CNN: After remark, Kerry curtails campaigning for Democrats

[DeepModem Mom]

After remark, Kerry curtails campaigning for Democrats
November 1, 2006

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. John Kerry has canceled plans to campaign for several fellow Democrats after controversy over his comments to college students about getting "stuck in Iraq."

President Bush's 2004 presidential rival -- who explained Tuesday that his comments were a "botched joke" targeting Bush -- will not appear with Pennsylvania Senate candidate Bob Casey on Wednesday night in Philadelphia, as originally planned, a Democratic official said.

"I would be surprised if you see him welcomed out there anywhere," the official said, "and certainly not in a race that is meaningful."

Appearing on radio host Don Imus' program, Kerry said Wednesday, "I'm going back to Washington. I'm going back to tackle this, you bet."

Kerry said the controversy was "swift boat stuff all over again," referring to the 2004 campaign issue about his service in Vietnam. "They shouldn't be allowed to do that," the Massachusetts lawmaker said.

Strategists at both the Democratic House and Senate campaign committees made a point to their campaigns that the flap is a distraction they don't need right now.

The Democratic official said the issue doesn't appear to change the impact of any races, but it may threaten to attract more GOP supporters in close Senate contests in Missouri and Tennessee....

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/01/kerry.remarks/index.html

[Tarcat1]

1. Good

If he can't keep his foot out of his mouth we don't need him out there stumbling around a week before an amazingly important election.

[DeepModem Mom]

4. Welcome to DU, Tarcat!

[mac56]

5. Welcome.

Consider that maybe, just maybe, speaking the truth doesn't constitute sticking his foot in his mouth.

[KurtNYC]

15. He said Bush didn't study and "got stuck in Iraq."

Some people can't take a joke and some can't tell one. But the media is willfully mis-quoting Kerry and they know it. They drill him with the Swift Boat lies and his mistake was not fighting back hard enough. I think Kerry is making the same mistake twice -- he has cancelled appearances today.

Shutting up is the last thing Kerry should do at this point. He isn't running for anything this year so let them fire all verbal shots they want at Kerry. But he needs to stick to tight soundbites in his replies. Clinton said "everytime they attack you it gives you a chance to get your message out." Here are some suggestions for Kerry right now:

"These people know I was talking about Bush."
"These people couldn't deal with Mark Foley when he was sitting right next to them -- Should we expect them to EVER find bin Laden?"
"I think Bush should apologize for his WMD jokes."
"I think Rumsfeld should apologize for saying he didn't want this army! (eg "You go to war with the army you have, NOT the one you want to have.")
"Most people think Cheney should apologize for shooting his friend in the face but the GOP does everything backwards."

[Zorra]

19. Yeah. At least the college kids he was speaking to were smart enough

to get it.

[Zorra]

18. He was insulting Bu*h with his joke, not the troops. I find it difficult

to understand why some Democrats are buying into this GOP smear agenda.

[BrokenBeyondRepair]

22. dunno; can be interpreted either way imo... both accurate

[LeahD]

24. This is the joke he'd told before, muffed it that day................

"I can't overstress the importance of a great education. Do you know where you end up if you don't study, if you aren't smart, if you're intellectually lazy? You end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq." - Senator John Kerry

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/taylor-marsh/kerrys-mangl...

[54anickel]

27. Not sure "accurate" can be applied to an out of context interpretation though. I get

what you're saying, I think. It can be interpreted both ways, but accuracy must go to the interpretation within context.

[marshall]

32. Jokes are delicate creatures

Jokes often rely on a very subtle definition of words or a double meaning that is understood but not spoken. Many a joke falls flat and can be construed as insulting when it is botched.

Communication is a two way street and the speaker cannot always hide behind being misunderstood. I think the smart move would be to acknowledge the flub (as he did) but also acknowledge an awareness of how the flub misrepresented the intention and to apologize for whatever hurt that may have caused.

Unfortunately politicians are under the microscope of public attention, and much of the media and conservatives are watching and waiting to exploit and trumpet any mis-step.

[Mass]

2. Another guy who shows his courage. He may not be wrong, but who is he?

Kerry did the right thing. He decided to allow to keep candidates on message by not being there.

However, I certainly hope he will continue his message about Iraq from DC.

[BootinUp]

3. Kerry, take the clue

Stay out of the news, make excuses later. This is not a joke.

[populistdriven]

6. he needs to take a vacation to fiji for a week

[Demeter]

7. Kerry Has Good Intentions, But Terrible Execution

Just like his fiasco of a campaign. One can't be clever in American politics--the rubes don't get it, and the vicious smear it around.

[theothersnippywshrub]

8. Kerry can seize an opportunity here.

Kerry needs to go on every show he can and tell the joke correctly. Then he should point out that only Bush and his most devoted followers are sufficiently stupid to be incapable of comprehending the incredible irony of Bush and his followers attacking someone for misspeaking.

Then he needs to talk about Iraq and Bush's lies and mistakes and point out that the republican Congress endorsed and rubber stamped every single Bush lie and blunder without question. Kerry can get unlimited airtime right now and democrats need to take advantage of such an opportunity to connect each and every republican in Congress to Iraq and their unquestioning support of Bush's lies and mistakes.

[edwardsfeingold08]

10. The joke isn't funny.

Even when the joke is told correctly, it isn't funny. Jokes about war aren't funny and Kerry isn't a good joke teller. He shouldn't try to tell jokes becomes he comes across like an idiot.

He should have said our stupid president lied to put us in a quagmire in Iraq. Thousands of American soldiers have died because of the president's stupidity and hundreds of thousands of civilians.

It's not funny. It's profoundly sad.

[ShortnFiery]

11. You sound like Harold Ford

Hello! This is why we LOSE! Like Harold Ford, we FAIL to stand up for a fellow Democrat.

IF you take a few moments to VIEW the comment in the contest of the situation, e.g., see the video, it's a "no brainier" to discern that Kerry is talking about the Idiot King in the White House.

That's it! I'm going to vote at every single election. However, damn the Democrats who can't stand together.

And double damn the M$M. We will NOT ever be able to do right for the people as long as we have these huge media conglomerates who takes the B.S. spin of ROVE and treat it like it's the God Given Truth.

Until the M$M is broken up, they will continue to enable Dear Leader's dreams for the full realization of FASCISM. :scared:

We either stand up and say, "YES! I stand with Kerry (and ALL other Democrats)" or we DIE alone.

At this rate, hunker down for continued Party Rule. :(

I love this country and I served honorable on Active Duty, but I kid you not - If there's any legal way, I'm immigrating to Canada. In other words, it's going to be a LONG cold winter of Totalitarianism for the USA, i.e., at least another 6 - 10 years.

Hell, the Pentagon doesn't even have their moles trained and on "the internets" YET.

We are so screwed! :puke: :nuke:

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

14. Please.

The Democratic Party loses because it runs poor candidates. Ford may very well win in a state Kerry lost by fifteen points. So your argument makes no sense.

[ShortnFiery]

29. No, A Party must function - at critical points - Like a TEAM

No, we should not ever "lock step" to the beat like the Authoritarian Loving republicans.

However, we should function as "a team."

IMO our team may have no place for either "Lieberman" or "Ford."

If I were in Tennessee, I'd hold my nose and vote for Ford but I also won't shed any tears if this arrogant backstabber loses. :shrug:

We need a cohesive team. Trashing liberals in not cool for our blue dog democrats.

Tolerance People. ;)

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

34. This is utter nonsense.

Hello! This is why we LOSE!

That was from your first post on this subject.

I just pointed out to you that Ford has at least a fighting chance of winning an election in a state that Kerry LOST by double-digits not two years ago. So no, I don't agree with your premise that "this is why we lose," because the actual reality of the situation doesn't bear even a passing resemblance to what you describe. If what you say is true, then Ford should be down massively.

[edwardsfeingold08]

20. I understand what Kerry meant.

I'm not like Harold Ford and the GOP feigning outrage and saying Kerry needs to apologize. I'm just saying the joke isn't funny and he shouldn't go on talk shows trying to retell the joke. Kerry is not a good joke teller. Period. He shouldn't try to pretend to be a comedian.

We're not losing an election because I'm on a message board pointing out the obvious that Kerry's joke isn't funny even if it is told correctly.

[theothersnippywshrub]

13. It is not an opportunity to attempt to be funny.

It is an opportunity to connect and criticize republicans for their blind support of Bush and the war. The objective would be to help democratic candidates.

Perhaps my post was unclear or difficult to understand. If so, I apologize.

[edwardsfeingold08]

21. No need to apologize.

I agree with you.

[grasswire]

26. that IS what he said, duh

"He should have said our stupid president lied to put us in a quagmire in Iraq."

That's precisely what he said.

[edwardsfeingold08]

28. If he "precisely" said that, no one would be talking about it.

He made a stupid joke and flubbed it. There's no need for him to try to be a comedian.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

33. I agree with you

I remember when he tried to make a joke during one of the debates (the third one, I think); he made some comment about how the only people in the room who made more than $200K were himself, Bush and Charlie Gibson.

It did not go over well; I think he was the only person in the room to even smile.

He's a smart enough guy that he shouldn't be trying to tell jokes. He should stick to his message.

[drm604]

9. Cripes, I was going there tonight specifically to see Kerry!

:(

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

12. Great.

Appearing on radio host Don Imus' program, Kerry said Wednesday, "I'm going back to Washington. I'm going back to tackle this, you bet."

I can't *wait* to see what that entails.

[NorthernSpy]

16. merci...

I figured out what he meant perfectly well on my own, but political soundbytes must be kept clear, unambiguous, simple, and structured so as to be resistant to misinterpretation or malicious editing. Anyone who can't speak without muddying the waters and creating distractions can help out by stuffing envelopes, or something.

[LibDemAlways]

17. The media whores and repukes will

love this - easily spun into the meme that Kerry was wrong and he knew it.

Why the hell Kerry didn't take the stage at his press conference yesterday, retell the joke using Bush's name, and declaring the matter over, is beyond me. When you are dealing with repukes you have to "keep it simple" because "they're stupid." Kerry's impassioned defense was great, but no one was listening.

[Enthusiast]

23. Re: The media whores and repukes will

They already know Kerry simply misspoke. Since the Republicans appear to own the media we will focus on this as long as possible. Once again the Republicans have made the Democrats look like amateurs. I felt fairly positive about the elections until I witnessed this collapse by my party.

[LibDemAlways]

31. The media whores and repuke talking heads know

Kerry misspoke, of course. Totally agree. Kerry needed to say forcefully, however, that he screwed up the joke which was.....and then repeat it. The only way to shut the idiots up.

By the way, welcome to DU! :hi:

[LeahD]

25. Sad commentary isn't it.....that everything has to be dumb downed?! n/t

[Name removed]

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