Cosmic Iguana - Voice of the Evil Doers

Now that the nomination is wrapped up and Kerry is facing an 8 month long marathon campaign against George Bush, the question becomes what should he do between now and the nomination to keep his name before the public in a positive way, and to fend off the attacks fueled by Bush's gargantuan stash of campaign money.

The question is important, because in 2000, Al Gore pulled to with 1 percent of Bush by the time the contested primaries were over, only to again drop 15% behind by the time the Democratic Convention commenced. I have not seen it argued, but I think it is entirely possible that the main reason why Gore did not eke out a large enough popular vote majority to render Florida unnecessary was that his campaign wasted the months before the convention.

In a sense, this period of the campaign performs a vital function, a period where the candidate can try to gain free media exposure and define himself outside of a campaign, solidifying his public image before the nation.

But what approach would work best? I believe the best strategy is to take a page out of Bush's 2000 playbook, and use the period to stage photo-ops. This is the period when Bush did virtually nothing else but visit black school children. Although, the record now shows Bush's minorities policy for what it is, those photo ops were crucial to defining Bush in the public's eyes as a compassionate conservative.

Likewise, John Kerry needs to play to his strengths during this period. Kerry should take what worked best for him in the primary campaign and meet with veterans all around the country. The powerful images of Kerry bonding with his veteran brothers should be daily fare in local and national media. The subliminal messages these meetings drive home are many and significant: Kerry is a leader, Kerry is a patriot, Kerry is a real veteran not like Bush. The emotions these meetings stir are also real and powerful.

These powerful images are the ones that can, and I believe will win this election.