What is the Achilles heel for Kerry/Edwards?

[derby378]

This is a little tougher than some other polls in that I'm trying to take swing voters and battleground states into account. Which one of these do you think is the most likely to drive uncommitted voters away from the Kerry/Edwards ticket in 2004?

(Delegates/alternates at Boston: you might want to pay attention to this.)

[redqueen]

1. I voted other - it will be his stiff manner / speaking style

He'll probably lose some support, or gain little, after the debates. That's his biggest chance to connect with undecided Americans, and Bush has an advantage in his everyday guy way of communicating. Even if Kerry is right on the issues, I expect the debates will be the primary reason swing voters would become alienated from him.

[Demeter]

2. It's the STUPID SHEEPLE

to turn a phrase.

[bo44]

3. Having to fly

:tinfoilhat:

[Brotherjohn]

4. None of the above. It's that he looks like a sperm... I'm not joking.

THAT is how they will attempt to smear him.

Sperm suit... wife says "shove it"... let's hope to GOD he doesn't let out a Dean-ish "Yeeeaahh!!" at the convention.

Seriously, he's not really vulnerable enough on the issues to beat. This is their main weapon, as evidenced by the attacks and coverag the past few days.

[dumpster_baby]

5. Kerry toes the neoliberal line

Kerry favors the same old neoliberal line.

--Kerry says he will rollback tax cuts for the wealthy (they were already way too low, but Kerry will not do anything about that).

--will not reform the healthcare system to give universal healthcare, as every other civilized country has.

--will not put in firm and strong pro-union laws.

So maybe he would have not invaded Iraq. But Kerry is already talking about invading Venezuela!

I fail to see how he is that much different from Bush.

[Lexingtonian]

6. none of that stuff

None of the 'issues' really matters individually.

All Kerry has to do is not go out of the way of the direct fight that W is going to (have to) offer up in September. He has to look him in the eye and tell him that he's a piece of Sh-t that is going under a tank tread. Because that's how he's going to feel between this November 3 and January 22.

[Dancing_Dave]

7. HE'S NOT PROMISING TO BRING THE TROOPS RIGHT HOME!

Indeed, he's talking about sending more troops to Iraq!

Already most people think the Iraq conflict isn't worth it, it's a mistake, and the number of people who think that way can only increase as the casualties mount.

Kerry had better do a "waffle" and think again about this issue. Continuing to support the war in Iraq will really, really cause him to lose in November. The minority of Americans who still support the Iraq war at that point will be people who are religiously committed to Bush and his attitudes, they aren't going to vote for Kerry anyway no matter WHAT HE SAYS AND DOES.

The best thing you can do to support Kerry now, is to take "Bring the Troops Home", and "No Blood for Oil" protest signs to every Kerry speaking event. He's has to think again and change on this, or he's just certain to lose in November.

Any THOUGHTFUL replies to this?

[Demeter]

8. My Own Personal Fantasy Is

that Kerry says things he doesn't mean right now, to avoid the GOP spin and dry cycle and the echo chamber, and that when the enemy is vanquished he will say sensible things: universal one-payer health care (and screw the insurance companies) complete pullout of the troops in Iraq (Vietnam survived, so will the Iraqis, especially since this is what they are asking us to do); tax increases to wipe out the deficit (since this is what is needed and this is what the financial world wants, even though they protest mightily); reorder the tax code to punish the outsourcing and tax havens, instead of rewarding them, and most of all: removing the "corporate persona" from all political discourse and funding. That's right! NO corporate participation in any aspect of political life. No lobbies, no payoffs, no quid pro quo, no hard or soft donations, no nothing.

But I have a vivid imagination.