On Sunday, Dec. 15, 2002, former Vice President Al Gore kicked off the 2004 presidential campaign by announcing that he would not be a candidate. The announcement shocked many of the Democratic Party faithful, who had been itching for a rematch after one of the closest elections in history. Indeed, many Democrats refused to concede that Gore had actually lost the election–and still do.
But Gore said no. And that declaration raised the obvious question: then who?
Democrats answered that question resoundingly on Tuesday, as Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts virtually sealed the party’s nomination with convincing victories in nine states.
Kerry’s victory was impressive, but it wasn’t inevitable. Yes, he was a war hero turned anti-war activist. And he had money. But just a few months ago, remember, he was among a group of candidates derided by Republicans as the “seven dwarfs.” Some confused him with a former senator from Nebraska. He was thought to be dull and wooden on the stump.
The Democratic Party also was at a low ebb. It had not only suffered the 2000 defeat, it had lost its slim edge in the Senate in the 2002 elections, allowing Republicans to consolidate control over Congress again.
In a way, however, that painful defeat set the stage for a Democratic comeback. There was room for fresh voices and new faces. Nothing was decreed.
The wake-up call came from Howard Dean, the former Vermont governor. With Internet savvy and red-meat rhetoric, Dean ruefully claimed to represent “the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party.” He attracted and excited young volunteers, and raised big money in ways party elders hadn’t imagined.
Suddenly it was a full field, 10 candidates in all. No, most voters couldn’t name–or even recognize–them all (one last time: Dean, Kerry, retired Gen. Wesley Clark, Sen. John Edwards, Rep. Dick Gephardt, Sen. Bob Graham, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Sen. Joe Lieberman, former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, Rev. Al Sharpton.)
But by January, those Democratic voters who were paying attention knew where these candidates stood. A series of provocative debates and some sharp-elbowed campaigning highlighted their differences on issues like jobs, NAFTA, Iraq and Medicare.
Democratic voters faced a real choice. That could have been a recipe for an exhausted and divided party to limp into its convention this summer. Instead, it energized voters.
Now Democrats have made their choice. And now Kerry can expect far more scrutiny of his record than it has received so far. All in all, the Democratic primaries were a polite affair. His opponents hardly laid a glove on Kerry, but his record will not get such light treatment from the Republicans. As one Republican wag told Time magazine: “We made Al Gore look like a Massachusetts liberal. Can you imagine what we’ll do with a Massachusetts liberal?”
That may be a bit unfair to Kerry, whose record has a number of inconsistencies but is more nuanced than straight-line liberalism. It does give a sense of what’s ahead, though. Voters, strap in.
