I don't think Kerry should have disowned the Moveon ad.

[terrya]

I know he wants to take the high road, and I appreciate that, but the Moveon ad is perfectly valid. It questions Bush's military service...that is, the lack of same.

The Moveon ad should stay on the air, IMO. I wish Kerry hadn't demanded it be pulled.

Just my .02. But we need to fight those bastards in the Bush/Cheney campaign with all we have.

Again, just my opinion.

[liberalnurse]

1. I agree....he insults his support base..

We dontate good money to get out the message. Why does Kerry take the marching order from *bush's campaign? This is bullcrap!

[SoCalDem]

2. I'm with you.. He could have said something like

The organizations are independent and their opinions are their own.and that the actual campaign was taking the high road, just like the Bush campaign, and there are ads that their non-campaign supporters are running that are just as "angry" in tone..

then he could have called for REAL campaign finance that would rely totally on public funding..

[Rowdyboy]

3. Disagree....All Kerry did was disavow the ad, which lets him be seen

as taking the high road. Moveon can continue running it as long as they like, Kerry has no control over theirr actions. I assume Moveon intends to ignore his wishes and continue airing the ad until SwiftBoatLiarsForBush backs down.

Kerry loses nothing and looks less partisan in the process.

[Claire Beth]

5. I agree! n/t

[Rainbowreflect]

7. Absolutely! He did not attack the ad he just said that

the election should be about issues. He looks above the bushit & Movon can continue to do their thing. Both are doing there job to get bush out of office.

[liberalnurse]

9. No matter how one looks at it.....

it's a big hairball to swollow......:eyes:

[vi5]

4. Even Moveon has said they are fine with him doing this...

There's a piece in Salon where they say they are totally fine with him doing it and expect him to say things like that because he is the candidate and has to take the high road, while they are an interest group and can and will act independently.

I think it was a great move.

[Cheswick2.0]

6. I agree

The democratic party needs to realize that organizations such as Move On are the only reason they are surviving. Move-On, DFA, Progressive Majority etc... are doing what the party it's self should be doing.

[BurtWorm]

10. Hey, Cheswick, I'm coming around to thinking what DFA and MoveOn do

and what Kerry has to do are two separate things. It took me a while and I can understand why Dean people would be skeptical of such an idea, considering what a bastard Kerry was to Dean in the primaries. But I think that, while DFA's job is to restructure the Dems and force it and the nation left, Kerry's main job is to win more popular and electoral votes than Bush.

Furthermore, I don't think Kerry actually disparaged MoveOn or the ad. I think his goal was not to exploit a supposed rift between himself and activists but to undermine the Bushist drive to smear his war record. You'll notice that Kerry did not call for MoveOn to stop running the ad, nor did he say anything to contradict its main message, which is that it takes a lot of gall for a slacker like Bush to disparage a decorated war veteran like Kerry. But he forced the Bushists to get defensive about their offensive.

[Warpy]

8. It's only posturing

Had he really been upset, he could have gotten that ad pulled overnight.

This is to contrast himself with Bush, who has yet to repudiate the slander put forth by his own pet group, much to the disgust of much of his own party!

He's given the Bush gang enough rope to hang themselves, while avoiding any appearance of criticism of Chicken George's rotten record on his part.

This whole thing is blowing back bigtime, and the Rove gang can't point at Kerry and howl, "butbutbut he does the SAME THING!"

[sandnsea]

11. Opened the door for today's statement

He couldn't have called Bush on not disavowing the Swift Liars if he hadn't disavowed the Moveon ad. Played it like a Stradivarius.

[King of New Orleans]

12. Yup, really trapped GeeW on this one

eom

[jonnyblitz]

13. I completely agree also

I find this "high road" theory completely WHACKED! COMPLETELY. Sounds like people are trying to rationalize prissy assholish behavior. Dissing the people who brung ya just to try to attract these so called swing voter DUMBASSES is pretty low.

[WilliamPitt]

14. To repeat (again)

Zach Exley of MoveOn, who was instrumental in putting this ad together, works fist in glove with Kerry's campaign. They knew beforehand that Kerry would disavow the ad, so as to raise themselves above the grossness of Bush's handling of the Swift Vote idiots.

This does two things: Allows Kerry to take the high road, and simultaneously starts a good buzz about the ad itself. This is a good thing combined with a good thing, which equals a very good thing...except for those who don't get it.

Folks on DU need to work on moving beyond two-dimensional thinking when it comes to this campaign. Kerry's people are working on several levels, and not everything is as it seems. Wheels within wheels.

[Demoiselle]

15. Um...Will...

The "works fist in glove"comment is a great metaphor, but you appear to be accusing the Move On folks and the Kerry campaign with collusion. That's a no no for 527s, 501s, etc.

[WilliamPitt]

18. It isn't collusion

but there is full awareness of tactics and strategy on both sides.

[TWiley]

16. That was my first impression also.

But, maybe there is an important point to consider.

When both candidates are slinging mud, they both look the same to an uninformed public. They get the attitude "I am not even going to waste my time voting for either of those loosers.

Another concern is what happens after the election. If the campaign is bitter and Kerry wins, then there will likely be more resistance to any changes Kerry needs to make. Also, part of me actually believes that bush would love to start a small, violent, civil war to justify him canceling the elections, or declaring martial law.

Most of all, there could be a great possibility here. At just the right time, reveal bush for his lack of focus on important issues, and his pre-occupation with bogus emotional arguments. Imagine an ad that shows footage of him, the first day in office, telling the interviewer about his "fire back strongly policy" When the reporter asked if it applied to the protesters outside, he said "Yes" "I mean exactly what it sounds like it means" He then targeted various groups like the Sierra Club as examples.

Next, flash the footage of him telling the U.N. that they risk becoming "irrelevant" because they disagree. Then footage him of criticizing the French, Germans, Russians, and Chinese. Follow up with footage of him declaring the "Axis of Evil", the ramp up to the war in Iraq, their current rhetoric about war with Iran, and then to his attacks on John Kerry.

Close with: Bush cannot get along with anyone. We need a leader who has not insulted and attacked the domestic or international community.

It would be great a couple weeks before the election

[unfrigginreal]

17. In retrospect, it was a pretty shrewd move...

but who knew that Kerry planned to lower the boom today? Well, the Kerry campaign did. It may be time for some us more restless types to have a little more faith in what they are doing. They didn't get where they're at today by being screw-ups.

Glad to see them finally come out swinging.