WP/Milbank: Bush's Cartoon Of Kerry Failed To Show Up

[kskiska]

Friday, October 15, 2004; Page A01

After the three campaign debates in the past fortnight salvaged John F. Kerry's presidential candidacy, it has become clear to tacticians in both parties that the Democrat, to borrow President Bush's famous phrase from the 2000 campaign, was misunderestimated.

The Bush campaign's ferocious advertising campaign in the spring and summer and the Republican convention were successful at defining Kerry as a vacillating opportunist who has no coherent policy on Iraq and is spineless on terrorism. But the strategy may have worked too well, pollsters and strategists say: By turning Kerry into a cartoon, the Bush campaign created such low expectations for the senator that he easily exceeded them in the debates.

"Leading up to the first debate, the Bush campaign very effectively defined John Kerry as a wishy-washy flip-flopper who never knew where he stood, and then they get on the stage and here's a John Kerry who differs from the perception," said Tony Fabrizio, a Republican pollster.

Marshall Wittmann, a former aide to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) now with the centrist Democratic Leadership Council, said Bush had gone "over the top" in making Kerry seem ridiculous.

"It was a case of taking a caricature to such an extent and not realizing the caricature could be disassembled by the candidate himself in the debates," he said. "You would have expected a hybrid of Jane Fonda and Ted Kennedy would walk on stage. . . . People expected to see a left-wing, beaded radical."

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33567-2004Oct14.html

[glitch]

1. But I thought Rove was a genius?

This is why I don't like Milbank:

"By turning Kerry into a cartoon, the Bush campaign created such low expectations for the senator that he easily exceeded them in the debates."

Tries to diminish Kerry's wins by claiming a lowered bar? Don't think so, we don't play that game.
I had high expectations and he exceeded them.

[KittyWampus]

4. Milbank Also Said On Tube Today, Kerry Supporters Don't Really Like

Kerry... we just hate Bush.

He is a mediawhore of the first magnitude.

[krkaufman]

6. Yes, that was in his MSNBC appearance on 'Countdown'...

... after which I commented on his douchebaggery.

Milbank is a schmuck who's trying to create a unique perspective on the campaign that might draw some "please, please, look at me" attention his way.

Both comments in this thread nailed it...

Milbank erroneously proffers that Kerry won the debates because of lowered expectations.

Bulls--t.

And he refuses to think independently and goes with the tired "only ABB" talking point.

Also rubbish. Kerry may have had soft support before the debates, but I expect a LOT of people are now pro-Kerry as much or more than they're anti-Bush -- emphasizing that you don't have to "hate" Bush to recognize he's a disaster for the country and want him out of office.

[WildEyedLiberal]

12. The word "douchebaggery" just made me wet myself from laughing

It's late, I know... but Good God that was funny.

Douchebaggery. Heh heh.

[Klapaucius]

15. Where is his writ?

Didn't Jon Stewart mention a 'Writ of Douchebaggery' with regards to Ashcroft?

And why is this guy practicing douchebaggery without a writ allowing it?

I wonder how much a douchebaggery license would cost!

K.

[Skittles]

2. Bush's image as a swaggering cowboy/leader took a beating too

yes INDEED.

[candy331]

3. So now Kerry is low expectations, what a laugh, Is there no end to

this fal de rah/bullsh--.

[krkaufman]

7. Yeah, and maybe it was the media who were duped by B*'s ads

If Milbank were intellectually honest, he'd admit to the media having been the targets and victims of the B* ads -- more than the public. It was the media that facilitated the Swift liars message reaching a much wider audience than their paucity of facts merited.

[wicket]

5. Kerry was "misunderestimated"

Over $100 million dollars in negtive advertising by Bush and it didn't work. Bush has been misleading America about John Kerry's character and record.

[VegasWolf]

8. However, the Bush cartoon of Bush showed up. A smirking, stupid,

caricature of a human being.

New Information Shows Bush Indecisive, Paranoid, Delusional

[progressivebydesign]

10. You forgot DROOLING! n/t

[truthisfreedom]

14. what was up with that? bush was drooling out of the side of his mouth...

giving us a little dribble with his drivel.

[Zorra]

9. "not realizing the caricature could be disassembled by the candidate

himself...."

Heh-heh. That's our next President for ya.

:toast:

[NJCher]

11. Major, major strategical error

The magnitude of this error: $100 million down the tube and now they have to fly by the seat of their pants through election day:

"The relentlessly negative advertising created a caricature that was not true," Devine said. "When John Kerry showed up and had the presence of a president, it completely undercut $100 million of advertising."

Think the pressure's on over there at the RNC? LOL. Oh man. This article made my day.


Cher

[shockingelk]

13. catastrophic success!

You see, the Bush campaign achieved victory too quickly ...