Kerry has handled this Smear Boat thing EXTREMELY well.

[Guaranteed]

I find it really hard to believe that people are still freaking out about the polls. I'm pretty reactionary about this kind of stuff, and before Kerry started responded I was in this forum raising hell, too.

But for the last 10 days or so the Kerry campaign has been SMOKING Bush. The Smear Vets have been almost totally discredited, and the things that they are left with just seem petty. Kerry wasn't in Cambodia? Who gives a shit? It's easy enough to make a mistake about, anyway.

And if you're worried about the polls, two Ohio polls came out in just the past couple of days, one showing Kerry and Bush tied, and the other with Kerry UP two points. Keep in mind that if Bush doesn't win Ohio, he LOSES. He has to win both Ohio AND Florida to even have a chance of winning this.

Polls numbers fluctuate, and we're coming up on Bush's epogee, here, with the convention coming up. After that, it's all going to be the bad economy news and 1,000 dead American soldiers. If this is the best that Bush can do, he's in serious trouble.

Come on, folks. Seriously, we're going to win this.

[Cronus Protagonist]

1. Swiftboat Veterans Remember Christ

http://bushspeaks.com/home.asp?did=178



Lick Laura's Bush - Drop Bush Not Bombs! - FUCK BUSH
http://brainbuttons.com/home.asp?stashid=13

[displacedtexan]

2. Excellent analysis, BullGooseLoony!

The JK campaign knows from experience that undecideds usually break for the underdog.

By not hammering the media on unreported field poll results, the JK campaign is waiting until October to publish the positive results of their internal polling.

I know this frustrates many Dems who didn't sign on with JK early during the primaries, but it's a tried-and-true strategy.

[NMDemDist2]

3. please remember also the polls can't truly hit the 18-30 year old

demographic with the proliferation of cell phone only users.

We are gonna smoke Bush. the young voters put Clinton over the top in '92 and will do the same for Kerry in '04

[AmerDem]

4. First off, I don't panic at all, with that said...

To say Kerry and his campaign handled these swift boat liars "extremely well" is a bit of an exaggeration. As a matter of fact it is a total exaggeration in my opinion. To me it was handled very badly but hey this is the way things go. There is alot of time, debates to come, books to be put out and many everday events that will have to be dealt with to change the outlook of this campaign.

[Guaranteed]

8. I think they're doing great.

The only thing I think that they could do better is return fire with a little more power and accuracy. As far as defending Kerry, they're doing everything they can. I'm actually SURPRISED at how many people have been coming out and defending Kerry. Usually Dems just sit back and let themselves get creamed.

[DoYouEverWonder]

5. I'm more impressed every day

Kerry is running a brilliant campaign. He's going to make Karl Rove look like the sniviling weasel he really is. Mark my words.

[IrishBloodEngHeart]

6. I disagree

By asking Bush to condemn the ads, Kerry looked weak.

By pulling ads when McCain asks, Kerry looked weak.

By waiting so long to respond, Kerry let the charges stand out there too long unanswered.

When something like this comes along questioning your character, you have to respond with strength. Sorry, but Kerry looked more like a tattle-tell than a fighter.

I think the whole response was a mess.

[Joylaughter]

7. Kerry thinks before he acts

That is the difference between a leader and an impulsive nut. Kerry is winning. Bullmoosegoose is right. He is running a great campaign. I am with him and will not criticise him. I will focus my energies onthe borken record of the current WH resident.

[Guaranteed]

9. I'm not afraid to criticize Kerry

In fact, I do it all the time. It's just that I don't think he deserves it in this particular instance. Maybe he could have reacted a couple of days quicker when it started to become clear that the thing was getting legs, but things have turned out alright.

[DoYouEverWonder]

12. Kerry did react early

That's why he made such a big deal out of his service and the Vets he served with at the Democratic Convention.

It makes it a lot harder for the Rove's SBV attack to take hold, because everybody got to see Kerry with his band of brothers.

BTW, where's W's band of brothers?

[IrishBloodEngHeart]

10. You are right that Kerry is deliberative before he acts,

But it shouldn't take you a week to craft a response against a bunch of lying wingnuts and the media whores who support them.

And he still hasn't taken the gloves off against bush and he needs to if he wants to win.

My criticism is meant to be constructive. There isn't a referee in this fight, and Kerry better figure this out soon and get a lot tougher, and more aggressive

[dsc]

11. Two things

One, this hasn't been handled well at all. It took forever in a day for the response to happen. When it did happen the surrogates have been hapless in many cases.

Two, it is ridiculous to argue that we are somehow in a natural high point for Bush. His convention will help him but it hasn't started yet. There was no natural reason for him to do better than Kerry in August. That arguemnt is valid on Sept 3rd.

[Guaranteed]

13. I said that we're coming up on his epogee, not in it

And the worst of the Smear Vets is over. After the convention, unless Rove comes up with something new, we're going to coast. Bush'll lose by his own policy.

[dsc]

14. I hope so

but what I see happening is a one week Republican love fest followed by ad three in the Swift Boat campaign. If he handles this well, then I will be happy. As to the other point. You are implying there is some gradual curve for Bush to rise when he had no reason to rise before tomorrow that is my point.

[MGKrebs]

15. My understanding is that for a challenger to be

essentially even at this point is excellent versus an incumbent. Regardless of the analysis of specific responses or actions, the bottom line is, we are in pretty good shape. Think of the alternative; Kerry polling with a 10 or 20 point advantage? Do we want bush* to be campaigning as an underdog? What could we expect from Rove under those circumstances?

Of course, I could be gun shy. I remember Howard Dean 5 days before Iowa.