Election 2004's Myths & Mysteries. Link

George W. Bush’s record-smashing vote totals in Election 2004 have two possible explanations that the mainstream press has kept off the table: the first is that somehow the vote tallies were manipulated; the second is that negative campaigning is far more effective than almost anyone wants to admit.

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2004/121004.html

Conclusions:

Lessons Unlearned?

So what do the Democrats have to do to compete for power? The same consultants are back giving advice about adding more “values” talk to their speeches, registering more voters, and positioning the party more to the right.

But that advice may miss the real lessons of Election 2004, which might suggest a more aggressive Democratic response:

--First, ascertain whether there was any rigging of the vote, either through systematic suppression of balloting in Democratic precincts or through Republican computer manipulation. Washington insiders might laugh at these possibilities, but millions of Americans believe that George W. Bush, again, cheated his way to victory. If those doubts aren’t addressed, many Americans won’t go to the polls in 2006 and 2008, thinking that the fix is in and why bother.

--Second, begin a genuine conversation with the American people; don’t just memorize more Bible passages. While the Republicans may be manipulative in their politics, they have used the pervasive conservative media – especially talk radio – to engage the public in a give-and-take on political issues. The feedback has proved invaluable when calibrating political themes.

--Third, address the conservative caricature of liberalism head-on. Again, the Republicans have a huge advantage with the conservative media reaching virtually every corner of America and especially dominant in Middle America where outlets of information are more limited than in the urban centers of the coasts. Liberals also can’t count on the mainstream press to give them a fair shake. If they ever hope to win, liberals have no choice but to build a media infrastructure of their own.

--Fourth, tell it like it is to the American people, not only about Bush and his administration, but level about what the liberal vision is for the United States. If the country’s political system is to be revitalized, liberals must counter-attack in what the conservatives call the “war of ideas.”

George W. Bush’s record-smashing vote totals in Election 2004????
What country's votes is he counting?

As the totals continue to come in, Bush's margin over Kerry is now at just under 2.5%. 2.45% to be exact. According to Ruy Teixera at Emergingdemocraticmajority.com, the most updated totals are the following:

Bush: 61,816,317 (50.62%)
Kerry: 58,824,880 (48.17%)
Total: 122,124,783 (turnout rate: 59.9% of voting-eligible population)

Mandate my ass