So people think Kerry is running a bad campaign?

[WilliamPitt]

Just a few thread headlines here in GD2004:

Ohio -- from swing state leaning Bush to Kerry stronghold

Missouri dead heat. Washington Kerry +8 (SUSA)

Colorado -- from fairly reliable Bush to dead heat with Kerry

N.C. May Be Presidential Battleground

It's Official: Smear Boat Liars HAVE FAILED and Backfired!!

Kerry Press Release: General Wesley Clark on Troop Redeployments

CNN: Kerry up by SEVEN in OHIO!

Hm.

[NMDemDist2]

1. not me, I think he's doing great

but to protect willPitt's sensibilities I won't say what I really think.

[WilliamPitt]

7. Jinx!

[NMDemDist2]

11. what? whaddidIdo?

i didn't say anything :evilgrin:

[Raven]

2. Hey, Will! The tide is turning!

I can tell up here that people are beginning to believe that a change in the White House is necessary. Some folks are reluctant to admit it but they are turning...but, remember the old saying "Many a slip 'twix the cup and the lip."

PS. See my post above. I could use your help!

[WilliamPitt]

8. Check your private mail

[Stew225]

3. Lest we not underate Shrub's continuing contributions

to the Kerry campaign! The guy is an awesome democratic weapon not to be undersold!

[Seabiscuit]

28. Precisely the point

Kerry isn't winning points, Bush is losing points.

I, for one, have made it known I'm very unhappy with certain aspects of Kerry's campaign. On those issues he does not represent my concerns.

OTOH, Bush continues to self-destruct, and without a really effective campaign or choice from Kerry on all fronts, Bush's own weaknesses are our best hope - if only more Americans could learn about them!

[wyldwolf]

4. but... but...

He's DLC so I want him to fail .. uh.. I mean he GOING to fail!

or..

People aren't voting for Kerry, they're voting AGAINST Bush...

or...

Kerry would be doing much better if he _____________ or if he took Kucinich's positions... (Sorry, Will. I like Dennis but...)

or...

Kerry should be doing much better considering how bad Bush is!

[Seabiscuit]

32. Whoa, Nellie!

"He's DLC so I want him to fail .. uh.. I mean he GOING to fail!"

That WAS my position during the primaries, but now we have no choice -he HAS to win. His DLC stubbornness and weaknesses, however are making it more difficult for him to win than it should be.

"Kerry should be doing much better considering how bad Bush is!"

Now that is something I DO agree with.

[wyldwolf]

34. Whoa, Nellie! Part II

His DLC stubbornness and weaknesses, however are making it more difficult for him to win than it should be.

Rubbish

[charlyvi]

5. I think he's doing great too...

his denunciation of the MoveOn ad was a masterstroke. Looks VERY bi-partisan presidential while shrub looks like a petulant spoiled brat. Oh....I forgot!

[enigmatic]

6. Those who keep saying that Kerry is losing the election despite all..

the evidence to the contrary won't listen, they'll just continue to complain. Let them, I don't care anymore.

I'm up in here in Edmonton now, but I'm doing everything I can to get people to vote this November, and nothing is going to stop me. If Kerry is elected I'm going to hold his feet to the fire as everyone should to make sure he follows through with his plans. But we have to get him elected first. That's all I care about now.

[NoPasaran]

9. No, I think he's doing okay

I am a footsoldier in this war. What really matters to me is the tactical level: where do I go and at what time do I go there to register the most new voters for our side? Do I need a table and a couple of other people to help me, or just me and my trusty clipboard? I know the generals have their strategies, and I can only hope that they wise ones. Someday when it's all over I'll read a book about it and maybe understand where my pixel fit into the big picture.

[creeksneakers2]

10. The GOP plan of attack

"How did he expect the American people to believe he would defend them when he wouldn't even defend himself?"
James Carville on Al Gore


The whole GOP strategy from here on out is to define Kerry as somebody who is too weak to answer questions or fight off attacks. They've already started this line on talk radio. They've convinced a large portion of voters that Kerry is a guy who is afraid to take one side of an issue. The GOP will go big time negative at the GOP convention.

If the GOP succeeds in making Kerry look weak when he doesn't answer, they'll attack Kerry constantly. Even if Kerry answers every question well, it will still make him look like he's weak, because he'll be letting Bush ask all the questions, while Bush answers none. If Kerry doesn't answer he's toast.

The GOP has won almost every presidential election this same way.

The media has portrayed both Dems and Repubs as enraged. They've made the election a virility contest. The media is going to tell the story of a knife fight, whether one happens or not. They'll make the guy who doesn't play along the loser.

Kerry and his people have done a fantastic job so far. If they can't go negative now, they should at least do one thing. They should start saying Bush is afraid to answer questions. Point out that Bush has held almost no news conferences and makes his supporters sign a loyalty oath to attend his rallies. They need to repeat this attack over and over. That way, if the public sees Kerry as too afraid to answer questions, they'll see Bush this way too. We'll be on even ground and can go back on offense.

[bigtree]

Two elections they didn't win. . .

Bill Clinton, who is probably the best political strategist in the Democratic Party, tells friends that John Kerry should set two goals for his acceptance speech tonight — more clearly explain who is really is and give more detail on exactly how his policies would differ from George W. Bush's. The former president thinks the campaign so far has been too general and based mostly on rhetoric, his confidants tell U.S. News and the Bulletin. He tells friends that Americans don't have enough information about Kerry — an assessment which is backed by recent polls. But he adds that just presenting a compelling biography won't be enough, that Kerry needs to spell out with much more clarity how his views on education, tax cuts, the environment, law enforcement, health care, fighting terrorism, winning the war in Iraq, and other issues offer voters a very stark choice in November. Clinton warns that if Kerry doesn't start clarifying those differences, Bush will set a fall agenda based on creating fear that Kerry is too weak to be commander in chief.

Clinton's advice, which has been passed on to Kerry through intermediaries: Don't get diverted by what's in the news media each day; just set your plan and stick to it. An added cautionary note is that Clinton believes Bush can be a very effective campaigner, and he isn't sure Democrats take candidate Bush as seriously as he deserves.

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/archive/bull040729n.htm

[DemBones DemBones]

29. This is what I see coming down the pike, too.

I hope they have a strategy that includes standing up to these bastards soon.

The media is biased for Bush*, as we all know, but some of them would give Kerry some props for fighting back.

[Seabiscuit]

33. Don't look now, but

this is exactly what's been happening since the Democratic Convention:

"If the GOP succeeds in making Kerry look weak when he doesn't answer, they'll attack Kerry constantly."

[Joanne98]

51. this is what I think

I was so furious last night i thought about starting a thread blasting kerry. i fear the dems are going back to their "pink tutu" stategy. Carville is correct when he saz it's not the message that counts, it's how kerry responds to the message. not attacking swift boat lies was a huge mistake. i feel a little bit better this morning since kerry hit back. BUT the language he used was not anywhere near what he needs to do. he needs to DESTROY John O'Neill. He needs to use words like LIAR, CORRUPT. Until he does that it won't be over. If he can't fight O'Neill how can he fight Al quaeda? this is what rove is doing and it's working. I still have half a mind to start a thread called, "How to lose an unloseable election, The Pink TuTu Strategy". But i'll hold off for now. if he doesn't stand up he loses, it's that simple. He can't have anybody else do it for him and he has to massacure them. i'm holding my breath.

[blondeatlast]

12. Will, it's just hopeless for JFK.

He's within single points or leading an incumbent, wartime president.

Let's just surrender now...

:eyes:

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

13. Some people just won't be happy unless Kerry is up 20 percent in all

states, otherwise the campaign is a miserable failure.

Now I'll be honest, I'd like to see that, cause that would mean the race is OFFICIALLY over. But I don't know that that is even possible in this country now, unless shrub starts making all his campaign appearances in the buff. And even then...

[BillZBubb]

14. Maybe these results have more to do with

1. Gas and oil prices soaring.
2. The recent stock market collapse.
3. The slowdown in new jobs.

Than anything Kerry is doing?

I still think, given all the circumstances, that Kerry should be running away with this thing right now. This election should be already over. I find it extremely troubling that Kerry isn't polling consistently WELL ABOVE 50% nationally.

So, yes, I don't yet give Kerry's campaign very high marks.

[DaveinMD]

16. challengers

don't run away with elections early. In the last week, the undecideds will break for Kerry and he'll win by 5 points. Such a win will be huge. By the way, he already leads by close to this margin in most polls.

[BillZBubb]

23. Challengers

aren't usually running against an incumbent who is a complete failure in both foreign and domestic policy.

[blondeatlast]

37. Against an incumbent President?

For him to be polling as he is now is actually pretty remarkable. Of course he can always do better, but think of it another way:

Bush is NOT polling well as an incumbent.

[JHBowden]

15. I'd give him a B+

We'll see what the numbers are after the GOP convention. If we maneuver through that successfully, we will all feel pretty good.

[HollowHead]

17. So bad

he's winning everywhere.

I mean EVERYWHERE.

Gosh, what a badly run campaign. He is WINNING.

[SayitAintSo]

18. Shocker: An ultra right wing southern utility leadership says:

"Kerry / Bush - doesn't really make any difference to our company..." Now this may not seem like a BFD to you, but I have been in IT middle management at this utility in the heart of the Confederacy for some time ... and for our corporate leadership to stake a "NEUTRAL" position public ally is almost unheard of. This happened today at our leadership conference in front of 300 people/managers. These are mostly rabid right wingers. And the real shocker was an almost wistful remembrance (by our CEO) of the Clinton economic years... I nearly fell outta my chair... POINT ? Worm turning people ...worm turning...

[mzmolly]

19. Actually he's running a mediocre campign ... for now. People are united

against Bush, Kerry is a good candidate, Bush's job approval is below 50% ... There are many factors that contribute to the polls.

And, I expect Kerry will tighten the ship come fall? ;)

[Bread and Circus]

20. Bush is ignorant, willfully illiterate, inarticulate, bumbling,

and about a dozen other negative descriptors. Not only that, everything is worse since he's been in office. The environment, the economic outlook, rationally confronting terrorists, our standing in the world, and on and on. He's been the the cause or excuse of many major scandals/lies played out on the American public. He lied to us to take us to "his war" and detracted us from confronting the Terrorists that seek our undoing. He's raped mother nature as well as social programs. Meaningful jobs are scarcer and the fat cats are rolling all the money to the bank. He's a quasi-religious nutcase prodigal son who has never done a damn good thing in his life (being Gov of Texas and stealing the Presidency don't count).

You'd think Kerry would be doing even better if he were running a "good campaign".

It's all relative WillPitt.

[realFedUp]

21. We think he'll win in a landslide

:-)
but he is running a kinda sucky campaign.

When the hell does he speak in front of a room
full of women?

[sampsonblk]

22. Being ahead doesn't prove you're running a "good" campaign...

any more than being behind proves you're running a bad one.

Gore was well ahead at times in 2000, and most of us agree that his strategy (and his people) were inept. Mondale had a lead in 1984. Dukakis in 1988.

Kerry is ahead now, thank God. Polls from the battleground states are looking better and better. But many of us see a lot of signs of 2000 and 2002.

And its not a sign of panic for us to point those out.

[bigtree]

26. The difference is that Bush is a known quantity now

A failing quantity.

[DinahMoeHum]

46. and a re-election campaign is more a referendum on the incumbent's

performance than anything else.

Failing quantity, indeed. B*sh is pissing people off left and right to the point where they are willing to take a chance on a "liberal" for a change.


:kick::kick::kick:

[PretzelWarrior]

24. yep. Kerry bad. Kerry took my shoe

LOL

[stevebreeze]

25. Kerry gets a B

he could do better explaining his vote on Iraq authorization. He is doing far more then any Dem in years on explaining the economic and health care problems.
:kick:

[blue neen]

27. Look at the crowds! Look at the polls!

I think he's running a great campaign; but I like to be an optimist.

I promise I won't say the "L" word, Will Pitt.

[DemBones DemBones]

30. Look at the lack of reporting of the crowds and the polls.

Look at the media saying SmearVets has hurt Kerry. Tonight on "Hardball" it was alleged that Kerry himself was behind the MoveOn commercial, despite his denouncing it as soon as it aired. SmearVets continues to air, McCain and others have called on Bush* to denounce it, Bush* refuses, but the talking heads aren't saying Bush* is behind SmearVets.

Some people see their different reactions to negative ads aired in their behalf in black and white terms: Bush* is tough, Kerry is a wimp. If there are many undecided voters who see it that way, it is the problem for Kerry that the "Hardball" guests & Tweety were claiming it is.

Kerry needs to stand up for himself. Soon.

[DemBones DemBones]

31. No, Will, I don't think that's exactly it. Some of us are

just scared to death that if Kerry doesn't stand up for himself in a forceful manner this SmearVets crap is going to stick and he's going to be seen as too weak to stand up for himself and therefore too weak to stand up for the country.

As Bill Clinton said recently, it's important to answer charges that are made during a campaign and to answer them quickly. I've seen too many good Democrats lose elections because the GOP thugs got away with spreading lies and stupid memes about them.

The only poll I really care about is the one on November 2 that determines how the electoral college votes.









 






 

[Cuban_Liberal]

35. Kerry's keeping his powder dry.

The Kerry campaign is limited in regards to how much it can spend now, so it can't willy-nilly spend money debunking every outrageous story the Republican Noise Machine cranks out; that's what 527s, like MoveOn.org, and the DNC are for.

Kerry is doing just fine, folks.

[gasperc]

it's like a water balloon though

we push up on one side and lose out somewhere else, ie we're way up in Ohio and now New Mexico went to a tie. it'll be a tough hoe but we're up to it

[DU GrovelBot]

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[Ghetto_Boy]

38. I think the ABB vote is good for about 40% of the vote

[Triana]

39. No, I think the MEDIA is...(n/t)

[DoYouEverWonder]

40. It's still a long three months until the election

I think Kerry is running a good campaign. But a lot is going to happen in the next three months. The main thing is that Kerry just needs to stay on track and let Bu$hCo continue to dig their own graves.

Kerry has set things up, so that he can stay positive and take the high ground, while letting other prominent Dems attack Bu$h. When Kerry does attack Bu$h he is sticking to the issues and he lets his surrogates go after the personal stuff.

In the meantime, the media is doing everything they can to ignore Kerry's successes. Most people have no idea that hordes of unscreened people are showing up at all of Kerry's public events. Almost every poll shows Kerry is ahead, even in the key battleground states.

If Kerry plays his cards right, by November we will be looking at a landslide. He knows nothing else will do. It is the only way he can beat the machines.

[blue neen]

41. I do think we need to see more of John Edwards

How to get the press to cover him? We get to see Cheney's sneering face all over the screen.

[ScreamingMeemie]

42. I think it helps that Bush is doing a horrid job campaigning as well.

Telling unemployed Michiganders that the economy looks great.

[blue neen]

43. It is actually painful to have to listen to the words

come out of his mouth. I swear someday he is going to spontaneously self-combust when he repeats another one of his lies.

[Joe Fields]

44. Kerry has run an okay campaign, but.....

in all seriousness he should be leading by a comfortable margin right now.

I think he has had many missed opportunities. Bill Clinton proved that you have to stay on the offensive.

When you take into consideration what crimes against this country, crimes against other countries, crimes against nature and the rampant corporate cronyism that this administration has perpetrated, it is surprising to me that Kerry and Bush are so close at this point.

I can only imagine how Bill Clinton would be stacking up, if he were challenging Bush.

The fact is that George Bush has given Americans plenty of rope to hang himself with.

Kerry would have done well to have James Carville as his campaign manager.

You have to fight fire with fire. When the other side hits you, you must hit them back twice as hard. And you must relentlessly attack.

The fact that the polls are so close at this stage, while Bush has run away from his first term record, using nothing but personal attacks against Kerry speaks volumes as to what works.

My prescription? Kerry needs to quit talking policy and needs to focus strictly on Bush and his dismal record. Hammer home every day why Americans should not give Bush any more chances to run America into the ground.

Joe Fields

[michigandem2]

45. i just wish the rapid response team was more covered

I know that they are coming back and firing but it seems to only be a little BLIP while Bush is covered ad nauseum...so its not Kerry's fault he has a tough fight..I mean...the media not even covering Edwards is so obvious...and then every little word Bush utters or Cheney for that matter, is covered 24/7...its not all Kerry's fault...we have to be committed to fight the tough and LONG fight ahead...

[Lex]

47. See Will--I told you NC would be a battleground!

And that Kerry might pull out a win here.

Not impossible, even with guns, God, and gays being endlessly hammered by the GOP.

Many North Carolinians are fed up here with the GOP, imho.

Plus--I think Erskine Bowles is going to keep Edwards' old Senate seat in the (D) column.

[greenohio]

48. Horse racing this race is stupid

At the end of the day either Kerry will be president and we will say he ran the right campaign. Or he will lose and his critics will be doing a lot of talking.

I'm not frustrated with Kerry because he is making moves that might cause him to lose. I am frustrated because he spoke against the war and now says he still would have voted for it.

See how you feel when he steps on your issue.

[enigmatic]

49. He has..

Gay Marriage- but I'm still letting him run his race. And he's still winning, and pulling away in battleground states that W won in 2000.

If he gets elected, I'll hold his feet to the fire. But he needs to get elected. And i trust him to run his campaign the way he wants to run it, because it's working.

[theboss]

50. I think he is running a weird campaign

I'm voting for him, donating to him, campaigning for him, etc. But I think the strategy he is using is unprecedented: he's letting Bush hurt himself, letting surrogates sell him, and limiting his own face time. It's effective; it buried his primary opponents.

But I still think that at some point, a candidate needs to sell himself and Kerry is always iffy when he does that.

[enigmatic]

52. Kerry is known as a consumate campaign closer...

he knows exactly what he's doing..

[theboss]

53. I keep telling myself that.....

But - from personal experience - I find I always like him more when others are talking about him rather than when he talks about himself.

[LynneSin]

54. I'm glad he's not going negative

The Bush regime wants him to get on the defense especially with the SwiftNitWits Liars for Bush.

I say he stays the track. We've got our MoveOn & Act and they will help get the message out there for us!

[molly]

55. I have never doubted him

:toast: