Could Kerry beat Bush?

[TheDonkey]

I've been wondering for awhile if Kerry has a chance to beat Bush.

I know he has a good chance of getting the nomination after all is said and done but can he beat Bush? I've not seen much excitment from the Kerry camp and his media exposure is not flattering.

So my question is to Kerry suppoters, can Kerry beat Bush? I really hope he can but does he have the charisma and excitment that we need. Intellegence and composure is good but as we saw with Gore that is used AGAINST a canidate for office (what a world we live in).

[sidwill]

1. Yes

Yes.

Next question.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

31. LOL! my exact response too! nt

[blm]

2. Kerry is consistently solid...

his campaign will rev up in the fall. He paces himself strategically. Like James Carville said, "He doesn't have to test the water, he's fully immersed...he's growing gills."

Beat Bush?

He'll beat em with the awolstick.

[DrFunkenstein]

3. First of All, 2000 Was Peace and Prosperity

If there was nothing serious going on, why elect someone serious? However, in 2004, most Americans are EXTREMELY edgy over terrorism and the economy. They don't want a regular guy. They want someone who is going to make them feel secure.

Next, Kerry is more man than Bush can handle. Bush is a peacock, all talk and no walk. Bush evaded combat duty and went AWOL, Kerry is heavily decorated (if you hadn't heard) with crazy ass war stories.

While Kerry was prosecuting mob bosses, Bush was snorting coke and tanking Harken. Kerry is a champion debater and literally towers over Bush. Bush jogs, Kerry plays hockey.

If you think his Iraq vote will cost him activist votes in the year of "anyone but Bush," the general public was right with Kerry - supportive with reservations. This is Kerry's soundbite: "I supported the President, gave him every opportunity to do the right thing, only to be shocked and awed by his incompetence at every stage."

You may not agree, but you must admit it is a winning tag line. And he has made a central part of his campaign about making more friends around the world to fight terrorism and our general interest.

I like him because of his progressive record, but I am equally pleased that he is made out to be the moderate, thanks (ironically) to Howard Dean's fire and brimstone style.

It seems shady to mention it, but Kerry also has a mother lode of money in his hot tamale wife. And he has tremendous organizational skills, and is patiently putting together a very impressive campaign. Not to mention his innate sense of campaign pacing - where others are playing checkers, he is clearly playing chess. Which is important against a chessmaster like Rove.

And finally, he has the "presidential" thing going. He has a sense of paternal power that taps directly into American founding father myths. He doesn't need a statue - he already looks like one! Can you imagine Dick Gephardt's face on Mount Rushmore? Well I am, and it ain't pretty!

[DrFunkenstein]

8. The First X-Treme POTUS!

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Pictures of him on his Harley, on a sailboat, playing hockey, stunt piloting a small plane, and best of all - snowboarding - will shed a new light on the first President sponsored by Mountain Dew.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

4. Yes.

And that comes from a Dean supporter. The 2004 vote will be as much, or more, about a referendum on Shrub than anything else.

[Shrub Wacker]

5. Kerry can beat the Shrub

Kerry has the credentials and the background to beat Bush. In fact he, in my humble opinion, has the best chance to beat the Shrub. There is a major question facing ALL of the democrats. Will the media give the Shrub another free pass? It looks as if they are starting to bristle under the authoritarian style of the Shrub's minions... Recently, they attacked an ABC reporter as "openly gay AND CANADIAN". Hopefully, that kind of behaviour will bite them in the butt.

[SyracuseDemocrat]

6. Yeah, definitely.

Kerry would fucking destroy Bush in a debate. He's a former prosecutor with razor-sharp debating skills. He has an excellent command of the English language, not to mention 2 or 3 others. He is a war veteran, as other have alluded to, and he has a great personality. If the economy continues the way it is, on election day 2004 Kerry will win at least 55% of the popular vote and 320 electoral.

[rock]

7. Yes

Not only could, but would. Bush*sucks is unelectable, always was, always will be.

[TheDonkey]

9. Thank you all!

Thanks for your input and comments about Kerry.
I'm feeling much better about it now (I was getting worried with all the Kerry is going to win posts).

I'm for anybody but Bush personally!!! (and a Dem)

[MercutioATC]

10. As a Dean supporter, I say.............................................Yes

I really believe that anybody we nominate can win in the general election. Gore barely lost (or actually won, depending on how you count). Since then, the following have happened:

1) Bush turned out to be a warmongering right-winger, not the moderate he campaigned as. This will not gain him any conservative votes (how many "conservatives" do you think voted for Gore). It will, however lose him Independant votes.

2) Those to the left of center feel more threatened than they did in 2000. I believe they'll turn out in greater numbers to vote.

3) Nader's not running....at least not yet. That's no more votes to Bush, but at least a few more to the Dem nominee.

4) If Bush won in a period of prosperity, shouldn't we be able to win with a lousy economy and an increasingly unpopular war?

All of this "can so-and-so beat Bush" is silly at this point. Vote your conscience. Once the nominee is chosen, we will all rally behind him or her. We have the real ability to win in 2004, regardless of which candidate gets the nod.

[gottaB]

11. Absolutely

Kerry's not my #1, but I am really excited by his campaign. There's no shortage of good things to say about him, and most of his negatives are easily deflected. You betcha he can win.

[DrFunkenstein]

12. Glad To Hear So Many Positive Things From Dean Supporters

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[RegenerationMan]

13. Kerry's wife can also contribute tens of millions to Sierra Club, NAACP,

Teresa Heinz Kerry, worth up to $800 million, has said "I can do what I want" just 4 weeks ago. She is free to give millions to non-profits and independent organizations, NEVER call them to collude on the ad, then sit back and watch anti-Bush ads 24/7 from April to November--maybe even $100 million to counteract Bush's $250 million. She can only contribute $2,000 to Kerry's campaign in hard money and it would be questionable to start her own organization and fund that.

But she could sit back and write check after check to the Sierra Club, NARAL, the NAACP and on and on--just as long as she doesn't call them up and tell them what to do...

IMAGINE PRESIDENT KERRY!
Kerry introduced Lennon at a 1971 Peace Rally in NYC

[blm]

16. She's been supporting them for years.

Presidential run or no presidential run.

[gottaB]

27. Almost

My current prefs:

Moseley Braun
Kerry
Kucinich
Dean
Edwards
Gephardt
Sharpton
Graham
Lieberman

The middle keeps getting shuffled, but Carol usually rises to the top. Things I want:

Civil rights
Peace
Clean energy
Economic prosperity
A bunch of other stuff

[phillybri]

14. He sure can...He's everything Bush isn't...

Smart, compassionate, heroic, honorable, etc...

[DinahMoeHum]

15. I am 50/50 between Kerry and Dean. . .

but when all's said and done, whoever gets the Dem nomination has my vote.

:kick:

[Americanreborn]

19. I agree with that statement! 100%!

Agreed! Whomever is on the democratic ticket is the one who has my vote!

Americanreborn

[DrFunkenstein]

20. I'm Not Sure About 50/50...

But Dean is certainly a strong #2. If he picks up Wesley Clark, it will give him a lot more legitimacy in everyone's eyes. I'm not crazy about any of the others, but I will certainly get everyone I know to vote for them when the time comes.

Side thought - Why the hell isn't Election Day a bank holiday? At least a freakin' half day!

[DeTHuGoFTHuGS]

17. Hell Yes!

[Americanreborn]

18. Kerry? Maybe.

I dunno. Bush has managed to brainwash the populous into seeing things the way that he sees the world. It will be tough. It is going to be a close election, but we all know what happens with close elections and George Bush! Fraud! If it is close, then I dunno. Dubya might screw the election up again. Sad but possibly true.

Americanreborn

BTW, who do you all think will get the nomination for the dems?

[genius]

21. Yes

And I think most liberals who are re-entering the party would support Kerry if he got the nomination. I doubt that many of them would support Dean, however, because of Dean's conservative positions that could hurt individuals of all ages and that could move the Democratic Party further to the right.

[kwolf68]

23. BINGO

Dean’s only credentials is he sat on his ass talking about the war and then in subsequent questions about the issue danced to the point of making Fred Astaire jealous.

Kerry is the true principled Democrat who won’t sellout our stands on the death penalty and the environment.

Dean is a fraud and the only reason people support him is because he is couched as a peace activist and/or they don’t know anything else about him and can just project whatever beliefs they have onto Dean.

I support Kerry because I’ve actually seen him legislate, have seen him debate the issues that matter to me, seen him fight for those issues. Dean talks…Kerry has produced.

Dean should run on a states-rights platform and re-invent the confederacy then he could really make headway into the South.

[Teacher4dean04]

25. Dean supporters are pretty cool overall

Especially on this thread. Why does someone always have to pipe in with the Dean bashing? At least be kind with your criticism, not demeaning.

Yes, I think Kerry could beat shrub. I'd vote for him, but not my first choice given his stance on Iraq and NCLB.

See, that's an example of how to kindly criticize without alienating other Dems. Afterall, aren't we all on the same side in the end? :)

[kwolf68]

22. HELLLLLL YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kerry has been an amazing fighter in the Senate for social justice, education and environmental initiatives.

He gave the smack down to Tom DeLay after DeLay questioned his patriotism after Kerry said we needed regime change at home.

“If they want to pick a fight, they've picked a fight with the wrong guy. I watched what they did to Max Cleland last year. Shame on them for doing it then and shame on them for trying to do it now.”

“I'm not going to let the likes of Tom DeLay question my patriotism.”

Kerry's record in the US Senate has been among the very best and his leadership has been a source of inspiration as he has been willing to use whatever parlimentary means needed to protect democracy.

Kerry is a man with the rare quality that one former President had (we won't name him, but his initials are familiar) in that he has a profound respect for the military, but a slight distrust of it as well.

I believe Kerry's only shortcomings are:

1-Dealing with the labeling (Massachusetts Liberal) that will surely be fired his way. I expect he will make short work of that non-argument

2-He appears a bit aloof. John Edwards and Howard Dean come off a bit more "people person" oriented. Edwards is phenomenal with this.

3-And lets face it, dude is sharp as a tac, highly articulate and brilliant. Some people like the fact their President is dumber than they are and this is where Bush has a decided advantage of Kerry...

But...If Kerry is the nominee, YES, he can win.

[chimpymustgo]

24. Yup.

nt

[whirlygigspin]

26. NO

I like Kerry and admire him greatly,
but I can't shake the feeling that "Bubba"
won't vote for him.

[tpub]

28. we don't need Bubba

we need your average Joe, but not Bubba

let Dubya have Bubba

[GOPBasher]

29. I think so.

Of course, so much depends upon whether or not the economy rebounds. But I definately think Kerry CAN beat Bush.

[Shrub Wacker]

30. Key is Electability

:Dem: It is important to make sue that we get the right guys on the ticket. Kerry is that guy. I like a lot of what Dean has to say, as I am sure that most of us do, however, the paramount question is electability. That is where Kerry has Dean beat.