Kerry to take down McCain ad

[alteredstate]

From abcnews.com http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/NotedNow/Noted_Now.html

KERRY TO TAKE DOWN McCAIN AD: "We respect John McCain's wishes, and will stop running the ads of him challenging Bush to denounce the attacks on his service. It's long past time that George Bush also take John McCain's advice and do the right thing by putting an end to the smears and lies attacking John Kerry's military service. George Bush needs to say this is wrong, he needs to say it must end," said Kerry spokesperson David Wade.

[bkcc]

1. No!

NO NO NO!!

Why is the Kerry campaign being so soft? Run that fucking ad!! There is nothing wrong with it.

Fucking hell.
What is it going to take to make Kerry finally take off the gloves??

The last week has really got me wondering whether Kerry can win this thing...

[Zhade]

17. Can't believe I'm gonna say this...

...but this actually might be a smart move. It contrasts with b*sh's unwillingness to even denounce the Swift Liars his buddies are funding.

I'm willing to grant this may be a good move.

[trogdor]

44. Lighten up, Francis.

How long has the ad run?
How long was it intended to run?
Why must we assume the Kerry campaign doesn't know what it's doing?
Do we have another ad ready we can run in its place?

Meanwhile, Bush and McCain are spending valuable resources pursuing a lawsuit that is likely to end badly for them, since the First Amendment is likely to take precedence over their interpretation of the campaign finance law.

[jrthin]

2. A question: Is Kerry in

this to win or to be above the fray? If it's the latter he should just pack up his marbles and go home.

[democrat_patriot]

3. It's showing America the right/positive way to run a campaign

Also: Moveon.org and others runs enough ads telling the truth about *.

Kerry has stated repeatedly: We will NOT go negative! Once he does * will pounce.

[sniffa]

4. "peopLe, we're aLL frightened and horny"

but that's no reason to panic. john is no dummy, john is no push over.

the man doesn't take a breath of air without caLcuLating how it wiLL effect poLLing, and the same goes here.

[JDPriestly]

6. It's wimpy, that's what it is.

I'm giving my all to the Kerry campaign -- time, what money I've got, everything. I try to follow the Kerry rules and restrain myself to positive but forceful talk when volunteering.

But the Kerry campaign needs to realize that positive doesn't get press. That is because reporters don't get Pulitzers for writing positive stories. Nice is not news.

[rocktivity]

5. Well, duh.

Of COURSE McCain asked Kerry to stop running the ad--that's exactly what Kerry WANTED him to do!

Four years ago, McCain was telling Bush off for trashing him and his family, and now they're cuddling? It makes McCain look like a flip-flopper at best and "unstable" at worst. And it makes George look stubborn and self-centered for not condemning the Smear-Boaters, especially since he has admitted that Kerry should be "proud" of his military record.

In one fell swoop, Kerry has neutralized whatever usefulness McCain had to the GOP, and slammed the Smear-Boaters back into Bush's court. And as an extra added bonus, Kerry now has the option of suggesting that perhaps the REAL reason why Bush won't condemn the Smear-Boaters is because they have illegal ties to the Bush campaign!

:headbang:
rocknation

[MODemocrat]

7. I'm proud of John Kerry for running an honest campaign

He's sticking with the truth, and will not resort to "tactics" like the bush gang does. McCain is on Bush's side, so I'm glad to see that Kerry doesn't feel he has to use the ad of someone who really doesn't support him. No one should have to prove their war record, after it has been proven over and over again; especially against one who has never even seen Vietnam, much less fight there. bush is worthless.
However, I do wish that John Kerry would show more passion, and bring out the terrible things that bush continues to do. Every day, more people are losing their jobs, the national debt is soaring, our military are getting killed in that bloody un-called for war in Iraq. Bush gets a pass again. :puke:

[Rainbowreflect]

8. Here is my take.

McCain ask that an ad with his image being taken off the air, Kerry complies.
The Iraq soccer team ask that an ad with their image be taken off the air, bush gives them the finger.
Who's the good guy????

[DeepModem Mom]

9. Kerry's the good guy, but does he win? I honestly don't know the answer..

myself.

[Democat]

12. If "good guys" won, why would Republicans control all three branches?

Good guys don't win in politics.

[nagbacalan]

22. Agreed, We must aggressively and immediately rebut any hint of

falsehood. Don't take any solace in any LAT-type editorial vindicating Kerry. Never forget we're dealing with a public where over 50% believe evidence has been shown of Saddam's WMD or active WMD programs. A goodly number also believe in evidence which showed collaborative cooperation between Saddam and Al Qaeda and 9/11. By all means, the guard years should be on the table.

[Kinkistyle]

28. I don't think the American people catch "subtleties"

The McCain was great. It was a HUGE club that smashed the whole stupid "medal" issue and McCains fake support in a fell swoop. I don't think most Americans are as attuned to "subtle" details as we are when it comes to these ad wars. They need to be beat over the head and constantly reminded - which is why Bush is winning in the aspect.

[Lizzie Borden]

30. Amen!

I don't think you can pussyfoot around . The average American needs to hit with a 2'by 4'.

[WhereIsMyFreedom]

38. Also known as a clue-by-4 in some circles

:)

[Davis_X_Machina]

10. If I were running against a guy...

...who had no record, and no agenda, and whose political survival relied on suppressing turnout, by reinforcing the belief that 'there's no reason to vote', by reinforcing the belief that 'all politics are dirty', by reinforcing the belief that 'both parties do it', I might pull the ad.

Especially if I never ran it in the first place.

Was that ad ever run on over-the-air television, or just on the internet?

[WhereIsMyFreedom]

39. Internet only

I do wish they would run it on TV to give it a wider distribution, but I suppose there is no hope of that now.

[mccormack98]

11. Do not underestimate the Kerry campaign

The Kerry campaign has been skillfully working the Swiftboat issue during the past week. A lot of what has been happening has been behind the scenes.

Remember when Kerry filed the suit alleging a connection between the Bushies and the Swifties? At the time, I thought "Stupid move. It won't work." And then all of a sudden a Swifty goes down in flames. And then Gingsburg. And then out of nowhere, Bush comes out and starts talking about how we need to get rid of attack ads. Why? You can bet Kerry has something good on the Bushies. Kerry fired a shot across Bush's bow and Bush is now on the defensive.

I'll bet McCain is part of the equation. Kerry has offered to pull the ads featuring McCain. Those ads were probably embarrassing to McCain. In exchange, I'll bet McCain is putting pressure on Bush to call off the Swiftboat ads. He may even be threatening Bush with public criticism.

I'll also bet that the next few days play well for Kerry. Yesterday's Max Cleland stunt was awesome. It dominated the news. It shows that Kerry can play hardball and that he can turn this issue into an advantage.

Bill

[coalition_unwilling]

21. Don't forget women

I think Kerry's agreeing to pull down the McCain ad demonstrates that he has listening skills and is responsive, as opposed to Bush's continued intransigence.

At the risk of sounding a bit sexist, I would argue that Kerry's pull-down should show that he's a "peace-maker", which may help him with female voters and with us 'enlightened' males.

[mccormack98]

26. Agreed. It allows Kerry to take the high ground & bash the shit out of ..

... Bush. Then, if Bush doesn't condemn the Swiftboaties, Kerry can pound him daily until the election.

[lookingforanswers]

40. Wrong!!!

Kerry has to decide which way to fight. You can't bash the shit out of someone, pound them daily and then claim the high ground. If Kerry is going to take the high road he needs to stick to the issues and let others do the bashing. It's just my opinion, so no need for anyone to get nasty.

[LawDem]

13. The add already served its purpose

Good move. The add has already made its point. Voluntarily pulling it at this point generates one last blast of good publicity.

[jayfish]

15. I Have Never Seen/Heard It...

And I'm in a battleground state. I think it was a good idea to stop the ad just out of respect for McCain. I'd like to see McCain respect himself a bit more and move away from BushCo though.

Jay

[NewYorkerfromMass]

14. so are all the networks now showing this "controversial" ad?

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

[FighttheFuture]

16. Kerry should challenge McCain to stick by his words and quit...

munching bush. Otherwise, McCain can go Cheney himself.

[Gyre]

18. Yeah. I wouldn't let him off that easy either.

You know GD well bushco's not doing anything to staunch the slander flow (which are lies), and THIS is video footage! Why shouldn't the American people have the right to be reminded about this? It certainly goes to one of the candidates credibility and modus operandi on a critical issue.

We've gotten screwed again because we let these slugs prosper after Vietnam. Time to get out the jumbo salt shakers!

Gyre

[PaDem]

19. I really think the Kerry campaign has to leave

John McCain out of this whole thing. This was entirely predictable and doesn't help. People refuse to accept the fact that McCain is supporting and will support Bush fervently. He may not like Bush, but he is a party loyalist and will not waver.

[ReadTomPaine]

20. McCain's voting record speaks for itself.

He's no friend to progressive politics. As has been pointed out elsewhere, his actual record is worse than Rick Santorum's. Would you trust Rick? At least Santorum wears his heart on his sleeve.

[dolstein]

23. Has everybody lost their minds? Of COURSE this was going to happen.

Seriously -- why do you think the Kerry campaign disseminated this ad by e-mail in the first place? They knew that McCain was going to ask Kerry not to use the ad. And the knew they were going to honor his request, because the last thing they want to do is get in a pissing match with McCain.

But so what? Millions of people already know about the ad, and it will continue to circulate on the internet. The news coverage of the McCain ad was more widespread that the ad buy was going to be. People have be reminded of Bush's smear against McCain. The ad has already served its purpose.

[hypatia]

24. WHAT THE FUCK?????

What is Kerry doing? Doesn't he know that he has to take the fight to the thugs?

The ad told THE TRUTH!!!

I am SO SICK OF BUSH THUG TACTICS!!!!!!

[mccormack98]

27. Remember, Kerry is waging a vicious fight behind the scenes

Lots of shit hit the fans this week over at the Bush camp. Think about it: Ginsberg resigned. Ginsberg. He was their main lawyer. He didn't resign because of 'the appearance of impropriety'. Bushies never resign over appearances. He resigned because the Kerry campaign nuked him. They nailed his ass. We haven't heard what they got on him - but they nailed him.

[hypatia]

29. I want to feel good about that,

but I can't yet. The thugs are sleezier than Kerry. They'll turn the tables on whatever dirt Kerry has on Ginsburg.

[johnnie]

25. Smart move

I think the Kerry camp has to play it low until after the RNC. If they give them "ammo" they can use it for their convention.
If they lay this low after the convention, then I might start to worry.

[Sleepless In NY]

31. I'm disapointed & disqusted

Kerry's McCain ad was just what needed to be said. The ad speaks to just how slimey bush truly is. It showed his total lack of respect for the military, that he so claims to "love".

I can't believe, nor understand why on earth Kerry is taking it off. Does this mean the Swift Boat Liars will disband? We wont hear from them ever again? I doubt it.


Bow to McCain?? What for? He backs this Grounded, AWOL, slug. He lets bush insult him, then use him.

This ad really showed what a bunch of hypocrites, republicans really are.

And what about Cleland? Bush & the republicans have completely dissed him. Bush refuses to even see him at his ranch. But Kerry should "bow" for McCain? How about Bush bowing to Cleland?

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, I've been disappointed for a long time with how my party hasn't gotten the message across of how bush has abused and neglected NY. From unsafe air & water, to "Trifecta" jokes to being placed 49th on Homeland Security list for funds. Jeoporadizing the city further by having their convention here, too. Private funding is what reopened the Statue of Liberty, not bush or federal funds. You want to show what a hypocrite bush is? Look no further than NY. Media barely talks about that too.

Hope I haven't offended anyone, but I'm really upset tonite.

[Catt03]

32. I'm right there with you

I am so angry and disappointed in the Kerry Campaign today.

McCain is insulting. Who is running this thing; McCain or Kerry? This is the third time McCain has been in the center of Democratic politics. Ditch the jerk. Let him kiss Bush all the way to re election.

Late Night with Aaron Brown announced that Kerry has lost half of the veteran votes due to the SB ads.

I have had it.

[barb162]

33. Kerry has to start a big attack

on all of the Bush policies immediately, stop backing down to McCain, stop treating Bush with respect. Kerry has to tell the American public Bush is destroying this country and we are not going to take 4 more years of it.

He has to start being on the OFFENSE instead of having subordinates go on TV responding (being on the defense) to the swift-slugs. This has been going on for weeks and if any Dem goes on any more TV shows, any answer to the swift-slug charges/lies should be : so where the hell was Bush during Vietnam? Where are his medals? Did he bleed? Tell us about his cocaine habit.


Kerry has been handed every issue on a silver platter as Bush has screwed up everything from Iraq to the environment to jobs. Kerry needs to be on the offense.

[Must_B_Free]

35. THe move was intended to show Kerry taking the High ground

in contrast to stubborn Bush who stays with the wrong thing, even when he admits it's wrong.

[WhereIsMyFreedom]

41. Don't fall for that spin.

Late Night with Aaron Brown announced that Kerry has lost half of the veteran votes due to the SB ads.

That's all spin. Kerry never had half to lose. Vets as a group are very strongly Republican. He got a large bump after the convention and only lost a little of that from the SB ads. He's still sitting really well for a Dem.

Before the convention, Kerry had a 37% favorable and 45% unfavorable rating. After the convention and after the SB ads started (Aug 6-24) he had a 42% favorable and 44% unfavorable, within the margin of error (+-4%).

Data taken from the National Annenberg Election Survey, which can be found here http://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/naes/2004_03_veterans-views_%2008-26_pr.pdf (link courtesy of jdjkkse).

[mondo joe]

34. Kerry Does No Good by Setting up McCain as the Moderate Voice

John McCain is well established as THE moderate political voice in America. Regardless of his politics, that's the perception.

Kerry is playing right into this by allowing McCain to be the middle man between himself and Bush.

He's setting McCain up for a big run in 4 years.

[Lerkfish]

36. Personally, I think its damn clever, and here's why....

it simultaneously resolves several issues:

1. highlights that McCain is Bush's monkey slave and has no credibility. Don't kid yourselves, Bush was intending to use McCain as a hired gun against Kerry. Now he can't for two reasons: A: Kerry politely respected McCain's wishes so for McCain to go pit bull on him would really look painfully stupid and B: It very succinctly makes the point that no matter how horrible the things Bush did to McCain, no matter how outraged, McCain is still acting at his bidding...so Bush's intention of parlaying off the positive public perception of McCain as "his own man" and therefore when he attacked Kerry it would have more weight for centrists...is rendered impotent.

2. It further distances Kerry from potential 527 backlash...the McCain ad WAS a Kerry ad, AND he took ownership of it and respectfully pulled it. Therefore, if Bush tries to go for other 527's by linking Kerry to them, Kerry can credibly state that he has no control over them FOR IF HE DID, he would respect the wishes of Bush et al, like he did with the McCain ad.

3. It set up the Bush campaign for a huge tug of war and then lets go of the rope...this is a smart thing politically. I have no idea if this was the intent, but by sending the letter to Bush's ranch, they set in motion the next step: McCain backlash against the ad....But since Kerry responded positively AFTER Bush already said "go cheney yourself", Bush has already overplayed his hand in the wrong direction, and even if he NOW pretended to respond to Kerry's wishes, its too late, Kerry responded immediately but Bush persists in not castigating the SBVT ads/book. Combine this with the push from Kerry's camp that has already resulted in the releasing of one SBVT and the lawyer, Bush is both on the defensive, being forced into choices he really doesn't want to make, and Kerry continues to be on the high road. I can only conclude Kerry has something REALLY damaging about this issue or another issue, because he appears to be setting up the Bush camp to behave reactively and then pulling the rug out from under them.

Finally, don't kid yourselves with McCain...he was going to be dangerous. BushCo, I think, was intending on using him during the convention to be the pitbull to rip Kerry's leg off. Now, the energy from that is nullified. If McCain IS used that way at the convention AFTER Kerry was respectful to him...how do you think the public will perceive that?

I think Kerry/Edwards is doing a better job than some of you chicken littles are giving him credit for.

[Geo55]

37. Yep.....good points all

JK comes up smellin' roses , cuts the boot lick McCain off at the knees , an' idiot boy still has all the stink stickin' to 'em.


UH....UNKA DICK ,
I THINK WE BEEN PLAYED !

[TankLV]

42. What I don't like is that SCUM McCain - was already bashing Kerry.

Kerry is the better man in this.

But I fear "nice" doesn't win elections.

The repukes have prooved that for the last 2 cycles and more.

I just hope my fears are groundless, as others have posted.

Good points made by all.

Time will tell.

I won't hold my breath waiting for ANY repuke - including McCain - do to ANYTHING honerable - EVER!

I, on the other hand, bet that - like the snakes they all are - McCain will bite the hand reaching towards him in friendship and civility and honor.

I ma never failed to be disappointed by the repukes.

[FighttheFuture]

43. McCain is a beaten dog and a sell out! That's all there is...

After what BushCo did to him in the 2000 primaries, spreading the lies of his wife (drug addict and drunk) and child (illegitimate black baby), to still support Bush + Cheney as he does is pathetic. A sell-out and a beaten dog.

Kerry should use McCain for anything he needs, as long as it is true. That ad was incontrovertible fact!

[AspenRose]

45. I saw this ad twice yesterday in New Mexico

(sandwiched between not-so-swift ads...imagine the airplay in this battleground state on a day when both Bush and Edwards were here at the same time)

When were the ads supposed to stop running? Anyone know?