Senator Spends 11th Hour Working on Speech Launching Candidacy

[WillyT]

<snip>

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - Facing a pivotal moment in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, John Kerry worked until the last minute on the speech that will formally launch his candidacy. The 11th-hour move exposed the divisions within his own team over the campaign's direction.

Once considered the front-runner, Kerry now trails Howard Dean in New Hampshire and is bunched at the top of the field with Dick Gephardt and Dean in Iowa. Dean has gained traction with his anti-Washington establishment campaign, which has proven costly for lawmakers such as Kerry and Gephardt.

Dean's surge has revealed a split among Kerry's advisers, with some aides calling for aggressive tactics while others urge caution, fearing that harsh attacks would alienate the new voters Dean has attracted to the Democratic Party.

Kerry dismissed the poll results, saying "they don't mean anything today" because voters are only beginning to pay attention, and that's why he chose to officially announce his campaign after Labor Day.

"America is just beginning to listen," said Kerry.

<snip>

Link: http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGA572KA3KD.html

:shrug:

[OrdinaryTa]

1. Just Beginning to Listen

"America is just beginning to listen," said Kerry

Well John, let me break it to you gently. You are going to wait a long time till you get my vote. The Dean voters are people who are repelled by the war and your support of it. Too bad you made yourself ineligible for my vote. If you're the nominee of the party, I'll feel bad. But I won't vote for you, John. Count on it!

[virtualobserver]

4. with 10 injured a day in IRAQ

that war vote looks worse every day.

[truthseeker1]

5. The war stance is number one issue

Where the candidates stand on the Iraqi invasion is the PRIMARY issue for me in this election and that's why anyone who voted for it or supports it doesn't make it past the first round of elimination.

Dean's not perfect but he's the closest to representing me on the major issues, and most importantly, on the war.

[WillyT]

6. Hey truthseeker1, Welcome To The DU !!! - Watch Out For Flames Though...

LOL!!!

:bounce::hi::bounce:

[truthseeker1]

13. Thank you WillyT!

But why the warning about flames? Did I say something inflammatory?

[coralrf]

15. Truthseeker....

Dean was not in the Senate at the time of that resolution. He never had to make a commitment.

The resolution, that is more often erroneously described by Democrats then Republicans as a declaration of war was hardly that at all.

News flash...the GOP controls the congress. Kerry is a Democrat. If the Democrats had refused to negotiate the Pugs would have just written a ghastly doctrine of slaughter under the guise of "partisan obstructionism". If the Dems in congress were all Deans, Bush would be in hog heaven.

Read the damn resolution. It put serious restraints on Bush and he violated them. The ever stupid Democrats on DU hurl insults at US Democratic Senators fighting a GOP majority that wanted war. All the Democrats could do was offer to negotiate and subject Bush to the decision.." do I just tell them to fuck off...or do I consider that this Iraq thing might go South and I will need an 'it was a bipartisan decision' way out..?" The Dems in turn played that to get to the table and get what a minority party could get : a promise of restraint and exhaustive diplomatic effort prior to war. Bush reneged. That is not Kerry's fault.

Dean was never in the picture and his failure to acknowledge that deserves consideration. Dean never felt the heat or the exasperation that the Dems in congress do with this administration.

I doubt that Dean can beat Bush. He is a good man but so was Gore. To beat Bush you must be able to face him and his chickenhawks as a veteran and a Purple Heart carrying one at that. You must be able to call Bush down and call him down hard and not be open to the ‘traitor’ labels his cronies pin on all comers. Dean cannot take a soldiers antiwar stance. That should not matter but the new NeoCon rules say it does. Dean can point out the incompetence of the Bush administration but is open to ‘so what you got?’ criticism. Frankly in international affairs he hasn’t got much. Bush now has more.

Like I said, Dean is a good man and a damn fine Democrat . I don’t think that will beat Rove..not at all.

[coralrf]

14. Then.......

you are voting for Bush.

Not voting for the Democrat..no matter who that may be is total bullshit for the USA.

[CMT]

2. Kerry is right

the 20-point lead Howard Dean has in NH won't stand. It will be up and down and a competitive race.

[Jim Sagle]

7. You;re right - it'll probably dip all the way down to 17.

[IkeWarnedUs]

3. I think they got this backwards

Its not that America is just starting to listen - Americans are just starting to be heard.

[Pastiche423]

8. Dean got it right

We, the People have been thirsting to have our voices heard. Something tells me that Kerry isn't able to understand how much that means in whistle ass' America.

[dean4america]

9. lehane & jordan

i think it's a bad sign when the campaign is split at this early point. by kerry's reasoning, the campaign season is only beginning after labor day, but his campaign team essentially has their heads up their collective asses trying to figure out what went wrong in, as one of the called it, the "pre-season."

i doubt kerry will attack anyone other than bush in his kickoff speech, though - why make a point of bringing the other candidates into the fray on the day that is ostensibly about YOU and your run at the president. If he goes into attack mode, it may not even be at the first debate, but that's a wait and see kind of thing.

i truly believe the kerry people - maybe even kerry himself - did not see Dean coming out of nowhere to take such a lead in money, coverage, or popularity. (in fairness, i doubt anyone else saw that, except for Ann Richards), and now they are scramblign to figure out wtf to do. all i know is, every time lehane and jordan make a stupid comment about dean, lots of people donate a few bucks to the dean attack fund on the blog.

[stickdog]

10. One good sign.

The split among Kerry's advisors.

I sincerely hope that John won't shoot himself and the Democratic Party in the foot by emphasizing Rove's anti-Democratic talking points (Dems are soft on security/Dems will raise your taxes) to attack Dean. While I think Dean is the better choice because of his war stance, style, outsider status, grassroots organization and campaign, I also think John Kerry could be an extremely effective voice for the Democratic Party and against the Boy King if he would just stop taking bad advice, quit hedging his bets, and just let his personal integrity take over his campaign's direction.

I don't think Kerry's team realizes that the candidate who attacks Bush, and not the other Dem candidates, most effectively will win the nomination.

[kwolf68]

11. Great

Another Kerry thread polluted by Dean people.

[On the Road]

12. Kerry Reminds Me of Bill Bradley

and I went to a Bradley meetup in 2000. Articulate, educated, would make a very good president. But is just not running an effective or inspiring campaign.

[coralrf]

16. Open your eyes...

and you will see that Kerry is running a very good campaign. Unlike Dean who is vociferous, loud, brash and OUT of national politics, Kerry a current US Senator with primary responsibilities to all of us and not a campaign is making his moves like a cat after a bird. Slow and deliberate, measured and cautious and most importantly devoid of unnecessary provocation as the Silent Majority in this country hates that crap.

The media would love a Dean run as they are pro Bush and feel he has a great chance at trouncing Dean. Remember Roves words at a Dean rally..." yeah..thats the guy we want.." Lieberman will get a lot of press too and phony poll kudos but again, the Bushies know they would cream that pious DINO in a flash.

Kerry or Clark are a nightmare for the "war President" that dodged a war. Big Time!!!!! and you will not see anything but the tired crap the press used on Gore in so far as these men are concerned. " Kerry is hiding his Jewish ancestry...", "Kerry is married to the Ketchup Heiress", " Massachusetts Liberal", "JFK!!! just like you know who..", " Ivy League..and don’t mention Bush and the boys..hush hush.."

Read the press's work critically and you will see who they fear. Then read the press and you will see who they want in that Oval office and they will go to no ends to get him there.