Anyone else think Edwards shouldn't focus too much on Halliburton?

[dolstein]

All the pundits think Edwards is really going to go after Cheney on Halliburton. Personally, I think it's a waste of time to focus too much on this. For one thing, this strikes me as playing to the base. Everyone who is already inclined to view Cheney as a corrupt stooge is already in our corner. Some of the issues, particularly with regard to deferred compensation, aren't all that clear cut, and viewers who aren't already familiar with Halliburton are likely to get confused. Finally, I think voters ultimately go for the person at the top of the ticket, and I think that's where Edwards should focus his attacks.

Seriously folks, when you have an administration with such a dismal record on jobs, health care, and managing the war in Iraq and the war on terrorism, does it make sense to get sidetracked on Cheney's ties to Halliburton? Hasn't Michael Moore already done that job for us?

[troublemaker]

1. Absolutely agree. It has zero appeal outside Dem base

[Disturbed]

3. Correct.

It is to complicated for general public to absorb and Cheney is well versed in his defense that would further tangle this issue up.
Edwards, I hope will focus on the Bush Admin. Failures.

[Jack from Charlotte]

17. I also agree. Edwards job is to get Kerry elected. I'd mostly ignore ....

the fat STENT and focus on drilling the AWOL/moron and new orifice.

[West Coast Democrat]

2. I think he should bring it up. Some people may not realize...

what's going on, outside of the Dem base.

[babylonsister]

5. Maybe not too much time, but enough

to show what a sleeze Cheney has been and is, with both hands in the cookie jar, so to speak.

[Beetwasher]

4. A Couple Of Well-Timed and Placed Clever Comments/Soundbites Should Be

enough...Who's saying that's what he should concentrate or focus mainly on? I doubt he'll "concentrate" or focus on that, but he damn well should mention it and mention it clearly and loudly and he should definitely mention that Cheney is STILL getting paid by Halliburton and STILL owns almost half a million shares of Halliburton stock, so when they do well, he does VERY well. No need for Edwards to get bogged down in the details of that, let Cheney do that when he tries to defend himself against that charge.

[Bluebear]

7. Mention it enough for Cheney to blow his top

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

6. I doubt he will

But Halliburton DOES open the door to debating Tort reform (asbestos litigation) and many other issues as well as bringing up *gasp* Bush donor war profiteering....I think Edwards will only bring it up enough to piss Cheney off and throw him off his game...that much would be good.

[Princess Turandot]

8. I might use it if he starts attacking him abt being a (shudder) trial..

lawyer..Edwards can then tell him that he at least was above board in both fact & appearance..

The details of Halliburton might not interest most Americans, but 'conflict of interest' is something most people understand.
There are boards of directors in this country who would not let the company of one of their members compete for a project, because of conflict of interest.People also understand that a person's involvement in a company in some way, when he has important power, can cause a catastrophe, a la Enron.

[FlashHarry]

9. I'm still pissed about Joe Lieberman's whiffed opportunity last time.

Joe said something like, "Well, you did pretty well financially over the past eight years." To which, Cheney replied, "The government had nothing to do with it." Joe then curled up in the fetal position and started to suck his thumb. "The government had everything to do with it, you asshole!," is what he should've said!" :mad:

[antigone382]

10. Well sure, BUT...

...if Cheney says one thing about money-grubbing trial lawyers (and I have no doubts that maggot-infested sh!tbag will), I say it's time to bring out the big guns and let the good times roll...keep Unka Dick on the defensive.

[unfrigginreal]

11. I don't think it will get more than a mention

the campaign realized pretty quickly that it was a nothing issue when Kerry started harping on it a couple of weeks ago. The pundits are probably being fed misinformation to coax Cheney to waste time studying possible soft spots .

[MADem]

12. Absolutely NOT!

I hope he goes after little Dickie on that very subject. Let everyone know HOW MUCH deferred compensation Dickie is getting from that company, how much WE THE PEOPLE have PAID those clowns for INFERIOR service and logistic support in Iraq, and how much of their no-bid cash is PURE PROFIT. Halliburton/KBR are WHORES...BUZZARD WHORES, picking over the bodies and screwing them at the same time. They need a lesson in Johnny style whup ass.

Johnny boy knows how to distill these issues down and make it understandable to the average person. If he doesn't hit on Halliburton, he's missing a massive opportunity. It should not be the ONLY issue, but he should tap it...big time.

[goodboy]

13. no

[speedoo]

14. He should repeat as much as he can: "This administration has mislead the .

American people."

On everything:

Iraq... all the old stuff plus Bremer and Rummy today. Hammer away at this like crazy.

The economy: promised x million jobs with tax cuts for the wealthy, not delivered; said we've turned the corner & we have not.

Healthcare: the phony numbers on the phony prescription plan.

Halliburton: Cheney said he had no financial connection anymore... a lie.

[Leilani]

15. I think Edwards will handle it well.

He will have to handle it as he sees fit.

I think he will try to stay positive, as he points out failures of Bush/Cheney.

[wmustgo]

16. It'll get Cheney mad

So, I say Edwards should go for it... by throwing in repeated small digs until Cheney explodes.

[RevCheesehead]

20. Hi, wmustgo!

and welcome to DU! :hi:


Personally, I'd love Edwards to ask:
"So, just what were you doing on Sept. 11, 2001? And why wasn't the president pulled out of the classroom for a rapid response? Or is there more to this story, perhaps, that maybe you already knew what was happening? The American people, especially those in NY, DC, and PA want an answer to this question."

[pacalo]

18. You'd be very surprised at the ignorance out there.

I just had a conversation about this administration this afternoon with my mother. There was a lot she doesn't know. I know she's not the only one out there who doesn't keep up with the daily news. For one thing, her only interests on tv are CourtTV and "Wheel of Fortune".

[bucknaked]

19. I just hope he nails Cheney HARD on his Defense Cut proposals as SoD.

What he managed to get through wasn't even 1/2 of what he and Bush 41 had in store for that elusive 2nd term.

[iwantmycountryback]

21. I think they're overplaying how much he'll talk about it

I'm sure he'll certainly discuss it but I think the media's way overestimating how much he will talk about it.

[in_cog_ni_to]

22. I want Edwards to do whatever it will take to

piss off Cheney. I would love to hear Cheney tell Edwards to "go fuck yourself" on National TV. I can hope. :)

[hippiegranny]

23. no, I think it is a real issue

and completely ties with what is wrong with the Iraq policy. If you follow the money, you understand the "why Iraq" and the "why cheney had to sell the Iraq war."

[demcolorado]

24. he should let the moderator bring it up first

[baltodemvet]

25. I agree

That's waht they're expecting--don't give what they expect. There's a whole lot more stuff to hit him with--like the boob tubes, like the piss poor planning,like cheney's own flip-flop about the stupidity of invading Iraq.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

26. I agree too...good call, Dolstein.

There is no direct link between Halliburton getting its no-bid contract and Cheney...alot of this stuff is conspiracy theory, and its sort of obscure to begin with.

Edwards has alot of other material to work with.

[welshTerrier2]

27. should we attack them on character, policy or both?

my take on both the vp debate and the pres. debates is that we should highlight bush and cheney's all-too-real failures on policy ... it's really tough to convince undecided voters that "bush is a moron" or "cheney is corrupt" ...

but it's not hard to see that the country is headed in the wrong direction ... we've pissed off almost every ally we've ever had ... we are increasingly isolated in the world ... energy prices are hitting record highs ... budget deficits and trade deficits are at record highs ... we are becoming less and less globally competitive with foreign workforces that are better educated and paid far less ... our jobs and our industries are moving overseas ... and no person worth talking to thinks things are going well in Iraq ...

are you better off today than you were four years ago? the obvious answer is: NO !!!

my two cents: hit them very directly and specifically on their policy failures ... their record cannot be defended ...