Kerry escalates pace, message in Iowa

[Feanorcurufinwe]

as he did in his tough Senate race against William F. Weld in 1996, Kerry has grown tougher on the stump: Charging that the Bush administration was turning America into a "dollar-ocracy" Tuesday night, and blasting President Bush and his Republican allies yesterday in Washington as "false patriots" for cutting benefits for veterans while taking a hard line on national security.

<snip>

Kerry has also been telling Iowans about the 2002 defeat of his friend and fellow Vietnam veteran Cleland, who lost his US Senate seat in Georgia after Republicans lambasted him as weak on national security and ran television ads showing images of Cleland, Osama bin Laden, and Saddam Hussein. Kerry tells voters that when he is attacked by rivals, he thinks of how Cleland did not fight back harder in his race. Cleland said in an interview yesterday that he told Kerry in a phone conversation Monday night to keep fighting: "Don't be afraid to let the passion out. Screw 'em and go for it."

<snip>

"These polls shift and change 10 or 15 points a night," said Kennedy, recalling his own primary race against President Carter in 1980. "In New York, I was 26 points behind Carter. Four days later, we won it by 10. Connecticut was similar. And look at Gary Hart in New Hampshire," where the former Colorado senator came back from a primary-eve deficit in the polls in 1984 to win a surprise victory in the Granite State.

Hart said in an interview yesterday that Kerry was counting on the same "self-generating momentum" that drove Hart's race against rival Walter Mondale two decades ago.

"When I came in second in Iowa and everyone thought John Glenn would be second, that was big, big news," Hart said. "The next day, I was surrounded by 10 times more reporters in New Hampshire, which meant the crowd size dramatically increased. If you are creating commotion, it creates attention."
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/kerry/articles/2004/01/15/kerry_escalates_pace_message_in_iowa/

Very positive Kerry coverage from the Boston Globe - Lee Atwater is probably throwing a snowball as I type this.

[JohnKleeb]

1. I didnt know Ted was once down by 26 in NY and then won by 10

Thats a 36 percent turn around!
Yes anything can happen.

[paulk]

3. It's really going to turn on who people perceive as a winner

against Bush.

Whoever wins Iowa is going to get a huge boost in New Hampshire, I think. I read that 45% of the voters there consider their support either undecided or soft - and the number one thing they're looking for is someone that can beat Bush.

It's really up in the air - anything can happen.

[adadem]

2. Hopefully now

Kerry will get some positive coverage instead of all the negativity towards him. Rove will be shakin' in his shoes if we nominate someone with the breadth of experience like Kerry.

[Hep]

4. Whoa. The Globe said something nice about Kerry?

Did someone switch their regular coffee with folgers crystals or something? That's amazing!

[sandnsea]

5. Screw 'em and go for it!!

lol. That's the way to do it and JK is really letting it hang right out there. He's got such magnificent vision for the country and the world. When he let's it all hang out, he is at his absolute best! I'm glad he's got great friends like Max Cleland.

To the future!!!

:toast: