LAT:Bush Campaign Steps Up Attacks As Kerry Gains in Polls(FL, MI, OH, NH)

[DeepModem Mom]

THE RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE
Bush Campaign Steps Up Attacks as Kerry Gains in Polls

By Peter Wallsten and Mark Z. Barabak, Times Staff Writer


WASHINGTON — Republicans on Thursday leveled some of their most aggressive attacks yet against Sen. John F. Kerry, as a series of polls suggested the Democratic presidential nominee had gained slight leads in some battleground states and the economy continued to weigh on President Bush's prospects.

The most scathing critique came from Vice President Dick Cheney, who jumped on Kerry's recent assertion that he would lead a "sensitive" war on terrorism.

Later in the day, a Republican senator used a conference call with reporters to say Kerry looked and acted "French," and to claim that he supported socialism....

***

The Bush campaign's focus on the war comes as new polls suggest the president is sliding a bit in election battleground states while Kerry may be riding a delayed bounce from his nominating convention — putting added pressure on Bush to perform well at the Republican National Convention from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2....

(Polls are cited showing Kerry with a 6-point lead in Florida, a 7-point lead in Michigan, and leads in Ohio and NH, both of which Bush won in 2000.)


http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-campaign13aug13,1,1037261.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Do I smell flop sweat?

These folks are getting desperate, and the people of this country are seeing it. Any time white Southern men who drive pickup trucks, drink beer, and hunt say that Bush is an idiot and that they are voting Kerry shows that Chimpy is in bad trouble. (The gentlemen so described are my co-workers; my company is 100% for Kerry, including the boss).

[DeepModem Mom]

2. Great, encouraging anecdotal report -- thanks!

[Eurobabe]

7. Bu$h is going down

And not soon enough, egads get rid of these idiots!!!?!?!

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. Looked and acted French? You can say that about our flag.

How quickly they forget.

[Zech Marquis]

4. yeah, they're running scared

Kerry asked the Nazis to run a positive campaign, BUT with him gaining more and more headway, they simply keep goose stepping towards the edge of a big ass cliff!

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. They need to run the tape where the Repubs called for a

positive campaign. That would make them look like flip-floppers.

[teryang]

6. Jon Stewart- the Chimp stated he would be "sensitive" too

The sequence of videos on the "sensitive" word was shown in context on Jon Stewart last night. First Kerry speaking in reasonable context regarding a foreign policy that transcends the knuckle dragging caveman approach. Then Cheney's sneering macho attack on a "sensitive" war on terror. Then the coup de grace, the Chimp waxing in his inimitible style saying "we have to be SENSITIVE."

Jon Stewart said "I guess Bush doens't know that Cheney thinks he's a pussy."

[mom cat]

9. This should be sent to Kerry, Move on and whoever else can get

the word out. P.S. Is there a link to this, I would love to add it to my "treasure trove". :yourock:

[chuckhoward]

12. It doesn't have to be sent to Kerry...

...go to the Kerry-Edwards website and click on "Rapid Response"; the campaign had this up early yesterday. These guys appear to know what they are doing. I have heard, but haven't confirmed that both ABC News and Lou Dobbs also juxtaposed the Cheney comments with those of Bush, just like Jon Stewart did. I'm sure they didn't make the "pussy" comment though.:)

[DeepModem Mom]

13. LOL! Thanks chuckhoward -- and welcome to DU!

[mom cat]

25. Welcome to DU and thanks for your response. I laughed my head

off. I will sleep better knowing that Rapid Response is standing guard. :dem: :toast:

[PATRICK]

8. Overall, today

Kerry has successfully rained on Bush's triumphant parade to NYC, thankfully drowning out some disgusting political manipulations of terror
and Bush nouveau same old lies. Pressure has also made Bush reveal himself for what he always has been with too many public speaking gaffes and trite bad performances.

The funny part has been listening to the media trying to salvage bush's "ideas" and poll numbers only to have the rug pulled out from under them too.

Media politeness to a favored incumbent was evident with Clinton. Few major outlets ever harped on the realities of landslide and inevitability so as to cripple the contest even more. The true RW or GOP reporters have been forced to show their colors as the only non-yahoo political base for this fraud of an administration.

The grind must continue. Bush must fade. That is the only thing to prevent: GOP holding unreasonable power in Congress, terror strikes or other wag the dog gambits, vote fraud. Putting GOP temptation out of reach and Congress WITHIN reach is what a strong Kerry advance can do.

[warrior1]

10. Oh really

http://www.electoral-vote.com/
as of today

Electoral Vote Predictor 2004: Kerry 327 Bush 211

Kerry Landslide

[trogdor]

14. Even Newsweek has Kerry ahead in the EC

They don't count toss-ups (which they define rather loosely), but they have Kerry some 50 EV ahead of the Chimp.

[Almost_there]

18. You trust this site?

Honestly, I don't put a lot of faith in sites that list "Dump Bush Sites" on their link pages. Not that the news isn't encouraging, I just try to find some less biased sites for polling. It's akin to trusting Drudge to bring a nice and honest poll on his flashes...

~Almost

[lancdem]

22. That site has numbers based on the latest polls

that part of it is unbiased. You could try this site: http://www.dcpoliticalreport.com

[JNelson6563]

11. They are scared witless

I'm in Traverse City Michigan and it has always been a rethug stronghold here. That is changing in a big way. Pugs know they can write off the Detroit area but they always count on the podunks in the north to carry him by being stupid enough to vote against their own best interest. Well guess what. Bush is coming to little Traverse City Monday. hahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!

It is viewed as a huge event here. The pugs are whipped into a frenzy of course. Yesterday the local press was all over us looking for reaction. Then they did a story on the two HQs, our and the pugs'. They have no lawn signs for another two weeks and have a handful of bumper stickers. We are majorly stocked with swag and blew through 1,000 Kerry/Edwards signs in 8 days. They had a state Rep. (pug) on last night from pug HQ proudly claiming htey have requests for 500 signs when they came in. Right after that quote they inserted the fact we went through 1,000 in jsut over a week. hahahahaha!!

Oh I am loving it. We are planning a very memorable welcome for the idiot usurper. Wish you all could be here to share the fun!

:toast:

Julie

[Joanne98]

15. and this comes out today

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61178-20...

Since 2001, President Bush's tax cuts have shifted federal tax payments from the richest Americans to a wide swath of middle-class families, the Congressional Budget Office has found, a conclusion likely to roil the presidential election campaign.

The CBO study, due to be released today, found that the wealthiest 20 percent, whose incomes averaged $182,700 in 2001, saw their share of federal taxes drop from 64.4 percent of total tax payments in 2001 to 63.5 percent this year. The top 1 percent, earning $1.1 million, saw their share fall to 20.1 percent of the total, from 22.2 percent.

Over that same period, taxpayers with incomes from around $51,500 to around $75,600 saw their share of federal tax payments increase. Households earning around $75,600 saw their tax burden jump the most, from 18.7 percent of all taxes to 19.5 percent.

The analysis, requested in May by congressional Democrats, echoes similar studies by think tanks and Democratic activist groups. But the conclusions have heightened significance because of their source, a nonpartisan government agency headed by a former senior economist from the Bush White House, Douglas Holtz-Eakin. The study will likely stoke an already burning debate about the fairness and efficacy of $1.7 trillion in tax cuts that the president pushed through Congress.

[PATRICK]

20. The point of no return

That was reached in NY not too long ago when the GOP finally shrugged and packed away the longshot hopes. When more states pass that point the GOP will not only be scared but resigned.

On the other hand, the Dems are invading new territory and no Democratic official or pundit should be resigned about losing anything. It is the momentum that looks irreversible right now, with Bush hoping for a bleep of bounce at his convention as one last ditch denial of that fact.

[gasperc]

16. Kerry looked and acted French???

If we lose because the GOP convinces voters that Kerry looks and acts French and should vote for Bush then, I don't know ........

I'm hurting myself

[nolajazz]

17. To media whores, 7-point lead for Kerry is "slight". But if it were for

Bush, they would be saying Bush's big advantage.

[DeepModem Mom]

23. You're right -- CNN would lead with every hour on the hour n/t

[ibegurpard]

19. I have a BIG problem with the premise of the headline.

Kerry GAINS in the polls???
Most polls have shown been showing Kerry with a slight but consistent lead for some time now. The wording of this headline implies that he was behind.

[MidwestTransplant]

21. It's definitely fear but we MUST not let them have an inch!

[Democat]

24. Right wing talking points repeated as facts in a "news" article

Kerry's recent assertion that he would lead a "sensitive" war on terrorism.

Cheney takes a Kerry quote out of context and the LA Times reports Cheney's words as facts, rather than saying "allegedly" or anything like that.

Thanks liberal media!