Will "Shallow Throat's" Advice to Kerry be Taken Seriously?

[KoKo]

"First, get your heaviest liberal hitters to bring John Kerry into a closed room and read him the riot act. If he wants to win, if he wants to get Dems and Independents and Libertarians and moderate Republicans like me to vote and work for him and supply him with campaign dollars, he's got to sharpen his attack, got to go for that jugular. Don't fudge around, use the appropriate goddamn words: "lies," "deceit," "manipulation," "quagmire," "permanent war," "imperial foreign policy," "sticking it to the middle class," "ruining the economy." Don't pull punches, just tell the truth.

"To be able to fight like that requires him to shed the albatross that was hung around his neck by Kerry himself, and which is being used by the GOP to brand him. Kerry voted for the blank-check that allowed Bush to go to war in Iraq, he voted for the Patriot Act, he supports Sharon's bestial policies in Palestine. Kerry has got to admit he made some mistakes - something Bush is incapable of doing, but Kerry can - about those positions.

"He has to go to the American people and say he is wiser now than he was then; his votes were based on faulty information; he, we all, got snookered by a lying Bush Administration to convince and manipulate us into a war of choice, not one of necessity. And he was caught up, as were we all, by the immediate fear and desire to get the terrorists after 9/11, and voted in haste for the Patriot Act.

"Kerry can at least sketch a way out of Iraq, before we sink up to our eyeballs in that quagmire; if it involves handing over control to the U.N., or kicking Chalabi and Halliburton out of the way, or swallowing hard when Islamic nationalists take control in a democratic election - well, that's part of the road out of this morass. Kerry can promise that he will take a good look at the Patriot Act and remove the worst aspects. Just speaking up like that on those two issues alone would make the distinction between himself and Bush all the more clear, and would indicate a humility and willingness to grow as a candidate.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/04/04/22_jugular.html

Edited: by Poster: Subject line too inflammatory

[kentuck]

1. He is right that the Bush regime plays the game with no rules...

Democrats have to understand the enemy we are facing.

[trumad]

3. moderate Republicans will vote for him

if he leans more to the left... <snarf>

[Loonman]

2. Heh...maybe Tom Daschle will be "deeply saddened"

That's the most we can expect besides Sen. Byrd who actually does his job and represents his constituents against Bush.


I'm beginning to think most Congressional Dems are on the take($$$) to not not criticize Bush.

[JHBowden]

4. What happened to "special interests?"

All the Democrats were railing against them during the winter; attacks by Bush (and perhaps Nader) have gotten us off message.

I like the special interest theme because it frames the issues in a way that Bush looks bad in every possible light. In other words, it is our turf. By framing the debate this way, anything from the war, health care, the environment, energy, civil rights, etc. can be subsumed under it which creates a difficult box for Bush to climb out of.

[HFishbine]

6. It then becomes

a battle between "our" special interests and "theirs." An appeal to common values is what's needed.

[displacedtexan]

5. Thanks for clarifying your political party affiliation, Koko01.

"If he wants to win, if he wants to get Dems and Independents and Libertarians and moderate Republicans like me to vote and work for him and supply him with campaign dollars, he's got to sharpen his attack, got to go for that jugular."

I've been wondering how to interpret some of your concerns about the Kerry campaign.

Thanks for pointing out what JK has to do to appeal to moderate republicans! It's hard to satisfy both moderate Republicans and liberal Democrats (like me) during a campaign. you make some really valuable points!

I've heard many Dems (especially men) express the same concerns.

[HFishbine]

7. Read for comprehension

See those quotation marks? They're tiny, but significant. Koko was quoting the cited article.

[greatauntoftriplets]

11. Koko1 is quoting an eassy by Bernard Weiner.

I suggest you read the link (Koko's and mine!) before attacking.

http://www.crisispapers.org/essays/jugular.htm

[KoKo]

13. This article is on DU Front Page! Admins posted it! They must have

thought it was worth discussing.

[greatauntoftriplets]

15. Bernard Weiner is a great writer.

Rove will pull out all the stops.

[Badger1]

8. Gore revisited?

I would hate to see JK fall into the same trap that Gore did. He got off track, softened his attack and was forced to campaign on defense. Remember the debates? "I agree with Mr. Bush" over and over again. Come on JK, the country is choosing up sides and expect a bloody battle. Sharpen the sword and charge foreword, till then my money will stay in my pocket.

[VolcanoJen]

12. I'll never, ever forget that Saturday Night Live skit.

Darrel Hammond (Gore) and Will Farrell (Bush) did a few debate skits, but the one where they lampooned the "sit-down" debate really sticks with me.

Everytime Bush said something, Gore would answer, in heavy accent, "Oh, I ah-greeee with the guv-uh-ner" and they would snicker and giggle, saying "I agree! Oh, I agree!" and finally they just asked the moderator if they could listen to the last few innings of the Rangers game on the radio.

It was supposed to be a hilarious skit, and it was indeed, but I remember watching it, and thinking "Yep. They got that one right."

[MrBenchley]

9. It seems like TERRIBLE advice

By all means, let's turn the eyes of the nation from a floundering unelected drunk unfit for the office he was shoehorned into and his dysfunctional band of crooks, hacks and nutcases.

Let's distract them from a nightmare in Iraq that was founded on lies for which the administration has nothing BUT more lies.

Let's distract them from the sinking economy and the right wing thugs who encourage the flight of American jobs...

Let's turn the focus this early in the campaign on what Kerry has to say and whether it's true or not...

NOT.

The Republicans are busy punching themselves into submission. Let's not interrupt.

[bigtree]

10. It amazes me how many folks think they have to teach Kerry to be liberal

Sketch a way out of Iraq? I've heard and read countless 'sketches' from Kerry on this. So, he hasn't satisfied some who call themselves liberal, or whatever. (on edit: or some republican)

Kerry should gather liberals and whoever together and spout rhetoric for them? Pfft!

Take a look at the patriot Act and remove the worst aspects? Go to his site and do a search for Patriot act. You will see an extensive discussion of the problems with the Patriot act, both in domestic intrusion of rights and poor terror prevention.

This sounds like more tripe from someone who has not or will not bother to actually investigate or follow where Kerry stands on these issues.

Liberal detractors: Why did you support the war?

Kerry: I supported an effort to forstall war by directing Bush back to the U.N.. I am appalled at the actions Bush took. I urge him to go back to the international community, put the responsibility and authority for Iraq's transition of its government and its resources back to the Iraqi people into the U.N.'s hands to lessen the sense of an American occupation.

Liberal detractors: Why do you want to stay the course in Iraq?

Liberal detractors: Why did you vote for the Patriot act?

Kerry: "I voted for the Patriot Act right after September 11th - convinced that - with a sunset clause - it was the right decision to make. It clearly wasn't a perfect bill - and it had a number of flaws - but this wasn't the time to haggle. It was the time to act.

But George Bush and John Ashcroft abused the spirit of national action after the terrorist attacks. They have used the Patriot Act in ways that were never intended and for reasons that have nothing to do with terrorism. That's why, as President, I will propose new anti-terrorism laws that advance the War on Terror while ending the assault on our basic rights.

This Administration has shown a pattern of abusing civil liberties. At this very moment, an FBI agent could be rifling through every website you've ever visited - and you would never know it. A Justice Department official in Washington could be reading every email you've sent in the last few months - and they wouldn't need a judges permission or even a reason to do so. School librarians could be being placed under gag orders to keep them from speaking out. Federal investigators could be demanding and receiving upon request your private hospital medical records. Law enforcement officers could be entering your house while you are gone - rifling through your possessions - and leaving without every letting you know they had been there.

While the Administration assures us that some of these things have not occurred, no one feels comfortable with these possibilities. It doesn't take a cynic to wonder about how far George Bush and John Ashcroft will go.

Many of the victims of the Bush Administration's civil liberties violations are of Arab-descent - but our Constitution is color-blind. An assault on one person's rights is an assault on this nation's fabric and on all our rights. The Americans threatened when basic rights become treated as disposable are not just those from the Mid East. They're Americans from the Midwest and all over our country.

If I'm elected President, we will put an end to “sneak and peak” searches which permit law enforcement to conduct a secret search and seize evidence without notification. Agents can break into a home or business to take photos, seize property, copy computer files, or load a secret keystroke detector on a computer. These searches should be limited only to the most rare circumstances. And law enforcement should provide notice of the search within seven days, unless a court extends the period of notification.

We will eliminate the potential of fishing expeditions into people's library and business records. If the FBI wants to make these kinds of investigations, they will need a warrant issued by a judge and evidence that they are looking into an agent of a foreign power.

We will provide Americans with protections from wiretaps, prevent local police officers from spying on innocent people, and that ensures our courts guarantee appropriate national security protections.

At the same time, we need to strengthen the laws that actually do help us combat terrorism and keep America safe. This is some of the hard-work of fighting terrorism which the Administration has all too often failed to do. In the months leading up to September 11th, two of the hijackers were arrested for drunk driving-and another was stopped for speeding and then let go even though he was the subject of an arrest warrant in a neighboring county and was on a federal terrorist watch list. Firefighters and law enforcement must have access to critical data so they can connect the dots. And we need to simplify and streamline the 58 national terrorist watch lists and make sure they're available to the right people on the frontlines.

After September 11th, this Administration gathered and used broad new powers to investigate the private lives of people in this country. The powers were supposed to be used fight the War on Terror. But George Bush and John Ashcroft have gone beyond that. They have used police powers in secret ways and for political purposes. John Ashcroft has authorized his agents to monitor church meetings and political rallies without any cause and without the need to get approval. Thirteen FAA employees and a high-tech Homeland Security tracking system were used to help Tom Delay track down Texas State Legislators who were resisting his plan to give Republicans more seats in Congress.

And the FBI investigated peaceful demonstrators who spoke out against this Administration's policies in Iraq. I know what it's like to be spied on by the government because it happened to me under Nixon when I came home from Vietnam and said that war was wrong. And one thing we don't need in this country is an Attorney General who spies on Americans."
http://www.vote-smart.org/speech_detail.php?speech_id=M000025265&keyword=&phrase=patriot+act&contain=

Liberal detractors: Why won't you denounce the Patriot act?

Btw, I'm a liberal.

[seabeyond]

14. be the man of his youth, he is running from

the man that went to vietnam at its peak of death, the man that said atrosities were being committed. as harsh as it was, is documented truth and we all know

he has to be brave again adn have faith we will hear, in truh like you say koko

i am getting pepped up. i am going to meetup kerry meeting tonite for first time in amarillo, texas. i almost walked away yesterday, from all the dumb sh*ts that want bush back in. willing to give them the country.