I think that description would fit the majority of politicians. I agree that Kerry was not exactly a charismatic figure, but neither was Bush. So alleging his allegedly lackluster performance does not explain much.
As I said time and again, the problem is not with politicians but with American people, or perhaps a good half of them, and their fears and delusions. A huge chunk of it is backward, xenophobic, sexist, racist, self-righteous, ignorant and insular - yet for years their feelings were ridiculed and delegitmized by the "liberal media" ant snotty "liberal elites." They remained dormant, as expressing them publicly was considered "politically incorrect." They could only be expressed privately on via third rate public venues such as AM radio.
Republicans learned how to capture those feelings to their advantage, first by legitimating them and then turning up the fear mongering and instigation - the gay marriage measures were no coincidence. By so doing, they generated the largest protest vote in the recent American history.. People turned out to protest against the "liberal elite" rather than vote for Bush. If anyone is guilty the Anyone But ___ vote, it is the ABL (Anyone but a Liberal) crowd who was rebelling against suppression of their gutter feelings. The fact that Bush acted like a redneck was only to his advantage.
I think that Kerry run a very respectable campaign, not perfect but strong. He appeared thoughtful, well informed and respectful of his interlocutors - qualities that would earn him leadership position under different conditions. His problem was that he was facing a growing tide of the redneck blowback - encouraged by republicans to be sure - but rooted in authentic deep rooted gut feelings.
Do you really think that all that racism, bigotry and xenophobia of the civil rights movement simply vanished into the thin air? Do you really think that blatant sexism simply disappeared and went away with the wave of feminism during the 1970s and 1980s? It was merely swept under the rug when the mainstream media and culture turned against it and ridiculed it to reform and modernize the US society.
The problem is not with Gore or Kerry, who run respectable and responsible campaign, but with the American people, or rather the republican unleashing the ugly demon of American bigotry swept under the rug during the 1960 and 1970s.
Let's just face it Doug - the 1930s progressive intellectuals' bout with populism is finally over, finished, kaput. The HL Mencken's Boobus Americanus is back in full force. It is time to kiss the old myth goodbye and start thinking a new strategy for the left as a minority for many, many years to come.
Wojtek