Democrats Press Kerry to Step Up Attacks

[Nambe]

Presidential Elections - AP

NEW YORK - Anxiously watching President Bush (news - web sites)'s convention, Democratic leaders are urging John Kerry to step us his attack on the Republican incumbent before eroding approval ratings become a serious political problem.

The candidate and his beleaguered staff are being flooded with advice, much of it contradictory. Some party officials want Kerry to criticize the president's for sitting out the Vietnam War in the Texas Air National Guard. Others say that would draw unwanted attention to accusations about Kerry's combat experience.

Democrats have seen Bush erase the gains that their nominee made at his convention a month ago in Boston, pulling into a tie in national polls that also show Kerry's personal image deteriorating.

In the broad scheme of things, the GOP advances may be nothing more than a political adjustment — a nudge of the pendulum, rather than a big swing. But for some Democrats, the president's momentum came as a shock, in part because Kerry's team had bragged openly that Boston had set the stage for victory.

That was their first mistake. ..

[Cha]

1. They can speculate about "mistakes" all they want...

but we'll see who wins this thing.

As for getting "excited too early"..we were Excited about how Great the Dem convention was and how Awesome our Dem speakers were! WE can get excited all we want..we've been waiting four Freakin' years!

[Born Free]

5. Many democrats did not learn from 2000

Once again we see the same kind of tactics, yet many democrats refuse to admit it's time to fight back, no, they prefer to do as Al Gore did and wait for people to realize the truth. This shit will not stop, and as long as democrats refuse to try to stop it, as long as they sit back on their high horses refusing to do anything that doesn't appear intelligent enough the right will continue to embed their myths into the mind of average Americans. How can you expect average Americans to trust their personal safety to a party that refuses to fight back when their own integrity is being challenged? People judge the parties by the way the act and the things they do, if the terrorists are coming at America do you believe they want people that will only discuss things in a polite manor or do you want someone that is will to shut up and do something? If you believe talking from a high horse will will the hearts of average Americans, you are as delusional as those people that make up these myths. I can guarantee you, Bill Clinton would not sit back and do nothing, he would take every single attack and turn it on them.

[freemarketer]

13. Excellent post!............It's ovah. Kerry snatched defeat from the arms

of victory by standing on a pedestal during the attacks against him.

[KittyWampus]

17. Yeah, Kerry Should Have Wasted Millions On Ads During August

So he'd have no funds left for September and October.

[freemarketer]

19. Minds are now made up, and no matter what, Rove will have a

contingency plan which the Democrats will meanly respond to with their typical "Lions and Tigers and Bears. Oh my!" Funny, history will record that John Kerry lost his bid for the 2004 presidential electon right about the time Motaqua Sadr gave up on driving Amerika out of Iraq.

[readmylips]

2. Ron Fornier same guy who put out....

Kerry wants McCain as running mate...media ran with Fornier's lie.

[DemMother]

3. He's run other stories about Dem "advisors" worried

about Kerry. And the only two advisors he named in at least one of the stories were Donna Brazile and some other ex-Gore staffer.

[radfringe]

4. maybe we should be handing out

a Purple TOOTH medal mounted on a yellow chicken feather

feather symbolizes hiding from serving in Vietnam, and the tooth represents his bravery in the dentist chair

[drhilarius]

6. That's actually a good idea.

The Dems, at least the high-road-truth-will-prevail ones, would say that "the purple tooth/ chicken feather stunt is just another example of how political discourse is being coarsened. We don't need these cheap stunts to persuade the average American voter, because we know that the truth is the most powerful weapon we have."

of course the average American voter won't see that (the truth of the issues).No, what they'll see is, and I'm paraphrasing, "Oh snap, Kerry just put the smackdown on Bush. I like heem. I cain't wait to vote Bush off th' islan'."

The "average" American likes the theater of the vulgar and mundane. We have to use those tools.

sorry, needed to vent.

[Matilda]

7. That's a really good idea - T-shirts and bumper stickers would be great.

Humour can be a wonderful weapon.

Unlike Bush, Kerry can go for the jugular without having to resort
to lies. Right now, I'm not at all sure that Bush isn't going to
win again (especially with a bit of cheating), and I don't think
the world can take it.

[volosong]

8. Democrats Need to Demand Answers of Bush like

1. Why is it that you claim to be a friend of veterans and yet have proposed so many cuts to programs benefitting veterans including the closure of some V.A. hospitals?
2. If you believe Sen. Kerry's military service was "honorable" and something "about which he should be proud," then why do you refuse to specifically condemn the Swift Boat Veterans? Aren't values more than something to which one gives lip service?
3. Former Sen. Max Cleland left half of his body in Vietnam. Yet when he came to your ranch with a letter signed by 9 other Congressional war heroes, neither you nor any of your immediate aides had the courtesy to accept the letter. Why are you afraid of a triple amputee in a wheelchair?
4. The almost 3,000 victims of the WTC attacks did not die for politicians or political parties. How do you justify hijacking emotions related to that tragedy for your own personal political gain?
5. You are quoted as having said, "One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures." Is that why you continued to read "My Pet Goat" for almost 17 minutes after Andrew Card informed you that the US was under attack? Why wasn't the security of America more important than reading a kiddy book?
6. What possessed you to use the 9/11 national tragedy as a punch line in your 'Trifecta' joke? And to follow up, why did your partisan republican audiences laugh with you?
7. Sen. Kerry has been accused of flip flopping. But is it not true that you have flip flopped on the following: 9/11 Commission; on calling for a UN vote on Iraq; on creation of the Dept. of Homeland Security; on a Constitutional amendment on gay marriage; on use of the military for "nation building;" on the issue of tax credits for hybrid automobiles; on extending the assault weapons ban; on steel tariffs; on spending the Social Security surplus; on the patient's right to sue; on the Federal Government's position on tobacco buyout; on disarmament incentives to North Korea; on lobbying OPEC; on the Condoleeza Rice testimony; on your pledge to issue regulation based on science; on the presence of WMD in Iraq; on restricting Free Trade; on the importance of capturing Osama Bin Laden; on mandatory caps on carbon dioxide emissions; on an investigation into intelligence failures in Iraq; summits in the Palestinian crisis; campaign finance; on providing financial support for the First Responders; on military benefits; on who was responsible for the "Mission Accomplished" sign; on the fingerprinting and photographing of Mexicans entering the US; on refusing to pass budget deficits; your positions on stem cells and human embryos; about your support of the Low Income Energy Support Program; your position on abortion; on racial profiling; on describing Iraq success (mission accomplished; mission miscalculated; mission impossible)...
8. Can you explain why did NORAD deviated from Standard Operating Procedure on the morning of 9-11, failing to scramble jets? If not, can you tell us the status of that investigation?
9. Can you explain why $50 million allocated to investigate the Columbia Shuttle disaster, yet only $3 million was allocated to investigate 9-11?
10. Your tax cuts have been described as "WealthCare." Why did the top 1% income bracket receive a 32.4% tax cut while the lower 60% received only a 8.5% tax cut?
11. How do you justify the budget cuts for veterans benefits at precisely the time you are ramping up the military for permanent war?
12. Where are the WMD? Would you still go to war knowing that there were no WMD?
13. You used the term "catastrophic success.”” What exactly does that mean?
14. Forty (40) per cent of homeless men are veterans. What are you doing about that situation? Isn't this inconsistent with your statement that, "Home is important. It's important to have a home." (Feb. 18, 2001).
15. 45 million people lack health coverage. Do you think basic health care is an American right? Health care costs have gone ballistic during your Administration. Why haven't you made health care more affordable?
16. "As you know, these are open forums, you're able to come and listen to what I have to say." (Oct. 28, 2003). When will the American people be able to ask you questions?
17. "I'm also not very analytical. You know I don't spend a lot of time thinking about myself, about why I do things." (June 4, 2003). Recently, you admitted to making mistakes in Iraq. Don't you think being more analytical and deliberate for a change might help promote success and national security?
18. You are quoted as saying, "When I take action, I'm not going to fire a $2 million missile at a $10 empty tent and hit a camel in the butt. It's going to be decisive." (Sept. 19, 2001). Then why are Americans still dying in Iraq almost one year after you declared "Mission Accomplished?"
19. Regarding the patient's bill of rights, you are quoted as having said on June 13, 2001: "I haven't had a chance to talk, but I'm confident we'll get a bill that I can live with if we don't." What did you exactly mean by that?
20. At the DNC Sen. Kerry challenged you to run a positive campaign on current issues. In 2001 you said, "It is time to set aside the old partisan bickering and finger-pointing and name-calling." Do you think your current campaign is consistent with those statements?
21. On Jan. 14, 2001 you said, "The California crunch really is the result of not enough power-generating plants and then not enough power to power the power of generating plants." What does your Administration intend to do to make the US energy independent with renewable fuels that protect our ecosystem & pocketbook?
22. "I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." (Sept. 29, 2000). Then why are millions of fish now dying in our lakes and streams? Why are there warnings in many states advising people not to ingest fish because of the dangers of mercury poisoning from industrial pollution?
23. When was the last time that you spoke before a crowd other than exclusively "invited guests?"
24. "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." (Aug. 5, 2004). Do you really believe that national policy is beneficial to the United States?
25. "The war on terror involves Saddam Hussein because of the nature of Saddam Hussein, the history of Saddam Hussein, and his willingness to terrorize himself." ( Jan. 29, 2003). If that were true, why did we have to go after Hussein in the first place?
26. On Aug 22, 2002 you proposed deforestation as a means to combat forest fires. ("We need to understand if you let kindling build up and there's a lightning strike, you're going get yourself a big fire.") Isn't your support for deforestation actually pandering to logging and timber financial interests? If not, do you think that we should test your theory by setting experimental fires in certain areas of Texas?
27. "There's no cave deep enough for America, or dark enough to hide." ( Aug. 29, 2002). Is that really how you envision America and her future?
28. "This foreign policy stuff is a little frustrating." (April 23, 2002). Is that why you decided to invade Iraq?
29. "We're concerned about AIDS inside our White House--make no mistake about it." ( Feb. 7, 2001). How many cases of AIDS did you find in the White House? What are you doing for AIDS research?
30. "Natural gas is hemispheric. I like to call it hemispheric in nature because it is a product that we can find in our neighborhoods." (Dec. 20, 2000). Natural gas is not found naturally in most US neighborhoods. Does that make them non-hemispheric, and what are your proposals to solve the current energy crisis?

[goclark]

16. "W why are you so Wishy Washy ?"

That needs to be said loud and clear,make it stick!

"W, why are you so Wishy Washy? You calulate and then you Miscalculate on the war in Iraq"

"W, why are you so Wishy Washy? You say the War on Terror can not be won and the very next day you say, we Will win the War on Terror?"


"W is a Wishy Washy President with Wishy Washy ideas!!

Keep it going, we need Meme's in this election.

[freemarketer]

9. The basic difference between Republicans and Democrats in this

election is that the Republicans were organized and playing hardball. The Democrats, who although saddled with the worst Democratic candidate in 50 years, were disorganized and playing softball. After four more years of Bush, our form of government will end or be on the cusp of ending. And in 2008 Gulliani agains Clinton? Puleeze.

[lancdem]

10. The worst Dem candidate in 50 years??

Excuse me?

BTW, Giuliani has no chance of getting the nomination.

[moez]

12. Yup - we got the third stringer playin'

And it's becoming painfully obvious. Either of the other two would've be up by double digits over this clown.

[freemarketer]

15. Whenever I see him, I'm awaiting the severest of questions from him:

Do you have any Grey Poupon?

[freemarketer]

14. 8:5 overlay. Who would he have to win it from: Jeb Bush or John McCaine?

No contest--

[lancdem]

11. Our convention was a success

but going a month without running ads put us in a tough position. I do, however, believe Kerry will fight very hard when the RNC is over. That's his instinct and history.

[KittyWampus]

18. Breaking: Farmers Press Sun To Rise In The Morning

[Kierkegaard]

20. The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

My gosh, so much for party unity, huh? This is the customary lull during the opposition's convention. They are going to get a ton of press, just like we did during our convention(of course there wasn't equal coverage, but that isn't Kerry's fault. Damn liberal media!)

So, should Kerry blast away all his money two months out? Should he forget planning the remaining TWO MONTHS of the campaign to respond to every quip and jab the Repugs throw out? What happens to the message then? It gets lost in the battle of the shit slingers, that's what. We CANNOT WIN that battle and would be stupid to play on their home turf. It's going to work out. Just relaaaaxxxxx a little, will ya?

[NoBorders]

21. ugh - Ron Fournier

don't expect objective reporting here.