Cahill F*d-up Badly! Let's Support Kerry House Cleaning, and Win!!

[Raya]

Why is anyone here, who loves John Kerry, defending the unbelievable campaign incompetence of the last several months. John Kerry is a brilliant man and he surely understands, by now, that he was not well advised by Mary Beth Cahill and the suffocating web of mild-mannered consultants that she coordinates.

We should be giving Kerry cover to make some tough decisions now, rather than constantly defending what has been going on. Cahill apologist are not helping Kerry.

Cahill’s “all positive,” approach was obviously totally naïve regarding the basic requirements in a fight against Bush and Rove. Almost all of the massive Kerry campaign war-chest has gone into financing Kerry “biography” Ads and almost none went to fund grassroots activities or opposition research.

The choice of Edwards for V.P. denied Kerry an attack dog and a defender on the National Security flank. Anyone who had access to the behind the scenes action will tell you that there was an enormous campaign, supported by consultants, to get Kerry to pick Edwards based on his great popularity among democrats and the focus-group results regarding the need for more “excitement” and “charisma” in the Kerry campaign.

Efforts to push candidates initially preferred by Kerry, such as Wes Clark, Bob Kerrey and Joe Biden fell victim to a “by the numbers” analysis that ignored the fact that National Security was THE ISSUE of the campaign.

The decision from back in May not to invest in a major operation to counter the SwiftBoat group left Kerry open to a dangerous attack on his personal integrity. The decision to ignore them or “give them rope” was made by advisors who had no real sense of grassroots passions regarding honesty and valor among the Vets or the people to whom they were appealing.

They did not connect the effects of an attack on Kerry’s honesty regarding his war service, with support from Vet families, with his generally perceived credibility as Commander in Chief. This decision proved disastrous later, when the DNC was unprepared to hammer back the charges.

And then, Mary Beth issued that unbelievable ban on Bush-Bashing during the DNC, when rank-and-file bashing of the opposition is 90% of what usually makes a convention successful.

Kerry’s campaign organization has failed him. Kerry is bringing in Mike Whouley and some others who will help. But, he probably also have to get rid of Cahill and some of the mild-mannered advisors who have given him bad advice, again and again.

Let’s help Kerry do what he has to do!

[Old and In the Way]

1. Have you seen my sneakers?

I know there around here somewhere.......

[King of New Orleans]

2. I've got them

found them under the couch as I was sweeping my place. I have no idea how they got here.

[Raya]

3. Do you wear sneakers when you mop the floor??

[Old and In the Way]

6. Who said anything about mopping the floor.

I was just giving my feet a breather.

[Sensitivity]

4. Very dissappointed to hear Spokesperson Cutter to stiffly deny problems

She was Cahill's assistant when working for Teddy and there
doesn't seem to be any willingness to accept any blame for
the debacle.

[KC21304]

5. I'm going to get flamed I know, but I agree with

almost everything you have said.

I finally reached the boiling point today when Judy Woodruff was practically begging Kerry, by way of Mary Beth , to start defending himself against the flip-flop charges, the insults and derision, and Mary Beth just repeated the same old song. You know the one, the repubs don't have a record to run on so they have to resort to this etc.

That song is not going to cut it anymore and Kerry has to start rebutting these flip-flop charges by answering each and everyone. He can do it by calling them liars for editing his words and being ignorant of the procedures of Congressional voting. He can not let this impression of him stand, and if he thinks it is not out there he is mistaken.

I promised never to mention this again after Edwards was chosen but your post opened the flood gates for me. I made no secret of wanting Clark for VP. I met them together in Madison when Wes endorsed Kerry and even talked to Clark about the vp spot. I was sooo sure Kerry was going to pick Wes and your post enforces my feeling that he wanted to. I'm sorry but I guess I'm am not quite over it yet and I apologize.

I think Edwards is a wonderful person and we must get Kerry/Edwards elected.

[Blue_Roses]

7. while I think your post has some good points

one thing that continues to be blatently obvious is that the Kerry campaign SEVERELY UNDERESTIMATED how ruthless and audacious Bush is. In a perfect world Kerry would be polling way ahead but these people (Rove) are ruthless.

[quaoar]

8. I like Edwards

But Dean would serve him better at the moment. Edwards is not attack-dog material.

[mbali]

10. Then you don't know Edwards very well.

[sangh0]

11. You got it. Edwards has tangled with the best, and he beat them

Corporate Lawyers

[mbali]

25. He beat 'em and he beat 'em again and beat 'em AGAIN!

"I’d walk into courtrooms, it would be me on one side, and on the other side would be all those armies of lawyers from the big corporations. They had the best lawyers money could buy, older, experienced. They looked over at me and kind of said, 'What is HE doing here? He thinks he belongs in this courtroom with US?’

"And know what happened? I beat 'em. And then I beat 'em again and I beat 'em AGAIN!

"And then I decided to run for the Senate against Jesse Helms' hand-picked guy. And everybody looked at me and said, 'Who is THIS guy? He thinks he can go up against the Jesse Helms Republican machine?' And you know what happened? I beat THEM, too. And now I'm the senior senator from North Carolina, not Jesse Helms!"

[zulchzulu]

9. Dumping Cahill would go over real well with the woman's vote

Give it a rest.

As the saying goes, overnight is an infinite time in politics. And we have 58 more nights to go.

Panic only works when you want to fuck up.

[oasis]

12. I'll only panic on election night should we run short of champagne.

:toast:

[RummyTheDummy]

42. Way to over analyze

I'm not sure a significant majority of the dim witted masses (including women) know who the hell John Kerry is let alone Mary Beth Cahill.

You're over strategerizing.

[kodi]

48. its the same type of blackmail brazile used on gore after she screwed up

"fire brazile and what will blacks think?" was on the lips of dem insiders in 2000. gore had to keep her and it cost him.

[mbali]

50. Really?

I never heard that. Which Democratic insiders were saying this?

What is your source?

[Romberry]

57. They aren't voting for campaign managers

Are you daft or what?

[WiseMen]

13. Kerry need to bring in someone SENIOR like Gary Hart to do housecleaning

Kerry is too close to his people to do the kind of ruthless
reorg needed. Hart has been working with the Kerry campaign from
the beginning and sees the problems.

[mbali]

14. In the last week you've started a half dozen threads beating up on Kerry,

his staff, his decisions, his strategy, etc.

We get your point already.

[Raya]

17. Those who have been denying the problems are NOT helping Kerry.

[sangh0]

18. Neither are those who repeat republican lies

and rumors of problems in Kerry's campaign are republican lies.

[mbali]

26. What are YOU doing to help Kerry other than filling up DU with Republican

talking points that Kerry is NOT going to ever see?

Are you volunteering at Kerry/Democratic HQ? Making phone calls? Going door-to-door? Leafletting? Registering voters?

[sangh0]

15. I don't suppose you have any facts to support your claim

that anything bad has happened to the Kerry claim. For some odd reason, I did not find your use of the f-word persuasive. I think a fact or two might do the trick

[diamond14]

16. my my...16th thread to encourage disruption of Kerry's highly successful

campaign operations.....DUers should understand by now....just think about who is behind this memememe....so many here repeating the rovian talking points for the chat boards today...

just ignore this attack...ignore it...if you get a chance...hit the button....


John Kerry has run an extremely successful campaign so far....outspent by TONS OF MONEY bush* at least 2 to 1....Kerry has been very strategic...and the nasty reTHUGlicans have attacked Kerry's wife, Kerry Senate record, Kerry's Military Service, Kerry's Catholic Faith, Kerry's Jewish Grandfather and much much more....in nasty attacks and slurs dating all the way back to when Kerry won the Democratic primary...it's been a constant slur and slime...it hasn't stopped and all of it has been vicious....

Kerry has been able to fend off all of it....with a fraction of bush*'s money....



And Kerry is STILL in a perfect position to win....at this time, Kerry and bush* are both equal in funds for the final push....and bush* hasn't got a clue how to spend campaign funds fiscally sound either....look at the nazi-con2004...blowing BIG bucks for consultants, a whole extra stage, confetti with photos of the 'little' emperor...all wasted....they spend HUGE amounts of money on security, and yet protestors poured in....

bush* will blow his $75 million on glorious consultants, like failure Karen Huge, and all the other blowhards, and bush* paid for polls...while Kerry has a lean mean functioning "VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA team" doing the work...WE ARE THE PEOPLE and those lazy reTHUGlicans won't even get up off their crystal ladened tables to get some votes...they expect to just PAY to have others do the work...(heheheheheh...they pay well, but usually what happens is that people take their campaign brochures, and throw them in the trash...going back later to collect their money for campaigning....reTHUGlicans are real lazy, won't drive voters to the polls, or make the phone calls....reTHUGlicans expect OTHERS to do all the work)....


WE THE PEOPLE will win...there are many more of us, than the 'upper' royalty reTHUGlicans....and WE WILL WIN, and they will loose...because we are taking back America...and those rich bastards cannot stop us, no matter how many people they pay to post garbage at DU....

STAND UP now and help....
http://www.JohnKerry.com

[sangh0]

20. And they all want Kerry to be an attack dog

so Bush* can be excused for his negativity

The pukes KNOW Bush* has nothing to run on, and so they are depending on negativity, and they KNOW it would help if Kerry were to go negative. That's why we get all the "constructive" criticism

[Raya]

24. Kerry should NOT be the ATTACK DOG. But the campaign is forcing him into

that position by failing to develop good opposition research and
powerfull attacks that are delivered by others.

It is disgracefull that Kerry is being forced to defend himself
while Bush just smirks and plays the nice guy while Rove organizes
everyone else to do the dirty work.

[sangh0]

27. Still no facts? Not even one?

Still waiting to hear about the terrible things that have happened to Kerry since Cahill joined. Isn't it terrible the way Kerry is winning?

[diamond14]

29. Kerry runs his own campaign...he isn't being 'forced' by anyone to

do anything....:wtf: is this crap about "the campaign is forcing Kerry to do blah blah blah"....? Just remember: Kerry runs the campaign and WE THE PEOPLE are doing all the work !


if you want to see all the GREAT opposition research, why don't you stop posting here now...and go to Kerry's web site, and READ ?
that would make LOTS of DUers very happy...

[Raya]

31. Isn't that a problem?? That Kerry has to run the campaign? Be his own

attack dog as well.

[sangh0]

32. No facts? Just delusions

You're the one who wants him to be the attack dog.

We prefer a President

[Raya]

22. Mary Beth has made some very expensive Ad buys while starving

a lot of great grassroots work and pushing away any contrary
campaign advice.

[sangh0]

23. So you say, but where are the facts? Any facts?

.

[OneBlueSky]

19. Kerry needs someone who knows how to go for the jugular . . .

he needs to be hitting Bush with something new every day . . . stuff that will send him reeling . . . lord knows there's enough in his record to choose from . . . Kerry's campaign can't be defined by responding to what Bush puts on the table . . . he has to start setting the agenda, and the only way to do that is to go after Bush's record with a meat cleaver . . .

in short, he needs Carville and Begala . . . or their clones . . .

[Norquist Nemesis]

21. Kerry's organization has failed him?

Who the hell do you think is running it? Jeez all these gloom and doom knee jerk reactions are way over the top!

[Raya]

28. IT HAS. Key Kerry friend have seen this for some time. The "no problem"

crown is not helping John Kerry. They have lead him to this
unfortunate position when he could be 5-10 points ahead.

[sangh0]

30. Still no facts? Not even one?

.

[diamond14]

33. nobody has 'lead him'....the reality is that John Kerry is OUR LEADER

Kerry runs his own campaign...not Mary Beth (an outstanding executive, BTW), not 'Key Kerry friend', not 'campaign"


Kerry leads, and WE THE PEOPLE are Kerry's helpers...

so, why not go over to Kerry's site and read more...it'll help you make logical remarks....come back to DU after you've read the whole site and all the links...thanks...we'll all appreciate that


:puke: :puke: :puke:

[sangh0]

34. Better you should ask Raya to explain what s/he already said

then to give it another excuse to make stuff up about.

[Raya]

35. What do YOU know about Kerry's web site. Help me out here.

[sangh0]

36. I know you haven't read it

.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

37. You know what?

I'm seriously fucking starting to wonder about you. I just did an advanced search by author name and you have MORE OhmyGOd! Doom and gloom posts than anyone I've seen on here. I'm seeing a pattern with you. If you are a real Kerry supporter, start listening to what some of these other supporters are telling you and get a grip already. If you aren't...well, your time is about up.

[sangh0]

38. And all the gloom and doomers give the same advice

"Kerry needs to attack NOW!!!!"

The repukes want Kerry to be an attack dog so they can rationalize their own negativity

[mbali]

40. And pull him off message so he can't hold Bush accountable for anything

that matters.

[sandnsea]

39. Help Kerry?

Then quit griping, get out there and talk about Kerry's platform and register voters and get them to the polls. This whiny shit doesn't help anybody and I'll never understand why you do it.

[sangh0]

41. If you want to understand why raya does it

do a search through the archives. All will be revealed

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

Yep

it was VERY enlightening.

[enigmatic]

44. Where should I look?

I want to see this, too; this is getting insane..

[DoYouEverWonder]

56. There is definitely a pattern of behavior here

that I've noticed and it's getting old. So far, I haven't seen one single positive post, or any back up for all the negativity this person generates.

If Raya think everything Kerry does is wrong, maybe Raya is at the wrong forum?

[Sensitivity]

46. Why do "steady resolve" folk love to use personal attacks?

[RummyTheDummy]

43. Carville -- in a perfect world

Strategically they should turn it over to him. He knows how to beat the Repugs.

[mbali]

45. PULEEZE - Carville is NOT a CAMPAIGN MANAGER!

There is much more to running a campaign than crafting a message. Carville is the best their is at message, but he is not a campaign manager. In fact, someone with Carville's temperament and focus would be an absolute disaster as a campaign manager, a job that involves a number of duties that would likely drive Carville bonkers.

The specter of DUers who clearly know nothing about how a campaign works lecturing the Kerry campaign on who should be running it is getting really old.

[kodi]

47. why do democrats have a habit of bringing knives to gunfights?

i just don't understand it.

in '88 it was estritch and dukakis

in '00 it was brazile and gore

in '04 it is cahill and kerry

only clinton had a team that would kick their opponents right in the nuts every time it was tried on them.

i think much of this has to do with from where kerry's top campaign people have arisen. none of his top aids are from the labor movement where there their opponents are truly some nasty fucks and hardball, 24/7 is routine. is it possible that kerry has surrounded himself with those who do not understand the lower and working class people of this country and what makes them respond?

i watched ed rendell on hardball with tweety tonight. rendell, a big city pol with labor ties, scalded the gop, essentially calling bush and cheney pussys for attacking kerry while they dodged the draft. he was on fire, and kerry, or at least his staff will have to do the same and start putting some bone bruises on his opponents.

i wish i did live in a world where right wins out over evil just because, but i don't.

[mbali]

49. Rendell was doing what he's supposed to do and what Kerry can't do . . .

It's not Kerry's or his staff's job to go on television and call Bush and Cheney pussies. That's the job of surrogates, such as Ed Rendell. And that's exactly what Rendell did tonight.

Have you ever once heard George Bush personally attack Kerry? No. He doesn't appear on national television calling Kerry names or accusing him of all manner of evil. His surrogates do it.

That's because Republicans know how to build backfires for their candidate, enable him to stay above the fray and focus on the main fight without getting in the gutter. Meanwhile, they do his dirty work and fight and scratch and slime the other side.

Kerry understands this. Too bad so many of his supporters don't get it.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

51. mbali knows what he or she is talking about

that is exactly right. The guy running isn't supposed to actually get down in the muck. He can say PLENTY but he can't just go off all frothing at the mouth.

[Sensitivity]

52. Who is asking for Kerry to Attack personally. Don't see that in this post

[mbali]

53. Read it again

i watched ed rendell on hardball with tweety tonight. rendell, a big city pol with labor ties, scalded the gop, essentially calling bush and cheney pussys for attacking kerry while they dodged the draft. he was on fire, and kerry, or at least his staff will have to do the same and start putting some bone bruises on his opponents.

Maybe it's just me, but I think saying that Kerry "will have to. . . scald the GOP" and "call Bush and Cheney pussys" qualifies as asking for Kerry to personally attack.

[Raya]

54. I agree with mbali, Kerry should leave most attacking to surrogates. But

failure of his campaign org to get a rove-type counter-offensive
going has left Kerry is the horrible position of having to
defend himself.

It is inexcusable.

[mbali]

55. Kerry had surrogates doing counter-offensive months ago

Clark, McPeak, Cleland, Rendell, Dean, Edwards, Leahy, Rangel, his Swift Boat crew, and many others have been pushing back on the Swift Boat Veterans claims for months. But his detractors insisted that it wasn't enough, that HE should be attacking.

You really should check your facts before you continue to mischaracterize what Kerry and his campaign have been doing.

[Raya]

58. Sorry, most say no significant counter-offensive was really prepared for

launch when SVet smear released: No ready counter Ad to hurt Bush and make him pay a price for the smear, no documented rebuttal, surrogates were barely responsive to media but were not prepared with facts.