What is the greatest threat to Kerry's election?

[MoonRiver]

These factors have been on all our minds. So I'd like to do a little risk assessment here.

[bkcc]

1. voter apathy

There are plenty of people (no DUers, of course) who can't be bothered to vote.

[citizen snips]

10. I agree.

All dems need to get out and vote.

[w13rd0]

2. Kerry...

...and his advisors.

[xultar]

3. Dems eating each other = DLC vs DNC n/t

[lastknowngood]

4. Kerry's own attempt to please the right wingers and look

"strong" on defense. I believe he will alienate his base trying to make the "swing" voters happy and as a result will lose 5% of his base along with a low African American turn out after some dirty tricks by Bush*. The "swing" voters will never vote for Kerry after the dirty campaign were looking at.

[ochazuke]

5. It's the Economy, Stupid!

Sorry, don't mean to call anyone stupid, but if the economy roars along for the next few months, Bush will probably win because no matter how bad Iraq gets, it won't be enough to remove him from office.

And I don't think enough people will wake up to all of the bush lies, atrocities, and anti-democratic stuff, either. There should have been riots after the election of 2000, but we were all too busy to be bothered by a coup d'tat.

[Classical_Liberal]

7. I don't agree the economy will take off

The drop in unemployment figures is normal for spring since people are starting to get hired for seasonal jobs, and it might also reflect people who have maxed out on thier unemployment benefits, thanks to the repukes and shrubster.

[leyton]

20. Spring economy

I read somewhere that people's views of the economy solidify in the spring, so even if there's a last-minute upturn, the incumbent does not really benefit. Does anyone know if this is true?

[Hippo_Tron]

26. Well it's now spring...

The cable news channels haven't seemed to have unusual mention of an upbeat economy so I don't think this is the case.

[JVS]

6. Not showing enough resolve about getting us out of Iraq

[spooky3]

8. steady economic improvement, resolution in Iraq and/or capture OBL

[Classical_Liberal]

9. Campaigning for Lieberman voters(Bush lockups)instead of Dean/Clark

voters. I agree with post 6.

[AntiCoup2K4]

11. Trying to co-opt a radical right wing agenda as "Progressive"

Specifically the foreign policy intiative from PNAC'er Will Marshall known as "Progressive Internationalism".

Kerry needs to reject any and all advise from those who have made their intentions clear to destroy this country and democracy itself.

And choosing a progressive running mate would greatly improve his chances as well.

[Old and In the Way]

13. Hmmmm, you sound conservative.

Clinton's progressive internationalism was a great foreign policy. We had our objectives well served and Clinton (and by proxy, us) was hailed a great President. The 90's were good for us and the world.

I'm not interested in building walls around America. Trade and shared hope/belief in a better future make for a better world. Isolationism and disengagement is a sure road to more misery and war.

[wuushew]

14. Kosovo was an illegal travesty

How can NATO use force against a country that has not attacked a member country and in fact supposedly acting against peoples within its own borders?

If bombing Serbia is acceptable then why not Iraq?

[RafterMan]

18. Kosovo was an illegal travesty

before NATO got there

[Hippo_Tron]

29. Were we supposed to let Melosovich just kill all of those innocent people?

Melosovich was genocidal and was killing his people at an alarming rate. Had we bombed the train tracks in Nazi Germany, they would not have been able to take all of those people to concentration camps. Why make the same mistake again? The difference between Serbia and Iraq is that we didn't wage an all-out war on Serbia.

[Old and In the Way]

40. Yes, we should have let that little Nazi destabilize Europe and

start WW3. All I know is the genocide stopped and we didn't lose anyone in the process. And we didn't occupy Serbia, steal their resources, and turn it into a profit center for Democratic Party supporters to soak the taxpayer. :-)

[Doomsayer13]

48. Illegal travesty

The Kosovars don't think so. They love him there for getting rid of that awful tyrant. I don't think that the mainstreet in the capital is named "Bill Clinton" street for nothing.

[Imperialism Inc.]

56. Is Project Censored held in high regard here?

I don't believe in disengagement either but Kosovo was not really what we were told about on the news. It was a war without a UN resolution and I think it was just as illegal as Iraq and not the way we should use our military.
http://projectcensored.org/publications/index.html


2000 - # 22. US AND GERMANY TRAINED AND DEVELOPED THE KLA
Title: Mercenaries in Kosovo: The U. S. connection to the KLA
Source: The Progressive, August 1999
http://projectcensored.org/publications/2000/11_25.html#22

2000 - # 20. IMF AND WORLD BANK CONTRIBUTED TO ECONOMIC TENSIONS IN THE BALKANS
Title: "Banking On the Balkans"
http://projectcensored.org/publications/2000/11_25.html#20


2000 - #10 The U.S. and NATO Deliberately Started the War with Yugoslavia
http://projectcensored.org/publications/2000/10.html

2000 - #6 NATO Defends Private Economic Interests in the Balkans
Title The Role of Caspian Sea Oil in the Balkan Conflict
http://projectcensored.org/publications/2000/6.html

[Classical_Liberal]

17. He never said anything about Kosovo

Marshall is a PNAC signitory. Deserves criticizm and is directly repsonsible for that bloodbath on our tv sets.

[no name no slogan]

24. The 90s were NOT that great for many

including myself. Hell, I was actually doing better under GeeDubya until I lost my job in January. Clinton's economic policies made the rich-poor gap widen at alarming rates, and only "trickled down" to the lowest on the ladder in the last couple of years. His policies were little better than "Reaganomics Lite" for the working class and poor, while the rich made out like bandits, and the middle class was squeezed by both sides.

"Progressive Internationalism" (as preached by the DNC and PPI) is little more than the same old US Imperialism abroud that led to such terror and bloodshed in the rest of the world during the cold war.

Such a doctrine preaches "stability" and unending world capitalism for the masses, and a giant welfare state for the monied interests. As long as the labor's cheap and the market's open to US exploit, such concerns as human rights and democracy don't mean a thing.

After all, Clinton called mass murderer and former Indonesian dictator Suharto "our kind of guy" before he was finally overthrown in a popular revolution. As the leader of Indonesia from 1965 to 1998, Suharto was responsible for the deaths of over 1,000,000 Indonesians and 200,000 East Timorese. His reign of terror all but wiped out an entire generation of the political left in his country, and was aided and abetted by US military aid.

This is hardly the person I'd call "my kind of guy".

We need a foreign policy that honors human rights over the rights of capital. Even if a market is supposedly "free", its citizens are often not-- just look at China. We need to support human rights not only abroad, but at home, too. Fair wages, worker's rights, and the right to NOT have to work 70 hours a week to keep a roof over your head.

These used to be the bread and butter issues of the Democrats in the 1930s-1960s, but apparently they don't attract the big money donors anymore. How sad that we're more worried about campaign cash than people's lives these days.

[Hippo_Tron]

28. But remember, Clinton had only so much control over the government...

It was only reaganomics lite because it was somewhere between the Clinton philosophy and the Newt Gingrich philosophy. And don't give me this bullshit about them being the same thing. If that were the case then we wouldn't have had the government shutdown.

[Old and In the Way]

38. Clinton enjoyed a Democratic Senate and House for 2 years.....

He lost the House in 94 and both in 96. so he obviously didn't have an opportunity to put his vision in play ala Bush and his Republican rubber stampers. The progressive results would have been equally dramatic.

[Old and In the Way]

30. If there was ever a case for progressive internationalism, China is it.

In the 80's, the average Chinese person was living on a per capita of $100 USD/year. The country has made incredible advances because of progressive trade policies.

I find it ironic today that we spent the 50s,60s, 70s fighting "godless communism". We won, now they are "godless capitalists". Sad fact of life, but unless we reinvent ourselves and our economy, our standard of living will go down. It will take someone like a Clinton (hopefully Kerry) to understand this and invest in new technologies to develop alternative/renewable energy and investing in the infrastructure to accommodate the post-oil economy.

Certainly, the Republicans aren't going to do it.

[Classical_Liberal]

33. He will also have to stop outsourcing

since foreign labor can do alternative energy, and new technology cheaper than us.

[Old and In the Way]

39. Some parts maybe, but revolutionizing our infrastructure is rather

difficult thing to outsource.

[RummyTheDummy]

49. With all due respect

Your post is horse shit and your revisionist history is utterly sickening.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

53. Horseshit revisionism?

Wealth gap increased. Check.
PPI. Check.
Exploitation of 3rd world(NAFTA). Check.
E.Timor. Check.
We need a foreign policy that honors human rights over the rights of capital. Even if a market is supposedly "free", its citizens are often not-- just look at China. We need to support human rights not only abroad, but at home, too. Fair wages, worker's rights, and the right to NOT have to work 70 hours a week to keep a roof over your head.--These used to be the bread and butter issues of the Democrats in the 1930s-1960s, but apparently they don't attract the big money donors anymore. How sad that we're more worried about campaign cash than people's lives these days. Check.


Please feel free to point to the horseshit. I wouldn't want to step in it.

[Bill Todd]

58. Hmmm, you sound confused

At least I didn't find any reference to isolationism and disengagement in the post you purportedly responded to. Perhaps the 'response to' feature has a bug in it, and you were really responding to something other than 'reply 11' in this thread.

Unless, that is, you feel that there's no middle-ground between aggressive bullying and isolationism - sort of like asserting that an individual must either be a thug or a hermit.

- bill

[Old and In the Way]

12. Greatest threat? Black Box Voting.

that's the only thing to fear.

[MoonRiver]

22. DARN! I knew I left out something really important.

I'm going to try and edit but its probably too late.
:argh:

[tomorrowsashes]

15. Kerry is his own greatest threat

The greatest threat to Kerry getting elected is Kerry himself. With every speech he gives, he proves more and more that he is just another spineless liberal (ten degrees to the left on most issues, ten degrees to the right when it effects them personally) who won't really fix any of the country's problems, and is willing to put corporate interests in front of the interests of the rest of the population.

[zoeyfong]

34. right on .

[zulchzulu]

59. Do your homework

Your negativity and cynical childishness is foolish. Methinks you're a Freeper in disguise.

[hippiechick]

65. BINGO !!!!!

:yourock:

Well said !!!!


:hippie:

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

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[zoeyfong]

37. Yes. Kerry will not be able to capitalize on Bush's iraq fiasco

because he was complicit in it. And talking about the economy is fairly pointless because it is being drowned out by iraq. No matter how bad iraq gets kerry will not be able to forcefully attack bush, and voters will still give the republican a more favorable rating on defense issues, because kerry allows that battle to be fought on republican turf. Unlike Dean, kucinich, and Clark, kerry never challenged the fundamental assumptions of bush war policy.

[freeforall]

43. No vision for America

He doesn't impress me as a strong candidate. In spite of the media bias, I haven't heard much from him, and I think that if he had an ispiring message and vision, this would capture the public's attention and the media would start reporting on it if the public really got fired up.

Unfortunately, I think Bush's brashness and don't-give-a-damn attitude gets misinterpreted by a lot of the public as "self-confidence." As the saying goes, "Fortune favours the bold." Kerry just doesn't have the energy - and people love energy, no matter how deceptive or misguided.

Kerry may share the same initials, but he's no JFK.

[zulchzulu]

60. Outline how Kerry is "Bush-Lite"

I gotta see this...

Namely, show how Kerry's record on labor, women's rights, gay rights, civil rights, the environment, education reform, healthcare reform and working with the UN with the Iraq war crisis are in any way similar to Bush's record.

A succinct, intelligent opinion would be appreciated.

[BattyDem]

19. Media whores

look what happened in 2000. Gore was slammed on a daily basis - his words were distorted, his ideas were ridiculed and even his clothes were criticized. Bush* got a free ride on everything!

The media painted Bush* as the friendly, "regular" guy and they made Gore out to be the geeky kid in school that nobody wanted to play with.

[leyton]

21. Karl Rove.

Kerry is a good candidate, in my opinion, but he is being smeared and defined (although perhaps we are lucky that it hasn't gotten too bad yet poll-wise, they're neck-and-neck despite millions being spent).

I would have said October surprise, except I think now that that would no longer help Bush. The issue is now on the table - did Bush do enough to prevent terrorism? That used to go unquestioned, but now it is up for debate, and if they let and October surprise happen, it could backfire and make people question his leadership on national security.

[mot78]

23. All of the above

Just like in 2000, I fear a combination of the scenarios will play out.

[Hippo_Tron]

25. Other: BBV

If George Bush were actually articulate and smart it would be totally different. Kerry is tall, good looking, smart, and articulate. He has a lot of angry dems eager to support him and a lot of unemployed people, veterans, parents with kids in the military, etc. who are fired up to get Bush out of the white house. Kerry will rip Bush a new ass-hole if there's a fair election.

[no name no slogan]

27. John Forbes Kerry, circa 1986--1991

Where oh where is the John Kerry who worked to expose Iran-Contra, exposed BCCI, and voted "NO" against Operation Desert Storm? I really truly miss him, as it seems he's hidden behind some fear-driven spineless ninny more concerned about NASCAR dads and filthy lucre than the issues.

Would 1986 John Kerry REALLY state that we should "put the strongarm on OPEC" to get gas prices down? Would JFK 1986 REALLY trust the Bush family at face value when it came to going to war?

Please JFK 1986, COME BACK! We know you're in there!

[WillyT]

31. Kerry 'Stepping In It' !!!

And I hate that possibility.

It will be Rove driven, and sheeple digested.

:shrug:

Just worried about how many 'its' there are.

:scared:

[MoonRiver]

32. Well, even if "it" gets on his big toe, * is up to his eyebrows in "it"!

Kerry will look squeaky clean compared to shit encased AWOL! :D

[WillyT]

35. Oh... Don't Get Me Wrong, He's Gonna Get My Vote...

It's the way any 'mistakes', 'salty language', et. al. are trumped up to the non-involved masses. Therefore the Rove Factor.

He could to an double inverted back-flip with a twist, into a sewage tank and I still would vote for him. That's how much I love our current WH resident!!!

:-)

[MoonRiver]

36. bUSH* MUST GO!

This we know.

[genius]

41. Electronic voting. Without a papertrail Kerry loses

The elections fixed and the only way we can unfix it is to demand paper. Why do you think they have all the phoney polls showing Kerry and Bush almost tied? They don't want us to be surprised by the results.

[Mz Pip]

42. The stupidity of

the American people. anybody who feels Bush should be rewarded with a second term for screwing things up this badlyh is realy really really stupid. I fear there are millions of really stupid peole out there.

MzPip
:dem:

[sandnsea]

44. Combination - Dem media whores eating each other

That's the worst. When Democrats and liberals go on TV and slam Kerry. They can have their own view, but they do need to know when to keep their mouths shut once in a while. They don't. And I'm not even talking Zell Miller Democrats. I'm talking about the Democrats who should be solidly in Kerry's corner but are more impressed with their own opinion than doing what is necessary to win the election. You know the types, the ones who have to get their bash of the week in the paper, like Jim Jordan. Put them together with the media whores who love to repeat shit and that is the biggest threat to the election.

[OneBlueSky]

45. Other: BushCo owns the voting machines!!! . . .

by far the most serious impediment to a Kerry win, imo . . . with no way to trace it, they're free to "adjust" vote totals in as many districts in as many states as it takes to win . . .

it's not who votes that counts . . . it's who counts the votes . . .

[DaveSZ]

46. Other:

His own inability to inspire with his way of speaking

[DaveSZ]

47. :/

"Were we supposed to let Melosovich just kill all of those innocent people?"


That's the same excuse that people give to defend Bush's illegal war.

[RummyTheDummy]

50. People who piss and moan

About Kerry being no different than Bush never mind the fact it defies all logic. To me these people are just as dumb as those shit for brains freepers who latch on to one narrow view of the world and are totally incapable of admitting it whenthey're wrong or that their viewpoint isn't grounded in any form of reality.

[DaveSZ]

51. Kerry has been getting a bit better in his speeches though

Let's hope that continues, but he still comes across as flat sometimes.

[edzontar]

52. I vote "other"-because Kerry is is own greatest threat

His terrible campaign so far, his emhasis on garbage-collection issues instead of the war, his stiff demeanor and difficulty motivating minority and younger voters--all of these are concerns that shols be addressed NOW before it s too late.

[Name removed]

54. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

55. Aimless, clueless campaign

:-(

I was never a Kerry hater, but I find him very disappointing. Okay, so he's not as far left as Kucinich--I can live with that.

But I want to see his vision for the future of America. The Republicans do present a vision to the voters, even though it is a false one of rugged individualism and traditional values. Theimportant thing is that they HAVE a vision and constantly present it in one form or another, not only through the rightwing media but through all their candidates on every level.

In contrast, Kerry, like most other Dem candidates I've seen recently, comes across as a micro manager who will fiddle with this and fiddle with that, but really doesn't know where he wants to end up.

He may well have a vision, but I'm just not seeing it. Oh, and don't direct me to his website. I'm not talking about policy papers, but about an attractive picture of the future that he can present to the American people in five minutes or less.

[arewethereyet]

57. Kerry's greatest threat is Kerry

[zulchzulu]

61. Uneducated voters too lazy to learn about Kerry's mission and record

As apparent in some of the comments here, there are people who refuse to do their homework on Kerry's issues and solutions.

Perhaps it's sour grapes because their candidate is no longer in the race or they think it's "cool" to actually act like stupid dittoheads.

As long as they are as lazy at doing the actual reality of going to the voting booth as they are at learning the issues, we should be OK.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

62. DIEBOLD VOTING MACHINES

[jsw_81]

63. Probably the insane freepers

Some of these fanatical right-wing lunatics will get violent if it starts to look as if Kerry will beat Bush. I hope the senator has excellent security.

[Piperay]

64. Diebold and the thieving repukes

who will do their damn-est to steal another election.

[Ardee]

66. The Greatest Threat

To a democratic victory is quite simply the neoconsevative right wing control of the democratic party.....as long as they are in control of the party Kerry will be gagged and hogtied in his efforts to shw his differences (small as they might be) between himself and Bush, between his agenda and Bush's........

[yelladawg]

67. The greatest threat

The greatest threat is for Kerry to let up. Al Gore decided not to camapaign until after the convention. BAD MOVE.

Now Kerry is going down that same road.

[Ardee]

68. money money money

campaigning requires large sums of cash, heaps of it in fact. Ads, travel expenses, speechwriters,hotels etc.,etc.

Kerry has about one third ( so far) of Bushs' war chest so must need to conserve on his expenses for the time being or he will run out when he needs the most exposure.

One reason we see no real campaign finance reform is that there are those who make a fortune from campaigning and wish no change to the staus quo. The media, both print and electronic, make enough profit that they might be expected and required to make available, every two years, free time for all legitmate candidates. Sounds simple to me, .......

[booley]

69. DON"T TRUST THE MACHINES!!!

I can't beleive the poll ster saywhat didn't include the obviouse..thata lot fo swing states are also having elctronic voting machines put in.

Didn't Shrub really "win" becuase all the votes weren't allowed to be counted (or all the voters allowed to vote?)

If this worked so well before, why wouldn't they try again. as Shrub's hero Stalin said, it's not the voters who matter, it's who counts the votes!

[Name removed]

70. Deleted message

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[Endangered Specie]

71. Diebold (period)

[Only Me]

72. I wanted to pick All the Above but...

I settled with Dems tear each other apart.

But,I really think it has to do with the media and the fact that we, Dems, don't agree to disagree and still stand together.

We are doing better but after the media puts their spin on things they have us divided.

The Media and Repubs know it's a weakness and they USE it!

[Jacobin]

73. His IWR vote.

By November, Iraq will be in full all out war mode (worse than now, even).