Posted on 09/26/2004 7:03:35 AM PDT by jalisco555
WASHINGTON — Senator John Kerry tried reintroducing himself last week with a new speech against the Iraq war, but he promptly ran into an old problem.
To Democrats, it was a fresh, tough speech that put him in good position to challenge President Bush in this week's debate.
To Republicans, it was a familiar opportunity. They gleefully labeled it Mr. Kerry's ninth different position on Iraq and put up a commercial showing him windsurfing to the strains of the "Blue Danube" waltz while a narrator dismissed his Iraq policies as going "whichever way the wind blows."
By sticking to their theme of Mr. Kerry as flip-flopper, Republicans have put him in a bind: he could use a new message to move up in the polls, but any new message leaves him vulnerable to accusations of inconsistency. How do you reposition a candidate whose commonly perceived weakness, fairly or not, is his penchant for repositioning? And how do you do it so late in the campaign?
Democrats say that a turnaround is still possible in five weeks, and so do some experts who may have a more realistic view of the job - advertising executives experienced in reviving troubled brands. But Madison Avenue's masters of image makeover say it will take a simple, emotionally appealing message, the kind that has eluded the Kerry campaign so far.
Mr. Kerry might take comfort from Bill Clinton's repositioning in 1992, after being battered by scandals and rivals during the primary season.
"Clinton reinvented himself as the boy from Hope, a political Horatio Alger," said Stephen Wayne, the author of the "The Road to the White House 2004" and a history professor at Georgetown University. "He was also helped by the fact, and this is important for Kerry, that the election was less about him and more on the incumbent's absence of leadership."
In the same way, Mr. Kerry's new combativeness on Iraq could reinvigorate his campaign and shift the debate away from his character to Mr. Bush's record.
"Kerry needs a laser-beam focus on Iraq and how he's got a better plan to end the war," said Linda Kaplan Thaler, who created the "Kodak moment" and the Aflac duck advertisements as well as spots for Mr. Clinton's 1992 campaign.
Ms. Kaplan Thaler, the co-author of "Bang! Getting Your Message Heard in a Noisy World," said the current dominance of Mr. Bush's message reminds her of the market strength of McDonald's, which she helped Burger King confront.
"McDonald's was defining the territory - the ambience and the world that they'd created with their restaurants," she said. "We decided we were going to talk instead about the burgers - theirs was fried, ours was grilled. Now that Bush has Kerry constantly in check with the flip-flop theme, Kerry has to say, 'I don't want to play in that playground. I'm going to talk about Iraq.' "
Democrats tried emphasizing Mr. Kerry's Vietnam record at their convention, then switched to another theme by attacking Mr. Bush's National Guard service. Meanwhile, the Republicans presented the same message month after month, and in speech after speech at their convention: Mr. Bush is a more dependable fighter against terrorism than the flip-flopping Mr. Kerry.
"If Kerry can make the election about the war in Iraq instead of the war on terrorism, he can win, but Bush's people are just way better at getting their message across than the Kerry team," said Bill Hillsman, the chief creative officer of North Woods Advertising and author of a new book on campaigning, "Run the Other Way." He has created commercials for Ralph Nader's presidential campaign, as well as ones for Jesse Ventura, the former governor of Minnesota, and the late Paul Wellstone, the senator from Minnesota.
"Right now, George Bush can tell you why to vote for him in a seven-word sentence: 'You and your kids will be safer,' " Mr. Hillsman said. "Bush is like Mercedes or Honda - you know what the brand stands for. Kerry is like Mazda, a brand that's had a terrible time because they've kept trying different messages."
Focusing on the problems in Iraq, besides giving Mr. Kerry a simple message, could also make him look more genuine - more consistent with the John Kerry who opposed the first Gulf War and the Vietnam War. An antiwar stance is risky for a Massachusetts liberal trying to appeal to Midwestern swing voters concerned about terrorism, but Mr. Kerry might assuage their doubts by appearing tough in other ways.
Where is the photo of President Bush branding the Democrat donkey?
I hope Dubya's more like a Honda, 'cuz the MBZ I owned was the Worst. Crap. Ever.
I agree with that. This man has no idea what he believes but he'll do whatever it takes to win the presidency. I hope voters aren't fooled by his "repackaging".
I think Clinton was just more adept at being a phony. Even the sheep see through Kerry's act.
One thing's for sure- winners never have articles like this written about them. I'm getting more and more confident about November.
Clinton's charisma trumped his phoniness and outright lies.
Kerry is Death Warmed Over.
So true, but unfortunately the modern day Dems and the MSM remind me of Dory from Finding Nemo.
Thank You
I saved it.
Pretend that you've just come back from a long trip to Mars, and read through this column as if you'd never seen anything like this before.
What on earth does the New York Times think it's doing? Selling Kerry like a brand name? The presidency of the United States should go to the man with the best advertising team? Kerry should be sold like grilled hamburger?
And since when did a reporter's chief job change from reporting the news to advising the Democrat candidate on a daily basis how to win at any cost?
The New York Times holds its nose in the air as being a cut above common folks. Is this the kind of thing they feel proud of?
I remember when Heinz tried reintroducted the Green Ketchup. This will be a flop too.
The chameleon (Kerry) changes its color to suit every
mood or situation. This only works if no bright lights
are shined on the chameleon.
Oh if I had an ounce of artistic ability.
I can just picture George and Laura dancing to the Blue Danube Waltz at the inauguration. Can't you?
I don't want a "turnaround". --- I want clarity, conviction and strength.
And, this is why I want George Walker Bush to win---big time.
Accusations of inconsistency? A leader with a consistent message, e.g., George W. Bush's War on Terrorism, can make changes which are still consistent with an overall philosophy, without being a flip-flopper. As a tactical matter, Bush could ratchet up or ratchet down the attack on Al-Sadr, for example, without being wishy-washy, as long as these tactics are part of and consistent with his underlying philosophy.
That is very different from Kerry who, apparently, has no core values or underlying philosophy. The reason he changes his message so often is that he is trying to find the answer to the question: "How can I maximize my own chance of getting elected?" instead of "What is the proper approach for America to take in a time of war?" And the voting public, now that they are paying attention, sees right through him.
It may be an impossible task. I think that the American people are more concerned about the war on terror; note all the discussion about the new "security moms" after the attack on the school in Russia. And besides, there are a substantial number of Americans who support the war in Iraq. This doesn't add up to me.
Shoulda bought a Beemer. Best car I've owned since my Vette.
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