Kerry: Bush Is Running Campaign of Fear

[Khephra]

DES MOINES, Iowa - President Bush is playing politics with the war on terror in a "shameful and irresponsible" effort to scare voters into re-electing him, Democratic challenger John Kerry said Thursday.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Kerry responded to a statement Vice President Dick Cheney made in Des Moines earlier this week that if voters made the "wrong choice" in November it could lead to another major attack by terrorists.

"George Bush refused to contradict that comment or walk away from it yesterday," Kerry said in the interview.

"George Bush and Dick Cheney are engaging in shameful and irresponsible and outrageous behavior in trying to play the politics of fear and exploit the war on terror," he said. "I think the American people are fed up and tired about that kind of campaigning."

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/32-09092004-362885.html

[Vincardog]

1. FEAR Bush

What is the surprise? The NeoCon movement has failed at every turn. Their only 'success' is the WAR ON TERROR and that has somehow become the occupation of Iraq. They can not run on their record so they distort Senator Kerry's record and try to run on it. When you face the facts FEAR is all they have. WE need to Vote For Hope and End The Fear. We can do that by defeating the Radical Right and returning to the company of civilized nations.

[Robbien]

2. The surprise is that Kerry has finally said it out loud to AP

Hope this gets some play on the nightly news. Wonder how BushCo will respond, , , if they do.

[Catfight]

3. Why won't CONGRESS start independent investigations? My

representatives are not doing their job! Kerry needs to call out to all Democrats in the House to start proceedings, Bush lied about fully disclosing his military records which means he cannot be trusted.

[Emboldened Chimp]

13. I don't think they can initiate proceedings in either house...

...because Congress is controlled by republicans. We'd be in much better shape if we held onto the Senate in '02.

[dolstein]

4. Only a wuss would respond this way

Sorry, but if Kerry thinks that crying "no fair!" in response to the scorched earth campaign tactics of the BC04 campaign, he's wrong -- dead wrong.

[EST]

6. What would you have him say about it?

n/t

[truthisfreedom]

7. that's not a sentence. Kerry has to start somewhere in dealing with these

attacks. he's doing better all the time.

[yellowcanine]

9. I disagree- Kerry has it right. Bush is using fear to get elected. That

is not saying "no fair". If is saying Bush should stick to the issues and stop scaring people into voting for him.

[sandnsea]

10. Oh nonsense

This is all Republicans ever do, variations of fear and smear campaigns. If we can expose their strategy, once and for all, they'll never be able to run it again. They'll have to focus on real issues in the future without battering their opponents to death. Character assassination is not what people should be basing a vote on. It's disgusting.

[Qutzupalotl]

14. delete

[brentspeak]

19. But Bush IS all about smears & fears

And if anything, I would like to see Kerry sharpen this message even more.

But more than anything, I want Kerry to hit Bush directly on the terror issue, and point out how Bush slept on duty prior to 9/11, and how Bush drove two of his counterterrorism officials to resign their posts in frustration. Good grief, Kerry needs to have Rand Beers front and center, testifying about Bush's incompentence re. antiterrorism!

[9119495]

5. Awesome. This is a great message to push.

It is an easy message to sell to the public.

[blm]

8. SPEAK UP ABOUT YOUR ROLE IN TRACKING TERRORISTS, KERRY!

Dammit. You were one of the first lawmakers to pursue terrorists and shut down their dirty banks that Bush was dealing with at the time.

It matters to everything happening today.

SPEAK UP. Your answer would DEVASTATE the gang of liars.

[Nancy Waterman]

11. Thank God he finally said it out loud!!

Every American can hear this. Bush is playing on our fears!! He has been for three long years to keep us manageable. This whole Bush campaign has been: "Be very afraid. Only Bush can keep you safe."

Bravo Kerry!!! Keep pounding. Keep speaking the truth!!!

[PunkPop]

12. This is THE THEME

Cheney's remarks were the perfect set-up. Kerry needs to hammer on this from now until election day. The truly deluded will scoff but those who possess a modicum of independent thinking will begin to open their eyes. WAKE UP AMERICA!! THESE CRIMINAL ARE EXPLOITING YOUR FEAR AND PATRIOTISM!!

[wildflower]

15. Anyone here a "Whose Line Is It Anyway" fan?

(I watched the American version.) There was a skit they used to do where they'd make up their own superheroes. One time Colin played "Captain Obvious," running around dramatically declaring obvious things. It was hilarious.

That's what some of these headlines remind me of, especially this one and the one about extinction trickling down. Except unfortunately, they are real.

If only these things were so obvious to everyone else! I'm glad Kerry is saying it and someone is reporting it.

-wildflower

[grannylib]

16. Good message. He needed to come out personally and address this.

Just the correct tone as well.
They ARE shameful, irresponsible and outrageous.
And Wrong.

[GinsNet]

17. You can tell Kerry has better people at the top telling him what to say!

It seem John Kerry is now explaining policy better now that he has some veteran Clinton staff on his staff now!

Hopefully John will do better and start taking some of the lead away from Bush.

[rocktivity]

18. It's the "Chicken George" Meme!

I like "a campaign of fear and smear" better than "W is for Wrong" because it's more encompassing. It's not just about scaring people with terror threats, being too afriad to react on 9/11, or even his being afraid to go to Viet Nam. It's also about his BEING AFRAID OF THE TRUTH. He's AFRAID to admit that he went AWOL, that he didn't take his staff's military advice or listen to the right intelligence reports, that the troops are underdeployed and overworked, that there's 9 billion dollars missing in Iraq, that things are worse than ever in Afghanistan, that there's a net loss of a million jobs...Kerry may not want to use the word LIAR, but he can sure say the words AFRAID OF THE TRUTH!

:headbang:
rocknation