John Cole notes the surprising similarity between the core message of John Kerry in 2004 and John McCain this year. He makes broader points about rebuilding the Republican grassroots movement, but he is absolutely right that “Not Bush” in 2004 and “Not Obama” in 2008 were/are not winning messages. Kerry and McCain each have their unique personalities, strengths and weaknesses as political candidates, but their fundamental problem was the same: they were unable to make the case as to why people should vote for them, rather than voting against the other guy.
Icepicks and Nukes 
I was thinking the exact same thing when I read John’s post. It was spot on.