NYT,pg1: Kerry "upbeat, feisty" in OH, "about attacks on you, not me"

[DeepModem Mom]

Kerry in Ohio, "upbeat and feisty," according to the reporter --


Kerry Urges Voters to Look Past Bush's 'Last-Minute Promises'
By DAVID M. HALBFINGER

Published: September 4, 2004

NEWARK, Ohio, Sept. 3 - Senator John Kerry opened the final 60 days of the presidential campaign on Friday with a slashing indictment of President Bush's record on jobs and health care, saying he had misled the United States into war in Iraq and left a trail of broken promises and worsened problems at home.

As his running mate and their wives swept across the electoral battlegrounds of Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin, Mr. Kerry asked voters in this economically battered state to look past Mr. Bush's "last-minute promises" and focus on what he said were the facts: 1.7 million jobs lost since 2000, 1.4 million more people in 2003 without health insurance than the year before and 1.3 million more in poverty.

"Is that a reason to be re-elected?" Mr. Kerry said. "Folks, they've had four years. And what they've done is take America backwards."...

***

....it was on the economy that Mr. Kerry focused on here in Newark, a rural town of 46,000 where 4,300 people are unemployed and another local factory is set to lay off 784 workers next Thursday.

"All these attacks on me, I've been through worse, believe me - that's not what this is about," he said. "It's their attacks on you, that's what this is all about."...

(The article says that Kerry framed even the Iraq issue in economic terms: ""He told America the war would cost you how much? One billion dollars. The war has cost $200 billion, and as you look around this country, think of what that money could have done for schools, for health care, for prescription drugs, for all the things we need to do.")

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/04/politics/campaign/04kerry.html


On edit: I'm really impressed, on a personal, not political, level with Kerry's statement about the wrongs against the people being of more importance than attacks on him. This man is a grown-up, a man who takes responsibility, a man who laid his life on the line in wartime, a father who jumped in the water and saved the hamster, and didn't let it die.

[NYC Liberal]

1. "focus on what *he said* were the facts"

Um, it's not really his opinion. Those ARE the facts.

[spooky3]

2. good catch--are the reporters lazy or biased?

They can check the facts themselves if they aren't lazy.

If they did that, then they should be able to point out that Kerry was incorrect, which they didn't, OR to remove the "he said", since facts are facts.

[pretzel4gore]

3. jon stewart said something that kerry can use:

"Bush has promised now to finish what in 4 years he never bothered to start"!

[Prodemsouth]

4. Then He will say "Uhh Mr. Kerry - we were attacked on Sept 11th Sorry

but I had other priorities".

[pretzel4gore]

7. yeah...capitalising on 911 must've taxed their little heads

but you're right....thank god i'm not a kerry adviser (that wouldn't be prudent, nosiree)

[incapsulated]

5. Good Job

Keep it up, John! :thumbsup:

[wndycty]

6. Dean supporters check in. . .

. . .isn't that one of Dean's tactics? I think it was effective for Dean and his base. It used to frustrate the hell out of me, because it was so damn good!

[unfrigginreal]

9. It sure was and I'm glad to see it from Kerry...

I especially like this part:

Criticizing the Republican convention as bitter and insulting one moment, then calling Mr. Bush dishonest the next, Mr. Kerry attacked against what he called his rivals' distortions and said the president's address Thursday made clear he "will literally say anything and do anything in order to try to get re-elected" - a line stolen from Mr. Bush, who used it regularly against Al Gore.

[wndycty]

15. Well I hope Kerry continues to use it. . .it was one of Dean's more. . .

. . .effective tactics.

[Toucano]

8. Here's the thread with my pics from the Newark rally.

To enhance the article. :) The crowd loved the "fiesty" John Kerry, by the way. Anything about Halliburton and Cheney also got a big reaction.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=741921&mesg_id=741921

[DeepModem Mom]

10. Thanks, dr, for adding your wonderful pics -- and great captions!

Looks like it was a successful event, in Target State Number One, the big O.

[WI_DEM]

11. He's hitting all the right notes.

[Mad_Dem_X]

12. Go, John, Go!

Keep kickin' ass! :headbang:

[DeepModem Mom]

13. post-poll kick --

trying to stay upbeat myself --

[Chili]

14. I like this line:

"All these attacks on me, I've been through worse, believe me - that's not what this is about," he said. "It's their attacks on you, that's what this is all about."

I hope he uses it often and expands on it on every issue.

[mzmolly]

16. "It's 911 stupid" ~ James Carville. Kerry has not said a word about it.

:(

[jefferson_dem]

17. YES! YES! YES!

"All these attacks on me, I've been through worse, believe me - that's not what this is about," he said. "It's their attacks on you, that's what this is all about."...

Thanks for this one. This is a resonate message of leadership and responsibility. And nails Chimpy's ass to the floor along the way! Damn, that's exciting!

[Pathwalker]

19. "It's their attacks on you..." Yes!

Kerry should repeat this often. That's what this group has done from day one - attack the american people, attack our freedoms, our retirement, our planet. I like this meme - it resonates with me, and I think it will resonate with everyone.

[okieinpain]

18. and that's a good way for him to approach going nuclear on

bush's ass. "it's not personal, it's just true". keep it simple. keep it plain. you know "all hat, no cattle" should be part of kerry's speech, just keep saying it over and over and over again.