Kick in the Pants

Kerry's Missing Message . . .

Dear John Kerry,

I've been giving you a free pass lately, but it's time to say it: get it in gear, man! I'm all for letting your opponent hurt himself, but you've got to do more than join the chorus of critics when he fails to give an adequate answer to a question at his press conference--you've got to transcend that chorus by explaining what your answer would have been, why that's different, and--most importantly--why it's better.

You've got my vote locked up, and I'm the only one reading the obligatory article each day about how you blasted the president for this or that statement or action. Whoever's running things in your camp has got to drive the press in the right direction, so that stories with headlines like "Kerry offers substantially different vision" and "Kerry outlines plan to improve economy" and "Kerry offers Iraq strategy" and "Kerry offers muscular, multifaceted plan to battle terror" start appearing on the front page of the morning paper. You've got to master a couple great sound bites that offer a positive vision for the future that Americans can get excited about. It's clear to me and to anyone who's been paying attention that you're smarter, better-educated, more thoughtful, and better-prepared for the job of being president than George W. Bush.

But that's not enough--don't you watch American Idol? You've got to make people love you to win their votes, and you won't do that by explaining every day how stupid Bush is. Yes, you should have people whose job it is to expose a lie of Bush every day--The Daily Mislead is handling this work admirably--and those sorts of stories should get out. But guess what? 60 Minutes is exposing a lie a week, and you're still not leading in the polls.

It's not enough to watch your opponent make himself look ridiculous, because there are people on the other side who are just as fervently opposed to our way of thinking as we are to their reactionary madness. You've got to energize people with a positive message of hope. People can figure out the contrast between that and a war-mongering, gay-bashing, rich-people-serving corporation-disguised-as-a-man without you thumping it over their heads every day. Instead of hitting back every day, make it so obvious that you don't have to.

A few months ago, I wrote you a letter advising you to take a stroll through the FDR Memorial and consider the inspiration he provided for the nation in a trying time. I repeat that advice today, and beg you--give the American people what they really want: an upbeat but realistic assessment of how we can get from where we are to where we ought to be. The American people are ready to go there; they just need someone to follow. Show us that you're ready to turn the American boat into the shore and deal with the problems that plague us head on.

Sincerely,
Richard Nelson, concerned voter