Barack Obama is not John Kerry, John McCain is not Bob Dole

Pundits and wags have a tendency to compare today's political rising stars, as well as it's terrible trainwrecks, to similar politicians from yesteryear, as is common in all elements of media, however it's nearly impossible to get through a political season without the same similarities and coincidences thrown around like tired cliches.
For the democrats, it's always Kennedy and Clinton if you're persuasive and charismatic, Carter and Mondale if you're seen as weak, and Dukakis and Kennedy if you're lefty and liberal. The same applies to Republicans, every modern conservative strives to be the next Reagan, and shamelessly tries to avoid comparisons to Bob Dole or Newt Gingrich or even to a certain extent, Gerald Ford.
This election is obvioiusly no different.
Since 2004 was a mere four years ago and is the election most freshly in the minds of the American people, democrats view that election almost on par with genocide and chants of "Never Again!" are shouted from rooftops and drum circles alike. The democrats thought they had a real winner in John Kerry, he was experienced, he had the initials JFK, and he nailed every generic Democratic talking point. He wrapped up the nomination early and was on his way to raise buckets of money for him and his party. Not to mention he was a bonafied war hero, and a former prosecutor that was a champion of the little guy. But Kerry was also a waffler, he voted for the Iraq war and ran on a platform opposing it and couldn't decide whether he wanted to run as a populist hero or a laid back catholic everyman who loved to hunt, but also loved windsurfing and snowboarding. He was tarred and feathered on all fronts by a merciless Republican attack machine and failed to win against someone who now has the most dismal approval rating in recorded history and is already seen as more of a mascot than a statesman.
Barack Obama is not John Kerry, this was apparent as soon as he locked up the nomination and went toe to toe with McCain and the Republicans on almost every issue, not giving any ground, even on issues that aren't neccessarily his strengths, and ensuring that his campaign coupled with his legions of hard nosed volunteers worked tirelessly to discount every negative word and smear that could possibly be uttered against him.
Granted Obama has made a mistake by making the election more about him and his message and less about the past 8 years and the legacy of President 25%, but although his message is soft and inspiring, he has never shown a hesitancy to trade punches, or use the occasional folding chair when the refs aren't looking, and that right there should give Democrats at least a modicum of hope that this nominee won't be tarred and feathered and drug out on a rail.
Obama is in the precarious position of facing both a headwind and a tailwind at the same time, on the one hand he's running in a year when the American people are ready to vote overwhelmingly for a Generic Democrat, but at the same time he faces huge suspicion both on "cultural issues," as his campaign calls them, and one of the most underground and ugly smearfests anyone has ever seen.
If it'd been Kerry he would've been buried long ago.
John McCain meanwhile is also another story, as the standard bearer leading his bruised and tattered Republican Army in what seems like a limp, if not a slow crawl to the white house. Republicans face the prospect of a very dismal November, and with recent reports that a majority of congressional Republicans in competitive races this year are avoiding their party's National Convention like an ebola patient, it just goes to show the tough hill Mr. McCain has to climb.
But wait! John McCain will not go gently into that good night dammit! The average polls show him between 3-7 points behind Obama and running very competitive in the very states he must win in order to sleep nightly in the Lincoln Bedroom.
When Bob Dole ran as an old fashioned conservative from the Kansas heartland his campaign seemed to be doomed from the start, Bill Clinton was popular, the economy was booming and people were comfortable. Falling off of stages and speaking in the third person didn't do anything to get his poll numbers soaring either, and so it went, and that November Dole did no better than GHW Bush, and Republicans had to suffer 4 more years of Slick Willie.
McCain however is no Bob Dole, although he himself can be incredibly awkward and his campaign has been fumbling about since the very start, failing to stick to a message for more than five minutes and having lot's of embarrassing ties to lobbyists in a year when people are tired of Washington as usual.
Yet voters seem to find him amiable and charming and although the Republican base hasn't flocked to his banner with warcry's and shouts, his campaign and Republicans in general have made the average Republican so scared of Obama they're left with no other choice.
His off the cuffness can give his handlers ulcers, but people seem to find it somewhat refreshing and tend to view him as lot more of a nice guy and an old kidder than a furious warmonger.
The liberal left meanwhile has been pretty good at trying to tie McCain to President Bush, and this may yet be his downfall but he's still been able to keep what should be a landslide against him fairly competitive and too that he deserves some credit.