Republicans Accuse Kerry of Planning Dirty Campaign

[rodbarnett]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of President Bush's Republican Party accused Democrat John Kerry's campaign on Thursday of planning the "dirtiest campaign in modern presidential politics" in a scorched-earth bid to oust Bush in November.

Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie took the offensive against the Democrats after days in which Bush has been on the defensive over Democratic charges that he shirked his Air National Guard duties in the Vietnam war.

"It's only February and they have made clear they intend to run the dirtiest campaign in modern presidential politics," Gillespie said, according to speech excerpts released by the RNC.

The Kerry campaign quickly fired back, calling Gillespie's comments "nothing more than a smear from the right-wing attack machine" and likened it to what Democrats consider underhand tactics used against Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona in 2000 and Democrat Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia in 2002.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=4349775

comment : looks like the gloves are off

[flamingyouth]

1. Hey, kettle, meet the pot!

:grr:

[liberalnurse]

8. I sense there maybe some democratic candidates

who have felt his rath. If he has planted the seeds and plans on going on after *bush....it is reasonable to be expected by the opposition that the same tactics will be utilized.

[Womblestuffer]

18. dammit.....that was my line.........lol

how dirty will it become??

[theshadow]

2. From the people...

who wrote the book on dirty campaigns. Oh, please.

[David Dunham]

3. What goes around comes around

[PartyPooper]

4. If he's this nervous now, Junior will go into meltdown during the debates.

I can hardly wait!

:evilgrin:

[molly]

5. Good! This indicates we got to them!

the mental midgets are shitting bricks! BRING THEM ON!!!!

:kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick:

[jsw_81]

6. Boo fucking hoo

These are the same Republicans who accused President Clinton of murder, rape, treason, and theft for eight years; they also accused his wife of having lesbian affairs in the White House. Then they stole the 2000 election in Florida and went on to accuse patriotic Democrats like Max Cleland of being traitors in 2002. Just take a look at Ann Coulter's latest column; the bitch actually jokes about Cleland's war injuries.

And now they want to whine about Kerry running a "dirty" campaign? Give me a break!

[Jawja]

21. These are the

Republicans who financed an 8 year investigation of the Clintons in search of crime and trashed people's lives along the way.

After setting Clinton up for perjury, they proceeded to embarrass us in front of the world by taking the country through a ridiculous impeachment trial when they should have been focusing on real and present danger.

They deserve everything they get and they got it coming.

[nolabels]

41. Do you think maybe Max could get a JOB in this new administration?

Maybe the job of Attorney General would be a fit. Going on real witch hunt could be fun.

[Bandit]

45. That is exactly what some Democrat needs to say directly to his face.

And to any of them when they start on this type of rant. Boo fucking hoo. Instead of trying to deny it we should say "Bring it On" because we sure the fuck are. Boo fucking hoo.

[BeatleBoot]

7. Dear Mr. Gillespie...

If you stop telling lies about the Democrats, then we'll stop telling the truth about the Republicans.

[emulatorloo]

13. Right ON, Brother or Sister!

and I love the Beatles toooooooooooo.

[kurtyboy]

15. Great quote from a great President!

Give 'em Hell, Harry!

[Johnyawl]

43. And Truman's response to that was...

..."I don't give em hell. I just tell the truth; they think it's hell!"

[POed_Ex_Repub]

9. They hired Karl Rove!? OMG!

Poor Republicans

:nopity:

[Just Me]

10. Oh, gawd,...stop your whining!!!

Remember how they called anyone who complained about their visciousness "whiners"?

Well, to hell with them. They started this game changing the rules to one of visciousness. Now, we are answering their "bring it on" challenge, thumping more loudly upon our courageous chests than they could ever have imagined!!!

[coloradodem2005]

11. If Kerry wants to play dirty with Bush, it's fine by me.

I cannot believe Bush's hypocricy over this. I hope someone gives Bush exactly what is coming to him and no less.

[tabasco]

20. Me too. Glad to see it actually.

Fight fire with fire. But Democrats don't have to lie. We just have to be relentless in bringing out the truth!

[JPace]

12. The WH rethugs are not used to being on the defensive....

aren't they a noisy bunch?

"ouch..quit that...it hurts...you are a bully...
unfair....liar...oh stop it...no evidence...
mommy he's hitting me...."

[bpilgrim]

14. '...just tell the truth and Republicans think it's hell' TRUMAN

Truman used to respond: "`I don't give
'em hell, I just tell the truth and Republicans think it's hell.'" :evilgrin:

peace

[Jack Rabbit]

16. The Republicans idea of a dirty campaign

The Republicans idea of a dirty campaign:

• Point out that Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction;
• Point out that Saddam had no ties to al Qaida;
• Point out that Halliburton is profiting nicely from an invasion that seems to have no other justification than that Halliburton should profit nicely;
• Point out that Bush's tax cuts benefit the upper 1% and are of little value to anyone else;
• Point out that there are fewer jobs now than when Bush took office;
• Point out that jobs are going overseas;
• Call Bush the biggest liar to come from Texas since Pecos Bill and document it with cold, hard facts.

[Kinkistyle]

28. What Repugs consider "dirt" everyone else considers TRUTH.

Dems don't need to sling "mud" at the repugs because just the facts about what the Bush Administration has perpetrated is enough to blow holes into the MisAdministration's hull like 2 ton torpedoes

[Gman]

17. What server did they hack this time

that they're so sure?

[Blue_Roses]

19. Ed Gillespie is such a smary little

weasle. He's a horrible leader for their party. He does nothing but whine and whine and whine..oh, boo hoo Ed.

[bigtime]

22. well I certainly hope he is

a "niceness offensive" is just not going to get the job done against Rove's boys

(edited for dumbness)

[peterh]

23. I just wish more people understood....

the real meaning of dirty/gutter politics…it usually means it can’t be refuted other than by the usual spin that….you’ve crossed the line, you’ve entered the gutter…you bad….but rarely, if ever, is it ever refuted in it’s entirety…

And todays spin that it was over 30 years ago, we’ve all made mistakes in our early years and we’re certainly not going to harp on Kerry for chucking his medals and joining the war protesters…no we’re not going to do that….

People…we’ve all been children, some of us are still there, and many of us have raised children…..I think I/we know when a child is squirming and fibbing….and it’s tattooed all over that child in the WH.

So….to all the mediawhores…when you continue to play deft, blind and dumb, and trumpet the WH spin….you’re only reinforcing your image as a two-bit whore….

[leesa]

24. At least he didn't plan two illegal wars costing tens of thousands of live

Poor widdle GOP babies...

[hedgetrimmer]

25. Well, when you are facing a piece of garbage its kinda hard to

keep it clean...

[The_Casual_Observer]

26. I love it when a big fat cat repuke gets all sanctimonious!

Like when they start in about Jesus or something like this.
Who does he think he's kidding???

[Judi Lynn]

32. Bush played the "Jesus" card when people started asking him

about his past.

Nothing can shut up questions about one's past like the simple expression of reverent faith, and the reminder than Jayzus has forgiven him.

It's like saying "Shut up," only it makes anyone who would pursue the matter look disrespectful to gawd.

[Ksec]

27. Im bettin the RNC dropped that

story on Drudge. Dont listen to them. Its only fair we play dirty also. Remember Clinton!

[wabeewoman]

29. I liked the Kerry line

that if the repugs played dirty then EVERYTHING was on the table-made it sound like the Kerry camp would hold their own. Its good that they are quickly answering the charges. Lets hope its a sign the democrats have grown a backbone (besides Howard Dean who obviously has one).

[Piperay]

30. God, I sure hope so...

it's about time our side took it to the dirt and got right in there with the repuke scum suckers and gave it right back to them. :evilgrin:

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[onehandle]

33. Waaaaaaaaaaah!!!

The grownups in charge sure whine like babies.

[mac56]

34. "We liked it better when you didn't fight back."

nm

[Neecy]

35. dirtiest campaign in modern presidential politics?

Well, my vote would go to the '88 campaign, courtesy of Poppy Bush, with the race baiting Willie Horton ads, ACLU smears and ridiculous flag-burning non-issue.

[Beaker]

36. The Repuke motus operandi in action once again-

Accuse the Dems of being guilty of everything that the Repukes actually do...Rush has the procedure almost perfected.

This is the explanation in advance for what will probably be the ugliest campaign ever waged by any repuke, any candidate EVER-

"Kerry was setting up the ugliest campaign ever, so we have to do the same, just to defend ourselves, and the Republican good and righteous name.

[KansDem]

37. OWWWWW!!!

The sting of irony in this statement is extremely painful!

F*** YOU, GOP!!! :grr:

[FlaGranny]

38. I hope that

their evidence didn't come from the same place as the WMD evidence. Perhaps, next, they might accuse Kerry of having a plan to look into a program for plans to look into the feasibility of WMD.

[havocmom]

42. Yes, another WH pre-emptive war on what may or may not be real

Would some nice person read The Boy Who Cried Wolf to the whiner in chief?

There may be cooties in Rove's hair too. Better de-louse him.

[CBHagman]

39. Coming next week: Hugh Hefner bemoans lustful thoughts of "readers"

Oh, brother. OH, BROTHER.

Hey, Ed, opposition research THIS.

[rocktivity]

40. Typical Republican Pre-emptive strike

Accuse others of what you're doing before they can accuse you. As Georgie himself attempted to say, fool us twice, shame on us.


rocknation

[JPace]

44. Well of course Kerry is planning to get down in the dirt

for the campaign. We have finally learned
that the only way the rethugs fight is dirty!
So dirt it is and dirt we will be throwing
around.

A little practice and we will be better at
than they ever thought of. Especially since
we never claimed to be the keeper of morality.
Somehow dirt always looks dirtier on someone
who claims purity.

[Fovea]

46. And here is what Kerry should say--

"I just tell the truth, and they think it's hell."

HST

Really, how these crawdads can say that someone is muddy comprared to them is outrageous!