Who is John Kerry? Where Did Senator Kerry Go Wrong?

An Analysis of the 2004 Presidential Election

This article analyzes why President Bush won the 2004 presidential election, or perhaps more appropriately, why John Kerry lost the election. After much analysis, we are left with a question: Who is John Kerry? Interestingly, this question gives us great insight into the question: Why did Kerry lose the 2004 election? 

The “Who are you?” question is vital in an election. Voters generally don’t know extensive details about a candidate’s policy stances. Kerry, for instance, had an ambitious healthcare plan that voters knew little about. Instead, voters focus on the answer to the “Who are you?” question, which is much easier to comprehend. Kerry did not answer the “Who are you?” question well enough, and consequently lost the election. 

So who is John Kerry? Is he a heroic military veteran? Kind of. Is he against the disastrous war in Iraq. Maybe. Does he support the war in Iraq? Partially. Is he a devout Catholic who feels strongly about moral values? A little bit. Is he a champion of civil rights who will defend a woman’s right to choose and a homosexual’s right to marry? Sort of, but not too much.
Almost a year after the election, we still don’t quite know who John Kerry is. This is because Kerry never told us. Kerry couldn’t even maintain a consistent campaign slogan. A survey of Kerry’s bumper stickers only confuses us more. Kerry did not maintain a clear message, and never really defined who he was.