WHAT: “Windsurfing”
WHEN: 2004
WHO: President George W. Bush (R) vs. Sen. John Kerry (D) of Massachusetts
BACKGROUND: As with McGovern, Senator Kerry’s opponent – this time, the Bush campaign itself, rather than a third-party – sought to portray Kerry as a politician prone to changing positions. The image that Kerry hoped would burnish his credentials as an athletic, adventuresome sporting enthusiast was instead used to portray him as a “flip-flopper,” a label that stuck through his loss to President Bush.
