1988- What should Dukakis have done differently?

[Badger]

I ran Dukakis's campaign on my liberal campus, and from my dealings with the main campaign organization there was little it couldn't have done better. This was one presidential campaign where tactics and poor organization actually made as big a difference as the economy or war & peace issues.

There was no central unifying theme. At all. One commentator put it that there was no "backyard argument", of the kind you could tell your neighbor over the fence in under 30 seconds. "Good jobs and good wages" became (I kid you not) the main campaign "message".

[Badger]

He should have not hopped for a ride in a tank.

But in all fairness, I don't think Dukakis could have won that election.

Dukakis was actually well ahead in the polls over the summer. Even before any "post-convention bounce".

[Badger]

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You should look up when the Wall came down.  

I can only assume that the OP meant the new US-Soviet detente under Gorbachev/Reagan. Otherwise he really fumbled up history here.

Virtually nobody was anticipating the fall the Wall until it was actually falling in 1989, of course. And Reagan's Tear down this wall! only turned out to be quite prophetic in retrospect.

As long as we understand is was prophetic, not causational. Much like the rest of Reagan's foriegn policy, notwithstanding the conservative myth of "St. Ronnie, Slayer of Communism".

[Badger]

Dropped out and let another Democrat run.

Meh. Easy to say in hindsight, but who? Gephardt? Simon? Hart?

If Dukakis had shown half the toughness and tenacity in the general election as he did in the primaries, he might've won.