The defeat of John Kerry, combined with the Republican advances in the House and Senate, has unleashed waves of dismay and perplexity within liberal and progressive circles. What happened? Why did so many voters embrace a President whose Iraq policy was paved with lies and deceptions, who has shown contempt for science, the rule of law and many of the principles of the Enlightenment, and whose economic policies favor the rich at the expense of the vast majority of Americans? What lessons do we draw from Kerry's failure to win over the electorate in spite of the Bush Administration's conspicuous failures? Are the Democrats crippled, or merely wounded, and is the party really out of touch with "mainstream" values? Finally, what should the priorities of the progressive movement be in this era of Republican dominance, and what is the best formula for future electoral success? The Nation asked some of the country's leading political activists and intellectuals for their thoughts on one or more of these questions. Their brief essays follow.   --The Editors

VAN JONES

THE DEMOCRATS TODAY ARE LIKE BRIGHT KIDS, failing out of school. They're smart. They're studious. But they just can't figure out how to pass the exams. Now they are furious with those "stupid" red-state graders. But they still can't graduate without red-state approval. What to do?

Well, the analogy itself holds some answers. On exam day (and election day), one excels when she knows what competence the teacher is actually measuring. Democrats think their IQs are being tested. But voters today are flunking them, in part, based on their low EQs.

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the intelligence of the heart. People with high IQs understand data. But people with high EQs understand people. They know how to connect and empathize; how to set people at ease; how to touch their hearts; how to make folks laugh and cry.

Left-wing intellectuals often look down on those whose intelligence is in the emotional domain. We cherish careful analysis--not down-home yarns and "charisma." We sniff at the "charmers." We fear the "demagogues." We want our politics to be above all that.

But the verdict's in: EQ trumps IQ in big elections--hands down. Think Gray Davis versus Arnold Schwarzenegger. Or Alan Keyes versus Barack Obama. All the candidates had IQ smarts (yes, including Arnold). But the winners were titans of EQ. And the losers were EQ midgets.

In 2004 Kerry had more policy smarts. But Bush had more people smarts. He ran the more emotionally resonant campaign--speaking clearly, simply and passionately. And he won.

Republicans have mastered this art--but only recently. EQ genius Bill Clinton beat Bob Dole and outlasted Newt Gingrich. It was almost no contest, since both of Clinton's GOP foes were emotionally tone-deaf. Clinton's EQ-based spanking forced the Republicans to speak in the more EQ-savvy language of "compassionate conservatism." The rest is history.

The bottom line: Emotional intelligence matters--a lot. Voters don't trust pure brainiacs. Their brainiest bosses, teachers and HMO doctors were often their worst. They want to feel comfortable with the human being they are placing in power. Even among Democrats, Kerry failed to connect at a human level. That cost him--and all of us.

Progressives certainly need more infrastructure. But voters don't vote for think tanks, networks or websites. They vote for individual candidates. And we need to invest in those who can lead with their hearts, as well as their heads.

Van Jones is executive director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in Oakland, California.

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