(Kerry) He's the Other Guy

I was in Santa Cruz recently, a college town enclave of progressives and radical leftists—liberal even by California standards. So I wasn’t surprised to see lots of cars displaying anti-Bush and pro-Kerry bumper stickers. But there was one sticker in particular that I saw a few times that stayed with me. Maybe you’ve seen it. It says, “I’m anti-Bush and I vote.” It made me wonder what sort of political message that was supposed to convey.

My political experience is modest though not entirely non-existent, but combined with my background in advertising and marketing, I felt sufficiently qualified to try my own hand at political strategizing. It got me to thinking about campaign strategies, and election slogans, and how they might define a candidate and influence voters.

Firstly, I think we can all agree that the anti-Bush sentiment among some voters has been plain from the start. Secondly, while Kerry’s staff has done their best to transform that view into some kind of campaign message, they haven’t been able to make it stick in any kind of substantial or convincing way other than “don’t vote for Bush.”

A slogan like “I’m anti-Bush and I vote,” clearly shows that the voter isn’t going to vote for Bush. But beyond that there remains a vagueness about whether or not there’s a desirable alternative worth considering. But then, it’s that very lack of clarity that may in fact be defining John Kerry’s candidacy: He’s the vague alternative to George Bush.

How would you profile the voter who is likely to lean towards Kerry in the 2004 election? If we use the slogan, “I’m anti-Bush and I vote” as our hook, then we might create a campaign message that would appeal to those who think, “Whichever candidate is not George Bush is the candidate I’ll vote for.” That kind of demographic profile should be easy to reach, wouldn’t you think? All a campaign strategist would have to do is present the presidential challenger as the one who isn’t Bush. In advertising, this is called “positioning.” You define a product by comparing it in some way to something familiar. In John Kerry’s case he’s defined himself as the one who isn’t Bush.

But how do you take a simple message like that and turn it into a catchy and memorable campaign slogan that will attract voters to your camp? That the hard part. “I’m not George Bush” has a sort of absurd pointlessness to it similar to Chevy Chase introducing himself on the old Saturday Night Live Weekend Update with, “I’m Chevy Chase and you’re not.” It works if you’re trying to be funny. As a campaign message it’s bland and wishy-washy.

Democrat mega-financier George Soros has been on the Anybody-but-Bush bandwagon as long as anyone, and he seems content to stay there. He recently started his own campaign to unseat President Bush via his personal website. The headline of GeorgeSoros.com reads, “Why we must not elect President Bush.” The entire site is dedicated to the idea that absolutely anybody but Bush is the better choice. How about Charlie Manson? Marilyn Manson? Marilyn Monroe? Soros isn’t specific. But he stands firm on the point that he favors the other candidate, whoever that may be.

Some voters are so anti-Bush that they’re not even going to vote for the other candidate they do like. United Progressives for Victory is a group of prominent leftists who support Ralph Nader—except that they’re not going to vote for him. They’re going to vote for someone else running against Bush, and they’re urging fellow progressives and potential Nader voters to do the same. Try and turn that into an impressive campaign slogan: “Anybody but George Bush—except for Ralph Nader.” That has all the energetic appeal of lukewarm dishwater.

I’m glad I’m not a strategist for the Kerry campaign. I’d hate to be in the position where I had to come up with something more substantially appealing than “Vote for the guy who’s not Bush.” I’m not so sure that I could do any better. I’d probably come up with something just as vague and shapeless, and maybe even worse. But like I’ve said, I had some time to give this whole campaign thing some thought, so maybe I should take a shot at it anyway.

How about this: “John Kerry is not George Bush. He’s different. He’s better. He’s the other guy.” Not great, but not bad. But a slogan like that could have just as well been about laundry detergent. John Kerry, new and improved.

If it turns out that the American voting public chooses its political candidates they same way it chooses soft drink brands than the Kerry team may be on the right track. Hey, if it’s good enough for Proctor and Gamble, it’s good enough for American politics. So let’s run this one up the old flagpole: “John Kerry, the candidate for those who don’t like their presidents to be George Bush. Vote for the Un-Bush.” You know, I might be getting the hang of this after all.

If any DNC honchos need some of my expertise, feel free to phone me. I’ll be in my office dreaming up my next sure-fire political slogan. Here’s one I just came up with, “Aren’t you glad you’re voting for Kerry? Don’t you wish everybody did?” Or if you need something more straightforward and to the point, how about, “Kerry. Just do it.” Or maybe you’d prefer, “Promise her anything, but give her…"—Hello?—Hello?…Uh, can you hear me now?

Great article, Chris.

I was coming out of Trader Joe's a few weeks ago, and there was a 30-something woman putting her groceries in her Prius (heheheh). Suddenly she sneezed a very big sneeze that obviously caught her off guard.

As I walked by I said "God bless you." She turned and gave me the weirdest sneering, hostile look. I couldn't figure it out.

Then I caught a glimpse of the back of the Prius. There was a very large sticker in the window that stated "Abort Bush." That's when I understood her sneer; I had used the dreaded three letter "G-word."

How very Santa Cruz...........

All of those anti-Bush idiots who will vote for a communist Amerika will be called to account for their actions in the revolution to follow. There is no plausible way for our nation to remain free and whole under a Kerry regime. 2nd Amendment? Not under Kerry - there will be no Constitution.

Not advocating armed strife, merely stating that our country won't survive a communist takeover without bloodshed. No other communist state has either, throughout history. Likewise, when is the last time that any government gave back citizen's rights after taking them away? We all know how the left is about free speech, about gun ownership, and especially how they are the true ideological descendants of the Nazis. They try like Hell to paint the right as Nazis, but the National Socialist Party of Germany was anything but right wing.

(The last time any government gave back rights was the US after WWII. The rights of unfettered travel and dropping the rationing system. It took coercion, but it happened.)

It is not a surprise to me. I live in the Southeastern part of Massachusetts. The most liberal part of the state, more than Boston. The city I live in is used to liberal program handouts. The two things I have noticed listening and reading local opinions is this. Anyone but Bush and do anything to defeat him. Lie, cheat, attack and when you are questioned on your opinion, turn it into questioning of one's patriotism. I found it funny watching the Democrat debates, that at the end of each debate all the Democrat canidates would make it a point to say, no matter who wins we have to join together to defeat Bush.

John Kerry says he can do a better job than President Bush.

Oh really?

What is Kerry’s record during his 20 years in the Senate?

• Kerry voted against most of the major weapons systems that our troops use today.
• Kerry voted against the $87 billion for support of the troops, after he voted for it.
• Kerry led the fight against President Bush's Department Of Homeland Security, voting against it six times and delaying it for 112 days.
• Kerry missed more than 75% of the meetings of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
• Kerry proposed slashing the intelligence budget by $7.5 billion after the first attack on the World Trade Center.
• Kerry has voted at least 350 times for higher taxes.
• Kerry has been able to persuade congress to pass only eight insignificant laws that bear his name, and most of those were strictly ceremonial.
• Kerry has proposed that use of force by the US must meet a “global test.”
• Kerry voted against the first Gulf War, after Saddam invaded Kuwait. By Kerry’s standards, Saddam would still be in power, and in Kuwait.
• Kerry says he has a plan. Custer had a plan, too.

Kerry can do a better job than President Bush? Oh really?

Not advocating armed strife, merely stating that our country won't survive a communist takeover without bloodshed.

You have that correct. I've been wondering if we are going to end up in another civil war before this is all over. Taking precautions for protection just in case. And if sKerry is elected will invest in more precautions for safety.

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