Salon: "Can John Kerry climb back?"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/09/07/kerry_ohio/index.html



The Kerry campaign is trying to portray a picture of calm: Spokesman David Wade reminded reporters in Ohio over the weekend that the election will be decided by a handful of battleground states and not by "national public-opinion polls." But that won't stop the questioning. In a New York Times story Sunday, a half-dozen or so prominent Democrats worried aloud that the Kerry campaign had lost its focus in August and remains stalled now. A phone conversation between Clinton and Kerry on Sunday got big play, as did Clinton's reported advice: Abandon Vietnam as an issue and focus instead on the U.S. economy. Several former Clinton aides have joined the Kerry staff, prompting the media to crow that Clinton was taking over the campaign from his hospital bed.

Sources inside and outside the campaign say the moves have been Kerry's, and that they have been more gradual than the media reports have suggested. Former Clinton aides Joe Lockhart and Joel Johnson actually joined the Kerry campaign weeks ago. John Sasso, who was serving as the general manager of the Democratic National Committee and will now travel with Kerry as a top political advisor, has had the candidate's ear for some time. The New York Times reported Monday that former Clinton stategists James Carville, Paul Begala and Stanley Greenberg will play a "larger role" in the campaign, but it was not immediately clear that their internal roles would be substantial.

Nowhere are the problems -- and in some ways, the opportunities -- more clear than they are when it comes to Iraq. The war in Iraq remains unpopular, and the deaths of seven Marines in Fallujah Monday will only make it more so. John Edwards has taken to calling the Iraq situation a "mess," and Kerry said in a statement Monday that the president's "wrongheaded, go-it-alone Iraq policy has created a quagmire, costing us $200 billion and counting." But in a presidential race that sometimes seems like a world turned upside down, Kerry has somehow managed to allow Iraq to become a bigger liability for him than it is for Bush: In the Gallup poll, Kerry trails the president by 13 points on the question of which man the voters trust more to handle Iraq.

How could that be? "It isn't Kerry's war, it's Bush's war," an incredulous Dennis Kucinich told Salon over the weekend. Kucinich wouldn't say what advice he had asked Glenn to give Kerry, but he did say what he thought Democrats had to do about Iraq. "This is George Bush's war, and we've got to make sure people know that. There were a number of people in the Senate who voted for the war, a lot of people in the House who voted for the war. But it's Bush's war, it's about accountability, and we've got to put that squarely on him."

[gasperc]

1. Bush blows lead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bush leads 49% to 48% for Kerry according to Gallup's latest poll of registered voters. Mr. Bush's bounce, at 2 points, is also the smallest post convention bounce in Gallup polling history. Mr. Bush's rapid and sudden loss of the 11 point lead reported just a few days ago spells trouble for the campaign and dims Mr. Bush re-election chances.


http://www.gallup.com/content/?ci=12922

[zanana]

3. How did you get those numbers?

I went to the Gallup site and found a 7-point lead for Bush. What gives?

[Still_Loves_John]

6. Registered vs Likely

Its 49 48 for registered voters, and 52 45 in likely voters.

[Nederland]

10. True

But likely voter numbers are historically more accurate.

[Piperay]

13. Sorry but it is likely voters

that are more reliable and accurate in polls. :-(

[lancdem]

15. Not this far in advance of an election

[DebJ]

2. Kerry was speaking domestic issues at the rally in Harrisburg

and that was weeks ago. It is the MEDIA that have kept the focus on short little Swift Boat clips and responses. So maybe Kerry will have to remain totally silent on Swift Boat and Nam so that the only clips the media CAN run are domestic issues?

[RobinA]

4. Good Article

"But in a presidential race that sometimes seems like a world turned upside down, Kerry has somehow managed to allow Iraq to become a bigger liability for him than it is for Bush: In the Gallup poll, Kerry trails the president by 13 points on the question of which man the voters trust more to handle Iraq."

Frank Rich had an article a couple days ago talking about the odd circumstance where a guy with several war medals has been turned into a "girly-man" by a guy who dodged the draft in the TANG thanks to his rich Daddy.

It's the freakin' Twilight Zone. I world gone mad. I wish I still smoked dope, this kind of thing made perfect sense in those bygone days.

[Teaser]

5. Climb back from what?

Jesus...

[Shuck and Jive]

7. Interesting read

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

8. Welcome to DU, Shuck and Jive!

:toast:

[newyawker99]

14. Hi Shuck and Jive!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Shuck and Jive]

16. Wellllll Thank you, DUDES

Just getting the hang of this place.
Seems like a free-wheeling place.

Any suggestions for not getting banged around as a Newbie?

[ItsMyParty]

9. #1--shut these fucking Democrats Up---I've seen this act before

I got livid when I saw how some prominent Dems are "saying things" according to this article---this is exactly the shit that some of our lower life bastards did during the weeks Gore was fighting the election through the courts. They told Gore to give it up; they mocked Gore, they criticized Gore.....and I've been thinking to myself "how long before these scum emerge again" (and I think I could probably name a few). All we need is any "whisper of dissent" within the prominent Dems and they will help Bush glide to victory....and I feel we have some real bastards in this party who desperately want Bush to win.

[A_Possum]

11. I have to agree

I dunno, but I feel like I'm fighting against my own side half the time now. I just think we whine and whimper and "critique" our guy WAAAAAYYY too much.

I didn't even read past the headline of that article. If we don't win, it'll be because of this kind of sh*t, not the smearvets.

[A_Possum]

12. In fact, I think I'll cancel my Salon subscription

I haven't been reading it much lately anyway.

[hippiegranny]

17. sheesh...with "friends" like these...

is this writer for real? Is it really more important to appear clever than to get rid of the insane clown posse that stole the White House?

[ScreamingMeemie]

18. I wonder what that "tax relief" check looked like.

;)

[aaronbees]

19. Good article.

Salon has been dishing out excellent coverage of the campaign.

What's wrong with refocusing a message and getting it clear? If Kerry is not leading, it needs to fucking be done. Kerry had a rough August? Fine ... retool and move forward. We're pretty much even -- and there's a whole two months ahead.

And Kucinich's message is exactly right on.