Kerry dead last in Likeability poll (beaten by Chimp, even)

[smoogatz]

By Thomas Ferraro

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic Sen. John Kerry, considering a second bid for the U.S. presidency, finished dead last in a poll released on Monday on the Likeability of 20 top American political figures.

Among those placed ahead of Kerry were about a dozen potential 2008 White House rivals, including Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

"This is bad bad news for Kerry," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute in Hamden, Connecticut, which conducted the survey.

"Americans know who he is, and have pretty much decided they don't like him," said Brown. He noted the poll found that 95 percent of respondents said they had heard enough about Kerry, who lost the 2004 White House race to President George W. Bush, to rate the Massachusetts Democrat.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2006-11-28T035558Z_01_N27487084_RTRUKOC_0_US-USA-POLITICS-POLL.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsHome-C3-politicsNews-3

[theoldman]

1. This may come as a surprise to some of you but none of my

Democrat friends ever thought that Kerry would make a good president in the first place. He would be a nice neighbor and I would like to chat with his wife but the guy has no charisma. If you think that charisma is not a requirement for a president, look at Bush.

[ginnyinWI]

5. but have you seen him in person?

I have and the charisma is there! People crowded around him and the room was electrified. I really think the media did a poor job of showing Kerry to the American people. But even so, he almost won.

Any Democrat is at at disadvantage when it comes to being covered fairly in the media. Like Ginger Rogers, they have to "do the same thing, except backward and in high heels".

[kenny blankenship]

11. that's not how elections are decided

and they never were.

[populistdriven]

27. charisma in person vs on video

kerry may have what bush lacks in person but he still comes off poorly on video


compare both of them to reagan (shudder)

[mogster]

75. You're right

It was a veritable anti-Kerry campaign from most media.
Perhaps they knew he had both the balls to take on the difficult task of addressing the corporate/govt. cronyism with intnl. branches (BCCI) and also had the balls to both fight for his country and question the war effort afterwards (Vietnam)?

He's been out a winter day before, has Senator Kerry. He's everything Bush isn't, including the incumbent's clammy populist invitation to the Am. people to dance together down the lines of nationalism and xenophobia, lined with 'there's some $ for everybody in it, come along, don't worry about the future'.

I don't think Kerry would be the 'Happy days' president, but he'd clean up the mess and do his job down to the last second.
Probably with the most effective team of government ever seen in US politics.

There are some tough desicions to be taken in the years ahead.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

90. to the contrary, the media did a fine job

a fine hatchet job, to be sure, but still a fine job. Of course, he had some of the most overblown, over-rated, and self-important people running his campaign into the ground, and still managed to win the popular vote.

People never warmed to Nixon, but they did think that he could do the job. Truman was actively disliked by many, even those who voted for him. Ike was laughed at, scoffed at and was considered an excess bump on a log. Charisma is nice, but leadership is a hell of a lot more than that.

[wisteria]

6. It is a biased poll, and your dem friends need to get to know the real Kerry.

Being President is more than being a good old boy, or the guy next door- just take a good look at Bush.

[JacksonWest]

55. Look at Clinton though.

He was both, and then some. Charm goes a long way.

[Der Blaue Engel]

7. You think Bush has charisma?

Let me know what you're smoking so I can avoid it.

[kenny blankenship]

18. tens of millions of people LIKED George Bush

(or thought they did) so you can save your puerile insults for them. Appearing to be similar to ordinary people (physical looks, speech, carriage, mannerisms, stupidity) is about all G.W. Bush ever had going for him. Acknowledging that a candidate has the power to persuade millions of people that he is someone like them, and therefore able to persuade them that he will govern in their interests, is not the same as saying you personally find that person attractive. It's deeply dishonest to suggest that.

[The Count]

80. They also liked attacking Iraq, cuz teevee told them it's soo cool....

Just because the media + dem pundits, politicians fed the myth of "charming W" doesn't mean that the rude, uptight, pissy, inarticulate W was actually "charming". It was a talking point like "Gore is a serial liar" and you & others bought it.

[kenny blankenship]

98. control yourself. I didn't buy negative myths about Gore or positive ones about W.

Making shit up out of thin air doesn't help your case.
As I said above, it is deeply dishonest to say that an evaluation of some candidate's pull with voters represents an attraction to that candidate. I was only being diplomatic before when I said it was deeply dishonest. Actually it's stupidly dishonest, because it is a dishonesty that's easy to see through--and you will be called on it.

[Der Blaue Engel]

112. My "puerile insults"

:rofl:

Thanks for that. You made my day. :D

(Oh, and deeply dishonest was a good one, too.)

Hi, everyone! I'm Deeply Dishonest because I think Bush has the charisma of a moldy turd! :hi:

Not sure where you got the idea I was suggesting you thought he was physically attractive, though. Odd leap. :shrug:

[The Count]

128. Control MYSELF? May I remind you the latest proof of charm of *?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2824046
I didn't think the topic is even debatable on DU - but again: "electability" and "likeability" are BS notions for what propaganda does to (or for) candidates.
Just take a look at frog-like Mike Bloomberg. He is a little ugly, abrasive, rude, tactless troll with the voice of a frog. Owns a lot of media too so some think he's "likeable." Ask them why and they get stumped.
Even a rat is "likeable to certain she-rats. Or brain-washed rats.

[Virginia Dare]

33. Way back in 1999....

when Bush was off the sauce and had one or two brain cells left, he had the Ronnie Reagan folksy charm thing going for him. Some of the more gullible and misguided among us in this country fell for that. It's all gone now though, now he exudes the charm of a town drunk.

[Cha]

39. And The Decider..lest we

not forget..bush oozes "town drunk" who calls himself "The Decider".

[Tyrone Slothrop]

83. Ever see Journeys With George?

I hate to admit it, but if you knew absolutely nothing about his politics (or didn't care), he seems to be a fairly charming guy in real life.

But don't take my word for it. He completely charmed Alex Pelosi (Nancy's daughter) during the making of that film. If he can charm someone like her, well...

[beachmom]

92. Actually, it was revealing how gullible REPORTERS were

He would just go to the back of the plane, put his arm around them, act like he was "partying" with them with alcohol free beer, and try to fix people up. But if you looked more closely, you would see how shallow it all was. I do have respect for reporters willing to dig up stories or go to war zones and report in dangerous conditions. I'm not somebody to condemn all journalists, but I have to say they are just TERRIBLE when it comes to POLITICAL reporting. The only things that should matter is PAST PERFORMANCE, the current platform they're running on, and a record of their character and integrity. Everything else is just a damned waste of time, better spent on commenting on what Hollywood celebrities are doing.

And starting AT LEAST in 2000, it was all prom king talk.

I tell you, the way they have gone after Kerry this last month (talk about beating a dead horse), my antennae are perking up. I mean -- if he's dead, unviable, universally reviled, why the hell talk about it over and over again? They seem to have it in for him beyond what is normal.

Meanwhile, Bush says the most ridiculous things in this article; somehow, I don't see a similar public flogging of HIM down the pike . . .

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/28/world/middleeast/28cnd-prexy.html?hp&ex=1164776400&en=b1465d36fd484434&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[Tyrone Slothrop]

107. I agree with most of your points, but I still think it demonstrated his charisma

Yes, the reporters are gullible. And, to be blunt, I don't think reporters should have that sort of access where their stories can be swayed by how friendly politician X is.

However, the issue here is charisma. And charisma is all about making a front with your personality that hides or obscures your worst negative qualities. And Bush, like him or not, is good at it. Yes, it's shallow; yes, it's not an accurate representation of the man himself.

Case in point: I have a friend who does EXTREMELY well with the ladies. In real life, he finished one semester of community college, barely holds a job, hasn't ever read a book, etc. and yet, when he goes out, he invariably ends up with a date with a smart, successful woman.

And it's all because of his charisma, the way he presents himself. Which is exactly what Bush did in that film. And we can both sit here and say that it's shallow and that the people who fell for it were gullible and all, but, truth be told, he charmed them on his own terms. That's charisma -- no matter how many hairs you want to split.

[BlueStater]

110. To each his own

In my mind, a charismatic person is someone who can fire up a crowd when he speaks. JFK had this ability. So did Clinton.

Even before 9/11, I felt the idiot currently occupying the Oval Office lacked any passion or realness in his voice. I always found his goofy Texas "good ol' boy" act to be more irritating than likable.

His so-called charisma came from the media, the same one which is doing a hit piece on John Kerry, bashing us over the head with it 24 hours a day. He was picked as the Republican nominee in 2000 because all their other candidates that year besides McCain sucked (Dan Quayle?!) and the GOP has never liked McCain so he was out. The reason he got so many votes is because there were a lot of people who didn't like the Clinton Administration and did not want to see Gore become president.

I'll admit I supported him briefly after 9/11 but I was a much more ignorant person back then and in those terrifying weeks following I rallied behind the Chimp. I quickly snapped out of it. Even today I can't help but think that many of the 31% who still support him are people who don't have the courage to admit they were wrong about him.

[Der Blaue Engel]

113. Well, there's no accounting for taste

:shrug:

[Skittles]

145. YOU MUST BE KIDDING

I saw it and he came off like the creepy little frat boy he has always been

[thereismore]

12. what the hell are you talking about. Bush* has charisma? Gag. nt

[The Count]

81. my teevee people say so - would my teevee lie?

Isn't it amazing how deep propaganda festers?

[sallyseven]

20. Yes it is so important to have charisma. No brain bush has

charisma look where that got us. John Kerry is an honest man who is concerned about our country, our constitution, our real values and the well being of the US in the world. There has never been a hint of scandal with Kerry as much as the media would like to think there is. How did he escape that? His honesty. That is why the Corporations hate him and will use any excuse to defame him. The last one was a real stretch. Bush did not know that the Sunnis and Shia did not get long and just plunged into the gd war for kicks and also to help the oil industry. Well all you people let the corps pick out your next president because you deserve it if your main concern is charisma. Me, I'll keep working for Kerry and hope that the rest of the US can take a hard look at what will be forced down our throats because we are too stupid and lazy to fight for what is good and decent.

[The Count]

129. Where is no brain bush charisma exactly? His tact? His humor? His wit?

Why are people here reinforcing the absurd myth propaganda created?

[asjr]

21. Charisma is in the eye of the beholder.

Kerry, in my opinion, would have been a good president. Certainly better than what we have. He is intelligent, forthright and cares about the people of this country. He was not my first choice--Howard Dean was, but Kerry won the nomination. I would say that counts for something. Bush has no charisma. He has a smart mouth, a smirk and thinks he is president. The "liberal" media have told him he is president. Kerry can put a complete sentence together--he can't tell a joke very well but that should not be a prerequsite to running for president. It would be great to have a "likable" man or woman as president but the future of the country should count first. I want a leader who is not ego-driven, who does not want obsessive power, who follows the Constitution and listens to the people of this country. Maybe I am asking too much of one human being but I can dream.

[ginnyinWI]

38. the leader you describe fits both Kerry and Dean

And there are some others, but not all in the Democratic party would qualify I don't think. That's what struck me about Kerry in the first place--that he did not seem ego-driven, but rather driven by a desire to lead this country well. And I know he would have done well, because he's got the smarts, the dedication, the drive, and the heart for it.

[asjr]

53. Maybe 2008 will bring us a strong contender. I feel

it is too early to speculate about who our frontrunner might be. A lot can happen in the next two years and we must keep our eyes on the media. I get rather tired of them telling me what to think.

[RaleighNCDUer]

26. You think * gets by on his charisma?

He's one of the most repulsive public figures I know - right up there with Darth Cheney and Mean Jean. i don't deny charisma when I see it - both Clinton and Reagan come to mind, (and have you see "Bobby" in the theater yet?) but I certainly never saw it in *.

Kerry, not an inspiring public speaker, has a great charisma one-on-one, judging by the interviews I've seen. Problem is, most people have only seen him in the aspect of a campaign.

[BurtWorm]

50. Are you saying Bush does or doesn't have charisma?

[JNelson6563]

61. Ah, your Democrat friends

You mean the ones that are members of the Democrat Party?

Julie-who marvels at "Dems" who use reich-wing terminology

[sabbat hunter]

67. it is democratic my friend

it would be your democratic friends. it is the democratic party, not the democrat party. :)

[hfojvt]

140. ich bin ein Democrat

My friends are Democrats. It's the Democratic party, but I do not see what is wrong with "Democrat friends". You would say "my friends who are Democrats" wouldn't you? Rather than "My friends who are Democratic".

[w4rma]

70. DemocratIC friends. (nt)

[The Count]

79. "Charisma" like "electability" is media made - Rudy is #1?????

Did they ask anyone in NYC?????
Why are you guys buying this crap? Who died and made arrogant, tongue tied pissy bush "charismatic"?

[stepnw1f]

89. DEMOCRATIC not Democrat Friends

Somebody listens to too much right wing propaganda.

[Stand and Fight]

126. Your 'Democrat' friends... Riiiight.

:eyes:

[Sapphire Blue]

136. I've {shudder} looked at bush; I don't see charisma; I see arrogance, narcissism, sociopathy...

... and that smirk.

Charisma? Back in the '70s, people thought Ted Bundy had charisma.

Kerry would have been a very good president... and, while you & I might not be chatting w/him over the back fence, perhaps the other world leaders would be chatting w/him in a path toward peace.

[Kelly Rupert]

143. Here's a little hint for the future:

Republicans use "Democrat" as an adjective. Democrats don't.

[Skittles]

144. it wasn't charisma that made that lying bastard president

it was his last name and the Supreme Court

[wisteria]

2. Old news and a biased poll. This poll -Quinpac was posted and

commented on yesterday. It means absolutely noting and will not influence Kerry's decisions one way or another.
Look at some of those who score higher. Bush? Frist? Condi? Leiberman? Newt Gingrich? The man responsible for the comments in the article is a Quinpac associate that has shown favoritism towards Mccain in past articles. Oh, and look at the NY celebs and how well they do. Was this poll conducted mainly in NY?

[smoogatz]

4. It must be biased--

your guy lost.

[wisteria]

13. It is more than that- to bad you can't comprehend the true nature

behind this poll and the manipulation that goes with it. I suggest you take a real good look at the numbers and then check out the associate from Quinpac and some of his other writings.
This goes beyond Kerry. It can and will happen to any candidate running that has spoken out and told the truth.
Gore is a good example. The media is just waiting and pushing for him to run so they can pull out all the old b*ll shit on him.
So don't get complacent thinking this is OK because it is just about Kerry- because it isn't.

[smoogatz]

25. Oh yay--a lecture on the nature of politics.

Thanks. Look, the poll is what it is and it sounds about right to me--people like Giuliani if they don't know much more about him than his performance on 9/11, which was spectacular. People like McCain and Obama because they have inspiring life stories, and are viewed as straight-talkers, more or less. But likeability and electability, though related, aren't the same thing. Bush running against anyone (even Kerry, I suspect), would lose in a mega-landslide. I think Bush has pretty much put an end to the days of voting for the guy you'd like to have a beer with, thank God. I mean, who in the late-1930s would have wanted to have a beer with FDR? Okay, well, everybody, but only because it was prohibition.

[smoogatz]

3. Kick for ProSense!

Woo hoo!

[MemphisTiger]

8. Kerry is that guy that you live next to and he runs his mouth too

much, which caused him to lose the campaign. Also, his latest tacky joke taken out of context doesn't help.

[wisteria]

16. Wow, another person into RW garbage. n/t

[MemphisTiger]

95. I voted for the guy but he just talked too much and

was bad at speaking off the cuff. I think he would have made a better pres than Bush of course but he's no Al Gore or Dean.

[beachmom]

94. Sounds like you haven't put much research into JK.

He's the person next door who would help you out EVERY TIME if you were in trouble. And he would do see even after hearing you say such petty things about him. That's the person John Kerry is. Always was and always will be a decent human being unlike most of the corrupt criminals and their pathetic media lapdogs in D.C.

[MemphisTiger]

103. I agree he's a good guy...

read my post more carefully. He's the guy that just talks too much. People in general don't like that, most people have neighboor like that I know I do since I live in fundieland.

[beachmom]

108. Well, it's his job to "talk". Actually, I think he would be more of a quiet

neighbor -- wave hello, maybe talk sometimes about families, etc. But he's not phony or a busybody.

Speaking of neighbors -- mine next door is part of the 31% who approve of Bush. And boy does that woman talk, talk, talk and it's always about herself and her family. I try to get a word in edgewise but it's quite difficult and I normally give up. Anyway, I learned a few things from her:

1. Hillary Clinton is a socialist (and so am I!)
2. CNN is responsible for the war going badly in Iraq
3. Good Christians think torture is just fine
4. Any info given to her that contradicts the "truths" is just lies.
5. Oh, and she loves George Allen, but had NO IDEA that Macaca means monkey


My sympathies to you for living in fundieland from someone who lives there, too (with Pat Robertson just around the corner).

[MemphisTiger]

127. I feel your pain

I am in the "bible belt" of an obviously red state. One that is dumb enough to elect Bob Corker, that little gnome, to the Senate.

[kenny blankenship]

9. Likeability is more or less a proxy for identification

Not many Americans are going to feel identification with John Kerry. Partly that's due to his elite background (markers of which he did little to shed in the course of being a public servant), and other factors are also responsible. His physiognomy is chief among these other factors I refer to. Kerry does not read as "open" on camera and therefore he doesn't read as honest. If you were casting him in a Hollywood movie, Kerry would not be the hero. He could be the hero's shadowy mentor, but not the hero that a mass audience can see themselves as switching places with. He's just not like plain folk no matter what his substantial qualifications were. That's the bad news. The good news is that was 100% true before the 2004 election, and millions of plain folk still voted for him anyway. I thought it was a terrible idea to make him the face of the Democratic Party but still tens of millions of people could look past his handicaps let's call them and see that he was the better man when compared to Bush. Of course, millions more did not. Kerry might have been the true winner of the election but he almost certainly didn't win the popular vote.

[OzarkDem]

10. Sorry, but that doesn't seem believable

I'm no particular fan of Kerry or any other Dem candidate in 2008, but that poll result sounds absolutely ridiculous.

It appears the GOP and news media are anxious to get an early start tearing down all possible Dem candidates for 2008. Yawn.

[ginnyinWI]

19. I agree, they do protest too much

If he is such a has-been, why are they going out of their way to smear him? (the flap over the joke)

[The Cleaner]

14. KERRY IS A GOOD MAN AND I WILL VOTE FOR HIM IF HE RUNS!!

I'm sick and tired of all the Kerry-bashing. He's a good man, intelligent, well-spoken, and would make a FANTASTIC President. He's a war hero for crimminy's sake! And he's out for the TRUTH...

STOP BASHING KERRY, it's insane and has no merit.

[wisteria]

22. Thank you, I think he is a good man and I would vote for him again too. n/t

[BeyondGeography]

15. He'll run anyway

and his 2008 numbers will look like Lieberman's 2004 results. Being a decent guy at heart, John won't take it out on the party, though.

[smoogatz]

17. Sounds about right. n/t

[wisteria]

23. I think Kerry has a lot more WOW factor than Leiberman. And a lot

more solid support. Let the primaries decide. Don't you wonder why they want to ruin his chances even before then?

[smoogatz]

28. Both have all the WOW factor of a wet gym sock.

But I just think that because I'm buying the RW anti-Kerry narrative.

[kenny blankenship]

29. Sure he does. But you're comparing Kerry to a figure who's often compared

with Droopy Dog.

[Zynx]

37. Senetor Palpatine.

[JacksonWest]

57. Dum da da dum da dum da da dum(Imperial Theme)

[The Count]

82. Unlike the winner of this poll, Rudy, often compared with Musolini

Not a kerry fan, but why is anyone dignifying this piece of propaganda with any credibility?:puffpiece:

[kenny blankenship]

111. Another thing: the less people know about Candidate X the more favorably they see X

It's a benefit of the doubt until proven guilty kind of thing. For example I used to have a much higher opinion about Joe Lieberman than I do now, because now I think I know him much better. But I'd bet most people don't know anything about him despite his bid in 2000 for the "Cup of Warm Spit". They probably heard Lieberman just won re-election as an independent despite being defeated in the primary and think that shows he has "pluck" and personal "integrity" or some such crap. When they don't know you well they tend to construe things they hear about you positively; when they do know you however they fit every new piece of information about you into a map of your known faults. People who are well known and liked in politics are lucky likable bastards like Bill Clinton. People who are well known and not well liked are unlucky (or unlikable) people who used to enjoy the benefit of the doubt but now do not.

For most people, Kerry has been thoroughly defined during his Presidential run. They don't know the good things he's done as a Senator over the years. But they saw a lot of him in 2004, and their impression of him from that time will be durable. To the extent that that's bad news for John Kerry I think he owns a huge share of the blame for it--but that's aside from the point. People may report a higher likability factor for Joe Lieberman (or anybody else) for a number of reasons. For example, despite his reputation around here as a sanctimonious shit, Lieberman sometimes demonstrates a humility in public and that could win him points. But his scoring better than Kerry on this report could also be because most people simply haven't seen as much of him and heard as much about him as they have John Kerry. That doesn't mean the poll is useless or biased, it just means it represents one data point. Attempts to just dismiss polling measurements like this one as "biased" because they don't say what we'd like them to say or don't conform to our expectations, are just as mistaken as it would be mistaken to treat this poll simplistically as the one and only factor to take into account for our Presidential nomination for 2008.

[Lex]

24. The Coporate Media was DELIGHTED to SMEAR Kerry's every move & utterance

and that sort of non-stop swiftboating on every move he makes and practically every thing he says is what helps drive public opinion.

[smoogatz]

31. I think it has more to do with his affect, honestly.

Which is awkward and aloof. I watched the Bobby Kennedy thing on PBS last night--now THAT guy had charisma. And once you see the real thing, the difference between charisma and not charisma is night and day.

[blm]

42. And yet, just a few years later the Nixon WH was plotting againt the next charismatic

figure to emerge from the left - John Kerry - it's on the Nixon tapes.

Kerry was not deemed unlikable or aloof until Bush2 took office and his campaign focused on degrading the potential opposition as soon as they took office with even greater controlof the broadcast media.

[smoogatz]

48. Kerry was in his 20s. He was, I think, a different person.

I liked him then, too--he had a kind of intense dynamism that made him compelling. I was propbably aware of him as a potential candidate in '03 before most DUers were, having spent a lot of time in MA in recent years. I knew he was smart, a good progressive and looked okay in a suit. I also knew he could come off as kind of a patrician windbag, and had trouble expressing relatively simple ideas in under 5,000 words--a problem he didn't have when he was a kid.

[blm]

58. Really? The RNC and its mediawhores took excerpts of his 2hr speech in '71 and

editted it to make him sound like a traitor to his country.

They do the same to everything he does. Like Cardinal Richilieu once said, you can take 6 lines ever uttered by the most honest man in the world and they can be twisted to sound like the greatest evil if one is intent on doing so.

BTW - you may find the energy he had then to be inspiring, but to me his work then PALES in comparison with his even more dangerous efforts to investigate and expose more government corruption than any lawmaker in modern history.

And it is apparent that some of the most ADMIRED lawmakers for their charism here at DU happen to be the Democrats who have covered up the most for the most serious aspects of BushInc's crimes.

[beachmom]

97. Actually, that's not true. If you watch "Going Upriver", they show

a young college student John Kerry who hadn't quite found his voice yet. He was not as charismatic then as he was a mere 5 years later, and I continue to find him charismatic to this day. Did you ever watch his Dissent speech? That's as good as it gets for a political speech. Better than any Bill Clinton speech. He defends in no uncertain terms his protest of the Vietnam War and then links it to the political discourse about Iraq today. Take a look:

http://www.johnkerry.com/multimedia/

Scroll down and watch "Dissent"

[wisteria]

44. When was the last time you really listened to Kerry- watched and listened

to a speech. Seen him intermingle with people? Just because someone doesn't behave in the same manner as someone else doesn't mean they don't have a personality or charisma. Kerry still has a lot of support and a 3.5 million e-mail list for someone who you claim has no personality.

[smoogatz]

51. That would have been 2004, when I winced through his campaign

and watched him fail to close the deal with the American people. And hey, I'm on his goddam email list--but that doesn't mean I'm going to vote for him again.

[wisteria]

62. Well, before you pass judgment on the 06 Kerry you should listen to

some of his recent speeches. He took down the house at the Take back America conference. And a recent speech in October in New Hampshire, was received with many, many standing ovations and cheers. The man can and does speak with passion.

[blm]

104. So work against his credibility to your heart's content - it's not like he needs it

when he has to chair the committee dealing with net neutrality and FCC rulings throughout next year - or is that something so many of you tend to forget - the REAL reasons why corpmedia has stepped up attacks on Kerry? These people are craven fascists and they have far too many Dem enablers willing to be their patsies and further their lies against Kerry.



Kerry Seeks to Reverse FCC's "Wrongheaded Vote"

Commission Decision May Violate Laws Protecting Small Businesses; Kerry to File Resolution of Disapproval

Monday, June 2, 2003

WASHINGTON - Senator John Kerry today announced plans to file a "Resolution of Disapproval" as a means to overturn today's decision by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to raise media ownership caps and loosen various media cross-ownership rules.
Kerry will soon introduce the resolution seeking to reverse this action under the Congressional Review Act and Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act on the grounds that the decision may violate the laws intended to protect America's small businesses and allow them an opportunity to compete.

As Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Kerry expressed concern that the FCC's decision will hurt localism, reduce diversity, and will allow media monopolies to flourish. This raises significant concerns about the potential negative impacts the decision will have on small businesses and their ability to compete in today's media marketplace.

In a statement released earlier today regarding the FCC's decision, Kerry said:

"Nothing is more important in a democracy than public access to debates and information, which lift up our discourse and give Americans an opportunity to make honest informed choices. Today's wrongheaded vote by the Republican members of the FCC to loosen media ownership rules shows a dangerous indifference to the consolidation of power in the hands of a few large entities rather than promoting diversity and independence at the local level. The FCC should do more than rubber stamp the business plans of narrow economic interests.

"Today's vote is a complete dereliction of duty. The Commissioners are well aware that these rules greatly influence the competitive structure of the industry and protect the public's access to multiple sources of information and media. It is the Commission's responsibility to ensure that the rules serve our national goals of diversity, competition, and localism in media. With today's vote, they shirked that responsibility and have dismissed any serious discussion about the impact of media consolidation on our own democracy."

[Tellurian]

124. hey smoogatz...incoming

[wisteria]

35. Exactly. n/t

[undeterred]

30. Well, nobody polled me.

He electrified a crowd of 80,000 in Madison Wisconsin. I would love to have him as my president.

[smoogatz]

32. With a little help from the Boss.

And it's Madison, for cryin' out loud.

[wisteria]

54. Well, he drew an astounding crowd without the Boss in the small

suburban town I live in. He came down from the platform, took questions and answered them clearly and with honesty. I was astounded by the crowd and I had no trouble connecting with him- nor did others in the huge crowd.

[undeterred]

65. Are you suggesting we are easily electrified here in Madison?

:hippie:

[smoogatz]

85. Well, kind of.

In a good way. I love Madison--I got me some Madison envy, living up here in the Chippewa Valley.

[undeterred]

93. The rally was great fun

I volunteered so I was loading people in the front (secured) section for 3 hours. There were lots of unions from around the state that took the day off to come to Madison for the rally. GM workers, teachers, etc. Doyle said we had 80,000- not sure if it was that high, but the estimate for Gore in 2000 was 30,000.

For a few minutes there I really thought we had our country back.

[gatorboy]

34. Rudolph Giuliani is no. 1?

And he's done what exactly for the country in the last 5 years? What a fluff piece.

[smoogatz]

36. Well, he was pretty amazing on 9/11--

walking around lower Manhattan without so much as a dust mask on while Junior was cowering in a bunker in Nebraska. And he was on SNL in drag. Other than that, you make a good point.

[ginnyinWI]

41. he won't last long if he runs

So much baggage. And why would anyone from the South vote for him--and any Repub needs the South desperately to win.

[smoogatz]

45. You're probably right. McCain will take him out early.

Though McCain/Giuliani would be a tough ticket to beat, IMO, unless the country's totally awash in anti-Republican sentiment by then (even more than they are now). What you hope for is a serious wingnut like Brownback to emerge from the pack--could happen.

[ginnyinWI]

49. Brownback was on This Week looking pretty coy! n/t

[gatorboy]

47. I won't say that he didn't show more guts than the current fool in office.

But it's this sort of poll that got us the current fool in power.

Everyone pushed how likable Bush was in 2000/2004. And yet America has forgotten that a likable leader doesn't necessarily mean a competent one.

[Cruzan]

40. I never much liked Kerry and still don't

He just seems to have a tone deafness when it comes to communicating and connecting. For whatever reason he just isn't able to convince me he can put himself in the common voter's shoes and really understand their problems and where they're coming from. In this department John Edwards is everything Kerry isn't and really does have charisma, as does Wesley Clarke too for that matter. Jon Stewart's impersonation of Kerry is also LOL right on the mark.

[ginnyinWI]

46. the way comedians value a punchline above anything else

bothers me a lot. If they really have lefty political leanings, why are they bashing those on the left? It seems like they don't really care about what happens in this country, as long as they can get a laugh. Bill Maher is another example. I won't say that about Colbert, because his humor is focused on exposing the right wing, and he leaves the left pretty much intact.

As for Edwards, I've seen both JE and JK speak in person and JE's only got about a tenth of the charisma that Kerry has, IMO.

[Eurobabe]

52. I like Wes Clark too (no 'e')

Kerry left me cold. I'd take Hillary over Kerry.

[wisteria]

60. Well, I have seen and listened to both Kerry and Edwards and Kerry comes off as more genuine.

Kerry may have money,but he has a sense of duty and a drive to help those less fortunate than himself. Edwards has money also, although he tries to pretend he doesn't. He tries to appeal to the middle class, but as a middle class person, I think he comes off phony. Personality wise, that too is limited to the camera angles. To each his own I suppose. But, in a pinch, I would bet on Kerry extending a helping hand before Edwards.

[beachmom]

100. I find Jon Stewart's impression very tired. It hasn't changed one iota

and he has to edit out all of Kerry's great speeches in order to keep that routine going. I find John Edwards to be unfortunately shallow. The times we live in are very serious, and I'm looking for somebody who can actually do the job, not just another pretty face.

[Cha]

43. Yeah, and in politics things

change on a dime just like life. What we need to change is the corporatemediawhores deciding who's going to be our fucking candidates.

[ginnyinWI]

59. and I hope the people realize what happens when they vote

for the clown.

[wisteria]

64. Absolutely. They have too much control and no scruples. n/t

[demnan]

56. Here we go again

I hope Kerry decides not to run in 2008. It's bad for a good man who has served his country honorably to put himself through all that when he has no chance to win.

[wisteria]

66. He mission is to do all he can to take this country forward and make it

more respected and powerful than it is now. He has a thick skin. These types of manipulations only indicate that he must be on the right track, because those only interested in personal power are viciously attacking him. He will run if he thinks he can offer this country a better direction.

[ananda]

63. so what?

There are certainly more likeable and electable Dems than Kerry!

[wisteria]

68. This poll references what they call likability. It doesn't mention elect ability.

I would also point out that no other person on the list has been the subject of more negative attention and smears than Kerry. So, I wonder how the others would fair with the kind of sh*t being flung at him.
You forget two other things necessary to get elected- toughness and perseverance.

[pacalo]

69. Just look at the mess we're in now because of Bush, & we find ourselves at a point

where we consider "likeability" & "charisma" to be even worth discussing? All that matters to me is that a president can lead without stepping on others, that (s)he not want the presidency for financial gain, & that our lives will be better because (s)he was our president. I'd put Kerry at the top of the list with that criteria.

We'll see thread after thread about this shallow-minded poll, shooting ourselves in the foot by giving it substance.

[Octafish]

71. Who gives a fuck about 'Likeability'? Question is whether he'd make a GOOD PRESIDENT.

Kerry would make a great President.

So would a lot of Democrats, FWIW.

[Jacobin]

72. yeah, well, he would have to get elected first

I find him to be pedantic and smarmy, but i gave him money and voted for him, because, hey, what the heck was the choice? I also hold a grudge about the IWR vote, which turned out to be a blunder of judgment.

I'd like to see someone get a shot at the WH. He had his.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

84. Nitpick!

:hi:

[Octafish]

88. Exit polls had him 5-points up, nationwide.

They also had him ahead in Ohio, Florida, New Mexico and Colorado.

Can't imagine what happened.

[RaleighNCDUer]

115. Are you just throwing out words just for the fun of it?

Pedantic and smarmy? Those are practically antithetical to each other. Roughly slick? Stiltedly smooth?

:wtf:

[Jacobin]

119. eXACTLY

Your synonym engine is broken:

pe‧dan‧tic  /pəˈdæntɪk/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective
1. ostentatious in one's learning.
2. overly concerned with minute details or formalisms, esp. in teaching.
Also, pe‧dan‧ti‧cal.


smarm·y
PRONUNCIATION: smärm
ADJECTIVE: Inflected forms: smarm·i·er, smarm·i·est
1. Hypocritically, complacently, or effusively earnest; unctuous. See synonyms at unctuous. 2. Sleek.
ETYMOLOGY: From smarm, to smear.


I admit it. He strikes me the wrong way. I sent him money. I voted for him.

I'd like to try another guy, but since its really not all up to me, don't lose too much sleep over it, okay?

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

73. I don't dislike him personally, I just don't trust him

I have yet to see anything to convince me he was/is anything other than a ringer.

He will NEVER get my vote again.

[beachmom]

106. So investigating Iran/Contra and taking down BCCI doesn't show

you what he's made of? Going against the leadership in his party to force a vote on a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq (Kerry/Feingold amendment) doesn't give you an idea? I trust him as much as one can trust a politician. I can't say that about much of the others.

[soleft]

74. Not that it's his job to prop up Kerry

But Jon Stewart's lampooning of Kerry, in the same way I think his lampooning of Bush has not helped Bush, has been a factor.

It's not that Stewart makes fun of a situational type blunders Kerry has made, the way he has occassionaly done with McCain, or Dean, but everytime the subject of Kerry ever comes up Stewart launches into this kind of retarded robot voice that makes Kerry look more like a buffoon that Bush. Every time.

And I'm a big fan of Stewart. But I think this hurt Kerry a lot. And I don't think it's really representative of Kerry.

[The Count]

76. Another "gem" from the Quinnipiac bastards

I am not much of a Kerry fan, but I saw on TV that Joementum was up there - so.....case closed.
I read the whole article - Quinnipac are Rudy's cheerleaders for years, and I see Bloomberg is also their golden boy...
All dems up there are safe pro-war DLC (I am sure other candidates weren't even included - with the exception of Gore - who is...less liked then Joementun??????) Yeah, Quinnipiac sure has it....

[Blaukraut]

77. Wow, the 2nd thread on same subject in as many days

Why am I not surprised? The efforts of the Kerry Detractors know no bounds.
They will gleefully jump on any negative reporting about Kerry, no matter how inaccurate or minor it might be. How curious!
What I would like to know is this; if Kerry has so little chance, is such a has-been, why the need to follow around his dozen or so supporters and get into arguments with them?
Wouldn't the Anti-Kerry people's time be much more productively spent promoting a candidate of their own choosing? Surely the twelve of us, and John Kerry, could safely be ignored, no?

[zbdent]

78. The smart kids are always hated by the ones whose grades

rose well above theirs ...

[smoogatz]

109. That doesn't make sense. n/t

[zbdent]

118. Yeah, I must have had it right in the first place

but it came out awkward, and I changed it ...

What I meant to say was that the smart kids are always hated by the ones whose grades are well below theirs ...

I guess that I will be "Hugh!1!!1"'d now ...

[suston96]

86. Keep it going...

Why not let the media keep picking our candidates and then keep furnishing us with selective polls to show us how stupid we are if we don't pay attention to the facts they - the media - give us.

Why the media are the ones who told us about how those exit polls were all wrong and how they - the real media - had the corrected polls. Remember that? 2000? 2002? 2004? 2006? Ooops, in 2006 that little ploy just didn't work.

Is the people learning about the media? They is ! And the media goes down into the hole with the devil - and ya gotta keep the devil down in the hole.

[nam78_two]

87. WHO CARES about "likeability"?

I wuld have thought this country has suffered enough due to voting for people based on whether they want to "have a beer with them" blah blah...sheesh :eyes:

The fact that he is beaten by scum like BUSH shows just how much that matters....

Obama's "charisma", Edwards' "folksiness", Clinton's smile...blah blah blah...

But Gore is "stiff and wears earth tones(or whatever)", Kerry is too "stiff and halting"....sheesh
This is insane....

[mtnsnake]

138. Sure, but if Kerry was most likeable instead of least, there'd be 50 threads on it

all voted to greatest page by the Kerry brigade. That's why this thread is so refreshing, it backs up what most of us already knew. Kerry just doesn't connect, plain and simple.

[BlueEyedSon]

91. Hold your nose and vote for him

was the advice in 2004

as Bill Maher said, "He's not burdened with charisma"

[oasis]

96. Who is really behind a poll that has Bush's #1 rival dead last? Rove lives.(n/t)

[WI_DEM]

99. if Rove was behind it would Bush be ranked so low too?

[NYCGirl]

101. Stop being logical! NT

[evilgenius602]

121. logic has a well known liberal bias...

[oasis]

116. Because Bush is already toast. He needs to save what's left of his "legacy" by

having Americans rate him above the only other 2008 presidential choice.

[The Count]

131. This is 2008 propaganda - Rudy, McCain, Hillary & Joementum are pushed

forward as our "choices"

[RiverStone]

102. Kerry had his chance...he is no more electable then Hillary.

Both have something very valuable to offer this country; maybe Cabinet posts? But being Pres?
Don't believe that's in the cards for John or Hillary.

[MemphisTiger]

105. I agree

nm

[The Count]

132. Electability,Likeability - all propaganda. But I do agree that Kerry

should not be up there anymore. But not for those BS reasons, but because he wimped out and to this day he is not admitting we won in 2004.

[maxrandb]

114. So, We're Back to the "I'd Like to Have a Beer with him"

standard for electing leaders?


Regrets to Monty Python, but "Pulling swords out of stones for a naked woman by the lake is no way to pick a king"- or something like that.

[evilgenius602]

117. the problem with Kerry is that every time he opens his mouth...

it's this huge, gaseous, amorphous, erudite answer to whatever the question was. Brevity is the soul of wit.

[Skidmore]

120. This is so like the popularity crap people did in high school to

select the prom court.

[JuniperLea]

122. When I was a kid, charisma meant something

Now I'm all about a guy with brains... Kerry has that in spades.

Who sponsored this poll anyway?

[mtnsnake]

123. You'd have to be dead last if you could lose to an imbecile & moron like Bush

[The Count]

133. Except that he didn't lose. But since he keeps that secret, he deserves the

humiliation. We don't however. WE WON!

[mtnsnake]

134. Yeah that's why he's sitting in the WH, because he didn't lose

Not only did he lose, but he lost to a moron.

[The Count]

135. He got more votes than bush. They stole it. Sorry to disappoint you in

your perfect democracy rose tinted glasses. Obviously more people preferred Kerry to bush in 2004 and showed that at the voting booth. (Unless stopped from voting). Don't ever bring a stolen election as an argument to support a propaganda push poll.
kerry is not in the White House because of fraud. And cowardice.

[mtnsnake]

137. You've got Kerry mixed up with Gore. Gore got more votes than Bush. Kerry didn't.

For someone named The Count, you ought to know that, lol.

How on earth anyone could get less votes than Bush, after Bush had already proved to be the worst president in history, is mind boggling. How anyone could lose to that imbecile after such a disaster of a first Bush term is unthinkable, but Kerry managed to accomplish it.

[The Count]

139. For someone named mtnsnake, you sure try to avoid reality. A picture for ya:

that will tell you how Diebold changed the numbers from the exit polls:

[mtnsnake]

142. What, no link? Let me take a wild guess where you got that from

www.kerry_didnt_lose_diebold_stole_it.com

Anyway, we all know that there are discrepencies between what the exit polls said and what the final tally came out to be. The repukes also complained that they got robbed in several areas, too.

Kerry lost, and he lost because he and his handlers ran a pathetic campaign. In an election that should've been a runaway, the best he could do going into it was keep it close, and even then he was still behind in polls.

[zulchzulu]

125. A "Feeling Thermometer" poll is fairly meaningless

Condi rated 4th? Richardson rated 10th? Wuh?

:shrug:

Here's the results:

1) Rudolph Giuliani - 64.2. (9)

2) Sen. Barack Obama 58.8 (41)

3) Sen. John McCain 57.7 (12)

4) Condoleezza Rice - 56.1 (7)

5) Bill Clinton - 55.8 (1)

6) Sen. Joseph Lieberman - 52.7 (16)

7) NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg - 51.1 (44)

8) John Edwards - 49.9 (20)

9) Sen. Hillary Clinton - 49 (1)

10) N.M. Gov. Bill Richardson - 47.7 (65)

11) Sen. Joseph Biden 47 (52)

12) Nancy Pelosi 46.9 (34)

13) Gov. Mitt Romney - 45.9 (64)

14) Former VP Al Gore - 44.9 (3)

15) President George Bush - 43.8 (1)

16) Sen. Evan Bayh - 43.3 (75)

17) Newt Gingrich - 42 (15)

18) Sen. Bill Frist - 41.5 (53)

19) Sen. Harry Reid - 41.2 (61)

20) Sen. John Kerry - 39.6 (5)

More:
http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1284.xml?ReleaseID=990&What=&strArea=;&strTime=0

[Marie26]

130. Does this mean he won't run again?

Please, oh please.

[xchrom]

141. in the only popularity poll that counts

if you don't think it was stolen -- kerry came within a few hundred votes of being the president.

if you believe it was stolen -- he won.

beyond that -- i find the poll reflective america's insane desire to look backwards{i.e. made-up john wayne-esque personalities and uber conformists} rather than forwards when looking at who's ''popular''.