Kerry cancels Mankato appearance

[hijinx87]

Kerry cancels Mankato appearance

The dueling rallies scheduled for Mankato today on behalf of Republican congressman Gil Gutknecht and Democratic challenger Tim Walz lost some of their pizzaz Tuesday night when Sen. John Kerry pulled out of the Democratic rally.

Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the front-runner for the 2008 Republican nomination for president, is the star attraction at a rally at the Midwest Wireless Civic Center for Gutknecht and Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee pulled out of the DFL event, which will still be held, as the result of a controversy over comments he made Monday inCalifornia.

Walz communication director Meredith Salsbery said Kerry canceled his visit to keep the focus on the issues and away from Kerry’s comments and McCain’s response.

http://www.mankatofreepress.com/local/local_story_305000815.html?keyword=topstory

[WCGreen]

1. Other people need to step in....

I really think that Kerry is doing the right thing here...

[madfloridian]

4. I think our Democrats are being cowardly.

Sorry, but we surely do disagree on this issue.

[sendero]

17. I agree..

... the right wing makes bigger verbal gaffes than this EVERY DAMN DAY.

Dems should go on the attack, not the defensive. But this is par for the course and this is why we even have to worry about taking the house, we should be getting the senate also IN A WALK.

[Rowdyboy]

2. And so it begins....

"Walz communication director Meredith Salsbery said Kerry canceled his visit to keep the focus on the issues and away from Kerry’s comments and McCain’s response."

I so enjoyed life when the 2006 campaign was going our way. It was nice to have a clear lead against those bastards. Now, thanks to John, we're once more again on the defensive. Thank you, John, for reminding me why you were my last choice in 2004.

In the words of Hugh Grant from "Four Weddings and a Funeral"....."Fuck, fuck, fuckity-fuck....Fuck!

[sandnsea]

11. Arcuri and Webb should quit too

I mean, somebody on Arcuri's staff was sooo stupid as to dial a wrong number to a porn line - oh my god we're dooomed.

And I don't know what Webb was thinking writing down all that smut - I mean, if Foley is going to be judged by what he wrote - shouldn't Webb be as well?

I'm really surprised at you for letting your hatred of Kerry obscure your recognition of right wing smear tactics when they rear their ugly head - and acknowledging that many of our own Dems are more than happy to jump on that smear train when it's to their benefit.

Bush got us stuck in Iraq - please, tell me the horror of that statement because I'm just not seeing it.

[Rowdyboy]

34. It was late at night and I was very frustrated when I posted....

That said, I honestly don't hate Kerry. I think he made an awful candidate and he truly was my last choice in 2004 (other than Lieberman), however, he was the nominee and I supported him. I actually donated $100 to his campaign (a first for me). I do understand that it was a Republican smear tactic, but MILLIONS of others don't. He should leave "telling jokes" to those more gifted at humor.

As it is, we're on our second day of round the clock media attention on John Kerry, not our 2006 candidates. That's really not how I wanted to spend the last week before the biggest election chance for Democrats since 1974.

I'm truly glad he decided to go back to Massachusetts for the next few days.

[karynnj]

40. Also, Remember the story du Jour

for Friday - Monday. For the first three days it was a contest to fake disgust with novels that got excellent reviews when they came out. (not a subject I like - so I never read them)

Then on Monday there were dueling stories of Lynne Cheney's book and Webb's - Lynne's to my knowledge was not a well reguarded book.

The Kerry story, at its worst, only could hurt Kerry. Kerry's name recognition helped and hurt, the lunatic fringe still hates him for 1971. There view of Kerry dissing the military resonated. But nearly everyone else saw that he was with veterans far more than any Democratic nominee I remember for years. He was a co-founder of Vietnam Veterans of America.

[Rowdyboy]

41. Honestly, I admire John Kerry the man....I just really hate.....

John Kerry the candidate. By tomorrow, hopefully, the story will be dead.

[StClone]

38. Giant Wurlitzer in action

If you need a good example of how pervasive it is, the cascade of talking points following Kerry's statement is a good example. It is a major artificial dust-up by this maladministration over basically nothing that unfortunately may have some effect on the voters. It's obscene.

[madfloridian]

3. What a damn crying shame.

Shame on them.

[hijinx87]

5. walz is up against a 6 term incumbent

and has a tough job in front of him, but is doing well.

[madfloridian]

6. Sorry, that is not working for me anymore.

He should return any money Kerry may have raised for him.

I am ashamed of my party tonight.

[hijinx87]

10. it doesn't appear as though kerry has contributed a great deal . . .

to the walz campaign . . . .

A few hours earlier Gutknecht said Kerry had expressed “(the) Left's contempt for our military.” And Gutknecht had urged Walz to send back the $1,000 contribution his campaign had gotten from Kerry's political action committee and to cancel the Kerry rally.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15499437/

but you are right that walz is caving to pressure from his rethug opponent. :grr:

[brentspeak]

15. This is coming from the same Madfloridian who was spreading B.S.

about Dennis Kucinich, and saying that he should "apologize" for remarks it later turned out he never made:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=1761727&mesg_id=1761727

[BeyondGeography]

7. Kerry's doing the right thing

Take two or three days off and wait for the mood to change. If it doesn't change, stay home till next Wednesday. Any place he shows up will be inundated by microphone-thrusting media making him and his botched joke the story, not the candiate he's supporting. It's a no-brainer.

[madfloridian]

8. No, he had no choice. The candidate is being cowardly.

That is the honest truth. Our Democrats are terrified of the GOP.

[Ignacio Upton]

9. Exactly

Yes, his words were taken out of context, but the best thing for him to do would just be to keep a low profile for the next week so his comment falls out of the news cycle. Thankfully he didn't make his comment a day or two later, otherwise we wouldn't have enough time to recover from it.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

13. I think he's gonna be Kryptonite until after the election.

The question being asked by anybody who scheduled an appearance Kerry is "Is it worth the risk?"

[customerserviceguy]

16. The chimp knows good and well

that he's a hot button issue to be seen with Repukes, Kerry has got to have advisors who know that he overshadows any Democratic candidates message. As for those of you willing to pin this on Rove, I don't think Rove was Kerry's speechwriter.

[Rageneau]

12. They're back in their pink tutus.

Quivering in fear of Mr Rove.

I think Kerry should stay out front on this, lambasting the war and the morons who wrought it at every opportunity -- although it might be better if he did so in places other than rallies for local candidates.

[Born Free]

14. I agree...

Democrats need to stop backing down, they need to show strength, OK so the wording didn't go as well as it should have, but in the end the message was Kerry called Bush stupid and once again Bush twisted it to make it appear democrats are against the troops. Every time someone questions any of it, they always use the same lines and democrats run and hide, it's time the democrats stand together and say "Hell NO", we won't let you do it again! The last great democratic politician was Clinton and he always fought back, regardless of what was said, he would trow it right back at them and THEY would run. The GOP arte the weak ones,m they can't take it , if you push they will fall apart , they can't handle it, they can't lead they can only accuse and throw verbal bombs.

Having said that, I am not a Kerry fan but can't stand to see the party turn on him as they dean Howard Dean when the GOP led the media campaign to destroy him.

[cobalt1999]

21. I agree wtih you.

I'm not a Kerry fan, but Clinton would never have backed down. By backing down they are looking like they have something to be embarrassed about.

[mac56]

24. Exactly.

When has the Chimp ever worried about whether the wording was right or not?

[sendero]

18. Exactly...

... this is a no brainer.

[Fluffdaddy]

19. And Mr JK put us there. Damn, I'm so mad at Kerry I could spit

Don't you guys understand. We may understand what JK was "trying" to say, but in Middle America this is playing poorly. And we need Middle America to take our country back.

what JK did does not help. Damn we was this close.........DAMN :argh: :nuke:

[Puglover]

20. Oh chill

"we was this close."

:eyes:

[Fluffdaddy]

22. I will not chill til November 8th

[Puglover]

25. Fine, work yourself into a frenzy, but do us all a favor and stop posting shit like

"damn we was this close."

[Fluffdaddy]

26. I will not drink the kool-aid and state/post everything is fine with what JK said

[Puglover]

28. I'm not asking you to do that.

What I'm asking you to NOT do is post defeatish bullshit like "damn, we was this close." Noone needs that right now.

[Fluffdaddy]

29. Defeatist bullshit ? Then you should be as mad as I am with J. Kerry

and not afraid to say it.

[Puglover]

30. Oh good god

your logic is not only flawed, it's incomprehensible. I give up. :banghead:

[Oleladylib]

31. Absolutely correct...n/t

[humbled_opinion]

23. What a mistake now Harold Ford is telling Kerry to Apologize.

Whatever happened to speaking from the same platform... These guys need to get it together... Kerry did nothing wrong and shouldn't apologize for speaking about Bush lack of education and getting us stuck in Iraq... Is that it now Democrats are apologizing to America for getting our troops stuck in Iraq... The Carousel is going to fast for me I better get off.

[Fluffdaddy]

27. Because the way JK said it was stupid. And any candidate with a brain

knows this, and do not want Kerry within a 100 miles of him/her.

And for good reason

[SlipperySlope]

39. I think they just want to avoid wild cards

Things are getting tightly wound up, and candidates don't want wild cards. Safer to say "no Kerry" then to take a chance. Sad, but true.

[Oleladylib]

32. Good..a few days at Cape Cod would do him good..n/t

[ButterflyBlood]

33. I live in Mankato and am off to this rally in just a few minutes

I'm rather disappointed that Kerry, the main draw, won't be there. But I understand why.

[Name removed]

35. Deleted message

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[Lydia Leftcoast]

36. This is stupid

There was nothing wrong with Kerry's remark--it IS the less educated youth in this country who are stuck fighting in Iraq.

I'm so sick of Democrats APOLOGIZING as if they're Rush Limbaugh slaminng Michael J. Fox just because their TRUTH inspires over-the-top outrage in the Republicanites.

If I were Kerry, I would come out swinging and say, "Yes, it's true, it't not the yuppie college Young Republicans who are being sent to die for a lie. It's the sons and daughters of honest, hard-working Americans who can't afford to send their children to college who are dying in Iraq."

There.

Kerry's caving on this issue and his record-time concession in 2004 are two reasons why I would not support him in 2008.

[WildEyedLiberal]

37. Jesus H. Christ he did not CAVE!

God damn it, he did NOT apologize for the intent of his remarks. He apologize for misspeaking, which he did. He further said that he would take back none of his criticism of Bush and his horrible war.

Oh, and that "record time concession" was the second longest in HISTORY. Most candidates concede on election night. Nice bullshit, though.