Kerry May Need To Replace His Campaign Strategists

[Yavin4]

He needs a better team of people around him to respond to Bush's attacks. He's letting Bush bully him into saying dumb things, and he's not putting Bush on the defensive. Kerry needs to take the offensive and go after Bush, hard.

[still_one]

1. I think he is conserving his resources until after the pugs convention

[xrepub]

16. Improvement needed

There is plenty of room for improvement here. If I were voting for the best campaigner, I would go bush.

We have all the facts on our side, and we're not running away with this thing.

economy in shambles
iraq in shambles
war on terrorism in shambles
war hero against awol
debt sky high

[KittyWampus]

30. You Forgot To Mention One Thing- The Media

and Kerry is ahead except for one poll group.

[UpsideDownFlag]

2. he needs to be less apoligetic and more agressive.

instead of stumbling with a response about being in cambodia, how about "praytell, where were you during all this?" kerry is worrying me a lot with his s.o.p approach to the repub noise machine.

[Placebo]

10. I couldn't agree more.

It's time to kick this campaign up a notch!

[radiclib]

3. To quote a forgotten Dem nominee

"A fish rots from the head."

[coloradodem2005]

5. Who said that?

Aledi Stevenson?

[radiclib]

6. Michael Dukakis

No one listened then either.

[Cha]

4. I found this on another thread by Nancy Waterman..

And I think it's excellent advice..

"Kerry needs to define Bush's MO and not respond to the attacks


He needs to say something like: These are standard Bush/Rove tactics. They attack the character of their opponent. They fabricate, exaggerate, and outright lie, weaving a spider's web of deceit. They use third parties who are "officially" not involved with the campaign to impugne the character of their opponents. They did it to Gore, to McCain, to Ann Richards, and now they are dong it to Kerry. The old saying: the Devil works with a grain of truth applies here. They spin all kinds of distortions using a sliver of truth, just enough to make it believable, but really creating what amounts to a lie.

Bush should be put on the defensive for lying, for degrading the American political system with nothing of substance, only character smears. And McCain should be ashamed to support him."

[NEOBuckeye]

8. That would help a great deal. But I'm not sure how much it will matter.

Rising oil costs are tanking Bush's so called "turning the corner" economic comeback. No amount of vitriol Cheney spews or lies that Rove spins are going to be able to deflect the BLAME these men will receive from the American people as the economy crumbles.

What is Bush going to do? Blame Clinton? :eyes:

[Cha]

11. I just think it would help like Nancy said to "define"

what is really going on and I think it would matter a lot to all of us who are sick of the way they always set up and frame the debate.

[mountainvue]

20. Not to mention,

I think Plame is going to blow soon. I really do.

[rocktivity]

7. He needs savvier media people, at least

They seem to be oblivious to the fact that the mainstream media hate Kerry as much as the GOP does. I can live with the decision to not do any new TV commericals until after the RNC convention. But why not run some radio commericals in those battleground states instead? With the right equipment, they could be recorded right on a campaign bus. And why hasn't it occured to anyone in the Kerry camp to be calling in to Air America at least once a day?

:headbang:
rocknation

[mfritz]

14. On the contrary

I think they are very much aware of how the media hates Kerry and whores for Bush.

That's why I think they're doing the cross country tour of battleground states, bypassing the national media and soaking up the positive local press while talking about issues that matter to those voters.

I see the campaign being fought on two levels - locally in the battleground states, were Kerry is winning, and nationally where Bush is winning.

MF

[rocktivity]

19. I'm talking about his being photographed in a powder blue jump suit.

And his making statements that the media easily spun into his agreeing that Bush was right about invading Iraq and "being unable to think" on 9/11. And when Cheney mocked Kerry about waging "sensitive" warfare, where was official response pointing out that Bush had himself spoken of utilizing "sensitivity" on the war on terror--on his blog?

Kerry can defend himself without "stooping to their level" simply by stating the facts...unless his REAL strategy is to generate votes through public dissatisfaction with how desparately negative and sleazy the Bush campaign has become!

:headbang:
rocknation

[Uzybone]

45. The powder blue suit

do you know that you are the only person I have ever seen complain about that suit? You keep drumming it up as though people in the real world actually care about that photo op.

[senseandsensibility]

37. * is winning nationally?

Only the CNN poll says that.

[volosong]

9. Kerry's Terrible Strategy

I totally agree.

If he is saving himself until after the NY convention, that decision might cost him the election.

I predict Bush will get a nice "bounce" from his extravaganza, and then we will be screwed and have to play catch up ball until election day.

A terrible strategy and most likely to get us defeated.

[sandnsea]

12. Geez Louise

How do you pepole get out of bed in the morning? I swear I've never seen more negativity and griping in my life. The guy's winning for chrissake. 50,000 in Portland, the largest political rally in the state's history. And you people have him down and out in the gutter. Get a friggin' grip already.

[JohnKleeb]

15. it was? thats great ot know

The fact that he could be winning here in Va within the MOE is good enough for me to realize that he's doing something right. Very optimistic here.

[Rageneau]

39. Kerry Needs BartCop!

Glass-half-full types can mollify themselves with the false comfort that that "Kerry is running a 'winning' campaign." But the rest of us believe that Kerry could be -- should be -- much farther ahead, and would be, if he would fight more and strategize less. As horrible a president as Bush is, and as classy a candidate as is Kerry, JFK ought to be beating Smirk by 40 points! The fact that he isn't persuades many of us that the Kerry Campaign is too complacent, too cerebral, too careful and too cautious in its dealings with the Rethugs. We've watched this wimpiness get us whipped too many times now. We watched the Mondale, Dukakis, and Gore campaigns do the same thing, and we can SEE it happening again with Kerry. Don't tell us it isn't!

I don't know who Kerry listens to, but if he wants to win, he needs to start listening to BartCop.

[mzmolly]

13. BRAVISIMO! All he has to do is say "I tried to run a positive campaign"

but the Bush team would not allow civil discourse. etc...

I totally agree Yavin4!

You don't appear "strong" by being a wuss! ~ Credit my husband with that line. ;)

[sandnsea]

17. Worthy of George Bush

"You don't appear "strong" by being a wuss!"

No offense to your husband, but that's the exact reason so many males are enamored with George Bush. They mistake false bravado for strength and intelligence for wuss. I've had enough of it and don't want anymore of it. At least, not a steady diet of it. Maybe that's always been the difference between Dean people and Kerry people. We always saw the difference between bluster and strength.

[mzmolly]

24. Gosh, you Kerry people are so superior!

:eyes:

I agree with you about bravado. But, guess what ... the vast majority of Democrats get tired as hell watching Democrats let the Republicans walk all over them.

Regarding Dean, I resent once again your implication that I or anyone else supported him because of faux hubris. We supported him for TELLING THE TRUTH, NOT LETTING THE REPUBLICANS DEFINE THE DEBATE, and because of his OUTSTANDING 12 YEAR RECORD IN VERMONT. Dean was on offense, which is where I prefer to be. Dean went after Bush, and still is. I admire that, we need to go after the failure in the White House. We have the WORST President in history, and were talking about "running a positive campaign"? Bullshit I say, let's go get them Bush bastards! I don't care how we do it, but do it we must.

[TheRovingGourmet]

27. I hate seeing the Democrats let the Republicans walk all over

them also, but if you act like a sidewalk it is expected that people will step on you quite often.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

18. What about this?

He's winning.

Why change a winning strategy?

[JohnKleeb]

22. stop making me drool damnit

[Norquist Nemesis]

21. Think about it this way...

if Kerry were really losing so badly, would Bush and his minions be so wholeheartedly spending money on negative attack ads? It's Bush who is running scared.

[TheRovingGourmet]

23. He needs to hire some native Texans. :)

[genius]

25. When you're right, you're right. Kerry should listen.

[Zhade]

26. I'd really like him to replace his foreign policy advisors.

Beers, Albright, Holbrooke, Marshall, Rubin - all appear to be proponents of continued American imperialism.

That's what Kerry used to be against, and I think these advisors are steering him in the wrong direction.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

29. I Thought The Aforementioned Were Proponents Of Multilateralism...

Who do you suggest advise Kerry on foreign policy?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

28. Who Should He Replace Them With?

I'm going to bed but if you say Carville and Begalla I'll point out they have lost as well as won races too...

[ItsMyParty]

31. As I said in another post tonight (something on this order anyway)

..you can't build a campaign, ads and a convention on convincing the American people you will fight for them and fight the terrorists and then have your actions scream "won't fight". Your actions have to match your words. Bush and Cheney are doing their bar room brawl routine as fighters. John has to put down the tea cup and the watercrest sandwiches and give the persona of fighting. We can't use Edwards as a Cheney--he looks to angelic. Kerry has to do the heavy lifting in this tag team. I don't care if he does it right now. Between the Olympics, hurricanes and the Repub convention (that no one will watch either)he would be pissing in the wind right now. Nobody would hear him. But, goddamn diddly, come the day after that convention Kerry needs to be all saddled up, ready to ride and the six guns blazing. It IS High Noon come Sept. 1st.

[KittyWampus]

32. You Are Wrong... And Kerry Is In The Lead

And BUSH HAD TO SCRAP THE 'TURN THE CORNER' BULLSHIT PHRASE.

Or maybe you forgot that?

[union_maid]

33. Thank you. I've been saying that all day

He also had to scrap "Results matter" because they do and Kerry pointed out how bad Bush's results are. And he backed right off his stupid VAT remark. Kerry's attacking on policy and he's being presidential out there.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

34. This Board Is As Bad As A Yahoo Sports Board.....

I have never seen so many armchair campaign managers in my life....


If one of the master strategists on this board can point to a political race they have won I might listen to them....


It really is fucking hysterical....

[RummyTheDummy]

35. Let's see here

Kerry is ahead in 16 of 18 battleground states, but yeah, lets shit can the whole staff.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

36. I'm Waiting For The Original Poster To Name Their Replacements....

NT

[Name removed]

38. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[John_H]

40. LOL! This thread is not part of the plan, dude. Did you not get the memo?

[NEDem]

41. They're doing OK.

Let me say first, I think they screwed up the response to the swiftliars.

Remember, the campaign said they weren't going to spend any money in August. I saw an article the other day (I wish I could provide link) that said the Kerry campaign, by virtue of visting something like 82 cities, was getting massive free exsosure from local media. I think that's pretty smart, they are still getting their word out, but not having to spend all that much in the process. It seems to be working so far. They did need to do a better job of responding to attacks, and I think that's been fixed given the response they had to the 'leaked' ad.

The attacks now are mostly bullshit stuff, if something really bad hits them I think they'll respond just fine, at least I HOPE the do just fine.

[flaminbats]

42. Kerry needs a new Mart damnit!

When I ordered this crap from the Clinton campaign in 1992, it came in less than a week after.


I ordered some stuff on the credit card over a week ago. A week later I even got an email response stating...maybe it could be sent in ahh, couple of weeks.


well thanks allot!

Because if it doesn't come by September, I will get my money back or die in the process! Then I shall send it in as an additional campaign donation to my Democratic state Senate candidate..

Every time this happens, it reminds me why I don't use my credit card over the INTERNET! :grr:

[DemocratSinceBirth]

43. kick(nt)

[Wheelie_Alex]

44. He could offer the job to...

any one of the thousands of strategists on this board. :)