Cheney bashing the political hell out of Kerry

[Samantha]

Kerry sees two Americas. America sees two John Kerrys. That was the latest in the string of pungent assaults.

If I were unfamiliar with John Kerry, I would be thinking this man is a total wimp. Fortunately for me, I am familiar with Kerry, and I am very familiar with Cheney. Unfortunately for me, many of my fellow Americans do not follow the political theater -- excuse me -- religiously. They tune in at the last minute and vote by gut. Who do I like? Who do I want to have over for a backyard barbecue. And that's why this election is polling so close.

I hope Kerry and his advisors are listening. I hope the SOS is going out to get Howard Dean and Al Gore out on the campaign trial. I hope the gloves come off. Let the Bush* bashing begin.

That's the way it should have been, but listening to Cheney tonight, it seems clear that is the obvious, necessary approach. The inference is clear -- if Kerry can't take out Bush* and/or Cheney, how can he possibly take out Osama and the terrorists.

And the Kerry response is ... ???

[noahmijo]

1. you're expecting a response seconds after Cheney makes this speech?

[Samantha]

4. Absolutely not

I thought the strategy Kerry employed of not attacking Bush* -- seeking to simply present himself as "acceptable" to some in the Republican party thinking of defecting -- was a mistake. I thought Kerry should have unhesitatingly called Bush* on his gross mistakes and misconduct. Cheney too. I do not think this is an election where "nice" candidates will survive. It is an election where the corrupt must go, and Kerry is the one who must push the eject button. Nice won't cut it.

[noahmijo]

6. gotcha totally agree

[Massacure]

2. Kerry doesn't probably won't need a response.

Cheney scared all the undecideds away.

[Samantha]

10. Cheney scares the hell out of me

so I would hope he would scare off the undecideds. I think this might be wishful political thinking. I believe most of those undecided at this point are simply uninformed. How can a truly informed political person fail to differentiate the differences between Bush* and Kerry? The problem is Kerry does need those voters, and he must present Bush* in the light that will educate the uninformed as to what exactly Bush* and Cheney are doing to this country. He must unequivocally demonstrate how their actions make this country an even greater target for terrorists, how their actions and their words provoke anger from the Middle East as well as the rest of the world, how their actions hurt this economy and thus the American worker, how Social Security, private pension plans, and now we learn the Federal Government retirement program is in jeopardy because of the current administration, how these Republicans have ROBBED some of these undecided voters to their right to earn overtime, ad infinitum ...

Nice doesn't play here any more. Tell these voters the simple literal truth and don't pull your punches. Start tomorrow and don't let up.

[Uzybone]

3. Dean and Gore????

those 2 guys with vast experience in winning elections? Please.

[Samantha]

15. Dean was elected governor of Vermont several times and Gore

won all I believe but one campaign (his 1988 campaign in the Democratic primaries for the nomination). I say call them out because they recently have presently sterling attacks on Bush* and Cheney. If you have other suggestions, by all means make them. The more, the better.

[soothsayer]

5. Cheney may have bored America to death tonight. What a snoozefest

Didn't even have any NEW bashes. Voters are bored of this already. Kerry has PLANS and VISION to offer. These drones have NOTHING but fear mongering and sniping.

[Samantha]

17. Well I totally agree fearmongering and sniping is among their most

frequently used weapons, both in campaigns and in their "official" roles as president (sic) and vice-president (sic again). Do you honestly think these weapons will not influence the uninformed? If so, I hope you are right. I fear you are wrong.

[soothsayer]

25. Nah, these are the death throes of the regime. Long live Kerry!

It's over for these zombies.

[wurzel]

7. Cheney got Kerry right off the hook.

In reiterating how totally necessary the war in Iraq is, he has strengthened Kerry's case for agreeing with Bush that he would also have invaded. This means the only argument between Bush and Kerry is one of competence. The very thing Kerry wants, because Bush has made a complete dogs breakfast of it. And it started today with the American Legion speech.

[BigBigBear]

8. Cheney's a coward

took 5 deferrments from the same war Kerry volunteered for. He must have a physical-deficiency-envy thing for real war heroes.

Swarzenegger talks about how swell life is as a multi-millionaire - he's at least braver than Cheney, he pretended to dodge fire, in the movies.

Zell Miller is a reconstructionist freak show. The Republicans are too scared to show their hardcore throwback conservative side - have to get a certifiably insane cracker like Miller to do it for them.

The First Sluts were entertaining, though. Trying out for the Paris Hilton Rich Kid Simulated Orgasm Honoraria. Got any gum?

Sorry, am I off topic?

[Gin]

11. with the salon articles and 60 minutes coming out....I feel they have aces

we don't know about.

[Samantha]

18. Yes, you are off topic and I am going off for a second too

Zell Miller just said he wished he could challenge Chris Matthews to a duel.

Back to the topic. I read your post and I think you are where I was about two years ago. You are trying to reason your way to a logical conclusion in this election. Logic and reason do not work because we are not dealing with an educated, informed electorate. We need other approaches. The purpose of my thread was to discuss the Bush*/Cheney approach (pulverize your political opponent with whatever arsenal is at hand, facts and the truth are expendable) and to elicit thoughts as to responses to thwart it. Just thought I should clarify this.

[lagniappe]

9. Watch it Samantha. The Daschle wing of DU will frown

on your doom and gloom.

I agree with you. It's time to get a little dirty.

[walldude]

14. Kerry started today

I saw him speaking to a VFW somewhere and he was actually taking some shots at Bush.. Granted they were like .22's but I'm betting the BFG's will be coming out soon. Polls are close, No More Mr Nice Guy should be his motto now...

[Samantha]

19. Oh I forgot to watch what I say! Damn me to DU hell.

I pretty much boycotted this convention because I can't stand to listen to the Republicans distort the truth. I happen to hear Cheney speaking on the way to the ladies room and couldn't believe he was looking dead into the camera and distorting the truth, making his pungent sarcastic remarks and doing so very effectively. I couldn't help but imagine if I were totally unfamiliar with this man (who I absolutely despise) how these words might impact me. I would have found them riveting. I would have found his words on Bush* as painting a speech describing a true American savior in the war on terror. I would have found Kerry weak and pathetic. I then realized it doesn't matter what I think. It is critical what THEY -- the undecideds think. How will Kerry combat this attack? How? How? How?

Thanks for agreeing with me. Do you have any suggestions for the counterattack?

[Pobeka]

22. Bush & Cheney lied about WMD to start a war.

They'd certainly lie about Kerry being a wimp to win an election.

[Samantha]

26. Of course. Why would anyone think someone would lie about an election

but tell the truth about a war?

I am trying to say don't try to reason your way through this election when you must punch your way through it. And I am a pacifist!

[Pobeka]

27. That post above was my suggestion for a counterattack. n/t

[Carni]

12. Big Dick has horrible poll numbers

To my knowledge no one but the die hard cons gives a shit what that bald F'er has to say.

[mmonk]

13. Calling on Carville, NOW!

[sffreeways]

16. If Kerry doesn't fight back

and fight back hard he will have proved them right to most of the people that are waiting to hear his response to this tripe.

It was so nasty I am inclined to think this might just backfire on Republicans and energize more people than they ever expected. They didn't just accuse Kerry of being spineless they accused anyone that doesn't agree with them of being spineless.

Tweety is giving that bastard Zell Miller the fraud a hard time.

[jerryvov]

20. They didn't just accuse Kerry of being spineless they accused anyone that

sorry...posted same message twice accidentally...

[jerryvov]

21. They didn't just accuse Kerry of being spineless they accused anyone that

doesn't agree with them of being spineless.....

Which is truly the height of hypocrisy when you consider that these spineless shits ran like rats in a slum fire when they had the chance to do what Kerry had the courage to do, namely, step up and volunteer to fight in combat on behalf of this country. Instead they ducked out behind one lame excuse after another. To listen to uber-patriot Dick Cheney you'd think he was foaming at the mouth to get over to Vietnam and do his part. Bullshit. He managed to manipulate five, count 'em, five exemptions and when asked about why he skipped the military he blew it off saying he had "other priorities". Patriot, my ass...Vice-Chickenhawk-in-Chief is more like it....

[Nordic]

23. if Cheney didn't hate me, I'd be insulted.

If Cheney liked me, I'd probably have to do some serious rethinking about who I was.

Cheney is the biggest tub of slime to come down the pike since ........ well, since the Nixon administration, something he was a PART OF

[Samantha]

24. Andrea Miller just reminded us who Bush* worked side by side with in 1988

Lee Atwater. We need to constantly keep our eye on that political ball. Karl Rove is Atwater's protege and the inherited the title "the dirtiest man in politics" at Atwater's demise. NEVER LET GO OF THAT THOUGHT DURING THIS ELECTION. IT IS CRITICAL TO ALWAYS KEEP THAT IN MIND WHEN DECIDING OUR APPROACH.