Damn - And I had some respect for Schweitzer.

[Mass]

What do these guys have, FGS.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/04/AR2005090401095.html

[Mass]

1. So basically. he said you have to be phony to win

and that Kerry was not phony enough. So, as much as he did not see it as a compliment, it is a compliment for me that Kerry does not try to be what he is not.

Now I would like to see what Schweitzer actually said, because knowing the WaPo, he may have said something totally different.

"So, I started doing my ads while I was sitting on a horse or holding a gun," Schweitzer said. "I spoke to men visually and showed them I am like them. Hell, I can be on a horse and talk about health care.

"Ninety percent of them don't ride horses and many of them don't shoot a gun, but my ads said visually that I understand Montana. My gender gap disappeared. I think I have just summed up why Democrats lose elections."

[JI7]

6. where does he stand on the issues

Schweitzer that is.

and i agree about KErry. one thing i always liked about him was that he didn't change who he was. i remember some of his friends talking about how they would tell Kerry that when he goes to the South don't put on that pink tie and don't use certain words and other dumb shit but he just kept going on doing what he always does.

[BlueIris]

2. Vile.

His assessment, not your comment about Kerry, Mass.

Democrats lose elections as a result of a lot of things--that's one thing I hate about that article, it contains the typical oversimplification of a variety of complex issues, the myriad of reasons Democrats have lost and "lost" over the last few years especially. Hello? Image IS important, if not crucial, but it isn't more important than message and, I don't know, substance.

[karynnj]

3. I don't think it's smart of him to be BRAGGING that he's a phony

Although, as per your later comment, it may be the writer. I wonder how the people who voted for him would feel reading this - this not Kerry's vocabulary or style - is what arrogance is. He, not Kerry, insults people's intelligence. He also ignores that Kerry was running nation-wide to be President. Different threshold and far greater variety in what people want.

What he might have been saying though was that he used horses and guns in THE WAY HE NORMALLY WOULD so it didn't look like a photo op. He is ignoring that he was starting with almost no image, so he could create one. Kerry's goose (or duck) hunt may have looked fake to people who could not picture Kerry out of a suit, but Kerry does hunt. Someone here once said Kerry maybe should have worn blue jeans - which might be what he wears hunting in NH or MA.

There might be a way to take what he said, and see that if it was applied not in a phony way, but in a PR way using true images, it makes sense. Kerry (who apparently rides well) could have ridden a horse - maybe in a western state while viewing an endangered environmental area. That might have looked more natural and the pictures would have been great and could have been used in ads on the issue even if the press didn't choose to cover him. That and putting more footage from the Hocky game in his ads as soon as it appeared the Republicans were using his bike and winsurf pictures as they were would correct the impression to the truth - he's exceptionally athletic, played lots of sports, and learned how to do a lot of things well, (and wasn't a cheerleader)

I also agree with you that I don't want Kerry to be a phony. One of his greatest strength is his very real honesty. Another reason is that as an endorsement from former congressman McClosky (who was the ant-war Republican who ran against Nixon in the 1972 primary) said, Kerry is incapable of dissembling. I really think Kerry would be awful at pretending to be what he's not.

Sweitzer not with standing, after 8 years of Bush (and some might add 8 years of Clinton) - the public might want the REAL DEAL. Sort of like how you felt on Halloween after eating way too much candy - you started to really get sick of candy.

[sandnsea]

4. I slammed him on that a while back

I read an article where he used alot of hobunk language and emailed and told him he was full of it. NOBODY in Montana talks that way, except for transplants who have Montana confused with Mississippi, or Conrad Burns who is an idiot. Schweitzer won for one reason, Judy Martz was an absolute disaster. He better pull his head out or he's going to be in for a rude awakening next election.

At the same time, national campaign advisers would be wise to get the real message here. Whether JK hunts or not doesn't matter, it didn't ring true and anybody outside the beltway knew it wouldn't ring true. Not necessary to have hunting photos to talk about guns. He could have continued with his skeet shooting to show he wasn't afraid of guns, but also talked about the crime problems associated with guns. Most gunowners WANT to be responsible and help reduce gun crime. The Democrats have got to create a gun group for those folks that is as strong as the NRA.

[TheDonkey]

5. he said he felt comfortable on a horse, wasn't being phony

and understands that men care more about a guy sitting on a horse looking MANLY than healtcare.

Welcome to America.