We are witnessing a full frontal assault by a Party in panic.....

[kentuck]

Yes, we are frustrated by all the rumors and lies. We are pissed off at the negative campaign. We are more than angry at the character assassinations of our candidates. Why is it happening? The Republican Party is looking at the polls - their own polls - that show them in serious trouble and in dire danger of losing the election in November. They are in a runaway panic. They are fighting desperately, the only way they know. Tear down your opponent but never build your candidate up. Destroy! Tear down! Kill! Kill! Kill! That's all they know.

[wildmanj]

1. frontal assault

and i say praise the lord and pass the biscuits :crazy:

[nagbacalan]

2. I say instantly and aggressively rebut the charges.

Momentum is so important. Gallup/USA Today polling may not be a fluke.

[wildmanj]

5. momentum

no way the rethuglican gonaaaaaaa turn the KERRY SHIP OF STATE AROUND----talking to as many neighbors as will listen----as james carville would say, "IT THE ECONOMY STUPID" even rethuglican feel the pain

[lancdem]

6. I suspect it's a fluke

No state polls come close to backing it up.

[nodictators]

10. Yes, rebut AND make counter-charges

That's how the CIA does it! And, it works.

[skygazer]

3. And we need to keep up the pressure

Not get complacent, keep encouraging people to vote, keep talking up Kerry/Edwards and not lose sight of the goal.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

4. I read something last night about how, at this point in time...

...Bush was supposed to be methodically laying out his "agenda" for a second term, and instead we are getting only two things going into the RNC: 1). Attacks on Kerry, manufactured by Rove and Hughes and not based in any truth whatsoever, and 2). "I made you safer. You will not be safe if you leave me now." In other words, FEAR.

Say good night, Emperor Bunnypants.

[bigtree]

9. Political Judo

Knocked off balance, off message by the weight of their own hubris.

Kerry is left standing, on message.

[ljm2002]

7. With all due respect...

...this is how they always campaign. And it works. As others have pointed out, they took down McCain in the primaries with the exact same tactics.

We can't afford to be complacent, and second guessing their motives isn't useful. What's useful is taking the initiative.

If it was me, I'd be doing two things. One, I'd be answering the slurs -- whether it's Kerry, or a 527 group doing it for him, it has got to be done. And I'd not answer them defensively. Nope. I'd go on the offensive and tear down Bush's record. He opened the door, so have at it: (a) the SVBFT are attacking every decorated Veteran in America by stating that Kerry doesn't deserve his medals; (b) where are the TANG vets who served with Bush? (c) SHOW THE PAPERS where Kerry requests to serve on the Swift Boats in 'Nam, and where Bush requests not to go overseas; (d) show JK's actual Honorable Discharge papers, and a blank screen where GB's discharge papers would be, if we could only find them...

Two, I'd keep hitting on the 9/11 failure. Talk about judo, these freaks have taken the biggest national security failure since Pearl Harbor and turned it around to their advantage. How'd that happen? How'd we let them have this issue? BUSH FROZE, and OUR WHOLE CHAIN OF COMMAND FROZE. That's what really happened that morning. CALL THEM ON IT. MAKE THEM DEFEND IT. Remember when Condoleezza came out with her butt-covering remarks about "no one could have imagined..."? Remember how defensive she was? But they have managed since then to take the offensive, while we've played nicey-nice so as not to "politicize" a national tragedy. I want to see their asses in a sling over it.

Ah well, dream on...

[kentuck]

8. I like the way you think....

I think the media would have to report such an offense...at least, I would hope they did??

[bigtree]

11. They took down McCain among republicans

in a republican primary. The judgement and intelligence of a republican primary voter is not a bellweather for the general campaign.

[QuidditchFan]

12. Normally I'd agree with you, BUT...

I think that something is different this year, and the reason I say that could be summed up in one word: Iowa. The Democrats who went negative in the primaries in the run-up to the Iowa caucuses got trounced by those that stayed above the fray. Though I concede that the population under consideration during that time is vastly different than the population that will be voting in the General Election, I tend to think that the Democrats in Iowa are NOT that different than Independents that are watching the Bush campaign sling mud at a disgusting rate. I'd be stunned if the Kerry campaign is internally monitoring Indpendents' views of these attacks and is staying above the fray because of data that they have collected. (Which of course leads one to ask whether the Bush campaign is doing the same thing and getting different results?)

Anyway, the proof will be in the pudding. By the way, I agree with you that the Kerry campaign should be going on the offensive; I do not think, however, that they should be using historical events as their weapon of choice. Their most deadly weapons is the ISSUES. The more they stick to the issues, the more relevant they seem, and the more obviously desperate the bad guys seem. This is also why I think the debates are going to clinch it for Kerry.

[kentuck]

14. I don't think "going negative" had anything to do with Iowa....

I think most of the Iowa voters voted for Kerry because of his military record. They thought it was necessary for the Democrats to have an experienced military person on the ticket and Kerry best fit that need. I think Kerry's military experience was the reason people voted for him in Iowa, and other places, because they thought it would not be possible for anyone else to challenge Bush on his "war" credentials...

[ljm2002]

16. about issues that are in the past...

...you do have an excellent point about that. We need to take the offensive on current issues too. I know Kerry is doing it on the campaign trail, and that the media is doing it's usual lackluster (to say the least) job of reporting his message.

But the thing is, Kerry's 'Nam service is in the past, but they're scoring points big time. Sure, the SBVFT group has taken a few knocks, but the fact is, they've done some real damage, and it has gone largely unanswered. So if what Kerry did 30 years ago is fair game, then take it right back and stick it in their friggin' faces.

[chuck555]

13. Good thing its failing.

Voters are so weary of WWF politics. They dig the hole deeper.

[kentuck]

15. Have you got more proof it's "failing" ?

Tell us more.

[wildmanj]

17. tell us more

republicans are girly-boys and eat little green wieners

[realFedUp]

18. we're on the same page

:-)