Stop with the public handwringing already!

[mbali]

From last night's Countdown with Keith Olbermann:

OLBERMANN: For the first time, we have Democrats and Republicans certainly agreeing that whatever bounce George Bush got from the convention, it's not going to last.

We can understand the Democratic voters here. But are the Republicans being realistic or are they trying to play it safe, because if 11 points don't hold up, and most people saying they can't, with their convention being the last preplanned bounce event of the campaign, would Mr. Bush be going to look like he was stalling or in trouble somehow?

CRAIG CRAWFORD (Congressional Quarterly): Yes, I'd be a little scared if I was the Bush people on all this 11-point lead talk. It sounds great and they needed some good news. But beware a Labor Day lead, Keith.

I went back and looked at the last three campaigns that have been this close, and in two out of the three, the candidate trailing on Labor Day ended up winning the election, the most recent example being George Bush himself. We were talking four years ago about the invincible Al Gore right now coming out of his convention.

OLBERMANN: And the Democrats are saying what, here, that we had a month of swift boats and Rudy Giuliani and Zell Miller speeches and it ain't over until it's over?

CRAWFORD: Well, Democrats have a problem. They wring their hands in public too much, and they think reporters are their friends and they talk to them on background. And so now we're getting all these stories about nervous Democrats. And I don't think that's helping any. They're talking about their candidate not being strong enough. And there's just too much airing of dirty laundry in public by the Democrats. I don't think that helps Kerry's cause at all.

[ShaneGR]

1. Actually, I think there is a bright side to the last 2 weeks

It made everyone scared shitless, and therefor makes everyone work twice as hard to get rid of W.

[ClassWarrior]

4. That is indeed a silver lining...

...but the poster's point of keeping the handwringing more private henceforth should still be heeded.

[LuminousX]

5. It was good to get a jolt of realism

that this isn't going to be a cake walk and we are going to have to fight for each and every vote we can for Kerry. Even if we have to carry people to the polls in order to get them to vote, that is what we'll do.

We need to have a massive GOTV effort across the swing states. Every civic organization needs to be contacted and encouraged to donate buses and volunteers to help get people to the polls. We need to encourage people to take the day off if at all possible.

[mbali]

7. So, true - but in order to do this, our voters must be energized and

that won't happen if they keep hearing our own troops talking down our campaign and our candidate.

[fob]

6. Flair may be a fellow NCer, but he's a bush* supporter.

[seabeyond]

2. i hear ya

and saw it i dont know how many times, from democrats, this weekend media

[GOPFighter]

3. Excellent

Thanks for posting this. I will be very nervous about this election all the way to the end, mainly because so much rides on it, but after seeing all the Kerry bumper stickers everywhere I go, i know that there are a lot of Americans who hate Bush...and I'll bet most of them have never even heard of or visited Democratic Underground. DU is just the tip of the iceberg of the resurgence of Democrats.

[John_H]

8. I don't think most people give a damn about these stories and that

the only people getting upset about this are political junkies, who all have their minds made up, and the people who have had to endure their professional limiataions being discussed in the press. I doubt there's a single rank and file voter in America who's said, "Fuck! Harold Ikes thinks the campaign sucks! I'm voting for Bush!"

These background stopries may have slowed a few careers but, if they contributed to the campaign's new direction, they have helped save America. Without them, it's possible that the staffers ultimately responsible for the handwringing may still have been plotting their next judo chess move.