Imus is right: Kerry responds THIS MORNING or else

[sampsonblk]

Imus says "Kerry has to either respond first thing this morning or else he can uh he can go back to Massachussetts and put on a pair of panties and . . . "

I agree. Those devils basically called Kerry a terrorist-loving commie traitor. If he let's that stand (as he did with the Swift Vets for nearly two weeks), then he is going to be our second Dukakis.

I think Kerry will rise to the occasion. He ain't stupid.

[JI7]

1. he is holding a rally at midnight to answer to Bush speech also

in swing state Ohio.

[liberalnurse]

2. Yes, and I'll be there.

I am ready! I hope there is enough room for everyone!

I'm going to a Democratic/Kerry Volunteers meeting in Dayton first then we all drive up to Springfield......about a 30 minute drive.

[GreenPartyVoter]

56. Say hi to him from DU! :^D

[Murdock]

3. I have my doubts...

I hope I am surprised by the Kerry Camp today..

Its a critical day.. and thus far the Democratic response has been tepid at best..

[liberalnurse]

4. Oh, now...this Midnight rally will be the launching pad.....

I wish you could be there....Can you come to the rally?

[peaches2003]

5. Midnight be damned

Sorry, midnight is way too late. He has to steal the limelight and defend himself from that SOB this morning or he is finished!

[Jim Sagle]

9. Defeatist rubbish.

[Cha]

94. Agreed! imus is too impatient!

[Julien Sorel]

11. Defense wins elections!

Never forget it. You read it here first.

[liberalnurse]

16. He is doing it on "his terms....

I like the plan.....He will get the attention required to send a powerful response. Until *bush speaks, anything else will get buried.

[KittyWampus]

20. Did You Hear Or Read His Speech From Yesterday?

I thought not.

[John_H]

71. Midnight is PERFECT

1) It will give JK the chance to whack Chimp as well as Zig Zag and Snarl. That's the big prize.

2) The midnight speech will not get lost in the pre chimp-speech hype, which a statement this morning would have. If the groundwork was layed properly by the Kerry press shop, Kerry's response AFTER chimp's speech will create its own cycle and Kerry will horn in on Chimp's post speech coverage.

3)The whores and the surrogates did a pretty good job on Zell and Snarl last night--why should Kerry have to get his hands dirty? Whenever he personally can rise above, he should.

A guess: This has Lockheart's fingerprints all over it.

[hippiegranny]

77. finished! finished, i tell you.

i wish i had a dollar for every time someone made that very post.

[mumon]

12. Bull

Kerry said the right thing last night:

We are less safe under the Bush.

[GOPAgainstGW]

6. IMUS IS AN IDIOT - LET THE RNC HAVE THEIR BOGUS CONVENTION & THEN THEY PAY

The 9/16/04 Torpedo that Sinks Bush-Cheney - Let the Election War Begin!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x721322

[MrBenchley]

7. That would be Imus the Republican sympathizer

who's trying to salvage the GOP after they shot themselves in the foot? Uh-HUH.

"Those devils basically called Kerry a terrorist-loving commie traitor."
And then they wandered around the street muttering to themselves and challenging people to duels.....

"If he let's that stand (as he did with the Swift Vets for nearly two weeks), then he is going to be our second Dukakis."
Say, how's that Swift Boat thing going for the Republicans, anyway?

"On the August 31 edition of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh suggested that former President Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) are secretly funding the anti-Kerry group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
From the August 31 edition of The Rush Limbaugh Show:
LIMBAUGH: I still say, if you really dig deep, you might find some Clinton PAC money, laundered three or four different ways, found its way to the Swift Vets. But that's just me.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200409010002

Wel, clearly THAT must be going great guns....

[cap]

13. oh... the clenis strikes again....

the swift vets are corrupt, must be the fault of the clenis.

Limbaugh is starting to back away from the Swift Vets and their lies... but it can't be republican lies....

Must be that clenis again.

[MrBenchley]

18. The flabby junkie wouldn't be fleeing the slime boat

if it hadn't keeled over and sunk....

Kerry needs to stay on message: Hope and Help Are On The Way....

[sampsonblk]

53. The Swift Vet thing is STILL working wonders for them

A LOT of people think they are telling the truth - whether Bush put them up to it or not.

[Democat]

8. I hope Kerry slams these right wing assholes hard and fast

It's time.

[senseandsensibility]

10. I'm all for hitting back

hard, and I've been advocating that for weeks. I say everything is on the table now, and everything should be used. I don't care what Imus says. It's common sense. But Kerry should do it because it needs to be done, not because some braindead idiot wants to make this about Kerry, not about the lying repukes. You know, he COULD be calling on them to apologize. Just a thought.

[Snellius]

14. The only mistake Kerry made was letting Bush take the offensive

All through the primaries, following the lead of Howard Dean, the "miserable loser" was on the run. Whoever decided at the Democratic Convention not to go negative only succeeded in losing momentum without putting anything positive in its place.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

15. The problem is that Kerry did not respond in time to the Swiftvvet LIARS!

He let his credibility be hit. That was a big mistake. Kerry better do something NOW or he WILL loose.

[Snellius]

17. Repubs are genius at communicating with the stupid

It's their secret. Like the nazis. I honestly think it's almost impossible for intelligent, honest, decent people like Kerry or Gore to believe that anyone would take this yahoo, moronic crap so seriously but they do. This election is a clear choice not just in politics but in the basic values of human dignity. I hate to lose to these idiots but, if we have to become like them to win, I wonder what we've lost.

[mondo joe]

40. But that's the point of a campaign. That's the playing field.

Kerry has to be able to communicate with them, stupid or not.

[sampsonblk]

52. Same here

I keep hearing "if the voters don't see Kerry's wisdom, they are stupid." That may be true. But we need to still get them to vote Kerry, stupid or not.

[MrBenchley]

19. Earth to Snellius....

"All through the primaries, following the lead of Howard Dean, the "miserable loser" was on the run."
Where? Dean ended up a distant third or fourth in every primary he was in...and the Democrats' internal squabbling did nothing to harm pResident Fucknut.

And the positive DNC made momentum grow, not diminish....

I'd bet pretty much every moderate Republican out there is sitting around this morning with his head in his hands....this has been a four star disaster for the GOP.

[sangh0]

21. Not only that

Snellius claims that Bush* was both "on the run" *AND* "took the offensive"

[Snellius]

23. The decision not to go negative opened the door for Bush

to take the offensive. This contest is really not about the specifics but how the candidates handle themselves in a fight. Do they stand up to the enemy or do they back down. That's what people will be looking at.

[sangh0]

63. WRONG! It "opened the door" to Bush*'s numbers going nowhere

Where you got the idea that Bush* has been making progress in this campaign will forever remain a mystery to anyone even breifly familiar with the facts.

Bush*'s numbers since the Dem convention have pretty much stood still. If that's Bush*'s way of taking the offensive, your worries are even more ridiculous than your arguments in this thread.

[MrBenchley]

41. Yeah, but attacks are SO much fun....

Just ask Zell and the rest of that happy klan...

[Snellius]

22. "the positive DNC made momentum grow"?

Love that DNC post-election bounce in the polls.

"I'd bet pretty much every moderate Republican out there is sitting around this morning with his head in his hands". Even if there were such an extinct animal as a "moderate Republican" anymore, I don't think they are the swing voters who will be deciding this election.

[MrBenchley]

43. Yeah, it did....

"Even if there were such an extinct animal as a "moderate Republican" anymore"
Guess you haven't talked to many small business owners lately....

[sangh0]

66. And I guess that he only looked at the Bush* v Kerry #'s

without looking at how Kerry's handling of terrorism and foreign policy shot up after the Dem convention.

[MrBenchley]

92. I agree....

And remember, the polls cover only folks who voted last time...they don't include anybody who sat out 2000 but is going to vote this time around.

[BillZBubb]

74. I know 5 small business owners very well.

4 of the 5 are essentially dittoheads. Limpballs says jump, and they do the polka. The fifth is a diehard Repug and fundie.

I know it's anecdotal and I'm in brain dead Texas, but I can't recall meeting a moderate Repug in years.

[sangh0]

86. Yes, we all know how representative of the avg American businessman

a Texas businessman is.


:crazy:

[Cicero]

69. Hey! Don't call GWB a "miserable loser"!!!

It's "miserable failure". (See the bottom of the page.)

Now be sure to get it right next time!

Later,

[Neshanic]

24. I'm one of the official "chicken littles". Imus advice? I think not.

Imus is a corporate whore, nothing else. Kerry knows what to do.

[Catfight]

25. Time to go OFFENSE and call BUSH out of his spider hole! Quit

allowing Cheney, the evil bully, to do all his dirty work for him. If Bush is any kind of decent man (we all know he's not) then he can come out against Kerry....is Kerry running against Cheney or Bush? I'm confused, because Cheney sounded like he was running for office to me! LOL

[spotbird]

26. Kerry goes on the attack like a rabid pit bull or he is sunk.

I'm going to stop watching this because it is too painful. The reason the Republicans are attacking is that it works. How after all this time the Democrats haven't learned this is beyond me.

Everyone said it was Kerry's to lose, and if things continue like this they will be right.

I want to scream.

[MrBenchley]

30. Say what?

Attacks only work on people filled with hate, spite and venom. Most Americans are decent people. Kerry needs to show the country he has a positive vision of the future.

"I want to scream."
So yell "Fuhgeddabout it" tonight when Chimpy takes to the airwaves.

P.S.: Imus is a loathsome toad and a Republican... why on earth would any Democrat take HIS advice?

[librechik]

39. Note: we aren't trying to convince any RW nutjobs

We need to show our base that we aren't crazy, fly off the handle nutjobs ourselves. We need contrast here, not tit for tat, IMO. Kerry will speak today. That's good enough.

Any idiot could tell Zell is deranged and Dickhead is a liar. We aren't going to need the idiot vote anyway.

Edwards has just given a statement. Let's calm down about this outrage and just

GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS

[MrBenchley]

44. EXACTLY!!!!!

Remember, at this point the GOP needs Kerry to go on the attack...because they have no successes to point to and no vision for the future.

[KharmaTrain]

27. You Staying Home? Not Gonna Vote?

Sheesh...chill! We had a great night last night. Mr. Haney made an absolute fool of himself and the GOOP. Crashcart's speech scared more than it assured and unless Bunnypants hits it out of the park tonight with a speech he can't deliver even if he were Churchill or this convention will go down as a failure.

The story's already being written...the GOOP is angry, mean, intolerant, war mongers and opportunists. This message has gone out wide and clear all week...media filter or not...and is yet another overplay by the GOOP.

We're watching this party about to implode on its own biases and lies. This convention didn't reach out to the middle, like the DNC did, it scared them away.

A great candidate strikes when the opponent at his most vulnerable. The regime gets weaker by the day, and they've opened up a ton of attack points this week. They've shown their hand and now Kerry can tear it apart.

Extremism, of the right or left, never goes over well in an election, we're about to get a strong example of that.

[quaoar]

28. From MSNBC

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5892840/

MATTHEWS: I am telling you, I think it‘s going to exact a response from John Kerry.

My own hunch, having watched politicians for a long time, if he doesn‘t come back and show—I hate to be sexist—his manhood and come back and say, how dare somebody accuse me of not caring about our troops, of not caring about this country, of accusing my of using spitballs to defend us, to mock my valor and my commitment, this is so personal, if he lets somebody write his speech tomorrow, he is making a big mistake.

Joe.

SCARBOROUGH: But, Chris, that‘s the problem with John Kerry‘s campaign over the past month.

Had I been a war hero like John Kerry, had I served my country in Vietnam when my opponent decided to stay at home, I would have been offended a month ago. This guy has been given 1,000 reasons to be offended, 1,000 reasons to go out and strike back, 1,000 reasons to be aggressive and put his finger out and say, how dare you.

He hasn‘t done it. If he is not going to do it when they attack his war record...

MATTHEWS: I know.

SCARBOROUGH: Why would he do it because of a convention speech?

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: The best time for him to play defense and to counterattack was three months ago.

SCARBOROUGH: Right.

MATTHEWS: The second best time is tomorrow morning.

SCARBOROUGH: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: He has to do it.

SCARBOROUGH: He has got to do it after the convention. You are right.

[Supersedeas]

29. Miller's Negativity speaks for itself--let it soak in--then respond

Miller's demeanor and tone are a reflection of this Administration, let the American people have a moment to see it for what it is.

Then, offer a rational and composed response of a man who deserves to be President of a twentieth first century world.

Talking radio faces want to see a show, a street bawl where they can do some play-by-play--very little prep, very little discussion of policy and no homework required--then again they could just cover more celebrity trials which is their proper venue--the time for fun and games is over--some pundits like David Brooks can laugh Miller comments off as a throw back to other political days--but this is nothing funny about the situation our country is in--this election is bigger than IMUS and the other talking faces.

A knee jerk reaction to last nights comments would be a mistake--rational minded voters see Miller for what he is, let them have a moment to consider why Rove and the Repubs chose Miller to give the Keynote address...then, let Kerry get back on message.

[mbali]

31. Exactly - no need for Kerry to jump into the fray right now - the press is

doing a good job of making Miller look ridiculous, so there's no need for him to step all over his own story in this news cycle.

[GoldenOldie]

34. Kerry to keep his eye's on Georgie

Has anyone else been aware that all the individual Kerry attacker's have an "bring it on," mantra. That heroic piece of slime John "Wayne" O'Neil, said that Kerry should openly debate him regarding his service in Vietnam. Dick Cheney questions his patriotism??? And now the illustrious, know-it-all Imus is telling Kerry what he must do to win.

If Kerry was dumb enough to fall into this trap of debating or attacking each and every thug that Rove throws out there, it takes attention away from Georgie who is his target. I can hardly wait for Kerry's response tonight. We all know Zell is crazy, Conan is good with scripts, Cheney calls the shots and official an attack dog, Michael Reagan has serious issues, McCain is playing his own little game, Guliani is looking at the higher rungs etc., etc. Now let's see what Georgie will do? I have a feeling that Kerry's audience tonight will exceed all 4-days of the Pub Convention.

[mbali]

45. Bingo!

Kerry, the only combat vet in the race, knows all about the strategy of drawing fire away from the main target. That's what all of these attacks are intended to do and Kerry, to his great credit, is not falling for it.

Attackers such as the SBV and Zell Miller are mere low-level snipers that Bush put out front to draw Kerry's fire away from Bush, leave himself exposed, allow himself to be worn down by and then easily picked off.

But Kerry's been too smart to be drawn off course by this amateurish diversion - this tactic might fool a novice but not an old warhorse like Kerry.

So, instead of turning his boat around, ramming it into the hapless decoys, and leaving himself and his crew beached and useless (with nothing but a bunch of vanquished political nobodies to show for his efforts), as Bush had hoped he would do, he continued up river, knowing that in a very short time (in this case, only a matter of days), his real enemy would be drawn from cover. And as soon as the enemy - Bush - was exposed, Kerry aimed his boat right at him.

And that's just what's about to happen.

Be patient. Have faith. And RELAX! We have a Commander on deck.

[onecent]

61. Well said

n/t

[wwbarnes]

65. Let It Soak In?

You mean like the Swiftboat ads? Come on, you don't "let it soak in."

[DURHAM D]

67. I agree - let Miller's anger permeate the globe. The talking

heads just want to provoke a fight, not surprising as they are all just simple bullies. As are are the fat/nerdy white guys in the Republican party who are driven to pay back the world for having been teased in grade school.

[John_H]

73. Maybe, but the point is it spoke for itself with a little help from

dem surrogates and a press actually performing its duties.

The campaign used to take this "speaks for itself" bit a little too far. Remember how the swift boats were going to speak for themselves?

But now that the times are changing, Kerry can afford to save his personal responses for the moments of greatest impact, such as midnight sppech that creates its own cycle and responds to them all in one fell swoop, with plenty of press (hopefully). The immediate and tough surrogate attack gave him that window. That's the key.

[wwbarnes]

82. NOTHING "Speaks for Itself"

Democrats need to get this into their head. The general public isn't a bunch of politics junkies like we are. You have to lead the horse to the water and stroke its neck if you want it to drink. Don't imagine that it will find the river on its own.

[21winner]

32. Imus is an asshole.

I might say something about those that listen but I am a gentleman.

[BurtWorm]

33. Imus is never right in the sense of "correct."

He's a recovering alcoholic narcissitic radio guy. Keep things in perspective.

[WilliamPitt]

35. HE RESPONDED YESTERDAY

[quaoar]

36. Yes he did

And quite forcefully, too.

But he also needs to respond to the Night of the Angry White Men hatefest. That all but called him a traitor.

[librechik]

42. Yes indeed --and why are we not seeing that statement

on every channel at every newsbreak?

The media must be forced to do anything outside their narrow corporate mandate. Hit the phones, DUers and give them an earful. Kerry cab be cool, but WE must be at their gates with pitchforks and torches.

GO

[mbali]

47. CNN and MSNBC carried his speech live.

And then showed clips of it throughout the day.

I'm no fan of the media, but I hardly can complain about the coverage they gave Kerry yesterday, especially in light of the fact that it occurred in the middle of the Republican Convention.

[ItsMyParty]

37. First you have to assume that anyone listened to Zell!!!

Unlike the swiftboat ads that are blared umpteen times daily and should have been addressed, how many people gathered the family around and waited on pins and needles to see Zell (Zell...who, what, huh,??). I'm thinking if Kerry came out swinging against their "attacks" last night, their "attacks" will reach a zillion more people then they reached in the first place. Secondly, Imus had Dowd and Rich from the NYTimes on and they kicked the RNC in the crotch over and over. Zell came across as a lunatic. And they even said "no one is watching". hhmmmmmmmm.....Dean..Zell...Dean...Zell. Remember Dean got enthusiastic and he was painted as a nut job. Maybe Zell should be exposed (and after the Matthew's performance) as the "lunatic" in "lunactic fringe"---a model of the "new republican"!!!

[TheDonkey]

38. Imus is an incredible idiot if he doesn't realize Kerry has rallies planne

d

Sadly though the hurricane coverage will consume his response once the media is done climaxing from shrub's speech.

[Sparkly]

46. How was Zell on Imus' show this morning? I missed it.

Did anyone see it? Did he seem as crazy as he did last night?

[sampsonblk]

57. I didn't see Zell on Imus either

I just caught a part of Imus' conversation with some reporter. They both agreed that Miller was full of coaming bullshit, but that Kerry has to say something. Miller and Cheney just went too damn far last night.

[henslee]

48. deleted.... mistake.

:-)

[drdigi420]

49. You don't play offense when the other team has the ball

Hanging tough and forcing a punt is the best strategy, despite the chicken littles' pontifications.

[Catherine Vincent]

50. Cheney, Imus!

[Gloria]

51. It comes down to Kerry's votes...which Cheney

actually agreed with about 1/3 of the time.

It should be EASY to do an ad undercutting this bullshit. If the Kerry campaign can't put this to bed, then they are hopeless and hapless.

They have to get real and debunk this right away, because it's the underpinnings of the entire Bush campaign!!

That Luntz focus group was scary...the voting record was brought up over and over....even the Democrats responded to the accusations based on Kerry's voting records during the Cheney speech.

WAKE UP

[bigtree]

54. Imus can f--k off

Get a grip people. These clowns don't impress me.

[sampsonblk]

55. Unfortunately, you only get one vote

There are millions of Foxnews dunces out there who think this Zell Miller shit is great. Not because its true, but because he "showed balls."

The "balls" vote matters. Kerry is going to have to show his too.

It ain't about Imus.

[bigtree]

62. he has

unfortunately some folks are satisfied to spread the flannel of the republicans and don't bother to find out what is going on in our own campaign.

BTW, women voters will make the difference in this election. There goes the 'balls' theory. Get a grip.

[sampsonblk]

68. YOU get a grip

Zell Miller and Cheney are still dominating the news today. Nothing meaningful in the news about Kerry or his "response" that you claim he has made.

Maybe you should find another news source besides your own opinion.

[bigtree]

72. Not local news which most folks watch

The complicit, compromised network and cable news is mostly unseen. The ranting and raving is so offensive that they turn as many or more voters away as they would appeal.

Democrats say angry approach at GOP convention won't play well with voters

WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer
Thursday, September 2, 2004
(09-02) 10:44 PDT NEW YORK (AP) --

Republicans are satisfying their convention delegates with an angry vision of the presidential race and attacks on Democratic nominee John Kerry, but it won't play well with voters in the closing weeks of the campaign, Democrats said Thursday.

"Are Americans going to react to a message of fear or respond to a message of hope?" said Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, who joined Democratic Chairman Terry McAuliffe and a half-dozen Democratic mayors in the closing session of the party's rapid response effort.

"Delegates love this kind of stuff, but when this settles down and we get past Labor Day, I think this convention will prove to be a big mistake," said Philadelphia Mayor John Street. "People out in the country's neighborhoods want to know what you have to offer us."

The Republican strategy of attacking Kerry's Vietnam war record may have been unleashed too early, Street said.

"People were paying attention to the attacks over the last five weeks, but I think it was a little too early," Street said. "What are they going to do during the month of October when people are really paying attention?"

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/09/02/politics1217EDT0574.DTL

[sampsonblk]

78. These are all quotes from Kerry supporters

Have you considered the Repugs who are sick of Bush because of Iraq, WMDs and jobs? Or undecideds who are going to vote for the one who makes them feel "safe?" We can still win their votes.

I have listened to a lot of "strong leader" nonsense from a lot of women who intend to vote. Convincing them that Bush is an incompetent warmonger is not hard at all. Convincing them that he lied his ass off about WMDs is easy too. But convincing them to vote for Kerry is nearly impossible. Many are sick of Bush and his wars. But in their minds, the alternative is to vote for a guy who won't stand up for America - or even himself. If that is all they care about, who do you think they will vote for, the cowboy or the one they consider a coward?

That's all I am saying.

[mbali]

79. Yes-who else would the Kerry campaign is sending out to speak for it?

eom

[bigtree]

84. I've heard more repugs for Kerry than Dems for bush

You display a contempt for our candidate that resembles the opposition's. I don't consider Kerry a coward and I think you are misinformed about the Kerry campaign. They are hitting back, with a focus on the issues that will most concern voters in November. Their surrogates are providing enough venom to blunt the lies and distortions. Most people understand that these folks speak for the candidate.

Funny how you give more weight to the remarks of Bush surrogates than you give members of our own party.

[sampsonblk]

89. Whatever, I bet Kerry's advisors are telling him the same thing

In fact, Paul Begala said the same just this afternoon if I recall correctly.

"They are hitting back, with a focus on the issues that will most concern voters in November." Yeah, every time Bush's war numbers go up, his domestic numbers go up as well. This election is about national security as long as Bush keeps using that card.

So now I am a Kerry-hater? Whatever.

Edit: WooHoo! I am over 800!

[mbali]

76. What are you watching?

CNN and MSNBC have been all over Miller all day. They've turned him into a laughing stock. And they're not giving Cheney ANY love for his speech, either.

Front page of several papers have Kerry's speech above the fold - a huge blow to the RNC, which can normally expect to have all of the political coverage to themselves this week.

[sampsonblk]

80. All of them - plus reading print

I have watched every news channel you can imagine today, including CNN international. And I have been searching at Yahoo news for "John Kerry." http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news?c=&p=John+Kerry

I have seen the cable news ripping Miller. Is that going to make a difference? I hope so, but I think not. This response is going to have to come from Kerry - just my opinion. These crooks have been cost-to-coast claiming Osama wants Kerry to win!

[mbali]

81. Why does the response have to come from Kerry? If Zell's getting ripped

why do you care WHO's doing the ripping?

[sampsonblk]

85. Cuz HE'S the one they dissed

Kerry is the voice of this campaign. And they dissed him personally. A lot of their facts were wrong. And the media is on that (for once). But the impression they left is that he personally is weak and indecisive and will do nothing. Well...?

This is the same strategy they used in 2002 and it worked great.

[sangh0]

87. So what?

Making a claim without backing it up with any facts -as in how you say Kerry must personally respond because he's being attacked-- might convince freepers, but it's not going to work here.

Name one instance when Clinton personally responded to attacks against him in 1992 or 1996

[sampsonblk]

88. Its just my opinion, or did I forget to say that?

Can't really prove an opinion, can you?

Clinton, 1992 = 60 Minutes appearance

[sangh0]

90. "Just an opinon" is an overstatement

Though opinions don't require "proof" (which I said nothing about) people usually have a *reason* for holding an opinion. Usually, it's a little more than "It's just an opinion"

[sampsonblk]

93. OK then I will humor you

1. The Repubs have privately stated that their intention is not to go after swing voters, but to increase their margins of victory in the places where they won in 2000. That makes some sense. Patriotism and peer pressure go hand-in-hand. And the patriotism card has worked well for them since 9/11.

2. Their whole convention is about fear fear fear. "Vote for John Kerry and he'll let Saddam Hussein out of jail so he can poison your kids!" Did I sum that up about right?

3. So last night, yet again, they set out to convince people that Kerry has no guts and will not defend America except with "spit balls" and empty rhetoric - spoken in French.

4. So they made the most dishonest, divisive claims against him imaginable. They punked him on national TV.

Conlusion: what they did last night was not about facts, it was about showing Kerry is soft. This is a play to their base and anyone else who is strongly concerned about national security. Some of those are maybe even leaning Kerry. So they called him out, right in front of everyone to prove he isn't man enough to be president.

He has to personally stand up to them now. Or else he is going to have a hard time using facts and arguments to convince people he isn't weak.

Is that enough for you?

[sangh0]

96. Now you're just being silly

You admit that Bush* is playing to his base, while at the same time, you contradict yourself and claim that Bush*'s attacks are effecting people outside his base.

You're trying to have it both ways.

[sampsonblk]

100. This is why I didn't want to write that long, boring post

No one will read the whole thing, and if they do, they are bound to misunderstand.

What I said is "This is a play to their base and anyone else who is strongly concerned about national security." This is the same thing Repubs and indep. analysts have said. Nothing new here. Except maybe to you.

[sangh0]

103. Again, So what?

Yes, it's a play to those concerned with national security. But does nothing to support your claims that:

a) This is hurting Kerry
b) Kerry has to respond himself.

[sampsonblk]

95. Do you think Miller came up with the idea of a duel...

off the top of his head? I would bet my ass that he heard that phrase recently - like when they were putting his speech together. This is a direct challenge to Kerry's honor, and they are probably praying he will take your advice and not accept - just like Matthews.

[sangh0]

98. Who cares?

According to YOU, the only effect it's going to have is on Bush*'s base, and they were already going to vote for Bush*

[sampsonblk]

101. You misunderstood my post, yet again

On purpose?

[sangh0]

104. Your posts make no sense

You just repeat, ad nauseum, your assertions, without ever providing any sort of support for them.

[mac56]

58. Imus has been tacking rightward for awhile now.

I never thought his "support" for Kerry was sincere.

[Malva Zebrina]

59. Don't listen to Imus

but I have heard, over the past week, and read the same thing coming from more than a few persons who are for Kerry. It doesn't seem as if Kerry is getting the message, either. Edwards made a speech that was tepid, and we hear little from Kerry, or his campaign over the lies--good grief--he has got to get mad about it and risk letting th epeople know how justified his anger is. The pact with McCain was a huge mistake. People are risking their reputations, their careers, and whatever else to support Kerry in activist movements and other things. If he does not stand up for them, and continues on this bland approach to sticking to the issues, people will not feel comforted that their efforts are worth it. I mean that. It is not allup to us to defend Kerry's military committment while he lays back and seems less perturbed than we-indeed even makes a deal appearing to back off, while Bush did not---it is up to Kerry to come out smashing these lies loudly.

[zulchzulu]

60. No...wait until Chimpy's "speech" first

Be polite before you blow the bastards out of the water.

[Manix]

64. Imus is a circus clown that tries to entertain....like Rush, nothing that

..comes out of his drug addled brain can be taken seriously!

[Snivi Yllom]

70. Imus is an asshole.

I never liked him.

[LunaC]

75. He's letting them stew in their own juices

before he proceeds with his slice and dice.

Patience, Grasshopper. Patience.

[restorefreedom]

83. just started a separate rally thread

sorry

I am about to lose my mind this week.

Anyway, I had said that this is the most critical moment in John Kerry's campaign.

It's go time.

[misterphelps]

91. Imus is right - we need short sound bites...

sorry, folks. that's the way it works. If there isn't serious flames coming out Kerry's ears every day, the media will not cover it. His speeches are covered on page 18. If he came right out and called bush a "liar", it would be on the front page of every paper in the US.. You're either on the offense, or you're playing defense.

[sampsonblk]

99. You said it much better than I did

Short, stinging jabs. That's what we need. Immediately.

[swag]

97. delete

[bobbyboucher]

102. Imus is a fool.

If Kerry did respond who would play it?