Taking out the frontrunner.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

When Dean was the perceived frontrunner he became the focus of the other campaign's attacks. This makes sense. Bring the frontrunner down a few notches and try to elevate yourself a few notches. Pretty simple and completely understandable.

Phase Two. Now Kerry is the de facto frontrunner and much more of a threat because he has two wins under his belt. Will we see the same concerted effort by the candidates to take him down a few notches? Will we see pointed attacks on Kerry in the debates as we did against Dean? Any gang-tackling? Iow, will Kucinich, Edwards and Lieberman expend as much effort "denotchifying" Kerry?

Whether they do or don't will be very telling. If they do, then it was just politics as usual. If they don't, then it was more likely a fight less for the Presidency than a fight for the "soul" of the party.

What tack do you think the candidates other than Kerry will take? Because, as I noted before, his wins make him a bigger threat than Dean ever was to their ambitions. So we should expect an all out attack now that Kerry is reaching the tipping point.

I think they'll take it easy on Kerry. What do you think?

[CWebster]

1. I think

the same.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. The debate will be very edifying.

Compare and contrast.

[janx]

3. Yes. It promises to be interesting.

;-)

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

4. If they don't attack Kerry it will give proof to the

insider/outsider claim. Protect your own. Kill the rest. It will mean that maybe the tent isn't as big as we've been lead to believe.

[Rainbowreflect]

6. Or maybe there won't be as much in fighting, like the last debate,

because they realize it isn't doing any of them any good to go negative.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

7. Didn't seem to hurt Kerry one bit.

Or am I missing something?

[janx]

11. There's negative and there's NEGATIVE.

The below-the-belt attacks of fake phone banks, Osama ads, and scare tactics are NEGATIVE.

Pointing out policy differences and records are legitimate and something else all together.

[janx]

9. The tent is not as big as we've been led to believe.

That much is true.

Now I know what Dean really meant when he announced that he was from the Democratic wing of the Democratic party. It's more than just a Wellstonian echo.

The other candidates were at first outraged that he would say such a thing. Then they realized that he might be right and proceeded to imitate him.

Now they want to take the goods and run, and they're propped up by the media, the right wing, and certain members of the DLC.

Let them do it. This has actually become what Dean alluded to in the beginning: a real battle for democracy.

[ibegurpard]

5. they've all gotten their marching orders.

even Kucinich is playing along. Will be interesting for me to see how Clark fares.

[Rhiannon12866]

8. I just can't see attacking Kerry. What's to attack?

He is against the war and, because of the support he has received, he is our best hope to defeat George Bush*. Case closed. He was not my first choice, but I know we need to make compromises and I like what he has had to say. I would support Kerry or anyone else who could reclaim the White House from the Squatter-in-Chief. I thought that what DU was all about.:shrug:

[janx]

10. Kerry is unelectable. He'd get torn apart

for his "medal throwing," his waffling on IWR, and Patriot Act, etc. Bush* has already started in on the IWR matter.

He'll be labeled as another Dukakis, a "northeastern liberal" in the mold of Ted Kennedy.

And they'll really come after him re his abandonment of the Vietnam vets organization he allied himself with and then turned his back on.

He cannot beat Bush*.

[Rhiannon12866]

13. I brought up this statement to another friend on DU

who has switched to Kerry from Kucinich, who is also my choice, through I know that he hasn't a prayer. I said that he could be another Dukakis. He responded that he could be another Kennedy. Kerry is not my first choice, but I have liked what he has said and would vote for him in a heartbeat, over George Bush*. I agree with you that he doesn't have the popular support of Gephardt, for example, but he is now the frontrunner and we have to deal with what we have. He's got my vote, and I hope yours, if he gets the nomination.:shrug:

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

12. Kerry is against the war?

I must have missed that.

[Rhiannon12866]

14. He is now. n/t

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

15. And the prediction comes true.

Only Dean went after Kerry.

Not one critique from the others.

Surprise level= zero.

[slinkerwink]

16. they took it easy on kerry in the debate except for Dean.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

17. But the explanation for Dean getting piled on for 5 or 6

consecutive debates was that the frontrunner always gets attacked. Guess it depends on whether you're hand-picked by the party, or not.

:shrug: