US embassy cable - 04TEGUCIGALPA2510

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 002510 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR WHA/PDA (OHILTON), WHA/CEN 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, PREL, KPAO, PGOV, KDEM, HO 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON THE U.S ELECTIONS, NOVEMBER 5, 
2004 
 
 
1. Editorial in Tegucigalpa-based moderate daily "El 
Heraldo" on 11/5, entitled "Democratic Defeat."  "Not even 
the active support of several Hollywood stars, the most 
influential media outlets, academics, organizations of all 
kinds, including relatives of 9/11 victims and soldiers who 
died or are still fighting in Iraq, or the failures and 
mistakes of President Bush were enough for the Democrats to 
regain the White House.  To make matters worse, they got 
even weaker in the House of Representatives and the Senate." 
 
"Their bet on the vote of young people and a massive turnout 
that the experts on Kerry's side saw as their key to 
success, didn't yield the results expected.  Although young 
people voted mostly for Kerry and this election had the 
largest turnout in history, the Republicans exploited to a 
great extent the fear of terrorism, and they relied on 
Christian conservatism, mainly in the rural areas and the 
mid-size cities in the Midwest and South." 
 
"Besides, the Democrats stressed too much the defects of 
Bush rather than the virtues of their candidate.  They were 
also unable to grasp the idea that their opponents were 
firmly rooted in the ideological dogmatism, and against it, 
not even the truth is an effective tool." 
 
Palmer