Q&A With Mike Dukakis

Former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate Mike Dukakis is the participant in our latest Q&A.

Do you have any advice for John Kerry, post-election?

I am the last guy to give anybody advice about how to win the presidency. But I thought John Kerry ran a solid campaign and was a darn good candidate. He certainly showed his stuff during the debates and on the campaign trail, and, frankly, I and a lot of other people thought he was going to win. We Democrats, however, failed to do one very important thing, and it cost us dearly. We really didn't run the kind of fifty-state, all precinct, grassroots campaign that we must run if we are going to win these elections. There are l60,000 precincts in this country. Every one of them must have a precinct and block captains who systematically make contact with their voters on an ongoing basis. Unfortunately, we didn't do it.


Do you miss politics?

Once you are in politics, you never get out. Although I teach fulltime at Northeastern and UCLA, my life continues to be full of politics. I don't do a lot of press conferences these days, but I am very much involved in a variety of ways.


What was your most cherished memory of the campaign trail?

My nominating speech at the convention with my Greek immigrant mother in the audience. It was a very special moment. Unfortunately, I peaked in Atlanta!


What do you say to young people who are interested in the political process?

One of the reasons I teach and do a lot of speaking on college campuses these days is because I want to do everything I can to encourage and inspire young people to get involved in politics and public service. Fortunately, we have a lot of them who want to be involved, and some encouragement from those of us who have been fortunate enough to have that opportunity goes a long way.


What are you doing in your free time these days?

I don't have any more free time today than I had when I was governor. But Kitty and I have three wonderful children and five-- soon to be six-- grandchildren, and what free time we do have is spent with them.


Here's a look at Mike Dukakis today.

I'd like to thank Governor Dukakis for his time in responding to my questions.

Other Nominal Me Q&A's

Links of Interest:

Mike Dukakis from Wikipedia

About's Recent Interview with Dukakis

Another Mike Dukakis bio


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