Goddammit! Why can't WE go on the offensive?

[Arugula Latte]

There is a goldmine of material for the Kerry campaign to mine. For example, they (or the 527s) should be running commercials pointing out how Bush stonewalled the 9-11 commission. Or they should run that clip of Bush saying he doesn't care about Osama. There are a thousand ways these evil idiots could be revealed for the fools they are. Instead, it seems like Kerry is always playing defense.

I don't get it. I really don't.

[DaveinMD]

1. I don't think

Kerry is playing defense. I think he's made his points very strongly. Of course, I don't see the ads where I live.

Also remember, its only August. Its still very early in the campaign. There will plenty of time for us to go on the attack.

[DU9598]

2. It's early

I trust the campaign's determination on when it is most important to catch the swing voters. I think it is too early. We are ahead or at worst tied. No use to go for the throat while the swing voters are not paying attention.

[Arugula Latte]

3. But this stuff seeps into people's minds

Like this swiftboat crap -- these evil, vile commercials. I say fight fire with fire. If Bush wants to bring up war service Kerry should answer with a commercial pointing out that Bush was AWOL.

Don't let these assholes Dukakisize Kerry is what I think.

[Tom Rinaldo]

15. Yes But

They need to build Kerry up, granted. They don't want to get down in the mud, certainly not while building Kerry up, granted. But using absolute facts, like a quote of Bush opposing the 9/11 commission at first, and opposing the Department of Homeland Security at first, then a close up of Kerry saying "I'll get it right the first time", what's the problem?

[FloridaPat]

4. If the Democrats had played defensive anytime within the last

25 years, we would not have that idiot in the White House. The repubs would not own all of congress. This is what has everyone highly pissed off with the Democrats.

[lunarboy13]

5. I agree...

I would love to see the Kerry campaign demonstrate a real contrast between him and the bush admin...

For me, it comes down to two points. 1. When Kerry's boat was being attacked from behind, he made a quick decision to act. He turned his boat around and headed right for their assailant. Their enemy possessed an RPG. Kerry beached the boat, pursued and killed the Viet-Cong on that beach.

Now for number 2. GW is sitting in a classroom in Florida reading about a pet goat. He is told that the second plane just hit the second tower of the World Trade Center. Does he act? No. He sits there with the look of absolute horror, like the kid in the back of the classroom who is surprised by the pop-quiz, and he hasn't been doing his homework. For seven, long minutes, he sits there. And finally, he is ushered out. Does he then go into action? No. Our president is then flown about to secret locations around the country for the rest of the day. Our VP is in an undisclosed location for weeks. When we needed leadership the most, they ran and hid. This is who they are, and point one is who John Kerry is.

[Pastiche423]

6. Because "we" have to be Sensible Liberals!

Doncha know?

If we do not keep up our nice guy rep, we'll.......uh.........er....

[Feanorcurufinwe]

7. We are winning.

Haven't you noticed? Why do you want to change a winning strategy?

I haven't seen Kerry playing defense - I've seen a lot of attempts by the other side to put Kerry on the defensive, or goad him into counterattacking, but it hasn't worked.

[kerrykat2004]

8. Winning?

We may be slightly ahead in the polls right now, but that is going to change after Shrub pulls out his "October Surprise."

Go to: www.octobersurprise.net

Do you think Shrub will announce the "capture" of Osama bin Laden? Do you think he'll toss Cheney and bring in John McCain or Rudy Giuliani and Vice President? Maybe he'll triple the imports of Saudi oil and get out gas prices to drop to a dollar a gallon right before the election.


What do you all think Shrub has up his sleeve?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

10. Yes. Winning.

Your predictions of a Bush victory are wrong.

http://www.electoral-vote.com


Nothing Bush or his lackeys can do will stop the American people from removing him from office.

"You can fool all of the people some of the time, and you can fool all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time."

[Myrina]

17. Do you think these are swing voters in attendance ?

Please, events like this are attended by people who already intend to vote for Kerry/Edwards. This isn't a 'rally of undecideds'.

A new strategy is needed to reach those still home on the sofa with their fingers up their a**es, and ads drawing the distinct comparison between Kerry and Bush are EXACTLY the way to do it.

They don't have to be 'evil' and/or condescending, they need only be factual. Kerry has a ton of material his marketers can use to show how totally inept Bush is ... why don't they USE it ?!?!?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

24. You are buying into the untrue spin

that we need this tiny number of swing voters 'to win in a closely divided country'.

That's not even close to true. Democrats outnumber Republicans, they always have, and they always will. Add in the millions of independent voters, Republicans and the great unreported story of this election so far - new voters - who are fed up with Bush and this election is ours -- just as the overwhelming majority of the polls and every electoral vote analysis indicates.



Again, the basic question is: why change a winning strategy?

[Myrina]

25. "Democrats outnumber Republicans, they always have, and they always will.

... and look how far it got us in 2000 .... :eyes:

[Tom Rinaldo]

26. Or in 1988

The last time a Democrat from MA failed to run an aggressive campaign.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

28. LOL

This ain't 2000, this ain't 1988, and Kerry is not Gore or Dukakis.

I'll be celebrating Kerry's inauguration, January 20, and nothing Bush or his lackeys can do will stop it.

[CTLawGuy]

19. hate to burst your bubble

but Kerry is not "winning". If anything, he is tied up with Bush. National polls that might show kerry slightly ahead do not mean anything since the votes are counted state by state. according to the polls, no one has a clear advantage yet. Furthermore, there are 3 months to go.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

29. Frankly, your post can only be described as 'uninformed'.

Check it out: http://www.electoral-vote.com

[Paragon]

9. He will be triumphant who knows when to fight and when not to fight.

[quaoar]

11. Kerry is on the right course

But the 527 Brigade needs to start firing with live ammo. They are the ones who should be napalming Bush.

When a candidate goes negative, it is a sign of weakness. Your own position is faltering so you have to blast the other guy.

As long as Kerry doesn't go nuclear, it means that Bush's hate campaign isn't working. If Kerry goes nuclear, it means the polls are showing that Bush is throwing shit against the wall and it's sticking.

[genius]

12. Because Kerry doesn't have a winning strategy.

[Paragon]

13. Right...'cause he's never won an election before.

:eyes:

[Eric J in MN]

14. You're right. We need more anit-Bush ads.

Support the MoveOn Voter Fund.

www.moveonvoterfund.org

[Bettie]

16. They should take W's current "tag line"

"Results Matter" and use it to talk about the real results of this administration. There is material for four or five ads there alone.

[CTLawGuy]

18. Three letters

D. L. C.

That's why we can't go on the offensive.

[DaveinMD]

20. we're not going

negative for a very important reason. The voters have already decided they don't like Bush. His re-elect has been at abut 43 percent for over 3 months. To close the deal, Kerry just has to convince voters they can trust him as President. He does this, he wins. Its that simple. There will be comparative ads, but the crux of this election will be Kerry convincing voters that they can trust him as Commander in Chief.

[Tom Rinaldo]

21. Conventional wisdom is wrong

The "negative" campaigning that the public dislikes is the mean and dirty stuff, the sweeping negative generalities. The grainy distorted black and white photos, all of that stuff.

A straight forward non twisted discussion of a specific area of disagreement is not negative campaigning. It truly is a discussion of real issues and differing priorities. Obvious example is any domestic security measure that Kerry supports but Bush opposed primarily for budget reasons, not on basic principles. The cost of that non funded program can honestly be contrasted against the amount of federal revenue returned to the wealthiest tax payers under Bush's tax cuts.

It says at least as much about what Kerry supports as what Bush doesn't.

[DaveinMD]

22. I see no problem with

negative campaigning. As a political consultant, I often engage in it. There has been a comparative element to this campaign. If you listen to Kerry's speech you see that. I can't comment on the ads, because I don't see them where I live. Maryland hasn't seen presidential ads in eons.

However, my main strategic point is true. The public has already decided they don't want Bush re-elected. Kerry just needs to show them he can be trusted. He does that, he wins.

[Tom Rinaldo]

23. I guess my point then is that...

The public from time to time should be directly reminded by John Kerry himself, in his ads, that Bush has specifically blown it on things that are important to them, and that he fails to focus on the issues that are important to America. Kery should directly counter Bush's attacks against him, it would carry the subtext that Bush always gets it wrong when he attacks (like he did in Iraq). If the Republicans keep hammering at Kerry and bring down his approval ratings, the race becomes the Devil you really know vs. the one you don't as well. At which point it is up for grabs again. The Republican Convention is ahead of us. The Republicans have a multitude of opportunities to define Kerry negatively. We should constantly reinforce the public fully rejecting the Devil they DO know. It that is done carefully, it won't hurt Kerry's positives.

And it carries a big advantage. It reinforces a public image that Kerry is strong, that he is a fighter, that he will not let our enemies walk all over us, he knows how to fight back. In other words it reinforces the image that while John Kerry fights fair (no torture in prisons) he fights hard. That speaks to the underlying dynamic of who can be a better War time President, and counters the card that Bush is trying to play against Kerry. Kerry very carefully "attacking" Bush carries a double pay off. It tears down Bush AND it builds up John Kerry.

[DaveinMD]

27. I don't disagree

with anything you say here and I think we'll see that as the campaign goes on.