Same As The Old KerryAri Berman writes in the Nation of
the New John Kerry:
In the past few months Kerry has presented a side of himself very different from the one the public saw during the 2004 campaign. Freed from the grip of consultants, the spotlight of the national media and the Republican attack dogs, he is looser, clearer and more compelling. Call it the Al Gore Effect. At the end of a presidential campaign, losing candidates either retreat, keep up the good fight or attempt the arduous task of redefining themselves. Kerry's both fighting and redefining these days.Fighting to redefine himself, more likely. Kerry's only hope is the same as Al Gore's: to fly with the left wing and hope that it has more staying power than it did in 2004. He can't be the establishment candidate this time around, so his only hope is to run on the "I hate Bush more than you do" theme.
But he's going to have quite some competition to attract the votes of the BDS folks. Gore and Feingold are both courting those voters. Feingold has the advantage of having done it longer, while Gore has the advantage of not being a Senator and having to make votes that undercut your credibility with the netkooks.
