
3) Both the Democratic and Republican political parties had developed effective strategies that consisted of defending the nation but the Republican party was able to sufficiently relate more to the majority of the people by being a faithful servant of the elite and showed how Bush was a man of decency and attained strong traditional values and plans to conduct a stronger America.
1) The main message of the Kerry campaign was to advertise Senator John Kerry as a war hero and a defender of this country, as well as passing on his motives to better the economy and retrieve the jobs that were lost due to Bush's Presidency. To counter, Republicans attacked Kerry's indecisiveness on certain points, such as the war in Iraq. Another major factor in the election was the Swift Boats Veterans, which attacked Kerry's service in Vietnam and argued it to be illegitimate.
ReplyDelete2) The Republican's campaigning strategy mainly focused on two factors: anger points and portraying Bush as a decent, working-class man that carried the nation through 9/11. By playing on moral issues such as gay marriage and abortion, the republicans were able to get many conservatives to vote for Bush. To counter, the Kerry campaign painted Bush as a ineffective president who wants to stay in war and who killed the nation's economy.
3) I prefer the methods and staff of the Democratic party, mainly because the Republicans used hatred to get many people to vote. By using topics such as gay marriage and abortion as fuel, they were able to obtain many voters who sought to impose their beliefs on these issues. Not to say that the Democrats didn't do this, but their campaign I feel was more directed towards making changes for the better rather than "Don't vote for this guy because he will give gays rights/change abortion laws, etc."
1) The main point of the Kerry Campaign was to project Kerry as a war veteran and as a patriotic individual who recieve purple hearts in combat. Kerry promised the voters that he would fix all the problems caused by the Bush presidency and he would help the economy and create more jobs. The Bush campaign responded by saying Kerrys purple hearts were sort of shady and calling Kerry a flip flop, meaning he was constantly saying whatever the people wanted to hear and changing his stance.
ReplyDelete2)The Bush campaign was based off the fact that Bush has been the person carrying the nation through 9/11 and focused on pursuing the people behind those terrible attacks. Bush also stood against gay marraige in his platform. Kerry's response was the he was a soldier and knows what the military goes throught and how to go about finding who attacked us. Also Kerry claimed he was going to cut the deficit of spending.
3) Both campaigns had legit platforms that claimed to have the solutions to the nations problems, however the Republican party had a better backround because Bush had already started to pursue our attackers and the american public wanted them to be found. Bush's campaign was smart in securing their loyal voters instead of trying to sway potential voters votes. Kerry wasn't successful because he was see as not commited to his views and was flip flopping between different stances. Also Kerry supported gay marraige and most americans were very against such a thing as gay marraige.
1. The Kerry campaign lobbied for the idea of reducing the American deficit, by stimulating the economy with increased job opportunities, and propelling the war hero status of John Kerry. They also drew on the blunders previously made by the Bush administration. The Bush campaign countered by attacking the known capriciousness of Kerry, calling him a "flip-flopper." They also attacked the legitimacy of Kerry's Vietnam "war hero" status.
ReplyDelete2. The Bush campaign ran on the basis of the success of their first term, but also the safety of the American people. They claimed that they would eliminate the threat of nuclear weapons in the possession of Iraq. They also attacked the progress made in the gay and lesbian community. The Kerry campaign responded by lobbying for gay and lesbian rights and using Kerry's veteran status to appeal to folks.
3. Both campaigns were evidently effective, as the election was particularly close. However, the Republican campaign was much more efficient as they had a substantiated basis on which they were running: They were also less sporadic, chaotic, and mercurial. The Democratic party was downright volatile. That being said, I find that I prefer the manner in which the Republican campaign was run. They were much more capable of getting their ideas across, resulting in swaying indecisive people.
1)
ReplyDeleteThe main message of the Kerry campaign was one of fixing the economy ruined by Bush, along with getting out of the war in Iraq. He also was a proponent of Gay Marriage and the "pro-choice" movement. Kerry's campaign ran half-off of these issues and the other half off of the fact that Kerry was a war veteran with purple hearts. Advertising Kerry as a war hero, the Democratic party as a committed leader able to fix the economic problems onset during the Bush presidency. The Bush campaign responded by calling Kerry a "flip-flop" due to his tendency to change his stance on issues. Against the war on terrorism, Kerry was labeled by many Republicans as soft. The Republican party also utilized blemishes in Kerry's stories as a war hero against him in advertisements through interviews of people who fought with him.
2)
The main message of the Bush campaign was to continue the war on terrorism and to get revenge on those who attacked on 9-11; claiming the purpose of the war was to eliminate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.His campaign survived off of the platform that Bush led America through the tragedy of 9-11 and that he was tough against terrorism. Bush's campaign was anti-Gay Marriage and anti-abortion. The Kerry campaign responded by labeling Bush as a fiscally irresponsible president, who aims to waste even more money in a lost war.
3)
The Democratic Party's campaign staff ran a campaign off of saving the country money and time from what they considered a useless war. The Democrats also favored individual freedom of choice as shown in the party's pro-Gay Marriage and pro-abortion platforms. These platforms were wrapped in the package of a "war-hero" president. The democrats also were anti-Bush, labeling him as fiscally irresponsible.
The Republic Party's campaign staff ran a campaign off of maintaining a strong country that is tough against attackers. The Republicans were anti-Gay Marriage and pro-life; the ideas of the party mostly seem to be represented through religion. The ideas of the Republican platform were packaged in a tough-on-terrorism president who led the country through one of its worst attacks. The Republican's were anti-Kerry, calling him "flip-floppy" for repeatedly changing his stance on issues.
I preferred the campaign style of the Democratic party as their platform was based off of equality in opportunity; this contrasted the style of the Republican party, which ran off of the fear of people to vote for them. The Republican party tried to appeal more towards religion and to people's morals to go against Kerry's views, while the Democratic party appealed more towards others' intellects and those who felt under-represented in order to gain votes.
1) The primary message of Kerry's Campaign and the basis he was running on was to stop the war in Iraq, Legalize Gay Marriage, and to fix the economy that Bush ruined. He utilized his status as a veteran with Purple Heart medals to win votes and to show that his perspective on the war held more value than Bush's. The Bush campaign responded by finding other men who could devalue his "war hero" claims and to pick on the fact that he was very indecisive. His "flip floppy" stance on many issues was a counter to his strong arguments.
ReplyDelete2) The Bush Campaign ran on stabilizing the economy, and to continue the war on terror and keep troops in Iraq to avenge the crimes committed on 9-11. They were anti-gay marriage and pro-life in comparison to Kerry, this helped them immensely and particularly in Ohio, where they could appeal to religious beliefs and a system of moral values and traditions to win votes. They wanted to keep up the war on terror as well. Kerry's response was to speak from the perspective of the soldier against the war and talk about how useless it was. He lobbied for Gay marriage and Abortion rights, and devalued Bush's claims of fixing the economy by claiming that he destroyed it in the first place and was unable to fix it.
3) Both parties very effectively addressed important issues for America, however the Kerry Party more ran off of the premise of "NO BUSH" Whereas Bush more directly addressed problems. Had the Democratic Party pushed more for its own issues rather than oppose everything coming out of the Republican side they would have had a better chance. It was a very close election - and while I personally think the Democratic campaign might have been better; I have to admire the way Republicans won. It's like the man said "Kerry had 12 ways to win this, Bush had 1. And Bush won." Kerry's indecisiveness and ultimately the disorganization of the democratic party means that they really didn't deserve the win. Republicans worked harder and knew their plan better, the Democrats seemed to be bumbling at every turn and could have won the election in a multitude of ways. Ultimately the Republicans played the game better so they deserve the win.
The Kerry campaign was mainly focused around Kerry's ability to protect the nation, repair it from Bush's apparent errors, and the fact that he was a veteran. Regardless of whether he was a "war hero" or not, the Democratic Party advertised it to the point of mockery by republicans. The Bush campaign was able to utilize the cheesy lines and overused message of the democrats and single out the fact that that was the only significant point on Kerry's resume. They used it to exploit the "flip flop" of Kerry's real platform. Their main message was that Bush was a decisive man. Although you might not agree with his points, at least you would know where he stands. The Republicans sold that Bush was a common man that could relate to America's public and act on American hatred to take down Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. The Democrats did little to respond to the Bush campaign's attacks on their party. Other than briefly stating that Bush's politics kept us in war and lessened the economy, their was little the Kerry campaign acted on. Because they did little to retaliate, I would choose the Bush campaign's tactics over Kerry's. Unfortunately, politics has come down to a dirty business with a "survival of the fitest" component. Bush was willing to hit Kerry where it hurts when the gloves came off and the Republicans succeeded through attacking Kerry personally. Kerry had multiple assets at his disposal and options he could've taken, but he did not utilize all of them to their full extent.
ReplyDelete1) The main message of the Kerry campaign was to focus more on improving the economy by increasing the Balance Budget Act, reducing cutbacks in Social Security, and being more lenient towards social issues such as abortion, gay rights, and affirmative action. Essentially, Kerry aimed to fix the economy and undo Bush's involvement in the war in Iraq. Bush's campaign responded by trying to represent Bush as a decisive leader who will put an end to terrorism and by portraying Kerry as a flip flopper who is unpredictable when it comes to important decisions and out of touch with American ideals at the time.
ReplyDelete2) The main message of the Bush campaign was to increase war and defense spending in order to promote American security. Also, it was to focus more on strengthening on the foreign policy and support the needs of the upper class. The Kerry campaign responded by criticizing Bush's tendency to alienate the American public (especially the minorities and lower class people) by focusing too much on foreign policy and too little on domestic issues.
3) Both campaign staffs were efficient in getting the message across to their voters and portraying their candidate well to the public. However, the Bush campaign staff was more organized when it came to methods of advertising and directly answering all questions on how Bush will handle each issue that is questioned. In contrast, the Kerry campaign staff simply was not up to par to the organizational methods of the Bush campaign, and there was more speculation on Kerry's stance on some issues. I prefer the style of the Bush campaign because they were on top of everything in terms of being prepared for America's questions and they seemed to have a more structural plan, so i would know exactly what I'm voting for.
1) Kerry's campaign tried to build his personal appeal as a well-decorated war hero ready to serve his country again. They capitalized on security concerns arising after 9/11, contending that he had extensive foreign policy experience after being in the military and would defend freedom in America. He was portrayed to the public as a candidate who would work toward a vision for the country that was contrary to that of Bush's administration, and would be more effective in bringing long-term prosperity to all Americans. However, Kerry's campaign made the strategic mistake of trying to communicate this message by decentralizing their focus across various areas of policy, trying to prove that he was right on domestic and economic issues like the economy, business, education, etc.. The Bush campaign responded by criticizing his changes in position on issues like the Iraq invasion, calling him a "flip-flopper" with no real convictions. They also pushed hard to erode Kerry's "courageous war hero" image by partnering with the conservative Swiftboat veterans group, who publicized statements from other Vietnam veterans who called him unfit and irresponsible while serving in the war.
ReplyDelete2) The Bush campaign appealed heavily toward solid conservatives, deviating from the traditional strategy of trying to persuade swing moderates. He loudly vocalized support for conservative moral views, and heavily emphasized his support for the anti-gay marriage amendment. Bush also road a wave of public fear and anger toward terrorists residual from the 9/11 attacks. The campaign portrayed him as strong, courageous, and decisive, in contrast to a wavering Kerry who they said jumped back and forth between sides on important political issues and thus couldn't make the decisions necessary to defeat terrorism. Kerry's campaign heavily criticized the Bush administration's ineptitude at carrying out the war in Iraq. They also tried to drive the public's attention toward the economy, where they believed Kerry's strong intellect would prove more effective than Bush in expanding economic growth.
3) From the film, it seems that Kerry's campaign was more focused on attacking Bush's policy record by logic, while Bush's campaign attacked characteristics of Kerry himself by emotional appeal. Kerry criticized the lack of competence and skill of the Bush administration in handling complex economic issues as well as the tangled web of terrorism entrenched in the Middle East. He pointed to himself as the "smart guy," who would make calculated, strategic, and informed decisions as President. Bush took a much broader approach by taking Kerry's change in position on several issues and extending them to encompass his policymaking in general. He painted Kerry as weak and indecisive, as well as a liberal threat to the moral fabric of the country. As a voter, I would have preferred Kerry's message of reason, logic, and level-headedness. As a political campaigner, however, I think Bush's strategy of presenting an easy "strong vs. weak" dichotomy to the media-controlled public as well as instilling fear against liberal moral stances was a strategically better way of winning a presidential election.
1. Kerry's main arguments included refusing to pay more money to support the War on Terror (after initially agreeing to pass the budget), supporting gay marriage and abortion, and increasing spending to create more jobs. He attempted to relate to all types of people, by participating in activities such as windsurfing and mining. Kerry also frequently mentioned his experience in Vietnam, exaggerating his war efforts and Purple Hearts to persuade others that he knew what to do with the military, not Bush. Those who supported Bush attacked Kerry's campaign by calling him a "flip-flopper" because of his inconsistencies, such as agreeing to pass a military budget and then not doing so.
ReplyDelete2. Bush's main points included continuing the War on Terror and imposing traditional values by prohibiting gay marriage and abortion. Supporters of Kerry attacked Bush as well, accusing him of ruining the economy and wasting money on the war in Iraq. Kerry also attempted to use his veteran status to make him look smarter than Bush.
3. It seemed like both parties focused more on criticizing their opponents rather than focusing on promoting themselves. Bush raised more money for campaigning efforts, which may have had to do with why he won. Throughout the movie, I saw a lot more footage on the volunteers for Bush's campaign, and it seemed more organized than the Democratic campaign efforts. Although I do not agree with the social beliefs of the Republican party, threatening citizens that gay marriage and abortion would become legal if they did not vote for Bush, I believe that I would have still voted for Bush in this election because his arguments were clear and organized, unlike Kerry's.
1) The main message of the Kerry campaign was focused on Kerry's service to our country. Another fundamental part of his campaign was highlighting the failures within the Bush administration. The Bush campaign responded to Kerry campaign through emphasizing Kerry's flip-flopping of opinions. The Swiftvote group attacked Kerry's legitimacy and credibility in regards to being a Vietnam War-Hero.
ReplyDelete2) The main message of the Bush campaign was a platform based on the opposition of same sex message, the defense our country in the War on Terror, and the consistency within the Bush Administration. The Kerry Administration responded to the Bush Administration by attacking his ideals on the war against terror as well as his lack of concern for the common people.
3) Both campaigns are similar in their tactic to defeat each other. They exposed their opponents weaknesses and flaws. Each of the campaigns were striving to win the election. The Kerry Administration attacked bush based on his past actions during his first term in office. On the other hand, the Bush Administration was more efficient and placed more trust within the Administration. I preferred Bush's campaign because of their efficiency, consistency, and Bush's emotional appeal to the public.
1. Kerry's campaign tried to appeal to the public by painting an image of a war veteran "reporting for duty". He wanted to improve the economy by providing more jobs, stop funding the war in Iraq, supported same sex marriage and abortions. These are good points to run a campaign but the problem with Kerry was, he was indecisive. He wanted to fund the war, and then he didn't. The Bush campaign used this to their advantage and were able to exploit it, so much that it was mentioned in every speech, advertisement, etc. Also there was some exaggeration on Kerry's part in his veteran story. The Bush campaign where able to put doubt in the public's mind on Kerry being a honest, purple heart veteran.
Delete2. The main platform of the Bush campaign was the improvement of the economy, fight against terrorism, and opposed same sex marriage. He was able to get the attention of the public, by highlighting controversial topics and using them to gain votes. Although this platform would not benefit everyone, he was able to convince many that it would. The Kerry campaign responded by playing the veteran card and questioning how the one who ruined the economy could fix it. The Bush campaign would call Kerry a flip-flopper, and the cycle continued.
3. The Democratic Party overplayed the veteran card and busied themselves with responding to Bush’s platform, rather than concentrating on their own message. They should have responded to the allegations that were being made, instead of ignoring them and repeating their message. The Bush campaign ran on emotions. He was able to win over the public with his social issues standpoints, attacking those that attack our beloved nation, and being consistent with his views. I prefer the Bush campaign on running style, because they were able to efficiently convey their message (although I don’t agree with some), reassured the nation, and was straight forward with his standing on issues.
1. Throughout the film, one of the main focuses of the democratic party was portraying Kerry as a "Vietnam War hero" in order to display to the public that as Kerry had served the U.S. once before, he was ready to serve the U.S. again this time as president. One of Kerry's main policies that he used against the Bush administration was that the war in Iraq was not an essential part in the war against terrorism. Kerry wanted the country to believe that because he had served in the military, he would be able to do a much better job that Bush when it came to the idea of foreign policy. Kerry tried to portray to the public that because Bush was so focused on the war across seas, he had mishandled the economy at home. Ultimately, Kerry's downfall in his run for presidency steamed from the idea that he focused on a wide variety of different issues such as tax cuts, education reform, jobs, health reform, oil and U.S. security. Instead focusing on the most important issues at hand and elaborating on ways he would fix those problems, he chose to try and fix everything which ultimately proved to be too challenging of an idea for anyone, let alone himself. The Bush campaign responded to Kerry's policies by calling him a "flip-flopper" in response to his inconstancy with being able to make a decision on where he stands on certain issues. For example, Kerry stated that he voted for approving military funds for the War in Iraq until he later voted against it. The Bush administration also ran ads with veterans of the Vietnam War stating that Kerry had exaggerated how much of a "war hero" he truly was. There was also controversy surrounding the legitimacy of his purple hearts.
ReplyDelete2. The Bush administrations main focuses included the continuation of the Iraq War and ultimately, the War on Terror. Bush also made the smart move of trying to bring out voters from the "rural" areas of states as well as try and persuade swing voters. Bush also opposed the important ideas of same-sex marriage and abortion. Overall, Bush's campaign focused on portraying him as a strong and trustworthy leader in comparison to the indecisive and inexperienced John Kerry. The Kerry campaign responded to Bush's ideas by focusing on the idea that Bush was pouring tons of U.S. money into the Iraq War that he felt was unnecessary in the fight against terrorism. Kerry also criticized Bush for his economic policies arguing that they only benefited big buisnesses and the wealthy. Kerry wanted to inform the public that his economic policies would be beneficial to a wider scale of people vs. the few that would benefit from Bush's policies.
3. Ultimately, both parties took the stance of trying to criticize each other's ideas and morals instead of mainly trying to promote their policies. Both parties knew that in the end, Pennsylvania, Florida and Ohio would be the deciding states in who would come out of the campaign victorious. Knowing this, both of the campaign staffs put most of their effort into these three states through ideas such as going door to door and promoting the parties they represented. However, Bush eventually prevailed in the election due to his staff's efforts to try and bring out people from rural areas of these states who in fact proved to be beneficial in the election process. Overall, I preferred the approach of the Republican party. Even though I disagreed with Bush's stance on same-sex marriage, I felt that his efforts in the War on Terror as well as his ability to display to the public what he stood for and why made him a worthy candidate.
1) The main message of Kerry campaign was to show his service to our country,to stop spending money on war on terror even though he originally said he would pay more money, and gay marriage. The Republicans responded as calling his indecisive and people created the slogan flip flop.
ReplyDelete2) President Bush campaign was about keeping Americans safe from foreign attacks,not wanting to allow gay marriage and allowing people to understand that Bush would not change the platform he ran on. Kerry followers responded on saying Bush ruined the economy and he was wasting money on the war in Iraq.
3) Both Administrations tried to get a clear messages across to the people, but the Bush Administration was better at advertising and having a clear message. Therefore, I prefer the campaign style of the Bush Administration, They had a clear platform and they knew what they wanted.
1. The main message of the Kerry campaign was to have Kerry portrayed as a national hero for what he did in Vietnam and use his experience in war to hook people into thinking that he would make the nation safer, stronger, and more secure; but their downfall was playing this card too much which ultimately aided in his downfall. His campaign also supported gay-rights along with the right to have abortions. He also focused on taking troops out of Iraq and fixing the problems that occurred under Bush's term. The Bush campaign was able to "cut Kerry at the knees" when they ran ads with war veterans that had served with him saying that he truly wasn't who he said he was and didn't do what he said he had done; and surprisingly the Democrats did not respond to that.
ReplyDelete2. Bush's campaign message was one that was against gay-rights and was pro-life, this appealed to many people that lived in rural areas that the Democrats did not even consider reaching out to. Bush's campaign also wanted to remain in Iraq to try and help diminish the force that brought about September 11. The Republicans did not really respond much except for blaming Bush for the Economic downturn and keeping our troops in Iraq which he saw as a war we had no business being in.
3. Both the staff of the Kerry campaign and the Bush campaign were enthusiastic about their beliefs and views and both campaigns did a copious amount of work in order to educate the people in this nation but unfortunately for the Kerry campaign, the Bush campaign was more organized and they were able to reach out to more people. So for these reasons I would prefer the Bush campaign and the fact that they knew what they stood for and they were constant in their ideas, strategies, and beliefs.
1. The main message of Kerry’s campaign was to sell Kerry as a war hero and as someone who could bring America back to a Clinton era of policies since the Bush administration had declined in popularity. Kerry’s campaign promised to increase the Balance Budget Act, against cutbacks in Social Security, opposing the death penalty, having tighter restrictions on guns, and being against the ban of abortions and supporting same sex civil unions but not same sex marriage. The Bush administration responded against Kerry by attacking his military service, saying it wasn't what he claimed had been through the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads. They also attacked Kerry for many of his flip flops during his campaign and political career, calling him inconsistent and indecisive. This included his flip flop on supporting the war in Iraq but changing his position after the launch of attacks by the President when his stipulations had not been met.
ReplyDelete2. Bush’s campaign ran differently than Kerry’s mostly in the fact that Bush and the Republicans bashed Kerry and his campaign as much as they possibly could. Bush’s campaign focused on the same issues as Kerry’s did but with different stances naturally. Bush agreed with pro-life, supported tax cuts, more modest healthcare reforms, and supported continued efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, Kerry bashing was definitely the focus of Bush’s campaign. Kerry’s campaign responded by just focusing on the issues and not going after the attacks made by the Republicans on his campaign, two decisions which would cost him later on.
3. Bush’s and Kerry’s campaigns both has their stances on national issues and both did express solutions to these issues. However, Bush’s campaign was more effective in the long term fight. His campaign’s ability to repeatedly bash Kerry and its ability to market Bush as a guy you may not like, but a guy who stands up for his positions made Bush seem more appealing as a President. Kerry’s campaign was inefficient, ignoring the attacks made on it by Bush’s campaign and not being able to recover from the instances where Kerry flip-flopped on his stances. On a campaigning level, I prefer Bush’s style over Kerry’s because he was able to define what he stood for and why he stood for it, he sold himself as a more appealing president, and was able to attack Kerry’s campaign over and over without really having any backlash against him from the other party.
1) The main message behind the Kerry campaign orbited around the idea of stopping the war in Iraq and legalizing gay marriage. By publicizing his veteran, "war hero" status, John Kerry was able to obtain the votes of many Americans in the 2004 election. However, George Bush criticized Kerry's "flip-flop" stance on many issues, which cost Kerry a lot of votes. For example. Kerry idolized his war veteran status, yet did not support the war on terror.
ReplyDelete2) The main messages of the Bush campaign include stabilizing the economy, fighting the war on terror, anti-gay proposals, and pro-life sentiment. These platforms aided Bush with his campaign in Ohio, which was crucial to the 2004 presidential election because of its large representation in congress. Kerry's response toward the Bush campaign was bold. Kerry downplayed Bush's promise to recover the economy by claiming that it was Bush who had destroyed the economy in the first place.
3) Though both parties effectively campaigned their platforms in the 2004 presidential election, the Republican party was more successful because of how they promoted their cause. The Democratic party allocated a majority of their time to criticizing the Bush campaign, instead of promoting their own platform. The Republican party drew on the emotions of a scarred America. By appealing to the fear of terrorism, Bush was able to secure a majority of the votes in the 2004 election. Coincidentally, this approach was strengthened when Bin Laden openly expressed his desire for Kerry to become president, which swayed the voting majority towards Bush.
1) the main message of Kerry was that he once protected the nation and he will continue to protect it. He also wanted to improve the economy to make America strong. Bush responded by questioning Kerry's service in Vietnam and calling him a "flip-flopper".
ReplyDelete2) Bush's main message was that he was against gay marriage and he wanted to continue the war on terror. Kerry was against the war and he wasn't against gay marriage.
3) I preferred the republicans' campaign because Bush was more organized and was consistent and did not "flip-flop" like Kerry. He also appealed to more people such as the Christians shown in the movie.
1) The main message of the Kerry campaign was not hard in stone throughout the documentary. His platform reflected the Democratic Party, but during this election there was no clean party line. Kerry initially pulled the war veteran card and stated that he was “reporting for duty.” But after Republican advertisements brought doubt to John Kerry’s past, he forgot that line and changed his line to an anti-war in Iraq sentiment. This gave the Bush campaign tons of leverage to expose Kerry as a “Flip-flop” or someone who couldn't stick to his own ideas and values. The Bush campaign continued to use examples such as this to portray Kerry as a weak candidate.
ReplyDelete2) The major message of the Bush campaign was simply: you know me, you know what I stand for, and you know what I’ll do. The Republican Party was able to take this simple line and feed it to every single Republican reporter, political activist, and pastor. This resulted in a near impenetrable platform for the Kerry campaign to fight, so they tried to spend most of their resources appealing to the swing votes.
3) Despite my Democratic leanings, I have to admit that the Republican Party knew exactly what they were doing. The Republican Party had one unified platform for a president that everyone already knew; there was no uphill slog for Bush. He didn't have to spend any time bolstering up his character (except to maybe the evangelicals), so subsequently the Republican Party was able to spend most of its funds on tearing John Kerry down. Lastly, the Republican Party took most of its campaign money typically dedicated for convincing swing voters and instead brought millions more conservative voters into the pool. The Democratic Party had to get the American public to not only know who John Kerry was, but also why he was better than Bush.
1) The main idea of Kerry campaign focused on portraying Kerry as a war veteran and an "all-around" guy. Many of the advertisements of his party displayed Kerry partaking in sporty activities, such as playing golf or water skiing. There wasn't too much substance in his ideas. But when discussing to the public his vision, Kerry supported decreasing the deficit, legalizing gay marriage, increasing the Balanced Budget Act and taking troops out of Iraq. The Bush campaign responded to Kerry's campaign by attacked his "veteran" status, by claiming he wasn't a true war hero. The Republican campaign also attacked Kerry by calling him a "flip-flop", due to the fact that he contradicted many of the values and ideals that he believed. This lowered his amount of faithful voters.
ReplyDelete2) Bush's main message focused on ending the war on terrorism. He strongly believed that our troops had to remain in Iraq in order to stop the increasing terror around the world. He also focused on traditional American values, and advocated for pro-life and traditional marriage laws. This resonated soundly strong Republican families and the traditional elderly. Kerry responded to Bush's campaign by focusing on his former soldier status. Coming from his point of view, Kerry wanted to get his fellow soldiers out of Iraq and return them home to their families.
3) The main difference that can be seen from the campaigns is that Bush brought possible solutions to trial. Kerry continued talking about his image, but never gave plausible ideas that could help solve the economy. Overall, the Bush campaign was run more thoroughly. There was more substance and they were encouraging towards the voter turnout. They had a set path and aimed to complete it. The Kerry campaign had many different paths but no way to get towards their solution. Therefore, I have to go with the Republican's campaign. Although I may not agree with them politically, they were more decisive and careful with their decisions. They had planned out everything and were determined towards their goals. This made their campaign more appealing, because it felt safer to side with someone who had a solution ready.
1) The main message of the Kerry campaign was to use Kerry's war experience in order to promote his policies. He wanted to pull troops out of Iraq because weapons of mass destruction were not found. He supported gay marriage and wanted to try and fix what Bush's policies caused. The Bush campaign responded by using Kerry's war experience against him. The Bush campaign aired commercials that had some of Kerry's war veterans who served with him. They stated that Kerry shouldn't be portrayed as a hero and that his war stories weren't entirely accurate.
ReplyDelete2. The main message of Bush's campaign was that things basically will continue as they were. Troops will remain in Iraq, and his stance on gay marriage wouldn't be altered. The Bush campaign used Kerry's constant changing stance on policies against him, referring to him as a "flip flop". The Kerry campaign responded by pointing out what Bush's policies has caused. Bush's policy would close down some of the steel factories in Ohio. The economy was in a downturn and he points out that we are in a war that has a lost cause.
3. Kerry's campaign style was all about persuading voters for there vote. They went out and tried to change voters minds by pointing out all the problems that Bush's policies has caused. Bush's campaign style was all about motivating voters to go out and exercise there right to vote. They made sure to go to all the registered republican houses. I preferred Bush's campaign style because they were more organized when it came to getting the public involved. They seemed less annoying to the public, as they didn't try and go door to door in order to persuade people to vote democrat. They made it seem that it's more important to go with a guy who has a plan, even though you might not agree with his stance on all issues.
Kerry s campaign was run on the fact that he was the war hero that was fit for America using his military history as a clutch for his campaign. Bushes response was putting military servicemen on commercials that revealed Kerry as a fraud removing the crutch from Kerry's campaign. This caused Kerry to reach out in desperation for any methods of gaining ballots of any voting group. Kerry lost his political position on any issue when he voted against the funding for the military he once supported. In losing his political stance the Bush's party responded by calling him a flip flop and saying that even if you don't like what I believe in at least you know what i believe in.
ReplyDeleteBush's campaign was advertised as the common man from Texas who lived of his ranch. His messages were that he would preserve the marriage laws that were already in order to preserve American moral values. Kerry's response was Bush made us poor and he is throwing away our money in Iraq.
While I have no political bias in either direction what so ever its is obvious that Bush's campaign pulled all the right cards at all the right times. Kerry's campaign ran unclear and made the wrong choices in the end which ended in total failure for his party. Bush's campaign was very well thought out appealing to members of both parties he portrays himself as the common man when many middle class dominate states were voting. Then going to the polls center to help turn the vote around in his favor. Followed up by "preserving moral values" when it was time for the states in the Bible Belt to vote. It wouldnt be wrong to say that the Kerry Campaign didnt have a shot at winning. Seeing that they had many more ways to pursue the road to the White House. It was poor execution and a lack of a back up plan(unless flip flop counts) that hurt them in the end of what should have been their easy election.
1) One of the central messages in the Kerry campaign was the portrayal of Kerry as a war hero - as someone who had served in the military and been lauded for his service with such medals as the Purple Heart, he touted his experience as proof that his decisions on the economy and pulling the nation out of the war in Iraq were sound and in the interests of our freedom. Kerry supported social issues like gay rights, abortion, gun control, and banning the death penalty. Bush's administration countered by attacking both Kerry's military background, by undermining the credibility of his medals, and by preying upon his tendency for "flip flopping", flaunting his indecisiveness and inconsistency as terrible, terrible flaws.
ReplyDelete2) The Bush administration managed to use some of the aforementioned social issues to galvanize voters. Bush used these "anger points" to draw out some religious voters, whose convictions against gays and abortion were ignited by Bush, thus motivating them to vote. In addition, Bush's campaign vowed to win the "war on terror", stabilize the economy, and bashed Kerry on several of his decisions, or lack thereof. Kerry did not respond directly to Bush's attacks at all, except for blaming Bush for ruining the economy they were both trying to fix. Kerry, instead, sought to brush these attacks off and just focus on the policies, which might have cost him dearly.
3) Obviously, Bush's administration proved more effective - the Republicans saw an opportunity to use emotion to win votes, and used it effectively. The social issues like gay marriage and abortion are just naturally more divisive, and heat up voters and motivate them, and Bush used that to his advantage. Bush also managed to paint Kerry as weak and inconsistent, an illusion Kerry did not exactly work to dispel. Kerry was more logical and presented issues, while Bush constantly bombarded Kerry with attacks on his persona. Although I find myself aligned with Kerry on his policies, Bush's campaign managed to cripple Kerry enough to dissuade some voters to his side (in the movie, some people even said that they would prefer Bush simply because he was decisive) and focused on anger points enough to galvanize others. Bush had a stronger campaign, though I myself would agree much more with Kerry's views and Kerry's logic.
1. The main message of the Kerry campaign was to portray Kerry as a war hero and focus on the failures of the Bush administration. Kerry wanted to correct Bush's economic mistakes and pull troops out of Iraq. The Bush campaign responded to this by calling Kerry a "flip-flopper" because of his lack of consistency and attacked his war hero status as being illegitimate. The Bush campaign emphasized Bush as a decisive leader in contrast to Kerry's leniency toward social issues.
ReplyDelete2. The main message of the Bush campaign was to maintain the safety of the American people as well as support the upper class. Bush wanted to implement an increase in defense and war spending and send more troops into Iraq. The Bush campaign emphasized Bush as the leader who held the nation together through the tragedy of 9/11. The Kerry campaign responded to this by blaming Bush for the economic issues of America and argued against Bush's views on foreign policy and defense spending; because Kerry was a veteran himself he felt he had a better perspective of the situation.
3. The Republican campaign used fear tactics as well as promoting its own message to gain voters. The Democratic campaign was mainly focused on responding to the actions of the Republicans. Although the Republican campaign did focus on Kerry's faults to convince more voters to vote for Bush, I feel that that is part of the game. Overall, the Republicans were more organized and promotive for their party, while the Democrats were constantly in a state of defense. For this reason I prefer the methods of the Republican party.
1) Kerry's main message in his campaign was to show that he had served in our country. Kerry was a Vietnam War vet and his people planned to use that as a highlight in his campaign. He used his Purple Heart award to show that he knew more about military defense. Kerry also wanted to legalize gay marriage and wanted to stop the war in Iraq. The Bush campaign obviously responded with his republican viewpoints but also called him a flip-flopper. They also attacked his Purple Heart award by bringing in the Swift Boats Veterans who argued him as irresponsible and unfit. This took a toll on Kerry’s “American Hero” image.
ReplyDelete2) One of the main messages of Bush’s campaign was to eradicate Saddam Hussein and Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. Bush was seeking vengeance from 9-11. Bush also campaigned against gay and lesbian marriage. Bush also aimed to help the economy by cutting the deficit. Bush not entirely brought the economy down and he knew that he had to fix that. Kerry’s campaign opposed Bush’s views. Therefore, he campaigned against the war instead of for it. He also battled for gay rights, unlike Bush. Kerry also wanted to fix the deficit in the country but in a different way than Bush’s intentions. Kerry’s campaign strategy unfortunately didn’t work they way he wanted it to.
3) Both campaigns were relatively effective but Bush’s was obviously victorious. Bush having already been president gave the people a real sense of how he operates in office, while Kerry is the new guy on the block they aren’t quite sure how he would rule in office. Kerry’s flip-flop indecisiveness was his worst enemy on top of being an unfit soldier. Kerry was for gay marriage while at the time most people were against it. I liked Bush’s strategy style better because it was more attacking than defending. He went out of his way to attack Kerry and wouldn’t back down to anything. Kerry had a lot of flaws and Bush exploited those.
1. The main idea that Kerry tried to portray in his campaign was that he was a decorated Vietnam war hero ready to serve the country and build a better America. He did this by saluting to Americans, as cheesy as it was, and assuring them that he was ready to serve to them. He also used the persusive idea of a "Stronger America," such as improving the economy by providing more jobs, and halt the funding overseas in Iraq. He did a very good job of highlighting many failures of Bush's past presidency and tried to play that card to his advantage. The Bush administration responded with the nickname "Flip Flop" for Kerry regarding his fickle decisions of the war funding. They quoted Kerry in their televised propoganda, "I voted for the bill, before voting against it," which had a major impact on Kerry's target audience. They also made many of his purple hearts seem un-credible and claimed that he was not the war hero he portrayed himself to be, and that the amount he contributed to the war effort was not much.
ReplyDelete2. The main platform of Bush's campaign was that he would always be consistent with his ideas and his supporters could be able to count on him, he would never "flip flop" as Kerry did. He also focused on many religion based conservative views such as to be pro-life and oppose same sex marriage. This gained him many votes in Ohio for those who usually did not vote because their views and ideals were not met by any president or candidate. He targeted the unspoken core of Ohio that remained faithful to their conservative ideals, winning him Ohio as well as the nation. The Kerry administration often targeted many ideals to accuse the Bush administration such as the idea that Bush, single handedly, ruined the economy and claimed that Bush did not care for the "common people" of America. Kerry tried to appeal more then to the "common man" and focused on trying to persuade people into agreeing more with his policies than Bush's.
3. Being very moderate in my political views I have to say I can agree with many issues from both platforms. However, with that being said I also disagree with many. I believe that Kerry tried to use persuasion as his weapon and as persuasive as he was it did not work out well for him. He became known as the "flip flopper" and I am unsure that someone with that nickname would be a trustworthy leader of the country. I disagree with Bush's social ideals and where he stands but seeing as I am more liberal in my social views it is understandable why I differ so much in my opinion as to who I would lean more for. I think all in all Bush's platform was more well rounded as well as trustworthy, he remained consistent in his views and opinions, never changing them for more votes. This is turn makes him seem like he could have a more reliable presidency unlike Kerry. Even though Kerry tried to use persuasion to attract more voters to him, Bush's platform seemed much more persuasive and reliable.
1) The main message of the Kerry campaign was- actually it is hard to define exactly what Kerry's message was because he tried to appeal to every group of people through different messages. This led to a jumble and confusion of his campaign. One thing Kerry did is talk about his time serving our country a lot to appear as an American hero. Bush's campaign responded to his many claims and messages as a "flip-flopper" since he couldn't make up his mind on issues.
ReplyDelete2) The Bush campaign ran by highlighting the safety of Americans, especially after the 9/11 terrorism attack. This benefitted them greatly because most people would feel dumb not voting for the party that claims to protect them from terrorism during the War On Terror. Kerry's campaign responded by criticizing Bush for encouraging continuing war in Iraq.
3) Both of Kerry and Bush's campaigns were ran by dedicated and willing people. However, because of the organization and creative strategies to win a new group of voters over, Bush's campaign was more successful. Instead of focusing on all of the mistakes Kerry made, Bush's campaign had a clear message to create a better America by providing for the safety of Americans.
1) The main message of the Kerry campaign revolved around the depressed economy, legalization of gay rights, and dissatisfaction with the Iraq war. He strived for the war-hero image in hope to appeal to the Americans. However, the Republicans sought to detect legitimate efforts in the war; also responded with allegations of "flip-flopping" towards his inconsistent views and actions.
ReplyDelete2) The Bush campaign's advantage was staying on message, in contrast to Kerry's "flip-flopping". Bush was heavily portrayed as the every-day American man, and appealed greatly to the rural areas. The campaign's main message seemed to be the strategy of degrading Kerry; any vote against Republicans was a vote to support terrorism. Instead of protecting his individual hone, Kerry simply let these accusations stand, costing the election. Bush's stance on gay marriage, abortion, health care reform, and military action stood tall. Ultimately gaining a large portion of conservative votes.
3) I preferred Bush's campaign due to the fact that his was significantly strong while Kerry's was weak. Bush was much more decisive never once swaying from the central message, and Kerry tended to flip-flop. However, both campaigns seemed to focus on attacking each other rather than focusing on their individual promotion. It came down to popularity, not specific policies. And given Bush's prior experience the people felt more willing to have him back in office again.
1) The main message of John Kerry's campaign was to resolve problems with the economy and the war in Iraq to make us a "stronger America". Kerry wanted to fix these problems by pulling troops from America and providing more jobs so there are more people working instead of unemployed. Also, John Kerry was pro-choice for the legalization of gay-right. Bush opposed Kerry by responding with republican viewpoint, and calling Kerry a Flip-Flop.
ReplyDelete2) The main message of Bush's campaign was to show more of a republican viewpoints such as keeping trooping in Iraq, and ending the war on terrorism. Bush also opposed the legalization on gay-rights and gay-marriage. Kerry opposed Bush by saying he is destroying the economy and wasting money on the war in Iraq.
3) Although both campaign made great points, I think Bush's campaign was more stronger than Kerry's. He did not switch up the platform he ran, unlike Kerry who flip-flopped to make he's speeches on what the people want. Both focused alot on opposing the other campaign instead of promoting to better their selves, but i think Bush won because he had his idea more well thought out than Kerry and wanted to stick to his plan.
The Kerry campaign's main message was to paint Kerry as a patriotic war hero. He told voters that he would correct the problems that arose during Bush's presidency and also better the economy by creating more jobs. Bush's campaign responded by titling Kerry as a flip flop - he never stuck to what he said and always changed his stance based on what he thought the people wanted to hear. They also attacked Kerry's status as a war hero by questioning its legitimacy.
ReplyDeleteThe Bush campaign's main message was that they were going to continue their war on terrorism.They drew support by basing their campaign off the success of their first term and by expressing concern for the safety of the people due to 9-11. Kerry's campaign responded by pitting the blame for the nation's poor economy on Bush's first term. Also, Bush didn't support gay rights so Kerry's party lobbied for gay rights.
I prefer Bush's campaign over Kerry's. Bush was more direct about the problems he was going to solve and what he wanted to keep/change in the government of the United States. The Kerry campaign, however, wasn't as explicit about
what they were going to do once in the presidency, but more focused on attacking Bush's previous presidency and glorifying Kerry.
1) Although there was a certain lacking in an actual message for the Kerry campaign, their main tactic was their portrayal of Kerry as a war hero. Many of his television advertisements showed clips of him in Vietnam with the statement that this American war hero was her to serve his country again. They also promoted their views against cutbacks in social security, supporting greater restrictions on guns, and supporting women in their right to have abortions. The Republican campaign retaliated with one hard hit after another. Not only did they call Kerry a flip flop for changing his position on the war in Iraq, but they also attacked the situations around some of Kerry's Purple Hearts.
ReplyDelete2) The Bush campaign's main message was to continue the war on terror. There was no going back after 9/11, and particularly after Bin Laden publicly showed a certain support for the Kerry campaign, they emphasized this idea more than ever. Another major part of Bush's campaign was his stance against gay-rights, which appealed to many religious conservatives. Kerry's team didn't respond with attacks on Bush, but they just lobbied against the majority of his ideas even if that changed their stance in order to gain more votes.
3) Unfortunately for Kerry, his campaign strategy backfired, and although it was a relatively close race, Bush won thanks to his conservative support in Ohio. The Bush campaign was better overall because it had more clarity as far as his intentions for our country, while Kerry looked indecisive. The American people ma not have agreed with everything Bush had to offer, but the fact that they knew where he was taking the nation won him more support in the end.
Kerry's campaign used national security concerns to paint Kerry as a war hero, and that he would be able to do a much better job at protecting America than Bush, by ending the US involvement in Iraq. The republicans responded by questioning this. They interviewed veterans that were with Kerry who claimed that he was nothing of a war hero. They also called him a flip-flopper for his response to military funding, and how he "voted both ways".
ReplyDeleteThe republicans did not go for the swing voters in this election. They figured that after four years in office, people either would support Bush or support the opposition, and they wouldn't be able to change that significantly. They targeted hardcore conservatives and got them out to vote by using the gay- marrige and abortion votes to get these republicans to the polls. Kerry tried to point to the poor economy and Iraq war, but it was nearly impossible to change hardcore conservatives mind's.
Bush's campaign was more successful with their push for conservatives. Kerry tried to go after Bush for the flaws and problems he caused the country, but his messages were vague and didn't produce much reaction. Bush had very emotional ad's that got peoples attention and went after the mass of people that supported Bush's moral views.
The main point of the Kerry campaign was to give him the image of a war hero who served his country. However, the Bush campaign attacked this point and saying he was not true to his word. Kerry also brought up they would make jobs the Bush campaign lost. Bush focused on attacking Kerry's indecisiveness on points.
ReplyDeleteBush's party centered around anger points such as gay marriage and abortion to bring up passive republicans to vote. They also gave him the image of being a common, working man. They focused on passive republicans in more remote places rather than the swing voters as parties usually focus on.
I preferred the Bush's party campaign because they made campaign about the voters and the people. They were more organized with their approach and had a very detailed plan and strategy to make the most of their time and resources.
1. The main message in the Kerry campaign was to reduce overall spending in the United states and creating more wealth in the middle and lower classes and reducing the wealth gap between the wealthy and poor class. Also, Kerry was pro gay marriage and his adminstration tried to prove Kerry out to be a war hero. With that, Kerry condescended himself many times, causing the Bush administration to state that you know what you're getting with Bush.
ReplyDelete2. Bush stood for reganomics and did not try to gain the swing voters. With that, Bush had opposite view points of Kerry and demonstrated very conservative ideas, like pro life and fighting for gay marriage not to be legal. With this, the campaign was targeting the very conservative people and their votes. Kerry tried to point out that times have changed and people are changing, pointing out the war in Iraq and many other details in which his ideals will not work, but the conservatives would not change their minds.
3. Kerry and Bush differed greatly due to Bush targeting only one group of people where Kerry targeted many. With that, Kerry was not adequately prepared to target the vast amount of people as he did. Bush's campaign would either fail greatly or fail miserably, and he came out on top.
ReplyDelete1) Kerry’s campaign focused on his status as a war veteran; unfortunately, the emphasis placed on his rank did not transmit to his policies. When Kerry was not decisive on issues (which earned him the title “flip-flopper”), he proposed a “laundry list” of public policy, such as JHOS (Jobs, Health Care, Oil, Security) to appeal to all Americans---when this “no message” message wasn’t resulting in enough votes, the Kerry campaign desperately added pro-gay marriage to its list. The Bush campaign played on Kerry’s indecisiveness, often saying, “At least you know where I stand” and similar comments. Also, the Bush campaign brought to the table a clear agenda wherein defending the US from the “War on Terror” was a main speaking point.
2) The Bush campaign’s overwhelming message was, “You know where I stand”--- and the American people did know. Unlike his opponent, Bush brought a clear agenda as a proponent of enacting tax cuts, expanding health care, and defending the United States from terrorism. His pro-life and anti-gay marriage stance brought forth the Christian vote as well. The Bush campaign did attack the Kerry campaign for his lack of a clear agenda and “flip-flopping”; Kerry took the defensive stance and continued promoting himself as a war hero as well as a “man of the people.”
3) I prefer the style of the Bush campaign, as it appeared considerably more organized than that of the Kerry campaign [by putting forth a clear agenda]. Also admirable is how Bush took advantage of the fear resulting from the 9/11 terrorist attacks and adopted a firm stance regarding the issue. On the other hand, the Kerry campaign concerned itself with defending itself from the attacks of the Bush campaign and repeating the same “war veteran” message. Was the staff of the Kerry campaign less competent than that of the Bush campaign? Possibly, but it may also be that because there was no clear agenda, the staff was not able to appropriately concentrate its efforts on important issues.
1) Kerry's campaign was to carry him over as a war hero but in the end he was his worst enemy. He repeatedly tripped over his tongue, of which when the Bush campaign were able to use in their "Flip Flop" attacks. Additionally when it was Kerry's chance to speak up during the swift boat attack ads, he remained quiet.
ReplyDelete2) The main message of the Bush campaign was to bring his views on being "pro-life" and joining the movement. Another main aspect of the campaign was to express his support for "protecting the sanctity of marriage." And lastly, his campaign supported the continuation of American military presence in Iraq.
3) I prefer Bush's campaign for two main reasons, first was his structure and his methodical organization within the campaign. He was a strong, and overally pretty trustworthy to his party. Another reasons why he was ahead of his league was his success in leading the difficult fight against terrorism and could be trusted to keep the nation secure. In developing the second theme, the campaign continually linked Iraq to the more general war on terrorism. Kerry was lacking in his plans, he never clearly said what he was going to do and how he was going to do it, once elected thus many people giving their votes to the more definite candidate.
1. Kerry's campaign centered around his service to American and him being a military hero and person. This was relevant as a post-911 society for only 3 years and Bush's "War on Terror". However this image was a little exaggerated and over-used. His policies towards the war were confusing as he was inconsistent and indecisive and that led to his ultimate downfall. Kerry wanted to end the war as he was speaking from a soldier standpoint which want to avoid wars. However he signed a bill funding the war and Bush's campaign attacked him for this. This ultimately led to his downfall. Bush responded by attacking Kerry personally with ads about his war "status" and his indecisiveness leading to Kerry's label as a "flip-flopper"
ReplyDelete2. Bush's message was to continue his push on the war on terror and put pressure on Osama and other threats. His strategy that proved to pay off was going after hard core Republicans, votes he knows he can get. That is why in the movie, it is not mentioned about rural Ohio. All focus is on the big cities, but Bush put little focus on these swing voters and went deep into Ohio encouraging the "hidden" population to vote. Large number of people and a smart strategy Kerry didn't respond by attacking Bush's image or his personality, instead he tried to be the nice guy and just enforced his many different approaches on policies. Bush focused on just a couple major policies while Kerry was all over the place. This is why Kerry was the perfect opponent for Bush. Not because he was a weak candidate, but because he tried to be the nice guy who had a lot of stances on a lot of different policies. And of course, it gets confusing.
3. I like Bush's strategy better because I feel like he is aggressive and playing offense. Kerry is always laid back and defensive. Trying to protect his image, while Bush relentlessly attacks and attacks. Although Kerry's strategy is the nice guy approach and likeable, nice guys always finish last.
1) The main message of Kerry's campaign was reducing money on the war on terror(After he passed a bill supporting it), supporting gay marriage and abortion, and spending budget money in the economy to create more jobs. Kerry gained his popular appeal by constantly reminding the public about his service in Vietnam. Bush and his campaign responded by down playing his role in the war. Also, Bush was quick to jump to the fact that Kerry changed his views on the war and referred to him as a "flip-flopper" to hurt his reputation.
ReplyDelete2) Bush's main message was based off what Kerry's mistakes were. He constantly would say how he's always going to be up front and honest with his views. Bush's main motivation was the security of America and efforts on the war on terror. While, Bush was against gay marriage and believed in cutting the deficit on spending. Kerry responded by lobbying for gay rights.
3) Both campaigns have their main platform that they tend to not stray far from. other than that, Kerry was first to make a mistake, so Bush's staff made that very clear and gave him the "flip-flop" title. Also, Bush's staff attacked Kerry's personal life and how he was given too much credit for being a war veteran. Kerry on the other hand, took shots at Bush's political ideas on either the war or gay marriage. I prefer Kerry's way because he focused more on political reasoning.
1) The key message of the Kerry campaign was that he was a prior war veteran, and he significantly promoted that he fought for our country and was prepared to serve once more, but in a different way. Aside from this, Kerry did discuss highly-debated issues, such as gay marriage, abortion, etc., but he didn't focus on these issues nearly enough. The Bush campaign saw this as an opportunity and ran with it; they emphasized their opinions on these controversial issues, and they attacked John Kerry's swinging viewpoints on certain aspects of domestic and foreign policy, including and especially the war in Iraq.
ReplyDelete2) The Bush campaign, unlike Kerry's campaign, focused on many controversial issues (abortion, gay marriage, etc.) and made his viewpoints on these issues clear, unlike Kerry (hence why the republican party emphasized the idea of Kerry's "flip flopping"). Bush was extremely personable with many individuals, ranging from a daughter that lost her mother in 9/11 to voters in rural Ohio on election day. Kerry responded by exaggerating the fact that Bush didn't focus on foreign policy and the military enough, which may be one of the few consistencies within his campaign.
3) I tend to swing between parties between elections, but I personally like Bush's campaign better in this election because he's much more organized, he's clear about what his message is, and he's very personable with the population. Kerry and his team were more focused on what he could do for the country and not what he and the country could do together, which is something Bush's team emphasized as well as something I liked. With that said, I personally like the methods and the messages of the Bush campaign far better than I liked Kerry's campaign.
1. The main messages of the Kerry campaign were that better strategies needed to be implemented to fight the war on terror, America's safety must be protected by both keeping weapons of mass destruction away from terrorists and strengthening the military, and it's important to achieve energy independence. The main problem with the Democratic Party's platform was that Kerry couldn't stick to it; he kept on "flip-flopping." The Bush campaign took advantage of Kerry's inconsistency to basically say, "At least I know what my platform is and what I want." Also, many regarded Senator John Kerry as a war hero who served America in his youth by fighting in the military, and who planned to continue to serve America by becoming President. The Bush campaign countered by bringing Kerry's war hero status, his main strategy for attracting voters, into question.
ReplyDelete2. The main messages of the Bush campaign were similar in terms of the war on terror, including strategies to end the war and stopping terrorists from getting weapons of mass destruction, along with wanting to promote the economy, create affordable healthcare, and support the middle class. Kerry's "flip-flopping" only made the Bush campaign look better, and so Kerry's campaign focused mainly on promoting Kerry as a war hero and as a man of the people.
3. Both campaigns used the strategy of having party members go door-to-door in an effort to encourage voter turnout. The Republicans, however, were far more organized and effective. The Republicans kept lists and maps showing which houses they had called and visited, while the Democrat representatives were fumbling with their words. The Bush campaign also focused on making people angry with Kerry, at the same time trying to make Bush seem like a man of the people. Kerry, on the other hand, focused more on the issues and politics at hand, instead of attacking Bush. I like the organization of how the Republicans encouraged voter turnout, and I like that they were certain as to what their platform was. I also like how Kerry focused more on the issues at hand instead of slandering Bush and his campaign.
1) Kerry's campaign relied on his reputation as a war hero and his ability to defend the nation. Because of his military service, Kerry and his campaign managers believed that he had what it took to lead the nation. The Bush campaign responded by completely shattering the illusion of Kerry as a war hero. His service record was questionable and there were plenty of veterans willing to testify that Kerry was not all he said he was and they took that and ran with it. They easily discredited Kerry.
ReplyDelete2) Bush's main message was that he was steady and reliable. He was strong on terrorism. He was against homosexual rights. He was a "man of God." Essentially, he was the perfect Republican candidate, down to the ranch that he bought specifically for the campaign. The Kerry campaign didn't really respond. They stuck to the issues in the campaign and didn't really focus on Bush the man all that much. Bush had managed to become the champion of the people and they motivated apathetic Republican voters to turn out in huge numbers, an unprecedented feat.
3) The Kerry campaign staff can be summed up in one word: disorganized. The whole campaign had a sort of grassroots mentality to it, but they didn't use it to their advantage and it ended up being detrimental. They didn't have the organization necessary to motivate voters or persuade voters who were on the fence. On the other hand, the Republicans ran an absolute machine of a campaign. They were organized, on task, and dedicated. They knew what they needed to do and they did it. Rather than focusing on persuading voters to switch sides, they motivated people to vote that normally wouldn't through conservative Christian ideals, homosexuality in particular. From a political standpoint, I absolutely loved the Republican campaign. They ran it flawlessly and they knew how to get a generally disliked man back into the White House. It was a work of art. Morally, I preferred Kerry's campaign. He didn't use the same slander techniques that the Bush campaign used. Unfortunately, he paid the price for not playing dirty, but you have to respect a man who is willing to run a clean campaign.
1) The main message of the Kerry campaign was that he was an honorable war hero, who wanted to focus on boosting the economy and fixing the problems Bush caused. The Republican party responded by attacked Kerry, such as questioning is purple hearts, and calling him a "flip-flop" because of his changing opinions on the war in Iraq.
ReplyDelete2) The Bush campaign focused on the idea that he was a consistent leader who led the country strongly through the 9/11 terrorist attacks and would lead us into four more great years. The Kerry campaigned argued by saying he wasn't helping our economy and was getting us into wars we shouldn't be involved in.
3) I definitley perferred the Kerry campaigns tactics because of how much the Bush campaign attacked Kerry. They played a lot more dirty. Although Kerry exaggerated his involvement in the war, it was never their mission to make Bush seem like a liar or fake. They focused on themselves and their message. Yes, in the end, Bush was the winner, but i have more respect for the Kerry campaign.
The Bush campaign used a tactic focused on his experience in the White House and therefore implied superiority, combatted by the Kerry campaign by saying that he had done a shoddy job with the time he was given. The Kerry campaign claimed bush was doing poorly, as well as attempting to please people and talking a lot about the war; the people pleasing aspect was heavily criticized by the bush campaign for "flip-flopping". I prefer the bush campaign, if for nothing else but consistency.
ReplyDelete1. Even though the for Kerry's campaign wasn't clear its main point was their portrayal of Kerry as a war hero. They showed videos of him in Vietnam and how he wanted to serve his country again. Also against cutbacks on social security, more restrictions of guns and their support for women to have abortions. Also this were major point is his campaign. They started to mess up and there was a problem after another, to the point where Kerry's nickname was the flip flop.
ReplyDelete2. Bush campaign focused more on Iraq. To continue the war on terrorism. Another major point in his campaign was his support for gay rights which appeal to even more votes.
3. Due to his many ideal changes during his campaign, Kerry's campaign backfired even tho it was very close race, bush was just better overall and had clear ideas as far as his intentions was for his country. People may not like all of bushes ideas but at at least they knew where he was taking them as a nation.
1, The main message of the Kerry campaign is hard to point out because he was what republicans called a "flip-flopper", he tried to appeal to too many groups in his campaign with a large spectrum of ideas that confused the general public. However, the largest idea of the Kerry campaign was to portray him as a decorated Vietnam war hero who was going to create a "Stronger America". Kerry also wanted to improve the economy by creating jobs and cut off funding to the war in Iraq.
ReplyDelete2. The Bush campaign focused very largely on his experience in office, more specifically 9/11. He also planned to continue the war on terrorism in Iraq (Which Kerry opposed by saying he wanted to bring troops home).
3. Both campaigns had great ideas but I prefer the ideas of the Bush campaign. They focused more on the voters as to where Kerry was trying to focus on too many people at once and became disorganized.
John Kerry's campaign message was unclear, due to his attempt to garner support from many different types of people with different types of views. However, despite trying to emphasize his service record in Vietnam, Republicans were able to make America question Kerry's record.
ReplyDeleteBush's campaign was focused on how he reacted to 9/11 and the ensuing 'War on Terror' in Iraq. Bush tried to also raise support from some more moderatr voters by supporting gay rights.
If I had to say which campaign was 'stronger', I'd have to say Bush's because he stayed true to his party's ideas, and was speaking of events that he handled and were unquestionable, vs Kerry's questionable record.
1) The Kerry campaign's intended message was to change what Bush had done in his presidency and try to fix the economy that Bush had destroyed. He used incentives such as the fact that he was a Vietnam purple heart to try to get Americans to vote for him. Meanwhile, George Bush responded by challenging the truth in Kerry's service, and using the term "flip-flop" to describe John Kerry's changing of views on some political issues.
ReplyDelete2) The George Bush campaign stated that he was the only president to carry the country through a terrorist attack like 9/11. He tried to moderate his own views on issues such as gay rights to try to appeal to more voters. John Kerry still retaliated his campaign by stating how bad bush had made the economy and how far America has fallen behind.
3) I thought both candidates campaigns were reasonable and respectful. I think that George Bus's campaign was more understandable than Kerry's. Both campaigns ran with negative views on the other person, like Kerry being a flip-flopper and Bush being a terrible economic president. However, both campaigns had interesting points that did show the best of both candidates.
-Alex West
1) Kerry mainly ran on a platform consisting of his nature as a war hero and his very lenient social issues. These two main messages combined with his notion that tax cuts should be given to those belonging to the middle class, a majority of the citizens of the country. Bush argued that Kerry was a flip-flopper, and could not solidly take a position on any of the so called ideals that he stood for.
ReplyDelete2) Bush ran on the main campaign that he was a steady leader, as he had proved to be in the previous year. He did not take an extremely strong stance on anything besides his conservative views when it comes to social issues. He also had the idea that tax cuts should be given to the upper 1% in that they could funnel more money to the economy if they were given the break there. Kerry argued that this was irrational in the way the he was putting far too much strain on the majority of American citizens which would further harm the country. That being said he also argued that Bush's social ideals were far too stringent and took too much control over people's lives.
3) While both campaigns were fairly successful in reaching their target audience, the Kerry campaign was far too disorganized. The Bush campaign settled on reaching those that do not usually vote with their very religious view, this gained them a majority of the votes in Ohio, reaching an audience that is very large, but never votes. The Kerry campaign was sloppy in this way, They focused entirely too much time on the votes they were already going to get and spent too little reaching out to another audience. This is the reasoning behind their loss.