Kerry Says Democrats Have Bush 'On the Run'

[rodbarnett]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - White House hopeful John Kerry (news - web sites) said on Monday Democrats had George W. Bush "on the run" and had forced the Republican president to start his re-election campaign even before he knew who his opponent would be.


In a kind of pre-emptive strike, the Democratic front-runner criticized in advance a speech Bush plans to give on Monday night to the Republican Governors Association. It will lay out many of the themes to be debated over the next eight months.


Kerry, a senator from Massachusetts, also acknowledged the race for the Democratic presidential nomination is not over despite his 15 victories in 17 primaries and caucuses so far.


North Carolina Sen. John Edwards (news - web sites), who finished second in Wisconsin last week, has mounted an all-out effort to cut into Kerry's lead when 10 states, including New York, California and Ohio, hold contests on March 2.


But Kerry remains the favorite with money, momentum and about one quarter of the 2,162 delegates needed to win the nomination and face Bush on Nov. 2.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=584&e=1&u=/nm/20040223/pl_nm/campaign_kerry_dc

[JoFerret]

1. It's a good thought

No time to go wobbly though.

[leftchick]

2. I Like it! Using aWol*'s own words right back at him!...

How about.... "We'll smoke em out of his crawford ranch hole!"

[Ganja Ninja]

5. How about using "I'm a War President" "I'm a War President"....

"I'm a War President" "I'm a War President" over and over in a commercial while showing the dead bodies and rubble in Iraq. Then follow it up with the fact that Bush hasn't been to one funeral or even to the Air Base to see the bodies coming home.

[trogdor]

7. I was listening to "September Morn" just now...

...and I thought, "gee, Symbolman could really do something with that." "Rejected GOP Convention videos" or something like that.

[tabasco]

10. Oh, was it war president he said?

I thought he said "I'm a whore president."

[mobuto]

12. He wouldn't have said that

for to do so would be to tell the truth.

[mobuto]

3. Keep up the Momentum

Don't lay off the attacks. Build them up. I see political shticks as like pitching a baseball game. Dean had one good pitch and it worked for a while until the batters got wise. Kerry needs to vary the speed and the angle, keep Bush on his feet, and never let up.

[diamond14]

4. and Democrats MUST start supporting Kerry BIG TIME....

we need to write, call-in, talk it up and CHEER for Kerry....

he's a real good guy and will beat bush* if everyone joins behind him NOW.....it's time to help and get on board....

IMO, all the Kerry-attacks on DU and nasty 'little' underhanded remarks about Kerry "oh, he's rat, but I'll vote for him if I have to"...these are just uncalled for and IMO are part of the reTHUGlican 'stealth' elect shrub campaign...and so far, here on DU, they are doing a great job of seeding dissent and seeding very false ideas about Kerry....

it's time now to stand behind the winner and BEAT bush*....


Go Kerry....beat bush*
http://www.JohnKerry.com

[rockymountaindem]

8. Whaaaa?

Look, we can't focus on the positive, we need to be negative about everybody and never ever compromise.

[TexasProgressive]

14. Right on, Amen1234

At Harkin's Steak Fry in Iowa last year, Bill Clinton was the featured speaker. I'm paraphrasing, but Bill said something like this:

"They say that Democrats want to fall in love, while Republicans just fall in line. Go ahead, fall in love with any one of these candidates. But when the nominee has been selected, we need to fall in line."

He went on to talk about how critical it was to get a Democrat in the White House next time around.

OK, OK. I know we aren't down to one yet. But, in all honesty, I would vote for ANY Democrat any day over the evil empire.

I mean it. I've been impressed with all of the candidates.

[lancdem]

13. I agree that our nominee must keep Bush on the defensive

and NEVER let up. A co-worker was telling me last week about an article he read saying the Dems are fighting back and taking the offensive, and the Repukes/Bush aren't used to it.

[Wells]

20. Bush's run is offense, not defense.

The Neo-cons don't defend their policy. They only present offensive tactics to defer the public's questioning eye. It's more accurate to say he's on an offensive run, rather than a defensive run. The fictitious scandal about Kerry and his intern was offense, not defense.

However, I say Kerry must further develop his positions on Middle East wars, conflict, the region's economic development, etc. He must compete with DUHbya on those question, or lose the guns-n-butter, gung-ho patriot vote. On this, Kerry has to take an offense position.

[yellowcanine]

6. "Bring it On, Carl Rove"

Kerry needs to use that one also to remind people of the faux Bush warrior act.

[seabeyond]

23. not to over use

but.......can you see at just the right time in debate between kerry and bush for him to spout out bring it on to bush,.............oh that would just be the funniest could see bush's face puckering on national tv right now

[Vogon_Glory]

9. A Good Thought But

Having Dubya on the run is a good thought, but I won't believe it until we hear George UU Bush's concession speech and the printed lamentations from the right-wing press (Including the Wall street Journal) and the cries of anguish from right-wing talking heads and pundits.

I would very much enjoy feeling their pain.



We'll have to work to get there, though.

[Sgt. Peppers]

11. Well a jog anyway.

:)

[tom_paine]

15. Easy there, Kerry...count NO chickens before hatching

$200,000,000 buys a lot of Propaganda and slush funds and bribes and dirty tricks.

Plus, there's the little vote-rigging problem we have in the Empire.

This is no time for overconfidence!

[diamond14]

17. which is exactly why WE THE PEOPLE need to get out there

and put some effort behind Kerry's election...he can beat bush* real good and so far he has...nobody else has even come close and nobody else has the BIG Vietnam WAR issue on his side...

it is CRITICAL right now..the STAND UP with Kerry....

the 'little' continuous underhanded whispering campaign against Kerry is going on too long here on DU...the 'little' tiny crap about
'oh, Kerry only served 4 months in Vietnam'
'Kerry is just sooooo UNINSPIRING, that I can't vote for him'
'Kerry is just as bad as the shrub'
'I'm for Nader, and I could never vote for Kerry, because he's such a _________ or such a _______ or so UNINSPIRING (new reTHUG talking point)...so fill in the blank as reTHUGs use OUR DU forums for 'testing' their lasted Kerry slam....

'I'll vote for him if I HAVE to"
"I'll hold my nose, if I have to'....that's the NEW reTHUG talking point yesterday...the 'nose holders'

all of those remarks are people portraying themselves on DU as being anti-bush*, yet they have been effectively underminding the effort to remove bush* for several weeks now...and in this tough election, where bush* has $ 200 Million dollars to attack Kerry...supposed DUers have become the actual bush* supporters by their snivelling whining and under-handed OUTRIGHT LIES against Kerry...

it's time to STAND UP and support Kerry NOW...stop those who are destroying OUR ability to BEAT BUSH....

KERRY needs some BIG time STAND UP and CHEER people....NOW....

YOU can read Kerry's policies issues and his WAR SERVICE record right here on his web page...become informed and tell others....
Go Kerry....beat bush*
http://www.JohnKerry.com

[tom_paine]

18. And I'll be one of those people out there.

[symbolman]

19. Uh, wait until

they piss of Teresa Heinz Kerry and her 800 Million bucks..

Bush has Chump Change compared to her

Anticipation (anyone remember that commercial?) :)

[The Backlash Cometh]

16. LOL!

I like that one. "We have Bush on the run."

What a switch.

[callous taoboy]

21. The MEpublicans are

a lot more scared than they are letting on. The momentum is in our favor. True, though: We have a long fight ahead.

[Larkspur]

22. Bush will have Kerry on the run after March 2

when he begins his $100 million media assult on Kerry, who is $5.1 million in the red so far on his campaign thanks to his $6.4 million mortgage on his mansion.

[RichV]

24. Source?

Where'd you get that info about his campaign's current finances? I'd be very suprised if that were accurate given his recent surge in fundraising.

[Larkspur]

25. Edwards, Kerry Barely Solvent, at end of last month.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...-2004Feb21.html

SNIP....."New campaign finance reports show that the two leading candidates for the Democratic nomination were barely solvent at the end of January heading into a prospective $50 million-plus ad blitz by President Bush. ....."

SNIP...."Kerry reported yesterday that, after winning the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, he had $2.1 million in the bank and debt of $7.2 million at the end of January. Most of the debt was a $6.4 million loan he made to his own campaign.

This left the Kerry camp $5.1 million in the red. Using a more favorable view by disregarding Kerry's loan, which he may have to convert into a contribution, Kerry ended the month with a net balance of $1.2 million.

Kerry rejected public subsidies in the primaries so that he would be able to spend freely, without having to comply with the limits that apply to those who accept matching federal grants for the first $250 of each individual contribution....."

SNIP..."Edwards was in an even more fragile position than Kerry at the end of January, with $501,164 in the bank and debts of $382,667, for a net balance of $118,497......"