My Take On John Kerry....

[DemocratSinceBirth]

IMHO there is nothing more important than winning seats in next week's election. Anything that detracts from that mission is bad and anything that helps in that mission is good. When Senator Kerry made his remarks the Democrats had a fifteen or so point lead in the generic ballot. They also were poised to capture anywhere from fifteen to fifty House seats, five to eight Senate seats, and eight to ten governor's mansions...

It doesn't matter if I or we think Kerry spoke "truth to power", stuck it to the chickenhawks, or voiced our frustrations, all that matters is if his remarks helped Democrats get elected. I'm not going to offer my opinion on the merits of his observation or whether he was misinterpreted. All that matter is how the majority of those who will be voting view it.

I have worked for candidates this year and sent money to candidates in states I don't even know if I will ever visit.

Nothing is more important than regaining power in Washington and having some checks and balances on this maladministration.

[orpupilofnature57]

1. A turning point in Democracy ,We need to get our government back!

[chelsea0011]

2. Very true. This has become cannon fodder fro the right and the media.

And as crazy as it is that an illegal war that has cost thousands upon thousands of lives and a President who has said in no uncertain terms, he doesn't care how many thousands more die "until we complete the mission", it is this nothing remark that is driving the media right now. And here in Mass., I see the news and am dismayed at how people are quick to jump on Kerry and ignore the President WHO IS RESPONSIBLE for the deaths of thousands of military men and women.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

3. I'm Not Getting In This Briar Patch...

I'm not going to waste precious time defending or demeaning his remarks...

If we exceed expectations next Tuesday I'll be ecstatic... If we fail to meet expectations I'll be beyond pissed and beyond dispirited...

[bleedinglib]

7. Remember the 1969 miracle Mets ?

The Pubics would like nothing more than to get into a bitch slappin' contest to entertain their base.
Well, this year their dealing with the miracle DEMS and no matter what they try? the dye is cast.
John McWhoooosh seemed really mad at Kerry on T.V. yesterday. I don't think he was that mad when the RW machine ran over his family back in the 2000 campaign. There goes his streak of independence down the drain.
RAH RAH DEMS
Blib

[DemocratSinceBirth]

9. Of Course I Remember The Mircale Mets...

I also remember Tom Seaver having a no hitter going in to the ninth inning of a game against the Cubs in the waning days of that season and losing the no-hitter, not the game...

I just want to win...

As for McCain I was never a fan of his...

[Jon8503]

18. The problem is we allow the media to run with these kind of things.

The right wing lays in wait for anything they can seize on which is what they did here. Everyone knows what Kerry meant and that is "Bush" and all his intellect got us stuck in Iraq. So be it.

Now we need our democratic intellects to seize on what matters in this election. Cause a ruckus about McCawca or whatever not releasing his divorce records. Where are the dems who could bring on a lot of media attention if they went out to CT and campaigned for Lamont.

Get Bill Clinton out in the front and you know he could come up with something for the media to chew on.

By the time they got back to Kerry's remark, we would have all voted.

You have to make more noise than the opposition.

[napi21]

4. i agree with you. I realize his remarks caused a distraction.

how much or how long is yet to be seen.

I can tell you that the Shrub response, in my opinion, simply showed just how dumb he really is!

Shrub's words..."our military is plenty smart" is cowtowing to what he considers the stupid south!

Does anyone really talk like that???????

[DemocratSinceBirth]

5. Saying Bush Is An Idiot Is Like Saying Water Is , Errrrrrr, Wet...

I'm not going to debate the nuances of Kerry's remarks because I can't get into his head. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt... But that doesn't matter. The bottom line is does his remarks gain us votes or lose us votes...

Maybe it will be a non-story like Jim Webb's novels or maybe this story will dominate the news cycle:

http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pri&dt=061101&cat=news&st=newsd8l47h0g0&src=ap

and then the media will go on to something else...

I still remember the day after the GOPU won the House and Senate in 1994 and my GOPU boss and co-worker were high fiving one another while I was dispirited. I waited twelve years for this day. Anything that has the possibility of postponing it is not good.

[napi21]

6. Absolutely! I was never a Kerry supporter, but I did vote for him.

He is an intelictually smart man, but his ability to speak to the common man is lacking...a lot!

Jos statements were just stupid and not beneficial tothe Dem cause. Shame on him.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

8. I Don't Want To Get In A Flame War Over This.

My only agenda is to win Democratic seats...


Maybe this will be a big non-story.

[GCP]

10. "Foot in Mouth" Disease

He's put his foot in his mouth one too many times for me. "I voted for it before I voted against it", and now this.
A guy as smart as he is should know that anything he's likely to say that may give them any opportunity to twist his meaning will be pounced on and beaten to death by the pukes.
Seriously - he's just handed Karl Rove a get-out-of-jail-free card for this election because he "botched" a joke.
It's almost Freudian how Kerry does it.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

11. Maybe It Will Be A Tempest In A Teapot...

And blow over...


I don't think Kerry's remarks can erase a fifteen point generic ballot defecit... I hope not...

[leftchick]

12. you have put it very well

it is bizarre how polarizng his remarks can be, but they are. He really should know that by now. Freudian indeed.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

13. Maybe The Media Will Focus On A Missing Blonde Or The Captured Cali Arsonist.

Things were really going nicely...

[leftchick]

15. CNN this morning

has only touched on the Kerry moment briefly. So far. They spent a lot of time on the true power of Al-Sadr in Iraq.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

16. That's Good...

I "so" want to win this election.

We need to control at least one branch of government. The GOPU has all three branches of government now...


I really don't care what any D says as long as helps us accomplish that mission...

[kstewart33]

14. Well said.

Winning is all that matters. The one good that I see from the Kerry situation is that it keeps the discussion on Iraq. I hope he calls a press conference today and continue bashing Bush on Iraq. If he does and he does it well, it may well be a plus for us.

[bambo53]

17. I worry about John Kerry

He screwed up the last campaign so bad that I became paranoid about him being a Rovian shill. Why would he have chosen Bob Shrum & Mary Beth Cahil as advisers? Why wouldn't he fight back? It was as though he didn't want to win.

He really has no business getting involved in this election and he scares me to think he might fuck this one up too. I also think Joe Lieberman might not have our best interest at heart.

[GumboYaYa]

19. I agree. Kerry cares about Kerry more than anything else.

After 2004, it should come as no surprise to anyone that he would do something as stunningly stupid as he did yesterday. Now he is fanning the fire b/c he is trying to prove that he learned from the Swift boat experience. All he is doing is giving legs to a non-story. Kerry needs to go home and stay out of the public eye for the next week. We are too close to victory and risk losing it all if we let Kerry have the microphone.

[OzarkDem]

20. Very true, our margins are razor thin in some races

We don't thave the luxury of defending John Kerry.

I think this is one of those situations where Dems who live in Dem dominated areas and have few worries about their candidates staying in power don't understand the real world that the rest of us live in.

John Kerry is not important, our candidates are. We have to focus on their races and winning, not on some distracting sideshow about Kerry.

There is so little time left, every minute is precious.

[jefferson_dem]

21. I totally agree, DemocratSinceBirth. Well said.

:thumbsup:

As i noted here last night, this "dust up" will blow over by the next news cycle. It will be a non-story by tomorrow, provided there are no new chapters written.

Now, Kerry calls into Imus. He's on right now. Respectfully, i wish he would just let it go.

[sendero]

22. It is up to Kerry...

.. to turn this lemon into lemonade. He can use it to get face time on TV, where people ACTUALLY HEAR HIM instead of issuing an email or press release that only the party faithful will see.

something like "I never said anything like the troops aren't smart. I said this administation isn't smart and our troops are paying the price, stuck in a failing situation that they didn't create."

[brentspeak]

25. Exactly

He knows how easily the Republicans can capitalize on any mis-spoken word -- and how willingly the media will accomodate the Republicans' talking points. A two-minute press conference with him showing a video of himself telling the punch-line successfully during another public speaking event would go a long way to nipping this bogus controversy in the bud.

[City Lights]

23. I agree that winning the House, Senate, or both next week is all

that matters. It remains to be seen whether his remarks hurt, help, or have no impact on the goal. I did hear this morning on WGN that a Congressman cancelled an appearance with Kerry due to his remarks. I did not hear the name of the Congressman.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

24. The "Smart" And "Unbiased" Analysts Say The Impact Will Be Negligble...

All I know is we were in the catbird's seat...