Obama picks John Kerry to play Romney in mock debate rehearsals

[cynatnite]

President Obama has tapped Sen. John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, to play Republican Mitt Romney in mock debate rehearsals, Obama campaign officials and the senator’s office confirmed Monday.

Kerry will help Obama prepare for among the most consequential events of his reelection campaign — the three fall debates against Romney. As the senior senator from Massachusetts, Kerry has studied Romney’s career and campaign style for nearly two decades and has first-hand knowledge of his record as governor.

Kerry has long been considered one of the Democratic Party’s most skilled debaters, and his performances in more than 25 debates in the 2004 race earned plaudits. Some credited his strong debates against President George W. Bush with tightening the race in the closing weeks of the 2004 campaign.

It is his perspective on Romney, though, that could be especially valuable for Obama. Kerry was a key surrogate on behalf of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) when he defeated Romney in 1994. And Kerry closely observed Romney’s successful 2002 gubernatorial campaign, where his performance in debates against Democrat Shannon O’Brien were believed to have helped him win.

“There is no one that has more experience or understanding of the presidential debate process than John Kerry,” said David Axelrod, Obama’s chief strategist. “He’s an expert debater who has a fundamental mastery of a wide range of issues, including Mitt Romney’s Massachusetts. He’s the obvious choice.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-picks-john-kerry-to-play-romney-in-mock-debate-rehearsals/2012/06/18/gJQABEctlV_story.html?wpisrc=al_politics_p

Good choice.

[LiberalAndProud]

1. I suspect the president will be surprised in the actual debates.

Kerry being a skilled debater and all, Obama will be well rehearsed for skilled debate. I think, though, that there will be at least one WTF moment while head to head with Romney that will take all of Obama's self discipline to not react with a 'bwahaha' or two.

I'm sure it's just a coincidence that ROM is the acronym for Read Only Memory. But, when the shoe fits ...

[cynatnite]

2. I don't know if we will see any surprises...

At this level of debate, both will have to be very disciplined. Of course, we know Obama is an astute debater that will not be rattled.

Despite Romney's screw-ups at past performances, he will have to curtail the wish to act on the fly, i.e. make a high dollar bet.

I do think Romney will be very disciplined through the debates. Obama on the other hand, will know when and how to pounce to his advantage.

Either way, I don't think we will see a clear cut winner unless Romney has an abysmal performance.

[KamaAina]

6. How big of a high-dollar bet? $10,000?

[cynatnite]

7. Yep, or have his wife do the debating...

[klook]

14. I'd love to see Obama propose a $10 bet about something during a debate with Rmoney

just for contrast.

[Lucky Luciano]

17. Hah! Yes, would be great! nt

[marlakay]

31. Agree that would be great! Nt

[LiberalAndProud]

8. I have only one word for you.

[center]DONUT[/center]

[Proud Liberal Dem]

16. There will probably more than a few moments during the debates with Romney

Last edited Tue Jun 19, 2012, 12:10 AM - Edit history (2)

where President Obama might have to struggle with avoiding the urge to sigh (or make people believe he is) in exasperation. I think that he can hold himself together. After all, he did an amazing taking down a whole roomful of them at the Republican conference back in 2010. If more people had been able to see THAT...........................

I just don't think that I would be able to last two minutes in the same room as Mitt Romney and/or George W. Bush.

[onestepforward]

3. Kerry's experience with Romney will be a plus,

but the downside is he's not a serial liar.

How do you practice debating against against a person who lies at every turn and flips his positions like a cook flipping pancakes at Denny's?

[CakeGrrl]

4. Romney gives them material every time he opens his mouth.

All they have to do is have Kerry repeat the crap he spews on his 'bus tours'.

[onestepforward]

9. This is true.

How to overcome the serial lying still worries me. It's like debating a piece of fiction vs. a person.

[onestepforward]

41. I wasn't doubting Kerry.

I'm wondering how to best fight the constant lies that come out of Romney's mouth every single day.

I have great respect for Kerry.

[politicasista]

44. Apologies. Misread

before re-reading (went back and self-deleted because a better comment was answered below), but understand that you have great respect for Senator Kerry. Didn't think that you did not.

Though we all share your view about the daily Romney flop lie machine. Hopefully Dems (and Team Obama) are on top of that also.

It the comment was sorta over the top, again apologies.





edit to add "not"

[onestepforward]

45. No problem!

[karynnj]

34. Think back to 2004 - when Bush said the lie that all the RW was repeating -

that Saddam hit us on 911. Kerry's response was masterful - isolating just that lie -- and calling him on it point blank - leaving the President of the US saying hopelessly, "I know that, I know that".

This was the essential Kerry - the Kerry seen at any hearing he is at.

Preparing for that for Obama is not all that hard. The RW creates its lies (or myths if you prefer). They are all simple, easy for others to repeat and - to those hearing them on all the RW sources sound almost like repeating a catechism. They are believes treated as facts - even when they are divorced from reality. One point is that a list of the main ones could be crested by almost any of us. The obvious Obama response has to be to call them out as incorrect and have an easily understood explanation of the truth. Creating some of those responses would be part of preparing the President.

In 2004, Kerry had a harder task - it was the POTUS who was lying. Here, it will be the President, taking the high ground and the challenger showing by his dishonesty that he should not be considered. Romney needs to be careful when he lies when he is in the debate. The difference from when he is campaigning is the same as it was with Bush - the Democrat is there to call him out.

[onestepforward]

42. Thank you for the 2004 reminder.

You made some good points and I really appreciate it.

[politicasista]

33. +1

The WaWa line is

[karynnj]

27. It is NEVER a downside NOT to be a serial liar

I think that Kerry's integrity AND his way of answering things that really were not true were proven toi be assets in both 2004 - in the debates with Bush - and in 2008 as a surrogate for Obama. The best example.

Kerry LISTENED close enough to catch Bush repeating Republican mantras about hitting Iraq because they attacked us - then he handled it beautifully. He said - that the President had just said something very important - and he repeated it - dramatically paused, then said " Mister President, Saddam Hussain did not attack us - Osama Bin Laden did. This led to Bush essentially blubbering "I know that, I know that." Things like that led to the Bush biased media not even trying to spin it as a Bush win.

This was also incredibly typical of Kerry at hearings. He listens - and very effectively - concisely and with authority calls out the things that some are trying to slip in as assumed conventional wisdom. A large part of why the Republicans get their points taken as Gospel is they create easily repeated lies or partial truths. Romney, in his campaign has echoed many of these RW "truths" - sounding like Rush or Hannity. In 2004, Bush was really caught by Kerry here - he was not used to having anyone dispute this lie - and a huge % believed Saddam was involved in 911. If Kerry can play Romney doing this - and Obama has clean good rebuttals while having the even greater authority of being the President, this could be better than 2004 and Kerry on that question - and that was the best I ever heard in a debate. (Kerry in a later debate also quoted Bush on not caring if he got OBL.)

[malthaussen]

48. Masterful response

But Mr Kerry lost. Which might lead one to question the significance of debates as anything other than food for the masses.

In any event, it is as well to be well-prepared.

-- Mal

[karynnj]

51. True, but as the article says, the debates were what made it even close

The fact was that GWB entered 2004 much stronger than any President who lost. In addition, you had the media clearly siding with Bush. Consider that in the last several decades, all the networks did puff piece biographies on both major party candidates. These were all scripted to imply that a Presidency made sense from the biography. They even did this in 2000 for Bush - a challenge.

Now consider how the media reacts when there is any criticism of Ann Romney - and think back to how the media was almost totally negative on the awesome Teresa Heinz Kerry. Very little she accomplished was even discussed. This was so bad that I never learned large things she did until the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh in 2009 - and then from Pittsburgh articles commenting on the history of the city. How many here know that in the 1990s when the city was in sad shape, it was Teresa who led all the city's philanthropists in a series of joint projects that were essentially a stimulus to revive the city as well as make it greener.

The media condoned character assassinations of both of them - when in fact they are two of the finest people in American public life. One reason might have been that the winner would pick at least two supreme court justices - including at least one replacing a conservative. Consider that had Kerry won, it is completely unlikely that Citizens United would have happened as it did.

[FSogol]

5. Good choice, but will Kerry be able to lower his intelligence enough to portray Romney?

[YvonneCa]

37. ...

...

[awoke_in_2003]

52. He has the robot voice down...

[politicasista]

10. Sounds good n/t

Last edited Mon Jun 18, 2012, 08:08 PM - Edit history (1)

[Scootaloo]

11. Gonna have to dope Kerry up on codeine to get the full effect, I'm afraid

[emulatorloo]

21. Lol, n/t

[frazzled]

12. That Romney bested Shannon O'Brien is like saying that

some random guy on the street could beat me at basketball (honestly, if you're over 5 foot 2 like me you could do it). Really, Shannon O'Brien was the most underwhelming candidates I have ever seen the Democrats put up for a major office. (Disclosure: I supported Robert Reich in the Democratic gubernatorial primary that year; he definitely would have outdebated Mitt Romney, even if he would have had to stand on a box to do it).

[Flying Squirrel]

13. Will there be a box-like lump on his back?

`cause you can be sure there`ll be one on Romney`s. We need to make this as realistic as possible

[a kennedy]

15. So, tell me....how is JK going to play an idiot????

They need to find someone else.....who was mccain's fill in the last time Mr. Obama was running??

[politicasista]

23. Cause the POTUS thinks

Last edited Tue Jun 19, 2012, 01:17 AM - Edit history (4)

he is an excellent choice. What's the big deal?

[snooper2]

18. RMoney team is going to pick Herman Cain

So he gets used to looking at a black man for an extended period of time...

[rhett o rick]

19. Seems a bit foolish to me. They are nothing like debates.

First the moderators will be MSM shills, careful not to embarrass Rmoney. Second whatever the question posed, the candidates say their pre-rehearsed talking points.

As far as Sen Kerry being a skilled debater, I remember when he embarrassed himself when he asked if Cheney loved his gay daughter. At that moment, everyone in the world took Cheney's side. Not saying it shouldnt have been brought up, just sayin that Sen Kerry muffed it.

[politicasista]

22. Thankfully, Obama knows and shows

Last edited Mon Jun 18, 2012, 08:07 PM - Edit history (1)

ten times MORE respect for Senator Kerry than some here ever will.


Our president is a classy man, and sorry he didn't pick your favorite Dem/liberal or someone like Clinton. Then people would stop hating on Senator Kerry just because it was Obama's choice and not theirs.

POTUS got this.

[cynatnite]

24. That is not what happened...

John Kerry mentioned Mary Cheney's name during a debate when he was asked if homosexuality was a choice. He said something that everyone already knew. It was common knowledge. He did not embarrass himself.

[rhett o rick]

39. You are right. Kerry just brought up Mary Cheney by name and said she was

a lesbian and Edwards that said he respected that the Cheney's for embracing their daughter being gay.

They could have discussed the issue without dragging Mary Cheney into it.

[karynnj]

28. He did not ask if Cheney loved his daughter - Edwards did

Kerry's answer was thoughtful and good - though he should not have mentioned Cheney. His point was that everyone was what God made them to be.

[rhett o rick]

40. I thought it was dirty that he brought up the Cheney daughter. No one hates Dickhead

more than me. And I dont care what Kerry might want to say about him but he should not have dragged Mary Cheney into it esp by name for two reasons. Mary doesnt deserve it and IMO it backfired. People took Dickhead's side when they thought Kerry was attacking his daughter.

[politicasista]

43. So did Faux news

That said, Obama made an excellent choice. Nuff said.

[rhett o rick]

46. Do I sound bitter? After four years of Bush

and we couldnt figure out how to beat them? A pretty big let down in my life. Now I am anxious about November.
If the Republicans steal another election, it's time for Pres Obama to call for a Federal investigation. I know it is a slippery slope but we have to draw the line some day.

[blm]

47. Mary doesn't DESERVE it? She was helping the campaign to push anti-gay measures in Ohio and

other states as part of Rove's 'strategy' and you want to claim she didn't deserve the warm, gentle portrayal Kerry made in his statement about gays and their families? You're right, she deserved to be drawn and quartered verbally for her participation in Bush campaign's deceits.

[rhett o rick]

49. I agree with you except for the part where he mentioned her by name. I personally dont

care but think that a lot of Americans sympathized with Cheney. I think there were better ways to address Cheney's hypocrisy.

[randome]

25. Is this a compliment or an insult?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

26. lol

good point

[jillan]

29. All Kerry has to do is stand there and say I'm not going to answer that.

[tabasco]

32. Like picking Richard Burton to play Peewee Herman n/t

[JI7]

35. this actually sounds like it would be Fun

i would love to be there .

[YvonneCa]

38. Me, too...

...

[UTUSN]

36. O.K., this would be funny if it weren't so personally painful to me n/t

[randome]

50. Why? Is your name John Kerry?

Just kidding! I'm guessing you campaigned on Kerry's behalf maybe?