Backward Bounce By Joel Mowbray FrontPageMagazine.com | August 2, 2004 For very good reason, the rule of thumb is that a presidential candidate gains ground following his party’s convention: It almost always happens. It happened four years ago, despite Al Gore’s nearly incoherent rant. It happened in 1984, after Walter Mondale reaffirmed his pledge to raise taxes. It even happened for Jimmy Carter in 1980 after a brutal civil war with Ted Kennedy. But it didn’t happen for John Kerry. According to the USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll, conducted Friday and Saturday, Kerry lost a total swing of 5 points from the...