Let's give our pal John Edwards a couple of tips for Tuesday night.

[PurityOfEssence]

He listens, so they will get to him.

I want an utter rout, rather than some kind of modest victory.

Here are mine:

1) Be armed to the teeth with statistics about malpractice insurance impacts, specifically the insurance companies using them to offset losses elsewhere. You know Cheney's going to hit with this, so be prepared to turn this around as an unfounded scare tactic rooted in greed.

2) Slag him personally on his cavalier attitude toward the law and the little guy. He was CEO of Halliburton when they defrauded their investors about profits; he must have known. He presided over acquiring a company with huge pending asbesteosis claims (Dresser), and tries to pay off this blunder by legislation to crush the rights of the injured. His company stole a patented anti-corrosion system for pipelines when they couldn't get a good enough deal to get it legally; they were convicted. He dealt with Iran, Libya and Iraq through foreign subsidiaries. He STILL holds stock options, so even though he bought insurance on his deferred payment, he still has material interest in the company.

3) He tried to help Enron out with a $254 million dollar government bailout, yet denies any favoritism.

4) He continually lies about Al-Queda/Hussein ties, and used these to gin up a war.

5) Hammer the issue of the little guy. Is a 250K lifetime cap for an injury settlement fair? He wails about personal responsibility; why should powerful corporations be exempt? Remind him how he put a note in the last paycheck of 1998 telling employees that showing up to work next week would constitute a waiver of any right to sue the corporation. Point out how all of his voting as a Rep were to benefit the powerful and hurt the weak.

Join in folks; I can't wait for Tuesday...

[Mizmoon]

1. I don't think I can give advice to such a man.

He has been a mega-successful trial lawyer who knows far more than I how to deal with scum like Cheney.

[wryter2000]

2. A wee correction on #1

Defense of trial lawyers will obviously be very important. However, I'd hit Cheney with tear-jerking stories of how Edwards' clients were harmed by the people they sued. JE has been very eloquent about how he became a lawyer to help people. He should hammer on that.

On edit: Energy task force, terrorism task force that never met...bwhahahah

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. Good points, everyone!

I think Edwards will do well. I mean, unless Cheney gets a face transplant, who is going to feel that he is a compassionate man?

[PurityOfEssence]

13. Ah, yes: the terrorism task force

That's a good one. Especially since Clinton warned Bush, Berger warned Rice, Hart-Rudman warned everybody, there were 40 warnings to Bush in PDRs (supposedly) and the intelligence community was red-lining before 9-11.

They don't listen well. Perhaps JRE should repeat himself, saying "since you guys have such a hard time listening" or something like that.

[spooky3]

20. He probably already has this info but just in case...

***
Jeffrey H. Birnbaum's Sept. 6 Business column, "More Than Ever, Business Chooses Republican Ticket," relied on partisan, pro-business and apparently Republican sources. Two -- Thomas J. Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Grover Norquist, conservative activist and president of Americans for Tax Reform -- attributed business's support for the GOP to the fact that Democrats support current tort laws, which they say erode profits.

But a 2002 Americans for Insurance Reform report showed that insurance premiums and payouts account for less than 1 percent of the nation's health care costs. The report said that rising insurance premiums for doctors stemmed from the investments that insurance companies made, not from malpractice lawsuits and jury verdicts. Further, premiums have not fallen in states that have imposed payout caps.

The findings of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and Weiss Ratings Inc. support these statistics. Next time The Post writes on this subject, it should include a voice that thinks tort laws protect the public by making businesses responsible for their blunders.

CHRIS KANKEL

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60985-2004Sep29.html
***

My prediction is that the trial lawyer stuff probably won't be asked about by the panelists.

[bryant69]

3. warning

More of a warning than advice. President Cheney is going to try to play the debate as wise uncle verses young brash, arrogant jerk. It's really the only story that works for them.

Obviously the story we want to tell is evil arrogant really really mean spirited corporate hack verses young noble defender of the truth. My guess is the best thing for edwards to ask is the questions about some of the scare tactics he's been using.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[slojim240]

4. Not time to be "folksy" Time to be serious and "Presidential"

And make sure that you (Edwards) respond to the question asked and point out when your opponent doesn't.

[crispini]

9. yes, but not TOO much of a bulldog

I think it's OK to go after Cheney on stuff... but I think people have always liked Edwards for his optimism... so, especially ending with that sunny note would be wonderful. Tear down Cheney and show him for the crabbed old git that he is, then conclude with a message of hope for the American people. That's what I'd like to see.

[JI7]

5. have names of Republicans like Colin Powell ready to back up what he says

powell has also said there is no al qaeda hussein link so use that to back himself up .

[crispini]

7. So-called "tort reform"

is just another way of keeping the little guy out of the courts and keeping the big corporations rolling in the bucks. We need another word for tort reform ... how about "suppression of the injured?"

Actually, I don't really think this is going to come up, but it might, since Edwards is a lawyer. We need a good, snappy, response to so-called "tort reform" ... need to reframe the debate. I liked the "lawyer is to left what gun control is to right" idea posted on another thread recently... 'my lawyer is my gun' against irresponsible big corporations. That's pretty pithy. My lawyer is my gun.

[meow2u3]

25. "Tort Reform" = Blaming the Victim nt

[meti57b]

8. trial lawyers are the only protection and defense we have against

massive corporations developed around a framework of US government IRS tax breaks.

[Philostopher]

10. Say Halliburton a lot. Smile and insinuate he still profits,

and will continue to profit once he's out of office; that the rich pot of war profiteering is being held in reserve for him.

Seriously -- that's what set him off before, wasn't it? Some Democratic senator high-sticked him over war profiteering via Halliburton and he lost it and dropped the F-bomb. Use it early, if not often -- apparently, it's still a sore spot.

[goclark]

32. Trial Lawyers

Have never received the kinds of monetary rewards for their work that the corporate heads of Halliburton have received.

Mr. Cheney, I would love to be on the opposing side of Halliburton vs. the People of the United States.

[DeminDC]

11. Here is My Talking Poing on Trial Lawyers Issue

"I'm proud of my work before I entered the United States Senate, and I am proud of the many fights that I won on behalf of victims. I would not trade it for anything in the world.
What the Vice President just said is really rather incredible. Never in my life would I have thought that the Vice President of the United States would attack someone because of their job. Our leaders should celebrate jobs, their value to America, and their value to real, working people. It makes we wonder what he'd say about your jobs, my fellow Americans. Make no mistake about it. John Kerry and I will fight every day of our Administration for job creation. Jobs aren't simply about a strong economy, but it goes to the core of our human dignity. A paycheck means much more than more money in the bank, and we fully recognize this.
I am aware that the Vice President had a job before he became the Vice President. I celebrate the fact that he had a job, so I will not exploit his work on this job for cynical partisan gain. America deserves better, and that is what John Kerry and I offer."

[PurityOfEssence]

21. Why should only the poor and middle class be responsible for their actions

while the rich and large corporations are immune from the fallout of their mistakes, negligence or outright criminality?

Gore Vidal said it best: "In America, we believe in Capitalism for the poor and Socialism for the rich."

[AP]

12. Contrast "I take no PAC $" with "You are VP and Halliburton honorary CEO..

..at the same time."

[durablend]

14. Two words...

RABIES SHOT

[bain_sidhe]

15. Have some really surprising foreign policy facts

at hand. "Unca Dick" is going to try to hammer on the lack of foreign policy experience... remember, this debate is to be about BOTH foreign and domestic policy, and the moderator gets to choose the questions. There WILL be foreign policy questions. I think one way to counter the "inexperienced" charge would be do casually pull out a few surprising or little-known background or details - seemingly off the top of his head - that would cause the average American to say "Wow, really?!?"

As to WHAT details, I dunno. I'm inexperienced in foreign policy myself. :) But he should bone up on a few for EACH of the major foreign policy "challenges" we face - Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, Iran, Syria, and general topics like nuclear proliferation, free trade vs. fair trade, labor and environmental standards in trade agreements - both of those ought to be right up his alley! - and hey, maybe come up with a nifty segue *between* free trade and the environment...

I'm just throwing out ideas. Wiser heads than mine can decide if they're actually *useful* ideas.

[PurityOfEssence]

29. He stood right there after Zell's tirade, knowing full well HE voted

against funding many of those same systems, and even tried to KILL the Bradley. He stood right there after all that hate was whipped up, insinuating that Kerry tried to cancel all of those weapons, when he only voted on reducing funding, and only in overall bills.

I believe there's videotape of Cheney before Congress when he was Secretary of Offensiveness actually asking to kill some of those programs. It was called the "Peace Dividend" at the time, along with that "New World Order".

Fearmongering and hate.

[AP]

16. Contrast Dick's refusal to censure apartheid S.Africa's Mandela imprison-

ment with the fact that Edwards -- by winning after Gant was cheated of victory -- busted the Helms machine's disenfranchisement of black voters.

[AP]

22. ...and use this as an example of Cheney's refusal to see which direction

human history is arcing.

Furthermore, explain that it wasn't so much that Cheney couldn't see where history was going. It was that Cheney didn't want history to bend towards justice because that meant less money for the super-wealthy (and more for the people).

Point out that this is what Bush-Cheney is doing today.

They don't care about the people. They care about concentrated wealth and power, no matter what sort of miseries that causes for the people.

[TheDonkey]

17. Attack Chenney, don't smooch him like Joe, and laugh at his bad jokes

Keep Chenney on the defensive, challenge him on his outrageous quoutes, his poor ledaership, and make the ass get boiling hot red.

[AP]

18. Make the point that John Kennedy knew that the world was safer when

wealth middle classes formed in Democracies all over the world, and when America has a strong middle class, yet everything the Republican party has done since 1972 has been designed to shift wealth to the top both in the US, in Saudi Arabia, and Haiti, and everywhere esle, and that makes the US both poorer, and less safe.

And point out that Cheney represents the nadir of that principle.

Tie the fact of low wages in the US with the fact that the US has to compete with cheap labor in places like Haiti where the US is getting in the way of wealth building up in the working classes.

[AP]

19. Draw out the parallels between Kerry-Edwards and FDR, and the similarities

between Bush-Cheney and the America fascists in the 30s who opposed FDR.

[LiberalEsto]

23. Bring garlic

and wear a silver crucifix

[PurityOfEssence]

28. Har. Hey...it IS at night...

Hmmmm...

[JI7]

24. be prepared to defend Kerry's voting record

[HEIL PRESIDENT GOD]

26. Don't forget to look the moderator in the eye.

But never look your opponent in the eye. It might become enraged and charge. If that happens, let it clamp down on your forearm and spin it around until it passes out.

[indyjones1938]

27. Edwards

will have no problems.

He has an amazing ability to change his tone and style as circumstances warrant. He will leave Cheney struggling to find his voice. My guess is Edwards will start the debate with a cute smile to get the "security moms" swooning and drooling, then he'll hit Cheney hard. Cheney will then probably assume a soft, grandfatherly tone to make Edwards look like an arrogant attack dog, but of course Edwards will turn it around by getting Cheney angry, and then assuming the smiley southern boy image himself. No matter what tone he employs, he will keep Cheney on the defensive.

Cheney is of course a much better debater than the chimp, but Edwards has much better delivery and style than Kerry. Since he has been out of the media spotlight for two months, his mere reappearence showing strength and a command of the facts will be a bonus to the campaign. His job will be to keep the momentum going from the first presidential debate and set the foundation for the town hall debate on Friday.

[PurityOfEssence]

30. Yep. It'll be grand to see him expose an Ogre like Cheney

Much as I thirsted through the primary season with the hopes of seeing him tear Junior to shreds, I'm very happy to know that he's the one to face off with Deadeye Dick.

Cheney's smart, but Edwards is shockingly smart and much more comfortable in his skin. Beyond all that, any version of the truth exposes these thugs as the bullying monarchists they are, and this will probably be a contest of ideas.

[spooky3]

31. and as he says, "the facts are on our side."

never fight a great lawyer under those conditions.

[sandersadu]

33. ideas

Get in somewhere in the debate that:

(1) He's first in family to go college.
(2) Son of a mill-worker
(3) Repubs can only run on fear. We're returning the government to the people (don't laugh it worked for Ahhnnuuld!)