2008 Woodie Awards
Reflections from the Kerry Campaign
Kevin Agnese
Issue date: 11/24/04 Section: Features
- Page 1 of 4 next >
"So with a grateful heart, I leave this campaign with a prayer that has even greater meaning to me now that I've come to know our vast country so much better. Thanks to all of you and what a privilege it has been. And that prayer is very simple: God bless America." With those words it was over. Senator John Kerry ended his campaign for the presidency on Wednesday afternoon, November 3rd. Kerry's campaign had lasted for nearly two years. The Massachusetts senator filed papers on December 4, 2002, with the Federal Election Commission, which formally established an exploratory campaign committee for the 2004 election.
As my bitter disappointment over the result of the election continues, I felt the need to step back and analyze the past two years. I have an interesting perspective of the Kerry campaign because I volunteered for Senator Kerry for the past 15 months. From walking the snowy sidewalks of New Hampshire during the primary season, to making phone calls on behalf of the new Democratic nominee for president in March, to cheering my heart out inside the Fleetcenter during the convention in Boston, to making last minute phone calls to the battleground state of Ohio as the calendar turned to November, the campaign was long and exciting. I only wish it ended with a victory celebration.
"I want to go out and fight for a better set of choices for our country, and I want to start building a national organization right away to help me in that effort," Kerry said, as he launched his campaign in December 2002. "We're going to build a grassroots organization of Americans who love their country and want to make it stronger." As the John Kerry for president campaign began many political observers instantly claimed Kerry was the favorite to win the nomination of his party, particularly after former Vice President Al Gore declared that he would not run for president on December 15, 2002. Kerry was well known for his work in the senate since he was first elected in 1984, and he was considered a viable candidate for the presidency. At the time, President Bush had a very high approval rating, and it was thought that in the post-September 11th world the democrats would need to find a candidate who was strong on defense issues. Thus, an experienced, intelligent, and articulate senator seemed like a good choice. Oh, and it helped that he was a Vietnam War hero.
As my bitter disappointment over the result of the election continues, I felt the need to step back and analyze the past two years. I have an interesting perspective of the Kerry campaign because I volunteered for Senator Kerry for the past 15 months. From walking the snowy sidewalks of New Hampshire during the primary season, to making phone calls on behalf of the new Democratic nominee for president in March, to cheering my heart out inside the Fleetcenter during the convention in Boston, to making last minute phone calls to the battleground state of Ohio as the calendar turned to November, the campaign was long and exciting. I only wish it ended with a victory celebration.
"I want to go out and fight for a better set of choices for our country, and I want to start building a national organization right away to help me in that effort," Kerry said, as he launched his campaign in December 2002. "We're going to build a grassroots organization of Americans who love their country and want to make it stronger." As the John Kerry for president campaign began many political observers instantly claimed Kerry was the favorite to win the nomination of his party, particularly after former Vice President Al Gore declared that he would not run for president on December 15, 2002. Kerry was well known for his work in the senate since he was first elected in 1984, and he was considered a viable candidate for the presidency. At the time, President Bush had a very high approval rating, and it was thought that in the post-September 11th world the democrats would need to find a candidate who was strong on defense issues. Thus, an experienced, intelligent, and articulate senator seemed like a good choice. Oh, and it helped that he was a Vietnam War hero.