Kerry TRAIN WRECK Easy to Predict

[Closer]

Cerebral senator often tries to have things both ways


NEWSWEEK WEB EXCLUSIVE
Howard Fineman


Nov. 12 — The problem, perhaps the fatal problem, with John Kerry’s presidential campaign is that, from the start, it’s had two of everything: two sets of handlers, two centers of power and a candidate who often can’t resist having two positions on an issue. Laser-like clarity and focus are crucial in a presidential campaign. To inspire voters, it must be a crusade, not a committee; a battle flag, not a position paper. Kerry’s is all clutter.

EVERYTHING YOU needed to know about what’s wrong with the Kerry campaign was on display in Iowa the other day. For months, Kerry has been attacking Howard Dean for being “soft” on guns, since, as governor of Vermont, Dean had signed an NRA pledge to oppose federal and state limits on assault weapons. For just as many months (maybe more), Kerry has been intent on proving that he’s not a typical northeastern liberal—that he is, in fact, a tough-as-nails Vietnam war hero and former district attorney in Massachusetts, a man among men.
So what does he do in Iowa? He gives a speech championing gun control and on the same day goes out and shoots pheasant. (A superb marksman, by the way, he killed two birds with two shots.) The news stories and pictures were at war with each other: Was he for guns or agin’ ‘em? I know it’s possible to be both—for reasonable gun-control measures and for freedom to hunt with rifles. But just because you can have it both ways doesn’t mean you always should. Not on the same day in the same state on the same issue.

more ... http://www.msnbc.com/news/992605.asp

[Uzybone]

1. Howard the whore

he should go back to writing about the glorious god that is Bush. These media types will find any reason to slime a democrat.

I know it’s possible to be both—for reasonable gun-control measures and for freedom to hunt with rifles. But just because you can have it both ways doesn’t mean you always should. WTF???

[joeybee12]

3. Howard is a whore, of course, however he does have one

thing right. Politicians need to be clear and concise in their message and not waver. We can argue all day about how insulting that is to people of measurable IQ's, but the message is filtered through the media, so we're not dealing with measurable IQ's.

That said, part of Kerry's problem is that--as much as I've bashed him recently--he is an intelligent person, and can the many sides to issues that are missed on some dim-witted fools, including the current pResident. However, presidentital politics--in this day and age of the soundbite--needs to be simple and concise. A sad commentary on the state of things, but Kerry has been around long enough to know better, or at least his handlers should keep him on message.

[mitchum]

2. Glad to see that you're so concerned, Bucky

[Closer]

7. Thanks!

:-)

Yes, I'm horribly concerned about the poor guy, errr, Bucky.

[eileen_d]

4. Yawn.

Maybe Forrest Gump should run... he'd be simple enough to figure out.

By the way, it'd be easy to predict a Dean "train wreck" in 2004. It ain't over til it's over.

[xchrom]

5. i loath listening to reports

about any dem candidate from the major media.
there is spin and lies galore -- and fineman ampong the worst.

[paulk]

6. didn't Fineman win the MediaWhoresOnline

whore of the year award last year?

I know you don't like Kerry, Closer, but this is scraping the bottom of the barrel.

[Closer]

8. LOL

Haha.

Don't defend Kerry. Just attack me, the messenger of a message, as it were.

LMAO.

Nice!

[blm]

9. Howard was pumping Dean early...

and making snide remarks about Kerry all the while. Just as he did for Bush and Gore. Guess who Howie will turn on if Dean is the nominee?

Matthews, Fineman and Luntz are Rove's boys. It's no mistake they are staples at GENBC.

When will Democrats ever get it through their heads? Are you so gawddam VAIN that you think Dean deserves the teflon they granted him for now? Was Bush?

[Closer]

10. Instead

of always attacking the messenger or the author of a piece, why not attack his message? Isn't that the way it's supposed to be.

Which part of the article DON'T you agree with?

Do you think he'd been more correct had he said "Kerry's Campaign Going Strong!"

I mean, c'mon!

If this had been a negative Dean piece, SOME of you guys (and gals) would have been gloating and bowing down to Fineman as a saint.

[mitchum]

12. Since you don't really have a message other than...

"Nanny, Nanny Boo Boo!", I don't think anyone is attacking the messenger

[AP]

13. Gun safety, not gun control is the message. Kerry's exactly right.

Every Dem should do what Kerry did.

[JohnKleeb]

14. thats a good point, gun safety

I still support Kerry as my second choice if anyone cares.

[eileen_d]

15. I care, JohnKleeb!

You're like a flower growing in the dung of this thread.

[JohnKleeb]

17. ahh thanks

I tell you, I like my guy because of his overall sense of the issues and vision, I like Kerry for similar reasons.

[Duder]

11. Can a new team save Kerry-lite?

'Shaheen and Cahill have their work cut out for them

Several weeks ago, we referred to what was clearly the troubled campaign of U.S. Sen. John Kerry. The senator’s partisans were in a snit and responded angrily. How dare anyone suggest Kerry’s organization had an acute case of the wobbles?

What was becoming significant in September blew into the open this week.'

http://www4.fosters.com/News2003/November2003/November_13/Comment/ed_1113_03.asp

[TexasPatriot]

16. I've heard tell of an email

heard it on public radio tonight... something Kerry released on wed that was an 8-page detailed description of why Dean was a bad person or somesuch.

Is this thing online anywhere? I looked for it here but I didnt see it. How bad was it?

[DrFunkenstein]

18. What A Retarded Argument

Gun control AND hunting!?! When will the fence sitting end?

"The charitable explanation is that, out of intellectual and moral honesty, he is trying to do justice to the nuances of the real world. The less charitable explanation is that he is too clever by half, too eager not to offend anyone, too willing to say anything to anybody to win their vote on election day."

I'd say he offended the GOP pretty nicely:

http://www.rnc.org/Newsroom/RNCResearch/research012303.htm

<>

What a prick.