Top Kerry Consultant Shrum Takes LONG Vacation and...

[Closer]

Top Kerry Consultant Takes Vacation
"Sen. John Kerry is lagging behind Howard Dean. But that hasn't stopped his media guru, Bob Shrum, from heading to France for a 10-day holiday," the New York Daily News reports.

Says one party insider: "Only somebody who thought his candidate didn't have a chance would go on vacation now."

Meanwhile, Robert Novak notes that "Shrum's intraparty enemies in California complain that he took time off from Kerry's presidential campaign to write Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's inaugural address."

http://politicalwire.com/archives/003578.html

Is this true? Did he REALLY write Ahnold's address? The horror!

[dfong63]

1. WTF?????

[Eloriel]

2. Would someone please remind these people

that the Dems are a different party, and that the two parties are supposed to be OPPONENTS of one another?

Sheesh.

Eloriel

[Closer]

3. Have you heard anything, Eloriel?

Is this true about Shrum? My god!

WTF is Kerry thinking associating himself with this guy?

Geez. We really ARE fighting for our party's identity aren't we.

[hedda_foil]

12. Unfortunately, it's true.

Somebody here tried to spin it as a favor to Maria because she's a Kennedy, which made it impossible for me to forget.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

4. Would somebody remind the people that Novak is nothing but a liar?

And nothing he says can be trusted at all?

[wildwww2]

5. Novak is nothing but a leaker of a CIA operative`s identity. If a Dem

pundit had done what Novak did. They would have been tarred and feathered by every pundit in the Media. Including the so called liberals. Though I cannot think of a single liberal pundit.
Peace
Wildman
Al Gore is My President

[blm]

22. Novak does what Karl wants.

Big surprise.

[realFedUp]

6. Yes, Shrum worked for Arnold.

Probably why he thinks he can take a vacation now...
hasta la vista baby.

[JaneQPublic]

9. Newsday says it's true: Shrum wrote Arnold's Inauguration speech

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/la-me-inaug17nov17,0,1074099.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

Schwarzenegger's speech — drafted in part by former Reagan speechwriter Landon Parvin and longtime Democratic hand Bob Shrum, who is close to the Kennedys — will hold few specifics and emphasize Schwarzenegger's broader vision for the state, say two aides who have seen it.

[DrFunkenstein]

7. Another Quality Post On The Real Issues From The Dean People

Do you guys post anything beside campaign insider news, polls, and fundraising? You know, like policy and stuff?

[realFedUp]

10. Gee Dr. Funk....calling the kettle black....

As an expert at posting everything like campaigner
insider news, polls, fundraising from other candidates,
I would expect you can handle facts about yours....

[sangha]

15. Attack the critic, ignore the issue

Why don't you answer the question?

[DrFunkenstein]

24. Can You Point To An Example Of My Expertise?

I find these things terribly boring to write about. I think electability is an issue (as do Clarkies), but I very rarely posting anything on campaign news/polls/fundraising, let alone start a thread about them.

[Duder]

8. Could be true...

"I have no idea what he is or isn't doing…. I don't care in the least. I don't care at all. Doesn't matter to me. That's not an issue."

— Presidential candidate John F. Kerry, asked about a Los Angeles Times report that one of his top strategists, Bob Shrum, is writing speeches for Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Kerry says he's known Schwarzenegger for a long time and considers him a friend.)

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-me-polcol24nov24,1,7313751.column?coll=la-headlines-politics

[Closer]

13. Oh jeez

Kerry's officially last on my list now, below Lieberman.

This is too much.

[sendero]

19. who needs more info...

... to realize this guy is useless. Buh-bye John. We hardly knew ye, and the more we know the gladder we are.

[JI7]

11. most americans need a vacation

and a good one like the vacation to france as mr shrum is doing. not staying around watching michael jackson, kobe, scott peterson. americans work more for less these days.

[UTUSN]

14. Funny, the Original Link Leaves Out 2 Paragraphs, Only 2

These 2 from the Daily News link within the original link. Also, the Daily News link attributes the quote to a party WAG, not a party INSIDER. Hmmmm, more fare-UNbalance.

*********QUOTE*******

Kerry rep Stephanie Cutter says Shrum and his wife had long planned a Gallic getaway, which "has been disrupted because Bob has spent most of it on phone with Sen. Kerry."

....

But Cutter says that Shrum and Schwarzenegger "go back more than 20 years. Whatever help he gave was completely understood."

***********UNQUOTE******

[IndianaGreen]

16. Let's look at that again...

Let the reader make up his/her mind. First, let's look at Bob Novak's column:

White House defends Bush absence
November 23, 2003
BY ROBERT NOVAK SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST

Arnold's speechwriter

Democratic speechwriter Bob Shrum's intraparty enemies in California complain that he took time off from Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign to write Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's inaugural address.

Shrum is not only a longtime personal friend of Schwarzenegger's but is known to have been appalled by the campaign waged against him in the recall election by ousted Democratic Gov. Gray Davis.

Outgoing San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and other Democrats joined Schwarzenegger's transition team without being criticized. However, Shrum has collected California foes, thanks to his participation in the bitter 1998 primary for governor won by Davis.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak23.html

Even if we were to take this at face value, why have the vacation on such a critical stage when the campaign is floundering and the Iowa caucus is less than 2-months away?

Kerry aide takes a holiday

Sen. John Kerry is lagging behind Howard Dean. But that hasn't stopped his media guru, Bob Shrum, from heading to France for a 10-day holiday.

"Only somebody who thought his candidate didn't have a chance would go on vacation now," one party wag tells us.

Kerry rep Stephanie Cutter says Shrum and his wife had long planned a Gallic getaway, which "has been disrupted because Bob has spent most of it on phone with Sen. Kerry."

Shrum had already irked the Kerry crew when he wrote Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's acceptance speech, according to columnist Robert Novak.

But Cutter says that Shrum and Schwarzenegger "go back more than 20 years. Whatever help he gave was completely understood."

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/139958p-124219c.html

[UTUSN]

17. What I Said n/t

[sangha]

18. All of a sudden IG worries about Kerry

Even if we were to take this at face value, why have the vacation on such a critical stage when the campaign is floundering and the Iowa caucus is less than 2-months away?

Like we believe you're concerned about Kerry's problems? It couldn't possibly just be an excuse for you to criticize.

[sendero]

20. who needs an excuse....

... the man is becoming the poster child for what is wrong with the Dem party.

[blm]

21. Really deseo? Name ONE lawmaker who exposed more government corruption

than John Kerry.

Go ahead.

Name one.

[sangh0]

23. "more ignore the issue an attack the critics"

You did nothing to respond to my point about how deceptive it is for Eloriel to pretend she's upset by Kerry's ineffective campaigning.

[DrFunkenstein]

25. Gee, Isn't That A Little, You Know, Unethical?

Selectively cut-and-pasting to completely change the tone of an article (by Novak, even!) hardly seems worth starting a thread.

The use of caps in "LONG vacation" belabors the point even more. I'm not sure how this reflects on Closer, but it certainly mars a little credibility in my eyes.

[Bandit]

26. I think Senator Kerry fired the wrong man

Shrum has done tremendous damage to Senator Kerry's campaign. IMHO it was planned. Kerry was set up.