Brad Wardell's views about technology, politics, religion, world affairs, and all sorts of politically incorrect topics.
Kerry's supporters cost the Democrats the election
Published on November 4, 2004 By Draginol In Politics

Like many, I had predicted that Kerry would win the election. But he didn't. And now the question is, why? We may never be able to offer a definitive answer to this but I will offer a theory that I think is pretty plausible.

Backlash

People get fed up. And they respond. In politics, that means they come out and vote.

For the past year, Kerry's supporters had made it pretty clear that anyone who supported Bush must be some kind of "moron", "idiot", "racist", "fascist", "red neck", whatever. They referred to the President as a "chimp" and other vile names. And these people, many who don't normally vote, got mad and they decided to come out to vote this time.

That's because the American people are not stupid. They're a vigorous, hard working, enterprising people who have helped make the world a vastly better place (and anyone who disagrees may want to look at 19th century Europe).  The contempt and hatred from Kerry's supporters made a lot of people who were only nominally Bush supporters into energized Bush supporters.

Millions of Americans simply don't want to be associated with Michael Moore and MoveOn.org and snobby Hollywood celebrities or uppity European elites. They got sick of having their views jammed down their throats. They got sick of the media flagrantly siding with Kerry. One might even say that the New York Times did a lot to help Bush win. Americans could see the unfairness in that these self-appointed elites got to have their say while they were expected to be quiet and take it. After all, why should some has-been Hollywood comedienne get to be on a panel on Hardball when millions of hard working Americans never go to have their voice heard? So they fought back with the only weapon they have: Their vote.

Kerry supporters increased the Bush vote one dinner party at a time. One little league game at a time. One office lunch room at a time. With their smug contempt for those who weren't as "enlightened" as they were. And their nasty attitudes towards Bush and his views on social, moral, and foreign policy, they effectively turned themselves into a Get out the vote drive -- for Bush.

Last week my son came home and told me that his friend's mom told him that if Bush won that he would be sent off to war. My son is 7 years old. My friend's mom is a middle-school teacher. Kerry himself would imply that Bush was going to reinstate the draft (January surprise nonsense).  Michael Moore spread the word that Bush was in bed with the Saudi Royal family. Foreign pundits claimed that Bush and Cheney were in Iraq for Halliburton's sake. 

And yet, without a trace of irony, Kerry supporters would argue that people who supported Bush had been swayed by all that "right wing" propaganda. As if the millions of public school teachers, who often are alone amongst their neighbors in their support for Democrats, do so strictly because of their free thinking ways and not because of the constant inflow of disinformation from the NEA (teachers unions).

And so every time a Kerry supporter, when confronted with a friend or neighbor who said they liked Bush (or didn't hate him at least) would say "Gosh, you seem like a smart guy, how could you not hate Bush?" they effectively energized someone who might have sat out the election because of Bush's deficit spending or other failings.

If you look at the actual returns state by state (especially county by county when compared to 2000) it becomes pretty clear. Kerry didn't do bad really. He got 5 MILLION more votes than Gore did.  It's just that Bush got 8 million more votes than he did last time. And most of those votes were from "average Americans" in rural or suburban areas.

In short, millions of Americans voted for Bush not because they were "fearful" of terror (the exit polls demonstrate that). No, they voted for Bush because they saw the smug contempt that Kerry's pretentious supporters have for the values and beliefs that they have. And they did something about it - they came out and voted.


Comments (Page 1)
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on Nov 03, 2004
I couldn't agree more Brad excellent article thank ~ you for sharing your opinion's of the reasoning of why the average Bush supporter voted.
on Nov 03, 2004
Well, Ohio isnt sure yet. They may need to do a recount. Personally I want Kerry to win.
on Nov 03, 2004
Meowy: um, perhaps you haven't heard: Link

I voted for Kerry too, but it's over.
on Nov 03, 2004
It's as you say. The thing that turned me off the most about Kerry was his constant bickering. From day one when he first began speaking, it was Bush is wrong, wrong. Everything Bush did and does is wrong. His famous saying, "This president". Then, he gets that ambulance chaser to make things even worse.

Now, if Kerry was smart and I'm surprized even that ambulance chaser didn't think of it, if they said some good things about Bush, I would have felt better towards him. But no, he thought a campaign of creating lies and hate would allow him to win. The American people are not that stupid to buy all that, as he found out.

on Nov 03, 2004
Good article Brad, I'm looking forward the lack of defined principles article.

BTW, Kerry has conceded this election.
on Nov 03, 2004
It's just sad. Kerry would have been an amazing president.
on Nov 03, 2004
As if the millions of public school teachers, who often are alone amongst their neighbors in their support for Democrats, do so strictly because of their free thinking ways and not because of the constant inflow of disinformation from the NEA (teachers unions).


*sigh* Don't complain the generalisation of people and then do it yourself. I'm a teacher, a liberal, and not a member of the NEA. As a matter of fact, our school is decidedly non-union (for different reasons) but my personal reason for not supporting the NEA is that the job of teachers is to teach not contribute and be involved in all sorts of non-education related activities. As for the intelligence of Bush's re-election, time will tell.
on Nov 03, 2004

Dead on Accurate.  But will they learn from this?  I kind of doubt it since they have been doing and losing by it for the last 4 years.

The true democrats are marginalized within the party, and cant do anything to change the direction of he dinosaur.

on Nov 03, 2004
What I like most is that many minorities voted for Bush, proving that they can't be pigeonholed as their groups want to do to them.
on Nov 03, 2004
I don't think all Kerry supporters were smug and condescending. I live in Texas and let me tell you that Kerry supporters were definately in the minority here and if you bad mouthed Bush at a dinner party, you would probably be shown the door. I think that an incumbent president has a huge advantage and you just have to really do a horrible job to get voted out. Next election will be a different story without the incumbency advantage. I just personally feel that Kerry was not a likable candidate on a personal level. His wife turned lots of people off and so did his VP choice. I really wasn't impressed with him until after the debates. I thought he was very strong in the debates. Of course, I didn't think anything of GW until after 9-11 and the most I ever liked him was when he went to Iraq for Thanksgiving last year to support the troops. Of course, Cheney totally creeps me out. Something about just the way he talks is scary to me.
on Nov 03, 2004

I don't think all Kerry supporters were smug and condescending. I live in Texas and let me tell you that Kerry supporters were definately in the minority here and if you bad mouthed Bush at a dinner party, you would probably be shown the door.

I live in a Bush safe state, yet I saw what Brad described.  Texas is not a good example as it is their favored son.  But Dont kid yourself.  Brad gave the democrats a very insghtful and valuable lecture.  To ignore it is to repeat past mistakes.

In a way, I figure the democrats will ignore it and repeat it.  Mores the pity.  I am an independant because I do vote for both.  just not on a Presidential level since the last decent candidate who ran was LBJ, and I was only 8.

on Nov 03, 2004
I just personally feel that Kerry was not a likable candidate on a personal level.

His wife turned lots of people off and so did his VP choice.

Cheney totally creeps me out. Something about just the way he talks is scary to me.


Vote Bush: the only human being in this election!

on Nov 03, 2004
If John Edwards were the Presidential Nominee- we would still have no concsion yet; Edwards wanted to keep going.
on Nov 03, 2004

Myrrander: I don't complain about generalizing. Where did I ever say that one shouldn't generalize? Generalities are necessary for any sort of serious constructive discussions on society at a macro scale.

But I stand by my opinion and will illustrate it further: In toss-up states, it was in those suburban and rural areas that Bush voters came out in record numbers that more than offset the gains in those urban areas. And I think it was the nasty, ugly attitude of Kerry supporters that did it.

More than Kerry himself, his supporters made people vote for Bush with their own behavior. Let me give you just another example that came to mind, when dropping my kid off at school on election day, a big truck with a Kerry sign mounted on top of it (huge, you wouldn't drive it) had parked in the school's parking lot. The parking lot is crammed as is with some peoiple always ending up having to park across the busy street to pick up their kids.  And yet here was this pickup truck that was there ALL DAY with that Kerry sign. That sort of thing really rankles people.

The Kerry supporter mantra should have been "Whatever we do, it's for your own good."

on Nov 03, 2004
Good article.

From feedback I've gotten from some on the left, the direction the Democrats have taken recently (an angrier, more condescending party) has been because of the Republicans and was forced upon them. I don't buy into that argument, but that is what they say.

The question is, now that the election is over, will the Democrats go back to the tolerant, unbiased people they profess to be? Or will their rancor increase in their attempt to win back power, thus driving even more and more of their constituency away?
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