WASHINGTON (AP) -- You're not alone, Sen. John Kerry. Diplomacy, nuance and your adviser Bob Shrum were also Election Day losers.
And don't get too puffy-chested, Mr. President. Values, exurbs and your political aide Karl Rove had winning nights that rival yours. In addition to the 59.3 million happy Bush voters and 55.7 million grim Kerry voters, it's a full roster of winners and losers.
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Winner: Fear, a powerful motivator and Bush's main weapon. With more than 1,100 dead in Iraq and millions unemployed at home, many Americans wanted a new direction. Bush made them afraid of change, warning of terrorist strikes and Kerry's ability to command.
Loser: Hate, the emotion that rallied Democrats behind the first candidate they thought could beat Bush. "Anybody But Bush" buttons were all the rage, but Kerry's Vietnam combat record alone wasn't the antidote to Bush's formula of fear.
Winner: Exurbs, the farthest suburbs in states such as Minnesota, Wisconsin and Arizona are packed with new Republican voters and converted Democrats. Rove thinks shifts to the GOP in exurbs and small towns are the secret to a semi-permanent Republican majority, and nobody is arguing with him right now.
Loser: Europe, a continent filled with Bush bashers whose sentiments were summed up by this Daily Mirror of London headline: "How can 59,054,087 people be so dumb?"
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