Another “Kerry Doubters” Piece

Yada yada, Bush hatred is greater than Kerry love. Kerry is doomed. Blah.

John F. Kerry has shattered fundraising records, unified an oft-warring party and pushed past President Bush in some national polls. Yet many Democratic voters, officials and even members of Kerry’s staff express an ambivalence — or angst — about their presidential candidate that belies this strong public standing.
These Democrats say the enthusiasm for defeating Bush runs much stronger and deeper than the passion for electing Kerry. The chief reason: The senator from Massachusetts, they say, has not crisply articulated what a Kerry presidency would stand for beyond undoing much of the Bush agenda.
So far, these concerns have not slowed Kerry. But if Kerry cannot change this perception coming out of next month’s Democratic convention in Boston, it could prove much harder for the party to maximize turnout, win over Ralph Nader voters and keep independents from swinging to Bush, they say.

Last time I checked, the latest LA Times poll had Nader stealing votes from Bush as well. VandeHei’s piece quotes various named and unnamed sources that cast a dark black cloud over Kerry’s candidacy. Let’s take a look, shall we?

“There is a danger in that [ambivalence]. You can’t just be against something. [Voters] want a positive vision of where the country is going, and he has to provide that.”
-John D. Podesta, White House chief of staff in the Clinton administration

Gosh, Kerry better unveil his positive vision soon. I mean, the election is only five months away!

“Bush has to lose the confidence of the public and the next thing that has to happen . . . [is] Kerry has to convince the public he’s an acceptable alternative. He has not passed that threshold, but he is making progress.” … “I am excited about a change of the administration. I think Kerry is a solid guy; he’s not an exciting guy.”
-Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.)

Wow, that sounds bad too. Kerry should just quit now. Since he’s not exciting, there’s no way he could be a good leader.

[M]any House members and staff say it is hard to explain what Kerry stands for, and what he has stood for in the past. The aides said the Kerry campaign is aware of this concern and committed to addressing it.
-A top Democratic aide, who requested anonymity

Even more bad news for Kerry. Democratic aides can’t explain what Kerry stands for.

“He has a problem in that people don’t know him and don’t have a great affinity for him.”
-Tony Coelho (D-Calif.)

He’s screwed.
Seriously though, there is still five months until the election and Kerry has yet to expand his advertising. My point is that it is still too early to tilt it in one direction or another. So we’ll be putting up with lame pieces like this until then. Mind you, this is all in contrast to the first sentence of the article.

John F. Kerry has shattered fundraising records, unified an oft-warring party and pushed past President Bush in some national polls.

Bored journalists write boring articles.