Kerry Barnstorms into 2004!

[flpoljunkie]

TIM RUSSERT: David Yepsen, you had said that John Kerry was coming up handsomely, I think was your word. David Broder, you said that you were out with John Kerry yesterday. What has caused him to gain some new traction inIowa, if in fact that's what you're observing?

DAVID BRODER: Oh, well, I think a couple of things have happened with him. One, there's been a change in the top command of the campaign. And I think he is now delivering his message in language that is understandable to voters instead of talking constantly in "Senatespeak."

For a long time, John Kerry could not utter a simple declarative sentence without the words "amendment" or "provision" in it. And as soon as you use either of those words, you've lost much of the audience. He stopped doing that now. And I think he's communicating much better. Secondly, he knows he is in a fight for his life, politically, now. And I think the blood is up. And there's a lot more passion in what Kerry is doing now.

I was out with Senator Kerry yesterday afternoon and my sense--this is purely anecdotal--is that there's still a number of Democrats who are shopping these candidates. They're looking around, trying to figure out who has the best chance to defeat President Bush because that is an important goal for them. But I'm not quite so sure that this is a locked-down situation as maybe some of us back East had thought.

From the The Hotline:

      San Jose Mercury News' Kuhnhenn reports, "After stumbling for months," John Kerry's campaign "is starting to hit its stride" in IA. Both polls and interviews "suggest" some IA Dems "are giving Kerry a second look"; others, "only now becoming engaged" in WH '04, "say they are attracted to his foreign-policy message, his environmental record and, yes, his emergence as an anti-Dean candidate" (12/27).
      Meanwhile,Omaha World-Herald's Cordes reports, Kerry on 12/31 showed "talk that he is gaining momentum in Iowa is more than just talk." Over 300 people attended a Kerry event at a Council Bluffs community center; "several caucus watchers called the turnout one of the biggest in the Bluffs during this caucus campaign." Kerry: "People are beginning to look and say, 'Who can really be president?' We need to not just nominate somebody. We need to beat George Bush" (1/1).
      Kerry on 1/3 will return to IA four a four-day swing through the state (release, 1/2).

The New John Kerry
      Los Angeles Times' Barabak reports, "It was never supposed to be this hard" for Kerry in his "backyard" of NH -- until Dean "outflanked Kerry with his opposition to the war in Iraq" and "out-hustled" Kerry "by practically moving to New Hampshire two years ago and campaigning nonstop." Now, Kerry "narrowed his political orbit to just" IA and NH. A second-place IA finish "would probably be enough to keep Kerry's hopes alive"; "a strong third might even do." However, in NH, "nothing short of victory is likely to suffice."
      Dean's NH lead "lends a particular urgency to Kerry's headlong, 14-hour days as he fights to whittle Dean's sizable lead in polls." Over the weekend, Kerry "escalated his assault on Dean with a stinging speech that blasted" Dean "as dangerously naive on defense and foreign policy and a likely disaster" if he is the Dem nominee (12/30). Kerry "delivered a withering attack" on Dean, saying NH voters face a choice between Dean's "confusion and contradition" and Kerry's "steady and consistent hand" (Halbfinger, New YorkTimes, 12/28).
      However, "the biggest difference is Kerry's transformation as a campaigner. He chases votes with a hunger absent those many months ago when his campaign seemed swollen with expectation and a sense of entitlement. ... Gone is much of the high-flown Senate-speak. He vilifies Bush. He knocks Dean. He stabs a long, bony finger in the air to make a point. He invites questions."
      In 2000, "facing a surprise threat from" Bill Bradley, Al Gore "rallied by staging a series of marathon town hall meetings, sticking around to answer questions even after the janitors had finished cleaning up. Kerry was at Gore's side" in NH, "and apparently learned something" (12/30).


Remember to watch Senator Kerry and his wife Teresa on CNN's Paula Zahn Now, tonight at 8:00 EST.

(Edited to shorten a too long post. Ads can be found on website.)

[dreissig]

1. The Old and the New

The old John Kerry voted for the war. It was more than a strategic vote to preserve his credibility with Republicans, it was a statement of values. A huge turnoff to many Democrats, especially me.

The new John Kerry is actually the same guy as the old John Kerry, but he'd like us to believe the IWR vote didn't happen. He'd like us to forget that when we looked to him for leadership, he was more concerned with his own career than with the lives of thousands of people.

John Kerry, either the old one or the new one, wasn't there when it counted.

[blm]

4. Can you name the lawmaker who has exposed more government corruption than

John Kerry?

Can you name one lawmaker who helped to END more wars than John Kerry?

[Northwind]

12. Could someone please...

do something about this broken record?

[blm]

17. Anyone want to DARE answer the question truthfully?

BTW...Northwind, YOU are the person who bragged about the success of the operation against Kerry to paint him as a "corrupt Washington insider" so I am not surprised you'd want me silenced.

[Hep]

7. Also

he thinks we're safer now that Saddam has been captured, apparently not knowing the difference between Saddam in power and Saddam in a 4 X 7 hole.

Poor John. From now on I will refer to him as New Coke.

[oasis]

13. Kerry's smart enough to know that you don't attack the commander and chief

and let known America hating killers like Osama and Saddam off the hook.

There will be no Rove ads about Kerry being ambiguous about that issue.

[blm]

2. Kerry in SC. His SC campaign chair's guard unit was activated

and he had to leave a while back for Iraq, and his other one is pregnant with twins. (Alex Sanders' daughter)

[mb7588a]

3. Great post!

I've been hearing a lot about Kerry's momentum and drive in Iowa. You've got a great bunch of collected info here to support that.

[flpoljunkie]

8. Great photo! Kids seem to really warm up to Kerry.

I bookmarked the photo. Thanks for posting it.

[mb7588a]

9. no problem!

Photos like it win elections. :)

[JI7]

19. yeah, they love him

i saw on cspan where he read a book to kids in a class, when he was finished they told him to read another one. he didn't have time, but they really wanted him to stay longer and read.

[AntiCoup2K4]

5. The "New Kerry" is a one note campaign

"I'm better than Dean. I'm better than Dean. I'm better than Dean (repeat unto infinity)"

[DemOutWest]

10. He is better than Dean

[AntiCoup2K4]

15. Then why isn't he the frontrunner?

Maybe because he's been part of the problem of the weak ineffective party "leadership" ever since Bush stole the White House and people are fed up with that shit?

[blm]

18. Because Frank Luntz is driving the media bus for Dean.

Hop on, quick, before the sign on the bus says Bush2004.

[cindyw]

21. hahahahahaha

:yourock:

[blm]

22. wow...

I rarely get laughs.

Thanks.

[LuminousX]

6. The title of the thread made me excited at the thought of Kerry

flying in a biplane and doing tricks like flying through those old style barns as a New Year's stunt.

[oasis]

14. You're obviously aware of Kerry's limitless talents. He'll put them to

work for you as your president.

[Raya]

16. Sound like a good Idea. We need to support ABD&L at this point

That is anyone but Dean and Lieberman. Both are realy RW pols

[A-Schwarzenegger]

11. Plus you don't want to downplay the blow of that operation.

It can really take the wind out of your sails
and can take a while before you find much wood
for the fire, even with V pills and all. For a guy
as vigorous as Kerry it can be quite a shock to
the system that you can't build up a good head
of steam so easy as you used to. So maybe he's
getting his nerves back and it's looking up for the
long haul.

[adadem]

20. Very true

My Dr. husband said the same thing...noticed Kerry has had more energy since last month. I saw him in person in October and was a bit concerned but he finally seems to have snapped back to himself.