Death by Negatives - the latest from Dick Morris . . .

[OneBlueSky]

and in the NY Post, no less . . . I post this only because it's out there, and people will see it . . . not endorsing Morris' views in any way . . .

January 21, 2004 -- THE negative ads of Howard Dean and Dick Gephardt succeeded brilliantly: They both lost Monday in Iowa. The winners - John Kerry and John Edwards - both abstained from negatives and won.

The history of politics has always suggested that when one candidate attacks the other and the fire is returned, they both go down and the third - and fourth - candidate soars into the lead. Never has this been more true than it was in Iowa.

(snip)

What happened to Howard Dean? He was assassinated by Bill and Hillary with the assistance of Chris Lehane, the political hit man who first worked for Kerry and now backs Clark.

Desperate to keep control of the Democratic Party, the Clintons used their negative researchers and detectives to the ultimate and generated a story-a-day savaging Dean. The Vermont governor, not ready for prime time, cooperated by being thin-skinned, surly and combative. And now he is an artifact of history. The left (who had made Dean their darling) embraced Kerry (the original leftist) as their nominee.

- much more . . .

http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/16274.htm

[loyalsister]

1. I actually agree with him

Based on observations from 2002 in Missouri--
I talked to tons of people who went Green in the Senate election because they hated both Carnahan and Talent by the end of the campaign. They believed that when Carnahan layed out the facts, she went negative. Talent really did go negative. A lot of people in this area take offense when a candidate names the opponent in an ad.

I really tend to believe Dean and Gep beat themselves. The difference is Dean has an opportunity to learn from that mistake. I hope he does.

[OKHRANA]

6. I agree too...

negative campaigning can backfire, I've seen that happen many times berfore.

[jfxgillis]

2. Stupid

He doesn't even pretend to be internally consistent.

Dean and Gephardt wounded each other creating a gap through which Kerry and Edwards strode? Possible, arguable, not beyond reason.

Yet all of that was orchestrated by Wesley Clark's operatives? Why would Gephardt have done the bidding of Chris Lehane?

And he's wrong about Kerry because shit like "Massachsetts liberal" won't matter when a War being incompetently waged by a "Texas conservative" is the primary issue.

[Namvet04]

3. NH voters see all this and will sink clark

Let us get it down to 3 dem leaders. Kerry, Dean, Edwards.

I get the creeps everytime I see clark or hear him. I think he is a wolf in sheeps clothing.

[incapsulated]

4. What a shock

The ultimate Clinton basher blames the Clintons for Dean's problems, creating some elaborate conspiracy. We all know that the media follows the Clintons every whim, of course.

What total, unsubstantiated bullshit.

*edit*

And this is in keeping with the divide-and-conquer strategy by the rethugs and their henchmen, turn the democrats against each other and sail to victory being "positive".

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

5. Anyone who believes anything...

Written or spoken by that toe-sucking moron deserves all the cognitive dissonance and cluelessness they experience.

He has two default states: lies and total bullshit.

[spooky3]

7. but it's in the NY Post. Doesn't that count for something? :-)

[blm]

8. So now it's Clark and Lehane's fault that Dean went down in Iowa?

Sheesh

[jumptheshadow]

9. Hillary, Hillary, Hillary

Jan, Jan, Jan.