LAT: Kerry Entering Changed Landscape

[DeepModem Mom]

THE RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE
Kerry Entering Changed Landscape
Bush is basking in good job news and has spent millions on negative ads. Some experts say the Democrat will need to be more aggressive.

By Maria L. La Ganga, Times Staff Writer


BOSTON — The political atmosphere Sen. John F. Kerry will find when he steps back on the campaign trail this week after a quiet period spent vacationing, fundraising and recuperating from shoulder surgery is more complex than the one he left behind.

After months of having to counter news reports about stagnant employment, President Bush now can promote economic figures that show 308,000 jobs were created in February — giving his administration a boost and blunting a favorite line of attack by the Democrats.

At the same time, Kerry's low profile has allowed Republicans to freely paint the Massachusetts senator as a tax-and-spend liberal, both on the trail and in largely unanswered advertising salvos.

Some Democrats have worried openly about Kerry's strategy, saying he needs to more clearly and actively present an alternative to the Bush administration — not to mention spend more time campaigning.

But the news for Bush has not been all good of late....

(According to the article, Kerry will "meet today with the Washington-based press corps before flying to Cincinnati on Tuesday to promote his job creation plan," and then begin a 20-city fundraising tour. Jeffrey Berry, a political science professor at Tufts University, is quoted: "Kerry 'needs to present a more vigorous front,' Berry said. 'He needs to get on a bus and start visiting 12 towns in Ohio in two days.' While it's still early, Berry said, the senator's pace is 'just not adequate. It's almost the Rose Garden strategy without the Rose Garden.'")


http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-kerry5apr05,1,4794607.story?coll=la-home-politics

[JCMach1]

1. JOBS???, I hear they are hiring part-time at McDonald's

That's the Bush economy at the moment...

Sound like recover?

I didn't think so.


Reeks of continued stagnation.

[xxqqqzme]

2. Last week at our democratic club

meeting, 2 Kerry campaign oganizers addressed the group w/ calls 4 volunteers & money. From their scattered message, I was very disheartened. There is so very little organization in California(what there is is not being supported by the campaign). I know Kerry is not planning on spending time or money here, which I think is a major mistake cuz this state has been set up 2 B robbed. That's what steroid boy's annointment was all about.

[Dogmudgeon]

3. One week up, one week down

The battles always go like this.

Time to hunker down, relax a little, assess the changes, and plan for the next skirmish.

--bkl

[Media_Lies_Daily]

4. More crap shoveled furiously every day.

[Garion_55]

5. The Kerry people need to look at the bigger picture.

The race right now is basically tied. Thats damn good news for a Dem candidate who was written off as dead in the primaries, who hasnt even got the nomination yet and who has been taking a beating from bushs' misleading ads.

IT's still WAYYYYYYYYY too early to even think about panicking.

WE still have 7 more job reports, 3 more GDP reports, a summer where gas prices may skyrocket, the june 30th turnover in iraq, two conventions and 5 debates before the election.

Bush is going to beat himself. All kerry has to do is not make any huge mistakes between now and election time and he will be fine.