How much would Dukakis have won by if not for the media's bias?

[J. J.]

IIRC, this was Dukakis Campaign photo opportunity.

[J. J.]

The fact that he told Bernard Shaw that he wouldn't retaliate if a thug raped his own wife pretty much sealed his fate.

He never said this!

To paraphrase the question, he responded, passionless, that he would not favor the death penalty for someone who raped and killed his wife. 

[J. J.]

To paraphrase the question, he responded, passionless, that he would not favor the death penalty for someone who raped and killed his wife. 

That's called integrity.

That's called being a robot.  He didn't say, "I'd like to strangle the guy, but wouldn't."  He came off, as described at the time, as "the Ice Man."  GHW Bush came off as being normal.

The Dukakis campaign of 1988 was possibly one of three worse campaigns since 1940.  Even Dewey's 1948 campaign was better. 

[J. J.]

For all the MA bashing, their crime rate is well below the national average. In fact, the murder rate is now 2.0 per 100,000 in MA, and 5.5 per 100,000 in the country as a whole. 

http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm

"Is" is 18 years later.

I've been refrring to the campaign; ironically, after the DNC that year, Dukakis was 17 points ahead of Bush.