This quote sums up why I'm for Edwards.

[ChiefJoseph]

During last night's debate, one of the moderators said something that really struck me:

CLAYTON: Yes. Senator Kerry, I wanted to ask you, this country's deeply divided, and some of the things we've been talking about tonight already indicate that.

If you win, Republicans are going to be expected to work to undermine you. And if you lose, the Democrats are going to do everything they can to further tarnish President Bush so that a Democrat can win in 2008.

I wanted to ask you, is this all that Americans have to look forward to: perpetually polarized administrations, loved by half of the country and loathed by the other half?

Doesn't that ring true? Bush -- you either love him or hate him. Clinton -- you either loved him or hated him. Bush Sr. was not quite so polarizing. Reagan certainly was.

My point is, I don't think it's healthy to have a country where fully half of the population is perpetually angry and hostile to the President. That's why I support Edwards. He has run a positive campaign, unlike Kerry's relentlessly negative campaigning. And I don't think Republicans would hate President Edwards. They would oppose him, but he wouldn't perpetuate that cycle of hatred like I believe Kerry would.

Thoughts?


edit: I meant to say, "That's why I support Edwards," not "That's why I support Kerry."

[corporatewhore]

1. you might wanna edit this line

That's why I support Kerry. He has run a positive campaign, unlike Kerry's relentlessly negative campaigning.

[King of New Orleans]

2. If you're so big into positive

why keep knockin' on Kucinich and his supporters.

BTW--you need to edit yur original post, or else your schitzo too.

[sadiesworld]

3. "I don't think republicans would hate President Edwards"

Please. You think the southern accent will protect him from Limbaugh and others calling him a pretty, inexperienced, shyster?!

[ChiefJoseph]

4. Repugs like Rush will hate anyone with a D by their name...

...but I don't think rank and file Repugs would. I mean, Edwards is just such a decent guy, it's hard for me to understand how anyone could have a visceral dislike for him.

Kerry on the other hand, I do not particularly care for. His positions on the issues are fine, but there's an unctuous quality about him that I don't like.

[BradCKY]

6. With one exception

I'm sure they LOVE the sellout Zell Miller :)

[sadiesworld]

8. Rank and file repugs will hate Edwards because Hannity will

tell them to.

[King of New Orleans]

9. Have you thought that

maybe the problem is with you instead of Kerry (or Kucinich)?

[citizen snips]

18. Jesse Helmes hated Edwards.

n/t

[ChiefJoseph]

19. Well obviously, look who you're talking about.

Mercifully, Helms does not represent the average Republican.

[WillyT]

25. Limbaugh Already Refers To Edwards As 'The Breck Girl' !!!

So there goes that part of it.

Not that I'm disagreeing with ya, just lettin ya know.

For you youngees, 'Breck' was a shampoo many moons ago.

:shrug:

[Blue_State_Elitist]

5. Half the people will always be upset

You could offer everyone in the US 5 dollars with no catch. Half would want it, half wouldn't. It is absurd to believe that the US will be united under one person. All we can hope is to have a president that truly helps the working people, even under pressure from the other half.

[Brotherjohn]

7. They don't hate Edwards as much b/c he's not the frontrunner.

If he were by chance to pass Kerry in delegates or get the nomination, he would suddenly become the AntiChrist. Bank on it.

[Desertrose]

10. OMG...and you called us delusional...

I'm sorry...talk about getting a grip on reality...
this is quite amusing...

....like the other half won't hate Edwards (or Kerry either for that matter..Tweedle Dee & Dum)...hells bells..he's a dem who is a typical dem...nothing new here for the people to sink their minds or hearts into...now on the other hand...there is Kucinch...offering a clear difference and who has already gotten repub votes before...

and you called us delusional...I'm sorry...I am still laughing too hard to post any more...


too funny chief

Peace
DR

[ChiefJoseph]

12. Another thing to love about DK supporters

They're like cult followers. Say anything negative about their candidate and they stalk you in other threads. It's like some weird high school clique. Jesus. DK is not a bad guy at all...it's his followers who are real pieces of work.

[Desertrose]

13. sorry to hear that you feel that way

so by posting on a thread here in DU & referring to another recent thread you started about Kucinich, I am stalking you? If you don't want me posting in your threads just politely ask me & I will refrain...you can also put me on ignore too.

I understand that sometimes questions hitting close to the truth are unnerving...so I will not feel slighted if you want to disappear me.

IIRC you have been jumping on quite a few Kucinich threads with some negative stuff but I guess thats different :shrug:

Peace
DR

[ChiefJoseph]

14. Exactly...they're Kucinich threads.

I don't go stalking you and attacking you on subjects that have nothing to do with the relevant thread. That's what you did to me in this thread, which has nothing to do with DK.

I'm not going to put you on ignore because I think that's silly, but I have to say that the reaction from DK people when you dare suggest what everyone else on the planet knows (that he's unelectable) is really creepy and unsettling. What about this gentle man inspires such raving, unseemly fanatacism in his supporters?

[Desertrose]

15. wait a minute....I am not allowed to post on this thread now?

.....you are allowed to jump in on Dk threads and I am not allowed to express my opinion on any other thread?

and I have to stay on topic,too...like everyone always does here on DU? LOL

wow!

After being here since Jan 20,2001 I am finally learning the rules..whaddya know...

Peace
DR

Oh yeah, thanks for calling my candidate creepy & unsettling & gentle all in the same breath. WOW again.....

my bad for *stalking* you LOL :spank:


edited to add your *stalking*= my posting

[Rainbowreflect]

29. You sound a little paranoid.

If you continue to think people on DU are stocking you someone can show you were to get a nice. :tinfoilhat:
;-)

[Rainbowreflect]

11. The only way to make the republicans not hate you is to support

the issues they like, then you are no longer a Democrat.
I like Edwards and will gladly vote for him if he is our nominee, but attacking the other candidates will not win over supporters.

[tom_paine]

16. I disagree. Like all Totalitarians, the Bushevik will hate their foe

HATE THEM.

I don;t give a shit if we ran Mother Theresa the Busheviks would smear her.

"Mother Theresa said she invented communion."

"Mother Thereasa flip flops and lies."

"Mother Theresa doesn't know who she is, she's a phony."

"Mother Theresa trashed the Vatican."

Please. Don't you yet realize who you are dealing with? Allow me:

We are dealing with the grandson of the man who funded Hitler, the son of the man who probably killed the Kennedys or had them killed, the son of the man who aided in the brutalization, torture and murder of million in Central America, including more than a few raped nuns and murdered priests.

We are dealing with the people who have revived the Hitlerian "Mein Kampf" Playbook for Propaganda.

At the very LEAST, the Imperials will rithlessly lie, assualt and fabricate WHOEVER opposes them.

And that's a guarantee.

[ChiefJoseph]

17. The problem is, both sides hate.

The Repugs don't have a monopoly on hatred. Indeed, many on our side have reached the same level of truly irrational hatred that the Repugs demonstrated under Clinton. I mean, shit, I oppose virtually everything Bush does and stands for, and I think he's a despicable man. But some people take it so far beyond that it's just nuts...all this LIHOP business and the multitude of posts making the most laughable, tenuous similarities between Bush and Hitler. I'm just saying that I hope this sort of thing doesn't become the normal state of affairs for the rest of my life.

[tom_paine]

20. Hate breeds hate

And I think that, once the Busheviks embraced the "Mein Kampf" demoniztion and dehumanization propaganda strategy (and yes, their propaganda methodology is new to America and YES it has many similarities tro the "rules" the nazis laid out for constructing their lies long ago), things were sadly set in motion that I'm not sure can now be stopped.

You see, I for the longest time felt as you do. Limbaugh is an aberration. No, now Hannity, too is an aberration. No, now Matthews, too is an aberration. No Coulter, too, is an aberration...

But after awhile you realize it's not an aberration. Read Ms. Coulter. She hates us and wants us dead. She has come VERY close to suggesting all Liberals should be Gulagged (do a little research if you don't believe me--I'll help you get started)

http://users.rcn.com/skutsch/anticoulter/quotes.html

It is funny how all the mainstream media artiocles are now no longer findable on this topic. Perhaps they are all archived now.

Like this one:

Coulter, sweetly disemboweling the left wing

Source: Beth Gillin INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
The first thing that strikes you is how very merry she is.You expect cutting wit and an air of hauteur from the woman who's been called a banshee, Annthrax, and the Sexy Queen of Conservative Mean.But here is Ann Coulter, fresh from a lecture and book-signing, sipping a glass of Diet Coke in a quiet conference room and exuding not venom and hatred but sunshine and light.So fine-boned and slender she almost disappears when viewed sideways, she's all glowing tan and shiny

Published on July 30, 2003, Page C01, Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA)

Nazi-like? Try this quote: "Everybody says the Jews love Germany, but it's just not true."

Actually that is a direct Ann Coulter quote from the Inquirer article with only two words changed, "liberals" to "jews" and "America" to "Germany"

I don't know about you, but I don;t ever remember Walter Cronkite's words being able to be transformed so easily into something Josef Goebbels could have said.

Anyway, for the longest time I thought like you. I didn't want to believe my eyes and ears. Evetually, the Bloodless Coup of 200 showedme exactly what these people were capable of. Considering they lie as frequently as Stalin (but are not yet as violent, brutal or oppressive, Thank God) it isn't difficult to see them sharing other "Stalin family Values".

Were the Jews wrong to hate the Nazis once they realized what they were?

You can only be the object of hate for so long before reutning the favor.

[ChiefJoseph]

21. I agree that there are many, many ugly characters on the right.

Rush and Coulter really stand out (I think Coulter might be even more vicious and ugly than Rush, if that's possible) among a fair number of despicable Republican sympathizers. Hannity is stupid, obtuse and ill-informed, but I wouldn't call him evil. And I don't see why so many Dems hate Chris Matthews. He's certainly not so bad that I'd lump him in with Coulter and Rush.

But I digress.... We have our truly revolting personalities, too. Robert Sheer of the LA Times is a liar. Michael Moore is a liar and a pig. We probably can't match Coulter, but we have some real doozies, too.

[tom_paine]

28. Yes, but our side never set out to do the "Mein Kampf" bit on them

Mike Moore is what he is (I happen to disagree with your assessment, though he is far from perfectly moral and truthful for sure), but I never once heard him or any of the other suggest even one tenth of the horrible shit that Limbaugh/Hannity/Coulter/etc say routinely.

I never heard them say that "all conservatives" were anything, lket alone traitoruous scum, fit for beatings, unpatriotic or anything else like that.

I am not arguing Democratic morality and purity here, what I am arguing is that the Bushevik, in propaganda at least have taken thing to a new and dangerous and, yes, it is reminiscent of Nazis, frightening levels that the Left does not even come close to matching.

[bigtree]

22. You attack Kerry for "negative campaigning"

and complain about polarization? :shrug:

"Criticism sometimes is really praise, and praise sometimes slander.
-Francois, Duc De La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680), French writer

[ChiefJoseph]

23. Yeah, what about it?

Don't those two go hand in hand? I'm saying that Kerry's negative campaign style will simply ensure that we have four more years of ugly polarization even if we get rid of Bush.

[bigtree]

30. I don't think he has a negative campaigning style.

Your evidence?

"I'm saying" is a factless argument.

I think Kerry's campaign has been positive, and will continue to be so against Bush. Is defending oneself negative?

Here's his positive campaign focused on getting rid of Bush: http://johnkerry.com

I don't see any purpose in dredging up all of the negative statements that Edwards hs offered during this campaign. There have been some. You'll no doubt, quibble as to whether the comments were negative. I think this recent push to 'define himself' against Kerry is full of negativity.

Anytime you call someone's baby ugly you can expect a reaction so . . . what happened to the issues?

[ChiefJoseph]

32. I'm talking about negativity in general, not directed at other Dems.

"Your evidence?"

I never suggested that I was offering anything but my opinion. What, are we supposed to have a scientific study to back up every opinion we post on DU?

"Is defending oneself negative?"

Defending himself from whom? Bush has attacked him precisely once and that was just a couple of days ago.

[bigtree]

35. Bush can't use anything Democrats throw at him to justify his attacks

He wrote the book on negative campaigning.

Bush Jr.'s Skeleton Closet:

"One of the most disturbing things about Bush is that he consistently works to silence his critics using his money and power, including state police and expensive lawyers. Not since Richard Nixon has a major presidential candidate been so quick to prevent his opponents from free speech. At the very least, this shows he doesn't understand big-league politics and may not be tough enough to handle more serious opponents, such as hostile foreign countries and terrorists. At worst, it may be a sign of Nixon-like paranoia; that president's thin-skin started out with similar small potatos and grew to bring down his presidency amid enemies' lists, illegal break-ins of his opponent's offices, and forcing the IRS to audit his enemies.

Bush can't blame this on his staff, either; it comes from the top. When asked about one critical web site, he told the press "There ought to be limits to freedom. We're aware of this site, and this guy is just a garbage man, that's all he is."

As governor of Texas, for example, Bush Junior has sent the state police to arrest peaceful demonstrators outside the governors mansion. While previous governors allowed peaceful pickets on the public sidewalk outside the mansion, Bush has claimed that they are blocking public access, and had them arrested. Not all protestors, either -- just the ones he doesn't want the press to see.

Bush also can't stand criticism on the Internet. His campaign quietly -- and probably illegally -- bought up over 200 anti-Bush domain names including "bushsucks.com", "bushbites.com", and "bushblows.com" over a year ago. (Illegally because he had refused to register as a candidate, as part of his effort to make it look like people were begging him to run, so spending money for his campaign was not allowed.) If you type in any of these URLs, you end up at Bush's official web site. His campaign refuses to say whether this means that they admit that he bites, blows and sucks. (Maybe he used to be a White House intern?)
http://www.realchange.org/bushjr.htm#thinskin

If you wanted to set up one of those sites, breathe easy because many good names are still available. The Bush camp somehow neglected to purchase "bushisaprick.com", "bushisweak.com", or "bushsucksdonkeydicks.com", so $70 makes them yours.

[katieforeman]

33. "almost stupid" and "completely inept"- that's negative

Kerry is quoted in the NYTimes yesterday referring to Bush and his policies and advisors as being "almost stupid" and "completly inept."

This is negative and it will backfire in the election. Kerry is of course correct that Bush and his policies are stupid and inept. However, Republicans will use statements like these to justify their own negative attacks. Furthermore, it puts Democrats back on defense. Instead of having to defend their stupid and inept policies, Republicans will use these words to totally discredit the validity of Kerry's argument.

[mmonk]

24. Your point escapes me

[ChiefJoseph]

26. We should choose a nominee who does not inspire hatred in the Repugs

Someone like Jack Kennedy, who lots of Repugs really liked.

[mmonk]

27. they hate dems

and all this was, was a veiled question asking are the dems going to attack bush or run a positive campaign (not attack bush).

[katieforeman]

31. Totally agree.

If John "bring it on" Kerry is the nominee our political debate will be framed around divisive issues of the past like Kerry's voting record and Vietnam.

If John "two Americas" Edwards is the nominee, the political debate will be centered around Edwards' positive vision for the future- turning "two Americas" into "one America."

Also, I think Edwards will be a much more popular president than John Kerry because of his optimism. This will help him get more of his agenda passed and help get more Democrats elected to Congress.

[ChiefJoseph]

34. Exactly.

Also, I think Edwards will be a much more popular president than John Kerry because of his optimism.

EXACTLY