If Kerry doesn't hit back HARD today, he doesn't deserve to win

[KennedyGuy]

Rove and the trolls have made 9/11 and Osama "fair game". Kerry needs to hit back and hit back hard. Chimpy actually has the gall to trumpet his greatest failure, (his failure to capture the guy responsible for 9/11) as the reason to re-select him. But Kerry has to "walk on eggshells" around this issue! Fuck that...its the same way they cowed Kerry into submission in the summer months and he needs to smack them down big time today.

[molly]

1. Excuse me?

"its the same way they cowed Kerry into submission in the summer months and he needs to smack them down big time today."

Kerry knows what he is doing - give it a break.

[KennedyGuy]

2. excuse ME

where were you all summer...during the repug convention all the media was atwitter about how Shrub could attack at will but Kerry must be circumspect to the chimp. i'm not saying he is not doing a good job, but if you listen at all to the media last night that was the meme. kerry must watch what he says. I say hit em back HARD!

[mediaman007]

5. I think that what someone here said in August...

Kerry's biggest problem is not George Bush*. Its the media. And I think that he has done a fabulous job of putting himself into a position to win. He has overcome the Swift Boaters, the Republicans, the Fundies, the Homophobes and Bush*. He has at least battled the media to a draw.

The media is the only reason that this election is close.

Sadly, I think that we will be up against the media for a long time.

[susanna]

28. ...and Kerry has put himself in a position to win

without looking like a swaggering, arrogant blowhard. I think Kerry's got a very deft touch for politics. He has proven himself as a tough, effective campaigner IMHO. Even his silences speak volumes.

As for the media, well, they can kiss my donkey.

[humanbeing]

6. I read here today that...

...Kerry was saving his big message push for later -- after the Republican convention, so as to save money. That's why republicans seemed outspoken around that time and Kerry faded away for a while.

[mom cat]

19. Check the polls. Kerry knows what he is doing. And what is this stuff

about Kerry not deserving to winbases on one day"s actions? I know that we are all wanting to throw this in *'s face, but have some patience. Kerry is no wimp.

[Chomskyite]

26. He was saving his money

. . . so he could pound Bush with TV ads in the swing states the way he's doing this week.

[Was_Immer]

3. Kerry and the team around him

Powerful democrats like Carvell and Lockhart, theyre running a great ship! Chimpy is on the defensive!

[cubsfan forever]

13. Indeed!

And for the life of me, I cannot figure out why anyone would think the OBL tape helps Asshat. Even Paula Zahn (RW Courtesan)said this just reminds Americans of Bozo's failures.

Professor 2

[mike from ri]

4. all of u are right

firm but dignified

[sendero]

7. I understand what you are saying....

... there is a perception that we fell for the "let's don't fall into the bashing mode" bullshit before the DNC convention, ideas that were completely scrapped by the time the RNC convention rolled around.

However, I'm not sure that Kerry "fell for" anything, or rather that he instead felt it better for his long-term goal to have a low-key convention.

In any event, Kerry is proving that the moniker "closer" is well-deserved. I have complete confidence that whatever he decides to do, it will be the right thing...

[KennedyGuy]

8. Look...all Im saying

is that we can't let them win the spin war. You are right when you say that media is the problem. But we also have to hit back to compensate. For example, on Larry King last night, the two Grahm senators, Bill Richardson and horror Ingraham were on. Every one talked conciliatory about the tape until the bitch came on and spewed venom about kerry. When the Dems responded, they were accused of politicizing the issue. and the media buys it. To his credit, even Larry King said, "Hey Laura , you're trying to have it both ways here." We need to point out one simple fact...Why is Osama still alive? And we can't be afraid to do it because the media says we have to walk on eggshells. Beleive me Kerry is my guy and he gets my vote. Thats why I'm so worked up.

[meti57b]

9. it"s not about whether Kerry deserves to win, it is us who deserve to win.

[kentuck]

10. I understand where you are coming from but....

I think Kerry deserves to win. Whether or not he needs to hit back "hard" on this Osama tape is something the campaign is discussing at this moment would be my guess. And he will probably hit back hard but they are deciding what is the best way to hit back.

[greekspeak]

18. "I think Kerry deserves to win" THANK YOU!

I think it is Kerry's time. He is in prime form to take over the presidency and restore it from a secretive failure and stupidity factory back to an honorable, honest office. He is motivated to clean up the messes of four years of ShrubCo, and with the right appointments, he can balance things out in the government again. God, the beginning of the end of our national nightmare may begin in mere HOURS!!!!

[npincus]

11. NOT the time to be a statesman- go for the kill

I'd like an ad with a montage of clips of Bush's "smoke'em out", "we're gonna git 'em" boasts after 9/11, followed by the clip of Bush saying he's "not concerned about Bin Laden", followed by this caption / voiceover "No WMDs, 1,000 dead Americans, thousands of dead Iraqis, and Bin Laden is still out there, mocking us. How can you trust Geoprge Bush Again? John Kerry will get Justice for America"

Kerry has to spin this hard and fast- people should be furious that George Bush hasn't put ALL our resources into capturing him, instead of spending $1,000,000,000/week on that folly in Iraq.

I wouldn't say Kerry doesn't "deserve" to win under any circumstance.

[DemsUnited]

14. Agree and disagree ...

I think Kerry DOES need to be a statesman. He needs to be grave and dignified when he says, "as I said before and after the debates, the war in Iraq was a distraction, and, three years after 9/11, Osama bin Laden and Al Quaeda is still our biggest threat".

Now, his surrogates can go for the jugular all they want. Moveon.org or other can make the the ad you've described.

Just my two cents!

[priapis]

12. get it in a thread header, so kerry staff reading DU will see it

"Chimpy actually has the gall to trumpet his greatest failure as the reason to re-select him"


well maybe take out the "Chimpy" part.


get it in a thread header, so that the kerry staff who read the DU board will run across it.

[Sick_of_Rethuggery]

25. Here you go!

"Bushies are trumpeting their worst failure as cause to reselect them" at

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1226487

[oasis]

15. If killing or capturing Osama is a plus for Bush, the opposite is a minus.

[radfringe]

16. couple of points about the Bin-Laden tape

Other than being "news" -- I don't think it's going to have much effect on the election

--bush* voters will spin it as "don't cave in to Bin-Laden -- support bush*"

--Kerry voters will see it as confirmation of a bush* failure

the other point is -- how badly do we want to 'git Bin-Laden'?

-- bush* has had 3 years, outsourced the 'hunt' and tied us up into knots in Iraq - we don't have the resources to go out and "hunt'em down"

this means we let Bin-Laden go for now and concentrate on cleaning up the mess in Iraq (until bush* decides to invade another country)

-----or------

we work on getting INTERNATIONAL HELP AND COOPERATION to ease the burden with Iraq-mess so we can utilize resources to 'git Bin-Laden'

we know that under bush*'s mis-administration that international help and cooperation is not forthcoming, and if it isn't there by now -- then it ain't coming as long as bush* is planted in the oval office. He's pissed off toooo many countries with his Yippe-Yahoo-shoot-em-up-bang-bang-spit-in-your-face foreign policy

International cooperation and help won't come until bush* is gone -- and this means re-defeating bush* now

[KennedyGuy]

17. Here's a great example illustrating my point..

Via Josh marshalls talking points...bush campaign officials stated that kerry ought to observe a 12 hour truce to let americans absorb the tape, but that Bush had credibility to speak on it. And also...after the tape came out..Chimpy gave a sppech attacking Kerry over tora bora...Kerry gave a speech and removed the tora bora reference because, (according to Kerry camp), they feared a backlash for politicizing the issue. In my opinion, any candidate who lets that happen again, as it has in the past, should not win.

[kentuck]

21. I think you make a valid point....

In my opinion, the Bush campaign is scared to death of the Osama "issue".. They have ignored it for a couple of years. It is a good bet that they are trying to pull a quick one to get the Democrats not to take advantage of this opening. I think that is a decision that Kerry will have to make today. Does he let Bush slide or does he stick it to him?

[depakid]

20. I worry that Kerry is going to listen to the same certain advisors

that were proven FOOLS back in August & September.

There is no reason whatsoever for him NOT to go for Bush's throat... and if he lays off, he'll look weak and it will hurt him... and us. This is no time to go Dukakis. There'll be plenty of time to be diplomatic once he's president elect.

[KennedyGuy]

22. My point exactly!!!!

[depakid]

24. Some of us made points like this

around the time of the Democratic convention- when decisions were made to stop "bush bashing." We took a lot crap for it... yet we were unfortunately proven right (just as some of us made these points in 1988 during the Dukakis campaign). Let's hope (or pray) that Kerry's learned the lesson (even if his advisors haven't),

[Octafish]

23. Change the channel to C-SPAN.

Hear and see Kerry hit hard, unedited by ABCNNBCBSFoxNoiseNutwork. You'll feel better to see the best qualified candidate for President -- since at least 1960 -- in action. And he doesn't need a radio transmitter to talk!

[Sinnerman]

27. I THINK EDWARDS NEEDS TO COME OUT SWINGING TODAY