Good diary on dailykos about "The First Rule" for the primary wars

[beachmom]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/1/19/85444/6159#c52

But this does raise an opportunity to discuss the First Rule of the Primary Wars. It is expected that there will be diaries criticial of any and all candidates during this time. No one can complain about that. Indeed, your candidate will not be our nominee unless he or she can survive our scruntiny. But, when writing such diaries critical of a candidate, you may not now or ever use source material that emanates from the right wing or Republicans.

If your source is NewsMax, delete the diary.

If your source is Insight, delete the diary.

If your source is Drudge, delete the diary.

If your source is Free Republic, consider suicide.

Daily Kos will not be used as a Right Wing echo chamber, for they already have enough echo chambers of their own.




Interestingly enough, this is from Delaware Dem who wrote a diary about Kerry being a "flip flopper" and bringing up the "I voted for it before I voted against it" and then denied these were RW talking points. I'm not going to bring it up, but Kerry has probably been the #1 victim for this crap, but few recognize this. Still, I think this diary has thrown down a gauntlet that is good.

[wisteria]

1. Agree, and if you eliminate the RW talking points, then there isn't

much people can hold against kerry except, he didn't win last time, and he isn't a "smooth" politician.

[karynnj]

2. and isn't a smooth politician can be turned on its head

He is a dignified statesman with impeccable manners when dealing with diplomats, peers, and his constituents.

He is also something smooth politians give up - unfailingly honest and principled. I've seen Massachusetts voters on DU and DKos disagee with a vote, but I've never seen them attribute it to having sold out or being in someone's pocket. When others have said it, I've seen MA posters, who do not support Kerry, defend him on that account.

At a time when "politician" is a negative word, Kerry who IS a good politician (or how did he get the nomination) can diminish that by emphasizing the "statesman", "activist", "reformer" and "public servant".

During the Joke nightmare, Joe Lockhart actually said essentially that Kerry was as successfull as he was, in spite of being a bad politician (which seemed to mean triangulating and having no principles) because he was so good. (as a person)

In my opinion, that's actually not a bad way to be. Many Democrats laud Clinton as a master politician but few make the effort to defend him as a person - which is better?

[MH1]

3. Good points. Do you have a link to the Lockhart quote?

That could be one to keep handy.

[karynnj]

4. Here you go - Thanks to google

"John Kerry is not a very good politician," said Joe Lockhart, a senior adviser to Kerry during his presidential campaign. "Politicians who succeed and do well have great internal instincts and have a great ear for what works and what doesn't. John Kerry has neither. He's not a funny guy. He's not a natural guy. He is not someone who can pick up on the nuances of a daily political battle."

Lockhart says that Kerry, "like a lot of highly educated people," has trouble coming to terms with the fact that "something as important as electing a president or electing a Congress can turn on something so trivial, like a word left out of a joke."

"They take themselves and the process so seriously they have trouble dealing with the rest of the system, dealing with it in such a trivial, half-assed way," Lockhart said. "That's the reality of the situation. Does it make him somehow less of a person? No, I think it makes him more of a person. Does it make him a good politician? No, it doesn't make him a good politician."

That said, Lockhart added, "John Kerry is a good man, and that's why he has gotten as far as he has in politics. So when he says he was telling a joke, everyone should believe him."



http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2623018&page=2

What I would like to ask Lochart is why - writing a nasty letter saying you loath the military or making a joke about a revered world leader being a gas staion attendand is not "one of those things elections turn on"

or
why did no realize that Bush was telling the truth when he said something like
"Our enemies never rest and are always out to destroy this country and so are we.

(this is an exact parallel - he skipped a couple lines, Kerry skipped a two letter word.)

[sandnsea]

5. Kerry the Reformer

Let me think. Vietnam. Women Prosecutors. Victims Unit. Acid Rain. Fiscal discipline. AIDS. Gay Rights. Veteran's Assistance. SBA Minority Assistance. Oceans & Fisheries. Drugs, guns and money laundering.

What else?

[karynnj]

6. Clean Elections bill with wellstone

Cunningham amendment, (The bill the Prosence know the name of that became S-Chip)