Joe Conason: Kerry rising

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Rumors of John Kerry's demise have been greatly exaggerated -- too often by doomsaying Dems themselves. A host of new polls suggest it's the president who should be trembling.

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By Joe Conason



Sept. 17, 2004 | To listen to certain Democrats these days is to learn that the presidential election is all but over, apparently because John Kerry slipped behind George W. Bush in a few national polls last week. These sad doomsayers whine constantly that Kerry "isn't tough enough," when what they are really talking about are their own mental weaknesses. Much of the anger and determination displayed by liberals over the past year seems suddenly to have deflated into fear and resignation.

At such moments, a once-important Democratic functionary inevitably pipes up to get his or her name in the newspaper by attacking the party's candidate or campaign. Even if this person happens to be a thoroughly discredited figure like Tony Coelho, a washout as Al Gore's campaign manager, his remarks get ink because "it's a story" when Democrats criticize each other. What would really be a story is a Republican behaving with the same lack of discipline endemic among Democrats just now.

The liberal tendency to assume the fetal position upon hearing any bad news not only creates a damaging psychological environment for those who indulge it, but also repels undecided and independent voters who are seeking strong, confident leadership. Nobody wants to join a team that obsesses more about losing than winning.

And there is no reason to give up, regardless of any flaws in the Kerry-Edwards campaign or the Bush-Cheney convention "bounce." That bounce has fallen flat, returning the presidential race to a virtual dead heat, according to several new polls.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2004/09/17/polls/index.html

[Raster]

1. Joe rocks. Plain and simple.

"...there are other reasons for Bush to worry about voters souring permanently on him before Nov. 2. The most salient is the war in Iraq. A growing majority of people now understand that they were misled by the Bush administration, that the war is going poorly, and that the White House has no viable exit strategy. As public focus returns to the consequences of this administration's incompetence, John Kerry can still seize the opportunity to regain his lead -- if he dares.

[glitch]

2. It's the president who is trembling - hence all the doomsday posts IMO

Gonna have to disagree with "The liberal tendency to assume the fetal position upon hearing any bad news", but then I belong to the bite me wing of the Democratic party and so don't know many hand-wringers.

I wish he would have named the ones he was talking about.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

3. Read some of the posts on DU

I might dismiss the ones by people with a low post count as freeper infiltrators but there are some DU members with 1000+ posts who are whining "It's all over".

[tarrant84]

4. Hi, I'm new

Hey everyone, I'm new, I'm working on the Kerry campaign in Philadelphia.

I agree, I think it's Bush who should be on the run right now. I predict that Kerry will win the college but may lose the popular, and PA is THE battleground state right now.

I think what will decide this election will be the debates-- and while Bush is a moron, he's a good debater. Seriously. I'm praying that Kerry finds a way to connect with the people of the US.

-J

[glitch]

6. Welcome to DU! - although I think Bush requires a lot of help from the

debate moderator, and the echo chamber after his debates, to be called a good debater. Just IMO.

[question everything]

9. Bush can connect better with the masses

since he talks in the "me Tarzan you Jane" mode that everyone can understand, while Kerry's multi syllables words and sentences with clauses turn too many away.

I really would hate to dumb down our president.. but he will have to make an effort for the debates, I am afraid.

[Tangledog]

7. Thanks for your work in Philly

We need people like you to get us a big-ass turnout in the City of Brotherly Love, to counter the Freeped-out nether regions of that basically excellent state.

[glitch]

5. They're on to the low post count red flag - you really can't go by that

anymore. Who knows - maybe they're paid by the post?

[question everything]

8. Thank you for posting this. I needed this

Yesterday during a long drive we listened to NPR which kept repeating the most recent poll results - CBS, I think - and mentioned that the confidence that Democrats feel about Kerry was really low - in the 40s percentage, I think.

Yet, when talking about Ohio, the interviewee said that if Ohio Democrats will get out to vote, Kerry will win there.

So our mission, in all states, but especially in OH and PA and in the Pacific Coast, is to get out the votes.

The Republicans won in 2002 because that's what they did. Certainly in MN where both Governor Pawlenty and Senator Coleman won. OK, their opponents were nothing to brag, either. But this is the main point. I agreed to man a phone on Monday but I really would like to get the message clear in my mind

1. The war in Iraq helps spread terrorism (but I need Kerry to say this, to say that, knowing what he knows now he would NOT vote for IWR or, at least, if yes, to explain why, in clear concise 4th-grade level sentence

2. That the deficit will hurt any attempt to improve the economy

3. That the tax burden has been shifted such that working people carry the burden, while those who live off investment and inheritance pay less and less with the goal of eventually pay nothing, thus keep the wealth in the families.

4. That we cannot despise foreign countries on one aspect - support the war - while needing them, their investment to support the deficit, to prevent it from turning into a depression, on the other.

[acmavm]

10. Call me stupid but I don't think that bush* is ahead of Kerry no matter

what ANYONE OR ANY POLL says.

When I see pictures of Kerry rallies, I see the support that Kerry/Edwards has among the thinking American public. When I see a poll that says bush* is ahead, I fully understand that these polls are taken by organizations that have a right-wing agenda. Zogby is the only one that I have some faith in, but then again I tend to take even that one with a grain of salt because there is no way that they can be reaching the majority of undecideds or the people who are registering to vote for the first time. And no telephone poll can be a sign of true voter trends because of the thousands of people who use cell phones.

The polls are no indication of how this election is shaping up. Even if they tell you that it's even between Kerry and bush*. There was never a 13 point lead after the RNC, and bush* is not leading Kerry now.

Paying attention to these polls does just exactly what they are meant to do, discourage the anti-bush* voter.

[MasonJar]

11. My daughter, Ramsey to DU, lives in Philly; she says that Kerry

is a lock in Pennsylvania.