Kerry gave the Republicans the break they were dreaming about

[mtnsnake]

It just doesn't matter what Kerry meant when he stuck his foot in his mouth AGAIN. It's the PERCEPTION that counts, and the Republicans are going to run with it, just as we would if one of them made a similarly DUMB remark.

When I was a kid, my father taught me that people who are smart aren't always smart in all aspects. Some of the most seemingly intelligent people can be extremely lacking in certain ways.

Doesn't this guy ever think AHEAD to any possible ramifications of his remarks? Aren't most politicians supposed to be aware...and careful of what comes out of their mouths? Jesus H Christ, I never dreamed Kerry could top his Lesbian gaffe of 2004 with something like this, but he most certainly came through in flying colors. Impossible as it could seem, the guy just hit a home run...only for the other team! Ouch!!

[derby378]

1. The long-term damage, however, will probably be minimal

The short-term damage is another story. Tony Snow is on C-SPAN trying Hitler's old routine of making the lie big enough that the whole nation believes it. But Kerry's poor choice of phrasing doesn't help our cause much.

[mrgorth]

3. If we don't gain a house NOW

I'd say that's plenty of long term damage.

[derby378]

5. Absolutely

But the poll numbers will give us the best tale of the tape. The momentum is still on our side, but Repukes will use this event to derail it as much as they can.

Kerry apparently never bothered to read George Lakoff, and this has hurt him.

[emulatorloo]

19. Read Kerry's Press conference yesterday

before you invoke Lakoff. It is short, so read it, Please

Kerry said things that should make any Dem or American proud. Fancy trendy theorist or not.

http://www.johnkerry.com/news/releases/release.html?id=34

[geek tragedy]

25. No one's paying attention to his statement. The issue has

been framed "Did John Kerry call our troops stupid?"

That's not fair, but it was ENTIRELY predictable. Which is why Kerry should have done damage control instead of making himself the story by going on the attack.

[Eurobabe]

29. Yeah and it is ALL over the internet, short clip on YOUTUBE

Was Kerry trying to be esoteric again? It doesn't work in this electorate.

K.I.S.S.

[Snivi Yllom]

42. yup, issue has been framed

The proper response would have been a tactical decision to apolgize, and shut up till after the election. Then Kerry would be free to go after his critics. It was a very poor decision to make this a fight less than a week before an election.

[yellowcanine]

48. This will have no effect on ANY race. Even if people believe the lie

that Kerry was somehow dissing the troops (and it IS a lie and the WH knows it), they are not going to vote for a Republican or not vote for a Democrat because of it. And they are not going to vote or not vote because of it. So how does it cause long term damage? The only way it might is if Democratic candidates make a big deal about demanding apologies from Kerry (as Harold Ford did) and piss off the Democratic base.

[Mass]

6. The only defense on that is attack. What worries me is that I do not see the attack.

Kerry did what needed to be done yesterday on his side. Others should do their part. Where are they. :shrug:

[AZBlue]

45. Except Kerry's comments today aren't on the attack, they are defensive.

Yesterday was great. But today he's too wordy again.

“I’m not gonna let these guys distort something completely out of its context solely for the purpose of avoiding responsibility, which is what they’re doing,” Kerry told MSNBC’s Don Imus.

“They’ve taken those words — just like they take words all the time — and they distort them on purpose in order to distract Americans from their policy,” he said. “A hundred young Americans died last month. These guys don’t have a policy.”

No one's going to listen to all that. He should just say, "Look, I made a bad joke. But the real issue is Iraq. They have no plan, 100 people died this month alone, violence is escalating, the people of Iraq are dying by the thousands. Let's stay focused on the real issue here." Period.

[AtomicKitten]

64. Enough. Seriously. This needs to blow over quickly.

We have an ass-kicking to deliver next week.

[AZBlue]

67. I agree. All the time and effort put into these discussions should be spent calling.

eom

[formernaderite]

76. well said

the non apology apology is the worst type...if he'd just said nothing it would have been better...then the pundits would have been discussing whether or not his point had merit in the first place.

[fuzzyball]

80. I think you would have defeated Bush more effectively than Kerry

could ever have. I am tired of all these presidential
aspirants who are poor politicians. Gen. Clark is another
such person.

Give me Bill Clinton, Sen Bayh, Rahm Emanuel, or even
Hillary or any of the other SEASONED politicians who would
never make such blunders.

[blm]

109. Kerry didn't blunder and earned more votes than any Dem in history. EVERY

Dem gets lied about.

Rove used that same tactic of made up story to convince MOST AMERICANS that the Clintons trashed the White House - which a great number of people still believed even through 2004. They did it because they had to change the perception in the nation that Bush was an illegitimate president.

EVERY candidate drops a word or fluffs a line in a speech. EVERY ONE.

The difference is that they didn't have Hacking Democracy about to be aired so BushInc had to smear Kerry with ANYTHING right before it aired.

Try putting two plus two together.

[enough already]

30. The short term damage is likely minimal

I doubt this has significant impact on too many current races. I do think this will effectively sink any chance for Kerry to be elected in '08, however.

[derby378]

37. I was worrying about that...

Kerry has become a GOP punching bag, which I really hate to see. But at least he's finally punching back.

[mrgorth]

2. Agreed

Major F up.

[libertad]

4. They would shut up if dems reiterated enough times what Kerry

really meant!

[derby378]

7. If Kerry needs an interpreter, however, that means he's screwed

Today's America doesn't do back-story. They want the message right here, right now, without a whole lot of explanation and build-up.

[emulatorloo]

22. Enough ALREADY - Read yesterday's press conference

Any reasonable person understands that Kerry was making a joke about Bush, not slamming the troops.

But the repug flying monkeys flew out and did what they do -- which is lie, distort, and lie again.

I am asking you to view or read Kerry's conference yesterday in which he dismantled the lie machine and kicked Bushco butt

http://www.johnkerry.com/news/releases/release.html?id=34

Kerry: “If anyone owes our troops in the fields an apology, it is the President”

[calimary]

71. No kidding.

I can't help this deep, dark, bleak feeling in my gut that we just got SERIOUSLY set back by this. It was the red meat the starving citizens of Dumbfuckistan were pleading for. ANYTHING to remind them why they should cling to the republi-CONS next Tuesday, and I can't help feeling as though Kerry just served it to them, free of charge, on a silver platter with sterling flatware and crystal stemware, AND all the trimmings.

Dear GOD, didn't he learn ANYTHING from 2004? ANYTHING AT ALL??? And he says he's ready to take on the swifties this time? Is he frickin' kidding? Oh, he gets it. Yeah, sure. He'll do it better next time. God help us if he DOES get a next time. THIS is dress-rehearsal for the next time and he just fucked up. AGAIN. And at a critical time when we can't afford ANY fuckups, or even the PERCEPTION of a fuckup - or even the distorted, misrepresented, spun, misconstrued, LIED-ABOUT, completely inaccurate and unfounded PERCEPTION. PERCEPTION IS STILL EVERYTHING. And evidently Kerry is determined to prove his perception is straight up his backside.

As has been said farther upthread, nobody has any time, or any interest, in hearing the reinterpretation or the "what he MEANT to say." Nobody cares. The damage has been done. The damned thing has been framed. Thanks John. Thanks a fuckin' HEAP. I was feeling pretty good about next Tuesday until John Kerry had to go and open his damned yap.

[mtnsnake]

9. This time, Dems are caught between a rock and a hard place

They would like to make sure people are aware that Kerry meant something different than what it sounded like coming out of his mouth, but at the same token our Dems have to be careful not to come off as being equated with the same philosophy when they stick up for him. It's bad enough that one high profile Democrat made this blunder of words, and the rest of them sure don't want to be misconceived as having coinciding views. Yes, they need to find ways to explain what he "meant", but it'll be like walking a tight rope.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

21. That's part of the problem

Kerry persistently puts other people in the position of having to "explain" what he "really meant."

I seem to recall going through some of that in the autumn of 2004, as well.

Karl Rove: "If you're explaining, you're losing."

So.

I'll be explaining. But the damage has been done.

[BoneDaddy]

8. This DRIVES ME NUTS!!!!

Look we ALL understand this was a botched joke, but talk about giving the rrepublicans mouth to mouth at this point in the election.

[mtnsnake]

10. Me to. Similar feeling as after his Lesbian comment...maybe even worse

[bobbie]

49. Yes...it almost seems intentional

This is the second campaign in a row where he has helped the supposed opponent. He is such an insider.

[rodeodance]

gee, excuse Kerry for being a human who makes mistakes!

[architect359]

31. Yeah, well, when the stakes are this high, mistakes become something more n/t

[rodeodance]

11. gee, excuse Kerry for being a human who makes mistakes!

[primative1]

13. Maybe Its Just Me ...

Correction: Me and Everyone I know.
Sounded to me like Kerry was just stating the obvious.
Might be its politicaly incorrect to say it, but these days most people (outside of the GOP administration and MSM media) dont find it too hard to figure out that being in the military in IRAQ isnt the first choice of most aspiring young students ... duh...

[flpoljunkie]

12. Hotline, Bush's former pollster Matthew Dowd and Dick Armey--ALL defend John Kerry.

http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2006/10/matt_dowd_dick.html

October 31, 2006

Matt Dowd, Dick Armey Defend Kerry

Matt Dowd, the president's '04 pollster, told MSNBC's Chris Matthews that Kerry "just misspoke" and "in no way" did he think Kerry intended to insult U.S. troops.

And here's ex-Maj. Leader Dick Armey, also on Hardball:

“Well, of course, this is a perfect example of politics in America … The President wants the people to perceive of having maligned our troops… I think John Kerry’s right. He’s making a defense of himself. He’s saying, ‘Look, I was not maligning the troops, I was maligning the President of the United States.'”

Posted at 07:55 PM

and, earlier...


Do Republicans really believe that Kerry wasn't talking about Pres. Bush? (We believe that Kerry was referring to Bush because he's used a similar formulation in our presence before and quite clearly meant to call Bush a dummy.)

Aren't Republicans being a bit intellectually dishonest by taking Kerry out of context?

How many news cycles will this cost the Democrats?

Do independents associate Kerry with “strength?”

Will bloggers -- smart and pragmatic -- come to Kerry's defense?

Will the media treat Kerry fairly enough to report on his comments fairly?

Do Republicans want to refight '04 about Iraq?

http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2006/10/bush_slams_kerr_1.html

[SouthernBelle82]

14. Oh yeah

I'm sure Kerry really changed a lot of people's minds one week away from the election. :eyes: Please. It's such a non issue. I suggest you check out Kerry's press conference about the whole ordeal. Who should apologize is George Bush and his stuffed suits.

[maine_raptor]

15. Excuse me, but I really get a bit upset with this view.

I've been reading a bunch of these "Kerry F*'d Up" threads and haven't responded before, but now I will.

First off Baseball ain't the right sport, Golf is:

Kerry didn't hit a home run; he just put his tee shot on the green and is now putting for birdie.


Look, all this talk about Kerry's "gaffe" (insult to the troops) just downright begs the question: What about the other sides gaffes (insult to the troops)?

Snowjob and his "just a number" statement......Bet a lot of the families of those KIA'd in Iraq found that a bit repulsive.

How many Viet Vets got a little peeved when they found out about Cheney's 5 deferments for his "other priorities"?

And what about all the VA cuts, the lack of armored Humvee's, the bad water from Halliburton for the GI's, and all the other CRAP this admin has done in their "show of support for the troops"?

TURN THIS ISSUE AROUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You want to have a discussion about supporting the troops, Mr. Right-Winger?

Fine.............Bring it ON!!!!!!!!!!!

That's the "stroke" that will find the bottom of the cup.

[flpoljunkie]

16. Not according to National Journal's pollster, Charie Cook.

http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2006/11/hotline_after_d_112.html

National Journal's Cook: "I don't know what Kerry meant. ... Frankly I don't think that there is anything that John Kerry could say or do that could positively or negatively significantly affect this election, because frankly I don't think he's terribly relevant to this election" ("Tucker," MSNBC, 10/31).

The election is, as Russert said last night, about "Iraq, Iraq, Iraq." And the people of this country have already made up their minds about Iraq. They have rejected Bush's "stay the course" as a plan to get us out of Iraq.

[sampsonblk]

18. Turnout, turnout, turnout

That's the Republicans' only hope. John Kerry can easily turn this thing around, in my opinion. Of course, he could easily have turned the thing around in 2004, but he didn't make any effort.

The only way I see this having any impact on the election is if the Repubs use this to increase their own turnout - and it appears that's exactly what they are trying to do.

[leesa]

17. I love how people like you let the Republicans drive everything!

[SlipperySlope]

86. Agreed!

We need to be PROACTIVE, not REACTIVE

[mtnsnake]

110. No. It's people like me who are fed up w/needless catastrophic blunders

like this one. Our mission is difficult enough already that we don't need unnecessary crap like this to have to worry about.

[OHdem10]

20. The Media is giving the RW the gift.

An honest unbiased Media would show what Kerry was sayingleading
up to the botched joke. They would show the audience laughing.
(The Audience knew it was a joke.)

As usual the Corporate Media use the Republican way of framing
and lift one misleading statement. The Media give the Republicans
explanation.

Remember the Media does not want Kerry to run for President.
Kill two birds with one stone. Knock out Kerry for 2008 and
try to keep Republicans in power.

Those Dems climbing on to criticize Kerry only play into
Media Scheme. Dems rollover when bullies attack. Only
republicans are capable of leading our country. Watch
the Media from now to the election as they enable the
Republicans.

It is this kind of behavior that makes Media less respected
than Used Car Salesman.

[emulatorloo]

23. It would take 2 seconds for the media to cut thru the Repug Bullshit

You are absolutely right. Thank you for your post.

And it is infuriating me that so many DU'ers are echoing the Repug Noise Machine on this.

[Supersedeas]

61. But, isn't this predictable--the Media wants no policy discussion--they want

to know what quantity and quality of mud to throw at Dems and they want to know what John Mark Karr is having to eat on his flight to the states.

[CJCRANE]

105. But the Dems also need to be smart.

See the thread about Wes Clark's interview on this - he mentioned Kerry in his first sentence then for the rest of the interview he focused on the problems in Iraq.

The interviewer kept trying to bring Kerry back into the discussion but Wes ignored him and kept talking about the issues.

[ClassWarrior]

24. Actually, you're giving it to them. But who's counting?

NGU.

[moose65]

26. Here we go again!

To me, this is ALREADY over. It happened, big deal, let's move on. It's already off the front page. I didn't hear about it until I got home, and now NO ONE is talking about this! Kerry is irrelevant to this election! The people who care about this stuff are NOT going to vote Democratic anyway. And really, I can't see this changing someone's mind 6 days before the election. We all need to get a grip.

[Cosmocat]

27. Aw ... Bunk ...

He could have said, "I TOTALLY Support our troops" and they would have found a way to this faux indignant, he owes the troops an apology for saying they need support BS ...

HE DID NOT DO OR SAY ANYTHING WRONG !!! It just it the right wing hate machine making one last desperate stand, and it resonates very loudly within the confines of the RWF echo chamber ... It gets the 35% of the lunatics on the right who are constantantly scanning for some way to get all outraged fired up ... And, the MSM showing its colors in running with it ...

It was a PATHETIC distortion ...

[lwcon]

28. I hate to say "I told you so"

Actually, everybody likes saying "I told you so." But to admit it is to be tone-deaf to how people react to things.

Though this Kerry comment is a totally bogus issue -- only a nitwit or a liar could claim he was insulting the troops -- it's further evidence of *his* tone-deafness, which makes the "new, improved Kerry" not a good candidate.

See: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2886492&mesg_id=2886592

___

Hey, the liberal light is always on at the Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy. Please stop by and say "hi!"

[Fluffdaddy]

32. Not a good candidate at all. He just ended his 08 hopes. And maybe our 06 hopes

[rockymountaindem]

34. ...Said the guy with the DLC avatar...

[Fluffdaddy]

35. ohhhh........ Excellent Retort

[leftofthedial]

33. those yale ties run deep

[bobbie]

50. Bingo leftofthedial

Fraternal brothers loyal only to each other

[yellowcanine]

58. shameful guilt by association.

[leftofthedial]

65. excuse me, I misspoke

I meant to say "wealthy white male New England Yale ties"

[yellowcanine]

68. Still guilt by association. If it were wealthy white male NE HARVARD

ties, would it be ok, then? JFK, RFK, etc.

[leftofthedial]

74. we are in a class war

in which some in the oligarchy are kinder and gentler than others

Kerry made an unfortunate misstatement, which is not worth the time we are spending talking about it

Let's get the repukes as far out of power as possible next Tuesday

I don't trust Kerry. He has the "misfortune" of making "mistakes" when the ruling cabal need it the most.

Pointing out Yale ties is no less relevant than criticizing repukes or any other group. I never said ALL Yalies are bad. I pointed out that both bush and Kerry are Yalies.

[yellowcanine]

92. Nope, still don't buy it. You are judging people based on where they

live and where they went to college. Guilt by association and stereotypes will not do. A university is not the equivalent of a political party. People go to a particular university for all sorts of reasons. People belong to a political party because they share the political philosophy of that party. It is a huge difference. Your broad brush obscures real differences. Throwing Kerry under the bus is not going to help defeat Republicans.

[leftofthedial]

94. I have ties to people I grew up with

and to people I went to school with

and to people I used to work with

you do to

you are being grotesquely PC

At least Kerry didn't say "no mas" again.

[yellowcanine]

96. PC????? How so? As for ties to people - of course. But I don't have ties

to EVERYONE I went to school with, etc. I hardly ever communicate with anyone I went to high school with or college with, even old roommates or people who may have been in the same organizations. I hear from old classmates at most once a year during alumni fund drives. That's it. I don't even know where most of them are politically and a good number of them I would be hard put to recognize if I met them on the street. Give it up. Your arguments don't wash. PC?????

[leftofthedial]

97. Do you have any old friends?

If so, those yellowcaine's old friend ties run deep

I didn't say "everyone" anywhere

I was talking about king george and John Kerry.

Their Yale ties run deep. So do their ruling oligarchy ties. They have loyalties to their class.

That's not generalization or bigotry or prejudice.

It's observation. They are united deeply by common backgrounds.

[Snivi Yllom]

36. Kerry just gave 2 maybe 3 news cycles to the GOP

The week before an election that is unforgivable and reeks of Kerry's terrible political instincts.

Imus had it right today
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=1132&mesg_id=1132

[yellowcanine]

40. You have bought the WH spin on this. Kerry did nothing. This was

a calculated misrepresentation of Kerry's remarks by the WH. And it is going to hurt the WH by the end of the week because it gets people talking about Iraq again just before the election. Who can deny that it is Bush who is stuck in Iraq?

[Snivi Yllom]

41. I see this boosting GOP GOTV efforts

And extending the newscycles guarantees firing up the GOP base, which in close races could make a difference.

[yellowcanine]

43. Even if you are correct, sticking to the truth is better than buying the lie for

any short term election gain. And I think you are wrong anyway. George Bush has waved the bloody shirt too many times. By the end of the week, maybe the day, the WH spin will be exposed.

[Snivi Yllom]

44. 2 words: "Wellstone Memorial"

.

[yellowcanine]

46. Bull manure. And I suppose you think Al Gore claimed he invented the internet.

The point is this. The Republicans will lie and misrepresent as long as the Democrats and the media let them. It doesn't matter how carefully Democratic politicians phrase their criticisms of Bush and his conduct in Iraq. The WH will find a way to twist it around. The only way to stop them is to not criticise them at all. And that is unacceptable in a democracy. Yes maybe Kerry could parse his words to make sure that any one prase could not be lifted out and used against Democrats. But that in effect have the same result. Kerry has been giving the gist of this speech for months. Why is it now being blown up into something by the WH? Ask yourself that.

[Snivi Yllom]

54. "Yes maybe Kerry could parse his words to make sure that any one prase could not be lifted out"

politics 101

don't arm your opponent with your own words

[yellowcanine]

55. No, Political Correctness and Emasculation 101. Your opponent will

twist anything you say if you and/or your so-called friends allow it.

[yellowcanine]

38. No it is not just the perception that counts when the perception is WH spin.

Watch the Chris Matthews clip on it and get the context for Kerry's remarks. Even Dick Armey says that Kerry was clearly talking about Bush, not the troops. Democrats need to stand up and defend Kerry's remarks and insist that they be interpreted in the proper context. The quote was at the end of a riff on Bush. Once one understands that, it is clear that it wasn't about the troops. The rest of the media needs to unhook their lips from the WH ass and follow the lead of Chris Matthews in reporting this quote in the context in which it was made.

[Arkana]

39. Yes. Unfortunately for them, that break came about two weeks too late.

There's really not any time for them to do anything except scream it over cable news--GOP candidates don't have the time to work it into speeches against their opponents or campaign ads. It might have had legs three weeks ago, but with less than a week it's just an issue that the Pubes are clinging desperately to.

[bobbie]

47. I gotta wonder if it was a mistake

I was on Kerry's side yesterday (tho' not in general). But I've thought for two years that he was the insider, who threw the election to his fellow skull and boner with his wimpy campaign and prompt capitulation after the vote fraud.

Now he gives the Pugs some lame faux "issue" just when they need to distract everyone from their implosion. Hmmm.

On edit, fixed a typo and removed brackets.

[yellowcanine]

51. Now that is just slander on Kerry. You are the one who should apologize.

You have no basis for those remarks. You do not know what Kerry knew or did not know about any vote fraud. And someone who came within one state's EVs of unseating an incumbent president did not run a wimpy campaign or throw any election. Maybe you have forgotton about the gay marriage amendments that were used to fire up Republicans in Ohio and elsewhere. He did not "give" the WH this issue. They did that all by themselves. Kerry has been giving the gist of this speech for months. The WH chose at this time to lift a single sentence out of his remarks and try to twist it into a "diss the troops" statement. The only way Kerry prevents this from happening is to not criticise Bush at all on Iraq. Is that what you want just to win an election? No thanks.

[bobbie]

52. There's a basis for my assertion

Like the fact that he's a skull and boner along with Bush.
Like the fact that he came from far back in the pack in the 2004 Dem primary to suddenly take first place after the easy an infiltrate caucus.
And the fact that he ran a horrendous campaign.
And rolled over and played dead after massive vote fraud and refused to fight for the right to vote.
And now, two years later, he's the cavalry the Bush clan needed to give them some BS quasi-"issue" to thump on.

He's been a valuable asset for the other side whether intentional or not. And I think it's intentional.

[yellowcanine]

57. Guilt by association and groundless assertions are not a basis for

anything.

Skull and Bones? - guilt by association. Proves nothing by itself.

He defied expectations and did well in the early primaries? So what. No votes had actually been cast when he "came from far back in the pack". Proves nothing except that the pundits were wrong. What a surprise. What is Harry Truman's victory in 1948 proof of in your opinion?

Horrendous campaign? He won 252 EVs against a sitting wartime president.

Massive vote fraud? You have any proof of that claim and that Kerry knew about it AT THE TIME?

"he's the cavalry" ? You have drunk the WH and MSM koolaid on this. If Kerry hadn't said this, the WH would have jumped on something/someone else.

You "think" it is intentional? That is not a defense against slander. You have some facts, produce them.

[Gatchaman]

82. Skull and Bones Kerry: Mission Accomplished

Remember back in 2004, how Kerry and bush both gave the exact same answer (almost word for word) when asked by Russert (I think) about their membership in Skull and Bones? Remember how Kerry folded faster that Superman on laundry day after the Ohio results were disputed the day after the election?

Take some time and read up on Skull and Bones. It's just not a meeting place for the sons of privledge to drink beer and experiment with their latent homosexual tendencies (although there's plenty of that there too). These people find their way into the halls of power through their association to the group, and allegance to their brothers is much stronger than ties to a political party.

Kerry isn't fit to be elected dog catcher. Hopefully there's a Ned Lamont waiting in the wings in Massechusetts.

[bobbie]

93. Thank you Gatchaman

Good to see that you have been paying attention.
Oh, and "folded faster that Superman on laundry day;" that's pretty dang funny.

My god, if people didn't notice his mission accomplished in taking a dive in 2004, I guess they're not going to notice his little gift to his insider pals in 2006.

[FrenchieCat]

53. It's not so much about John Kerry, it's about our media and what

they are doing with the Kerry comment.

The media is taking this where they want it to go, and I resent the hell out of them.

This country is fucked up, and it is the media that has made it so!

God, deliver us from this nightmare called media conglamoration!

War with Iran is next!

I hate this shit! :eyes:

[mhatrw]

56. Yes. Kerry seems like God's gift to Republicans right now.

But our corporate media is driving that.

I must admit that the right wing attack machine (aka corporate media) is truly awesome to behold. Let one guy not running for any office say just one thing that can be taken out of context and used against him and all Democrats, and just sit back and watch the fireworks.

I mean, how many times does Bush misspeak every week without anybody saying anything about it?

"People don't need to worry about security. This deal wouldn't go forward if we were concerned about the security for the United States of America." --George W. Bush, on the deal to hand over U.S. port security to a company operated by the United Arab Emirates, Washington, D.C., Feb. 23, 2006

"See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda." --George W. Bush, Greece, N.Y., May 24, 2005

"It's in our country's interests to find those who would do harm to us and get them out of harm's way." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., April 28, 2005

"You work three jobs? Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that." --George W. Bush, to a divorced mother of three, Omaha, Nebraska, Feb. 4, 2005

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004

"We need an energy bill that encourages consumption." --George W. Bush, Trenton, N.J., Sept. 23, 2002

"Well, as I say, we haven't heard much from him. And I wouldn't necessarily say he's at the center of any command structure. And, again, I don't know where he is. I -- I'll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him." -- George W. Bush, discussing Osama bin Ladin, Washington, D.C., Mar 13, 2002

"But all in all, it's been a fabulous year for Laura and me." --George W. Bush, summing up his first year in office, Washington, D.C., Dec. 20, 2001

[gorfle]

59. The Republicans KNOW what he meant!

I'm not really replying to the original, this goes out to everyone who is trying to backpedal and excuse what Kerry said.

As a recent ex-Republican, let me tell you - they know what Kerry said, and all of this excuse making ONLY SERVES TO REINFORCE WHAT HE SAID.

We are making it worse by trying to pretty up what Kerry said. Frankly, I don't know why he's going defensive about it at all. The fact is, lots of people join the military as a conscious choice. But lots of people, like people without very good educations, end up in the military because they have little other choice. If you aren't college bound out of high school, your options are pretty limited. The military looks like a good place to pick up solid votech training and get paid to boot. The downside is you can find yourself in places like "stuck in Iraq."

This is an honest assessment. Sure it strikes a nerve, and it was stupid to point this out right before an election, when it's a certainty that the Republicans would make hay with it. But rather than trying vainly to paint it as something else (thou dost protest too much), it should either be ignored or owned up to as the reality that it is.

[fuzzyball]

60. K&R ...could'nt have said better myself...n/t

[mattomjoe]

62. So voters are going to respond to a *bungled* joke deemed

offensive to our troops by voting for candidates that continue to support policies that put them in harm's way???

Holy.

Fucking.

Shit.

If this really happens -- basically cutting of our collective nose to spite our face -- we have TRULY jumped the shark in this country.

[zulchzulu]

63. "Lesbian gaffe of 2004"? Actually I think Repug voters see through the lies

The deep base of Repugs will of course puppet the RW talking points, but any decent Repug (there are a few) knows that the Bush administration is AGAIN distorting the truth.

As for the "Lesbian gaffe", that also applies. The deep base would decry the comment, which was also TRUE. Others saw that it was actually a comment based on compassion for gays.

This whole event has been over the top in exaggeration and some in Democratic ranks seem to feel comfortable in trashing Kerry due to either not getting it or having still unhealed wounds from the 2004 primary season.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

66. Much Ado About Nothing

Initially, I thought that Kerry's remark seemed to be ill-conceived and maybe even a tad "boneheaded" but after reading some of the posts here, I think that I have a better context for what he actually said (of course, the media only spins it so that it looks bad for us and good for the GOP). I hope that this doesn't impact us next week but since Kerry isn't actually running for elective office this year, I don't see why his comments should tar all Democrats whom are running. Even if his statement is every bit as "bad" as the news media and the GOP are currently spinning it one statement made by one member of one political party should NOT be construed to be representative of that entire particular party. After all, most people don't hold the ravings of GOP lunatics like Michael Savage, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, et. al as being representative of the GOP. Trent Lott's remarks about Strom Thurmond didn't earn the GOP a place in political "purgatory". Frankly, I think that the only people for whom this is even an issue are more likely to be people who won't be voting for us in any event.

[Name removed]

69. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[librechik]

70. all Kerry did was give us a preview of what his 08 Prez run will be like

he won't be able to pop a sweat gland without the entire RW establishment jumping on him screaming like it is a bio warfare attack. They have a hair trigger "kill the messenger" gun trained on him like white on rice. It's worse than HIllary, at this point.

[RetroLounge]

72. Bullshit.

Grow up.

RL

[speedoo]

73. BULLSHIT.

It's not a "break". It's a thin straw and the desperate rethugs have nothing else to grasp at.

And... it puts the discussion back on Iraq, where the rethugs are in deep shit.

Rove wanted to talk about the economy. Remember?

[seabeyond]

75. no... we the people did. what kerry did was insignificant, a misspeak

not a big deal. we didnt back him on it. we allowed bushco to win with strong support of the media. it is a reflection of us.... not that kerry didnt put "us" in that sentence. we ALL knowwhat he was saying. we ALL know he wasnt dissing the troops. that is the reality. and we allowed the game of a falsehood, an illusion to be the truth. and we insisted kerry apologize for the illusion.

shame on us

kerry just gave us a reflection of who we are as a people

shame on us

[Apollo11]

77. Kerry made a rookie's mistake ...

1. It was a stupid idea for a joke in the first place - for many reasons.

2. The way he (mis-)told it was wide open to misintepretation.

3. As a former Presidential candidate, Kerry has to be extra-careful.

4. In the last week of the campaign, we don't need this.

[agincourt]

78. Kerry apoligized quickly, that's good,

I doubt if many people will vote because of the gaffe. It does give the media a wetdream fantasy though. It's an excuse to justify a ghost-voted election, like the shit boats were.

[fujiyama]

79. Kerry's joke

was politically inept. Of course, Kerry was meaning to take a hit at Bush, but the simple fact is that it was very ambiguous in how it could be interpreted.

He just took himself out of the '08 running and in a way it's too bad (though I don't think I would have voted for his nomination again). I like Kerry very much. He's done a great job especially these last two years. But these are some awful political instincts. If he doesn't know that a poorly worded joke like this would explode into a distraction he learned little from his own mistakes in '04. The media is always ready to pounce on something like this.

I can only hope he didn't fuck up chances of taking control of the House, but this is great red meat for the repukes. I even think this might have some effect on close senate races. I hope I'm wrong though. But this worries me.

[TWiley]

81. Ya, no shit Kerry handed the election over too

I (with everyone else) put a lot of money and effort into his campaign just to get fucked by his assinine political strategy.

Looks like we just got bent over again for the mid-terms

Next, he will fuck us again by running for president.

[niceypoo]

88. America isnt suddenly going to love the GOP over a stupid joke

The joke will not change a single persons mind about the GOP

[joeygirl]

104. They are going to remember why they

voted for Bush and Republicans in 2004 and that's bad for us. You know that it's going to hit the Sunday talk shows. It's not going to go away.

[demo dutch]

83. He should have quickly fixed the problem and blast the GOP after for taking

it out of context! Now he gave them a chance to rally their base! This might be enough for the repugs to run to the polls and rally around the troops, because that's how the those idiots think!

[Iris]

84. You know what? If people are stupid enough to be 'snowed' by the White House

at THIS point, well, I say this country deserves the hell that will come if we continue much longer under Republican rule.

[Booster]

85. I'm sorry, but I just don't trust any of these guys who are former

members of Skull & Bones - there's just something about that fact that bothers the s__t out of me.

[RestoreGore]

89. BINGO

Bonesmen always have each other's backs.

[Baclava]

103. It is a bit spooky

Poppy's CIA strings tie a little too much together.

[AtomicKitten]

87. worse ...

People here are now turning on other Democrats who are struggling to get beyond this brouhaha, one that they sure as hell didn't cause. People are slamming Hillary and Ford who are up for re/election next week because they apparently believe these politicians should put their campaigns second to Kerry's ego and reputation. This is beyond the pale of unreasonable expectations here at DU. Mind-numbingly crazy shit.

[Spider Jerusalem]

90. My arse.

Anyone who WASN"T going to vote Republican, and IS now because Kerry fucked up the punchline of a joke, is a goddamned fuckwit. And somehow I don't really think there are ENOUGH fuckwits in this country (although I know there are a hell of a lot) for the Republicans to overcome what current polling consistently shows is a 20-30 seat deficit in the House. This doesn't affect or change ANY of the issues. The fearful hysteria over this is completely absurd.

[HuffleClaw]

91. the real problem is the people who have fallen for this scam

[truthisfreedom]

95. naw, he gave them a distraction that made them take their eye off the ball.

they should be figuring out how to re-manage their last-minute attack ads, but they're breaking their arms patting each other on the back and wasting ENORMOUS amounts of energy on somethone that is of NO CONSEQUENCE in this election, John Kerry. he's become a lightning rod for their hate, and they're going to exhaust themselves screaming about it, while we quietly take the election.

[rman]

98. Repubs take anything that any Dem says,

and spin it to their advantage - and (most of) the MSM will echo it faithfully.

Unfortunately it hardly matters what voters actually think about it in reality; all that the Repubs need is the impression of popular support, as created my the corporate media.

I'm pretty sure that most people do in fact understand that what is shameful and insulting is not what Kerry said about the education level of the troops, what is shameful and insulting is the fact that many of the troops these days do in fact have a low education and that the military is exploiting that fact.

[OzarkDem]

99. Hiding this thread

[wisteria]

100. NO, ACTUALLY HILLARY HAS AND IF WE LOSE ANY SEATS IT IS

her fault. She rubber stamped and reinforced the Republican smears against Kerry when she lost nothing by supporting him. She disgusts me.

[AtomicKitten]

102. Unless Hillary has her arm so far up Kerry's ass

she is able to operate him as her own personal hand-puppet, this is by no means her fault.

[laugle]

107. As always.......

"FAIR AND BALANCED" and well said...LOL!!

[mtnsnake]

111. haha, yeah, let's make another monumental Kerry blunder Hillary's fault

Here we go. Now all of a sudden it's Hillary's fault that Kerry screwed up.

I suppose it's all Hillary's fault that Kerry made the lesbian gaffe in 2004, too. Must be Hillary told him to say that. lol

[bigpathpaul]

101. Simple. Kerry mispoke. Olbermann got it RIGHT. Make Shrub Apologize.

This is the hand we were dealt. Do what the GOP does. Turn it around.

Download this: Bush Apology To America.

[opihimoimoi]

106. Bush revealed his self centered charactor, his desperation, and his flawed

judgement in this mess.

He was not a good image for the children to learn from....

Bush was being deceptive.

[ProSense]

108. The RW gave some Democrats

an opportunity to prove they would stand with the RW if it appeared they could get away with it!

Two days later, egg on their faces!

[luckyleftyme2]

112. IT BACK FIRED ON BUSH

THEY TOOK IT AND RUN WITH IT,BUT THEY DROPPED THE BALL,PEOPLE GOT PISSED OFF AND FLIPPED OUT WHEN RUSSER AND FAT LIMPBOOB SHOWED UP ON THE SCENE:
THEY'RE ALL SAYING: IF THEY SPIN IT THERE SCARED! AND THEY SPUN IT AND LOST!\
GO DEMOCRATS! GET OUT THE VOTE:
DON'T STAY THE COURSE ,CHANGE THE COURSE!