Story of the 2004 Presidential Campaign between incumbent President GW Bush and Democratic challenger John F. Kerry which, in the opinion of many political observers, Kerry and the Democratic Party let slip right through their fingers and ended up on the losing end of the vote.The film follows John Kerry's winning the Democratic Party's nomination for President in Boston in July to his self destruction over the next four months when he blew a double digit lead in the polls against President Bush to end up losing in the November elections by 50.7 % to 48.3 % of the popular vote! Thus legitimizing Bush's 2000 victory in which he won the electoral but lost the popular vote to his Democratic Party opponent for president Al Gore.Despite Kerry's outstanding, to Bush's non-existent, military record in Vietnam the Republican strategists, headed by Karl Rove, actually used it against him in falsifying it by claiming that all his medals were somehow fraudulent especially Kerry's three Purple Hearts! Kerry reacted to these false charges by mostly ignoring them which lead many voters to feel that they were actually true which they weren't!This "swift boat" smear campaign by the Republicans had Kerry going on the defensive for the remainder of the Presidential Campaign as his lead in the polls evaporated together with his claims of being a genuine war hero! John Kerry who was a hero in Vietnam now turned out to be a first class wimp, by letting Bush & the Republicans step all over him, when running for the highest office in the land.On Election Day 2004 it looked like Kerry was going to pull it out and win the Presidency for the Democratic Party with him, for once, leading in a number of key states that he needed to win the White House. The most crucial state being the Buckeye state of Ohio with its 20 electoral votes. It was also Ohio that the Republicans targeted with a massive get out the vote campaign which the Democrats failed to match. The Republicans-who politically controlled the state- also bottled up a number of key Democratic precincts, with disruptive poll watchers and a lack of voting machines. As it turned out the final results in Ohio mirrored the elections total 50 state results with Bush besting Kerry, after being behind in the early voting by as much as 28%, 50.7% to 48.3%.What the film "So Goes the Nation" made crystal clear is how the Democrats blew an election that they were sure to win by smugly trying to take the high road in winning it. Politics is a dirty business and to win in it you've got to pull out all stops in pounding your opponent into submission just short of ending up, like Richard M. Nixon, breaking the law. The Republican strategy was to attack Kerry's strong points like his service in Vietnam and have him defend it as if it was detrimental not positive in him getting elected president. The Kerry people let Bush off the hook in defending their candidate's brilliant war record while Bush who did everything to avoid serving in the war ended up getting a free ride.These attacks on Kerry had the public, especially in Ohio, overlook the downturn in the economy and the disastrous Iraqi War which if brought out by Kerry and the Democratic Party would have easily given Kerry the Presidency! In the end the clueless, in how to win a Presidential Election, Democratic Party proved that famous saying "Good Guys Finish last" which they by trying to be goody two shoes, and letting themselves get kicked all over the place, totally turned the American public against them! All these political miscalculations by Kerry and the Democratic Party had GW Bush voted in for a second term by the majority of the American voters which in retrospect turned out to be against, for most of those who voted for him, their best interest!

The movie fails to transcend the screen, and stays simply as a piece of film, a point in history.The movie focuses on a group of people attempting to change the outcome of Ohio in the 2004 Presidential Election. The film presents, in the beginning, the views of exclusively democrats, but gradually things open up.The movie's true fault lies in the fact the only take aways one has from the film are factual and concrete, no ideas to be applied to other situations. But in documenting the lives of these individuals during the 2004 race the movie succeeds.So Goes the Nation is movie for the truly politically motivated or those interested in the 2004 Pres. Election. 7/10

The film attempts to show the cutthroat decisiveness of one of the last vestiges of electoral battling in the 2004 Presidential race between Senator Kerry and the incumbent, President George W. Bush. The film follows the tales of three "characters": Miles Gerety-a carryover political activist from the 1960s movements, Evan-a 26 year old college student who believes that he can be a force of change in the political machine, and Leslie-a grass roots activist who takes the election to heart and gives the campaign everything she has. Miles and Evan have the majority of the screen time, and are both Democrats. The concept of the film is the reigning political philosophy that the heartland of America is the truest test of the fabric of the American public consciousness. The title of the movie is in fact, a variable of a political stance that exemplifies that theory…"As goes Ohio, so goes the nation." The filmmakers therefore follow the three campaigners across the state, from Cleveland to Cincinnati and even to the small, aptly named town of Middleburg, located in the heart of the state. Through documentary style footage, news footage and interviews, we are led through the tension and struggle that was the 2004 election. The film spans only 12 days prior to the election, yet traverses far more issues and miles in its travel. Stern and Deo attempt to work the documentary genre into an entertaining piece of work. The intention is to follow in the footsteps of the great political documentaries that came before them. Unfortunately however, the editing choice to attempt to bring the project to a level greater than the sum of its parts leaves the film feeling far more like a rallying cry for the Democrats than a non-partisan expose of the door to door and hand to hand politics of other film. Nation attempts to find the middle ground between the gritty realism of Street Fight with the intensity and drama of The War Room. There are indeed moments of rallies, door to door campaigning and even the occasional shouting match, but the overall effect of the editing is more Fahrenheit 911 than a true documentary. The fact that Michael Moore is featured speaking at a rally for the Democratic Party does nothing to dispel this notion. Much of the films actual campaign footage focuses on "guerrilla tactics" that the Republican Party used to entice those registered with their party to vote "appropriately". Those who fail to agree to vote with the party line are set up to be "revisited in a few days". The film is biased not only in its presentation of evidence regarding the electoral process of 2004, but even in the amount of time given to each party, or "character". While Miles and Evan's work receives lengthy screen time, Leslie's campaign activities on screen can literally be measured in seconds. The film is distinct, clear and focused…on its own agenda. Whether the filmmakers set out to make a rally cry for the Dems or simply made honest editing mistakes remains to be seen, but Hillary and Obama should certainly add this film to their volunteer packages for 2008.

When I went to see this movie, part of me was expecting an hour and a half of Bush bashing. That can be fun every once and again but what surprised me about this movie was the fact that it looked at both sides of the election. The Kerry/Edwards campaign was represented and so was the Bush/Cheney campaign. No one side was made out to look like it was perfect. Faults were shown on both sides and high points were shown on both sides. As far as cinema goes, I thought this was a great film. When I left the theater, I was physically tired as a result of what I had just watched. The viewer gets so much information in this relatively short span of time. The film itself is well organized and well constructed, without too much bias (would it really be possible to have a film be completely without bias?). Whatever your political stance, this is a film that can be appreciated for the questions it raises: questions about political strategy, specifically. Because it does not take a pro-Bush or pro-Kerry stance, it can appeal to everyone.