Should John Kerry Denounce ALL 527's?

[Placebo]

Poll question: Should John Kerry Denounce ALL 527's?

Should John Kerry denounce all 527's?

Or should he continue to simply denounce specific ads that he believes go too far?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

1. Duh, no

[SilasSoule]

2. No

[Placebo]

3. Well the only reason I ask...

is because the republicans and the media seem to be driving home the fact that pro-democratic 527's have outspent republicans by such huge margins blah blah blah...

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. Nothing wrong with 527s

as long as they aren't full of lies. That's the difference between the ones that support Kerry and the garbage Scow Veterans for KKKarl Rove.

[JDPriestly]

20. Agreed.

Lying is the problem, not the 527s. Bush may not like the messages of the liberal 527s, but I'm not aware that he has proved any of them lied.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

8. The Republicans only think it's fair if they win - even if they cheat.

[fearnobush]

16. Media is also warning us of the new 35million GOP 527 coming to

a TV near you.

I suggest you give to MoveOn, At least ours tell the truth.

[pbg]

4. Being against lies is a simple enough position

except, of course, to the liars.

[dennis4868]

6. he cant.....

we have something called freedom of speech....the problem with the swift boat vets for bsuh is that there is no freedom to lie.

[Placebo]

12. good point

[DemWitch]

7. no frikkin way...

the main bitch about 527's is balances out the $$$$ situation that the repugs have had an advantage for since time immortal... screw 'em...

Bring 'em on...

[w13rd0]

9. Kerry should point out that despite the deplorable nature...

...of the Swiftsmears group, and their connections to the Bush campaign, that Bush is FLIP-FLOPPING on his stance regarding political contributions due to political expediency. We should not allow BushCo to set the terms of the debate, we should not permit them to continue to use Dubyas REPEATED FAILURES to advance his agenda. Has there EVER been an idiot who has, repeatedly, due to his monied interests and familial connections, turned so many blisteringly BAD decisions to his advantage OVER AND OVER again...

[Spiffarino]

10. No, just the blatant smear ads

BC04 is putting out all kinds of misleading ads. Kerry's are a little more truthful, but not perfect. The 527s, on the other hand, are smacking Bush full in the mouth with the truth.

Kerry can handle the Swift Liars, while Bush can't handle the truth. Bring 'em on, indeed.

[librechik]

11. where's the HELL NO!! option? n/t

[xxqqqzme]

15. I was lookin' 4

f*ck no!

[0rganism]

13. He should denounce LIES, and LIARS, and the people who bankroll them

It's really quite simple. It might be worth modifying the law establishing 527s to hold them to stricter libel and slander standards, but by denouncing them now Kerry would be cutting himself off from a significant source of support.

[sandnsea]

14. He already did

He said way last spring that he didn't like any groups running campaign ads besides the candidates. There's a difference between denouncing lies and preferring different types of campaign ads and financing.

[Jane Austin]

17. And HELL NO!!

These groups are the only way us little folks can band together to have an effect on things.

If they want to limit the size of donations, that's ok by me, but I love all of us contributing and getting an equal voice to the fat cats. :)

[JDPriestly]

18. The 527s,

ensure that we still have freedom of speech. There is no way they can be abolished. The 527s provide a voice for people who don't want to toe the party line or the candidate's line.

As a Kerry campaign volunteer, I'd say McCain Feingold is not working well in a number of respects.

[JDPriestly]

19. Agreed.

Individual donations should be capped at $1,000.

[pa28]

21. Democrats believe in freedom of speech

Republicans believe, apparently, in the freedom to slander with impunity.

[rullery]

22. 527s fill the gap between conventions.

Both the democratic and republican presidential candidates are limited by law on the amount of money they can spend on their campaigns following their acceptance of nominations. Because the republicans scheduled their convention a month later than the democrats, if Kerry had been spending much during August he would be short of money before November. That is why Bush has been pushing Kerry to denounce all 527s, which would give Bush a significant advantage. Kerry is not buying it; why should he? The 527s help level the playing field, much to the chagrin of the republicans.

[ellie]

23. No, he should denouce lying

The repukes are in a tizzy because they can't understand the difference between the Democratic 527s and the Swiftboat liars. If I hear one more, "But Kerry did it!" I am going to puke. The Swiftboat ad is a lie. That is the difference. I was watching Crossfire and the Democratic guest almost said it but didn't. This is the message we need to get out there.