then why is Kerry tied with Bush in the polls? what people believe, and what they vote based on, are two different things. and also factor in that on many of the issues you list below - politicians lie about their position, and people believe them. remember when Kerry said life begins at conception? is he pro-life?
its all about perception, not reality. that's what politics is, our side is good at reality (on most issues), bad at perception.
"then why is Kerry tied with Bush in the polls?"
I think it is due to a multiplicity of reasons. First, the relentless attacks by the leftist mainstream media and entertainment elites. Second, Bush's inability to get his message across effectively, either because the leftist media is blocking Bush, or because he isn't articulating his message well. Thirdly, the insidious impact of the NEA and college professors - for the most part - on the thinking of many young Americans. I also blame whoever is managing his campaign.
I like Bush. He CAN be a great speaker when he gets fired up about something. Normally, he struggles when he speaks.
On the other hand, his managers may deliberately be holding back and waiting to strike when the public is more clearly focussed on the elections and Kerry and pretty-boy Edwards (who really isn't such a hot speaker for an attorney either) are old news.
Also, the polls really are showing that both Bush and Kerry are running very closely at this point. Kerry is doing so well because he has succeeded in keeping his record and his views out of the limelight. The spotlight has been on Bush and Iraq and he has made some errors. But nobody is perfect and everything is clearer in hindsight. He should have been much tougher - especially in Fallujah and with Al Sadr.
"what people believe, and what they vote based on, are two different things."
This is true to a degree. The American public is often swayed by charismatic individuals of shallow character whose views are really diametrically opposed to theirs - Clinton comes to mind. But in the long run, it is the business of Bush and his managers to get out the message. If you look at those items I posted, Bush should be going after the Dems on at least the most popular ones. He should be explaining again and again that we are at war. That Iraq is only one battle in that war but a critical one and that other ones are to come. Like WW2 we can't turn around and just walk away from these people. They are out to destroy us and turn our children into the kind of zombies who blow up school buses in Israel, or beat their wives in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan. We MUST win this fight and Bush and his team are the best around to do that. He should stop apologizing for the WMD and have his people review again and again the evidence that we have that they DID exist, that Clinton and HIS people as well as the rest of the world believed they existed.
"politicians lie about their position, and people believe them. remember when Kerry said life begins at conception? is he pro-life?"
This is a good point to bring up. Bush should develop Kerry's inherent personal character flaws - the man is vacillating and doesn't appear to know his own mind. One minute a war "hero", next minute a vitriolic and mendacious war critic, one minute supporting the Iraqi war, the next opposing it.
He should also play on Kerry's wealth and stop allowing the Dems to portray themselves as "for the people" when in reality they represent special interest groups of great wealth - trial attorneys among them, radical fringe groups
rejected by most Americans e.g. - PETA and radical homosexuals, and the special interest unions - the NEA among others. (Its beyond me how multimillionares like Lautenberg, the Kennedys, the Gores, the Kerrys, etc. can represent themselves as spokesmen for the middle class.)
He will win by attacking, attacking, attacking and defending his record. Taking the high road and behaving like a gentleman will get him exactly what it got his father.
"its all about perception, not reality. that's what politics is, our side is good at reality (on most issues), bad at perception."
Correct. Reality is in the perception.
And for our sake, for America's sake, for the sake of western civilization and eastern civilization, Bush must learn how to play the game, turn the public perception towards the true reality and defeat this guy. The repercussion of his failure to do so will throw us back into a dark age of theocratic autocracy and ignorance which will require centuries to recover from.
The Islamofascists are coming and we must be prepared for them, and Bush, while far from perfect, is infinitely better than any alternative the Democrats can produce.
Remember, Lincoln almost lost in 1864. We Can win WITHOUT sacrificing our core beliefs OR pandering to the left.