It's about CHARACTER. Issues just grease the skids.

[WiseMen]

Listen carefully and you will notice that Kerry’s current campaign is about Character NOT Issues. Even as Kerry talks about Iraq, health care and the economy, he is persistently making the point that Bush has been LYING about health-care and the economy. Attacking Bush’s credibility is exactly what he has to do.

The entire Bush campaign has focused from the beginning on making Kerry unacceptable as President and Commander In Chief. Regardless of the “issue” at hand, the principal theme of the Bush campaign is that John Kerry is a shamelessly unprincipled self-promoter who has no strength of character or purpose. The Swift Smears and the RNC insult-fest merely brought this theme to its ecstatic and logical climax.

Turn around is viewed as fair play. Kerry won’t be blamed for attacking Bush for his failures and deceptions.

An issues campaign alone WILL NOT WORK against a President that is willing to counter any proposal with distortions of fact and cooked-up plans.

Raising the other guy’s “negatives” is always faster that raising one’s own positives. And Dems need to change the numbers fast before the “we love a winner” tendency sets in. Kerry needs the DNC and some 527’s to drop some major direct assaults against Bush and against the smears on his own integrity. But, in the meantime he is now doing exactly what he has to do.

[sandersadu]

1. Character

It's always about character & likability. Most Americans are too stupid or lazy to care about issues. Notice I said most Americans, not most people. We Democrats have to learn the difference.

[WiseMen]

2. Only reform of the political system will change this tendency. But when

you have a sitting President who is willing to say anything to win,
fussing about policy details is totally self-defeating.

[The Magistrate]

3. That Is True, Sir

Issues are highly over-rated things. Elections have much more in common with a couple of baboons scrapping for chief of the troop than most people are comfortable acknowledging....

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[WiseMen]

6. Thank you. Have not seen you for a while Mr. Magistrate. Cheers.

[necso]

4. I could argue some details,

but I won't, because it is about character and values -- and basically you are right.

And I am sure that you realize that many people are just pushing an agenda under the cover of "Kerry must do this or that". (That they should do so under these circumstances offends me, but what can you do.)

Now of course, I don't mean to put you in that category. Most of what I say is directed at third parties, who can't understand why others do not get the message -- they simply don't want to, as they have agendas of their own.

And I don't think that our situation is as bad as some would have us believe. But there is some risk of a "go with the winner" thing happening.

Still, look to the last election.

Thank you for the nice post.

[Sensitivity]

5. Bush = Bad Karma

[WiseMen]

7. Just Saw 60 Min. DNC should base AWOL ad just on her corn & grits

type testimony.