Kerry should just take the gloves off....

[sidwill]

If the Swiftliars are proving anything its that slime sells. Forget about how much or how little the polls are moving re:the slimers, just look at how much media coverage they are getting.

Kerry should produce and run a commercial, where he takes full credit for the content, that calls Bush out on his TANG record.

Just stand up and call a spade a spade, very friggin forcefully.

This will instantaneously change the topic from swiftliars to "Where was Bush, and whatt was he doing in 1972". Forget hiding behind a 527 proxy, just challenge his integrity right out in the open, embarrass Bush make him talk about why he was grounded, Alabama, and possible drug use.

Forget being nice, the Repukes aren't being nice, adopt their tactics and go for the throat.

I'm guessing that a controversy hungry Media would eat that up with a spoon and ask for seconds.

[sidwill]

1. Oh yeah, one other thing.....

Kerry should do this right before the Repuke convention so that the Media whores will have something to talk about.

[RDANGELO]

2. I think he is going to.

If the swift vets keep going, its just a matter of if its going to be before, during or after the convention.

[janx]

24. After.

I am willing to bet that things will start to get very interesting right after the Republican convention.

[volosong]

3. Kerry's Campaign is Dying

I agree with you totally. But as long as the media keep Smearboat alive and Bush keeps ducking, Kerry will be the "dead duck."

[lancdem]

4. I seriously doubt that

[sidwill]

5. Its not the media that drives the discourse....

The Repukes have figured this out, they know what the Media likes to eat(figuratively speaking) and they feed them exactly what the want: Controversy, conflict, and drama.

We need to do the same and challenge Bush directly on his soft points demand answers and accountability and do it in an unfliching in your face way.

Speak truth with strentgh and conviction, lead strongly and the people will follow.

[Nordic]

19. right. A motion to impeach would be a really nice thing

even if it's doomed to fail. Just get it out there.

Draw attention to the crimes of Bush

[democrat_patriot]

6. I have been saying: keep it positive! for weeks.

I'm beginning to wish for some hard hitting ads.

Enron.
Iraq.
AWOL.
Plamegate.

Do they need more proof or something?

Will Kerry hold an important press conference: "I tried to be positive, I didn't want to bring this up, but * just won't stop. So here goes:

"He was AWOL. Here's what we have to back it up" (pulls out report, graphs, charts, video)

"The Democratic Party is offering $50,000 for anyone that can prove he WAS there, to remove this blemish from our government."

[barb162]

8. positive sounds nice

but it doesn't work when you deal with trash. The Democrats have to start throwing stuff back at the Prez BIGTIME. Every time, ATTACK on all the stuff that is out there. The Bush military non-record, the jobs numbers plunging in this country, outsourcing, healthcare, how Bush flipflops, etc.

[democrat_patriot]

9. I'm convinced.

I was hoping the grassroots could do the 'negative' stuff, but I think Kerry now needs to.

Right before RNC. Take away the thunder?

[barb162]

11. we have been watching weeks worth

of the swiftjerks attacking, attacking, attacking, and then we have these Dem guys just responding to the charges and questions. Show after show. When do the Dem guys ever respond with "WHERE IN HELL WAS BUSH again??? You GOP guys have a lot of nerve! I demand an apology!"

WE ARE ALWAYS ON THE DEFENSIVE. You know why? We are letting the GOP do this to us. WE HAVE LET THE GOP MORONS TAKE COMMAND!!!! The Kerry campaign HAS TO get control and start attacks on Bush and I don't mean going down to TX with a letter like yesterday asking (my God, ASKING???!!!) Bush to stop the swifties.... Gimme a break! We have to get serious here. Kerry better get serious in his attacks or Bush is gonna win. Kerry has a lot to work with it and start with Bush and his national guard duty, then the Iraq war, joblessness.... Kerry better change his strategy and campaign advisers and start getting TOUGH! And I mean like yesterday.

[Nordic]

18. well with all due respect, that is the media's fault, not Kerry's

however Kerry and the Dems need to figure out a way to use the media, as it exists now, for their benefit.

Right now they're failing miserably to use the media.

[sendero]

22. With all due respect...

... no, it is not the media's fault. The media is what it is, it thrives on controversy. We could provide them with controversy galore but Kerry doesn't seem to be able to do it.

Measured pronouncements won't cut it. Kerry needs to attack and do it now. For the life of me I don't know what he's thinking.

[mondo joe]

27. It's the campaign's job to figure out how to use the media

And so far the Kerry campaign is not doing a masterful job.

[catmandu57]

7. The problem is money

Kerry has to make 75 million last until election day, the moran* gets to raise money and spend until he accepts the nomination. He is doing what he can, it's like an old fashioned war, the two sides line up and trade volleys.
I think John Kerry can stand up to this and will come out swinging when he can.

[mondo joe]

28. No. The Smearboaters got TONS of free press.

Kerryco has to figure out how to use the media.

The smearboaters got MUCH more than their money's worth by exploiting the media.

Kerry has to do the same.

[greekspeak]

10. Its too late to take the gloves off

The dems have allowed the pukes to define any challenge to the Shrub as "BushBashing." Kerry is in a catch 22 situation right now. Leave the gloves on and sink, or take the gloves off and be labeled as a traitor to his Royal Highness Georgie Porgie. He scarcely defends himself, and the party does little either. It is ridiculous that things have been able to progress as far as they have in this Alice in Wonderland election campaign where the Pukes, more than ever, are getting to set the agenda and writing the Dems off. The media is totally complicit, and it is disgusting that they are so shameless in their whoring.

[barb162]

13. If Kerry starts thinking strategically

he can still get it straightened out.
If Kerry gets accused of Bushbashing, Kerry should respond with"Bush is bashing the citizens of this country with unnecessary wars, job loss, shipping jobs overseas, for the last 4 years and I intend to stop him." I can think of a million other responses too.

[greekspeak]

14. I am sure that Kerry and his folks are able to come up with a comeback

for each and every minute of the next two months leading up to the election. I am certain that the Kerry campaign has heap big plenty to say. The quantity is not what matters; it is the spin put on it. The "librul" media cannot get enough of Shrub, their favorite hero and object of worship. They bury, spin, and twist anything pro-Kerry or anti-Shrub, and play ad nauseum any and every anti-Kerry, pro-Shrub sentiment they get their hands on.

[barb162]

12. you are totally correct except I would start the attacks NOW!

If there is one more show with the swifties, every swiftie charge should be answered with:
WHERE WAS BUSH when he was supposed to be in Alabama?
How many times was Bush arrested?
How many times did Bush use cocaine?

[Disturbed]

15. Dumbass is mentally defective.

The dolt is not fit to be the Pres. of the USA. Attack his mental incompetence to do the job. Nancy Polosi was mild and the Neo Fascists whined and squeled. These Neo Fascist maggots can dish out the manure but they cannot handle the TRUTH!!!

[Revolutionary Mama]

16. Take off the gloves!

That's more like it.

This columnist pulled no punches when he briefly ran through Bush's history of hiding behind people that do his dirty work:

http://www.freetimes.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1886&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

I don't blame Kerry for protesting against the Vietnam war after he returned home. He wasn't attacking the guys still over there and those destined for Vietnam, he was confronting the lying politicians that sent them to war, just like vets of today's war in Iraq:
"Made in Iraq: The new anti-war veteran - http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/08/25/made_in_iraq_the_new_antiwar_veteran/

The Swift boat vets now sheilding Chickenhawk George bitterly resent Kerry for defending our country's and military's honor by testifying against *some* Americans involved in cruel activities that disgraced our military and country. What's wrong with that? Those guys made my dad, Kerry and others out to be monsters! Why do these particular vets hate him for it? They should thank him, unless some of them were among the guilty and have never forgiven Kerry for exposing their dirty deeds to end that terrible practice. He wasn't accusing all military personnel over there, just some. He ought to confront the lying band of Swift boat vets for twisting his words and the meaning behind them when Kerry testified to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. John Kerry should remind all the other Vietnam vets that he had their's and our country's best interests at heart. He was just trying to protect America's honor. Shame on those thankless, chickenhawk-promoting vets!

{{{Take off the gloves John!}}}

[Nordic]

17. no, no, no.

Bush's TANG record is the VERY LEAST of his crimes.

What people need to know about are his CURRENT crimes.

There are plenty of them.

Kerry (and the media) need to make this election about Bush.

Bush is the worst president EVER. He's a white-collar gangster and a criminal of mind-blowing proportions.

BUSH IS A MONSTER.

[barb162]

29. Yeah!

And Kerry has to say Bush is the worst prez ever. He's got to say it. He has to stop tiptoeing! This country, citizens of this country, are being dragged down into the dirt, into poverty by Bush, millions have lost their jobs.

Kerry has to tell the people:

Bush has been promising a jobs turnaround for FOUR years and how many more years do you want to listen to these lies? How many more years do you want Bush letting his rich corpate buddies cut in to YOUR national forests? How many more millions of your fellow citizens should lose their jobs while Bush's corporate buddies ship more jobs to Asia? How many of you want to listen to Bush while he tells you he still think there's WMD in Iraq? How many more American soldiers should die there for Bush's useless war? When are you going to get sick of listening to the Bush lies?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

20. The Kerry campaign does their own polling.

Do you?

[sendero]

23. It isn't just the Swift Boat thing...

... it's "flip flopper", "most liberal Senator" etc, etc, etc.

These memes take hold and Kerry does little to rebut them. I think it is a mistake, but I don't think it will keep Kerry from winning.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

25. I'll take that as a 'No' nt

[iwantmycountryback]

21. Some people need to get a hold of themselves

You're freaking out way too much about this. This won't last long past the Rethug convention and Kerry is hitting back. All he has to say is that the official U.S. Navy records support my story. Are you going to believe them are these liars? Not to mention, once the debates start, this will probably barely be an issue.

[barb162]

30. I am freaking and concerned

because the polls are showing that Kerry is not moving up. Most vets seem to be against Kerry. When you think about it, how could ANY vet be pro Mr. Awol? But they are! Some things clearly are not going right in the Kerry campaign. It is not too late to restrategize. Kerry needs to attack Bush bigtime and stop playing "answerman" to the constant Bush/swift-slug charges. Playing defense for the last few weeks like the Dems have been doing (instead of attacking Bush/ PLAYING OFFENSE for a change) has been hurting the Dems a lot. This cannot continue.

[bringbackfdr]

26. Bush should be the ONLY issue

Kerry has allowed the Shrub machine to turn the focus completely off of this miserable failure of an administration and onto anything else that moves. The swift boat crap will, indeed, die, at which point the repukes will come up with something else to distract people. It is their time-honored, well-honed method of winning elections.
Kerry has to figure out a way to return this campaign to what it should be - a referendum on Shrub - and he better do it quickly.

[barb162]

31. have you seen the ads where Kerry testified before Congress

during Vietnam. Then the charges of Kerry being "unpatriotic" and against his fellow soldiers will be shoved in the faces of the American public. Then there will be another 3 week long round of all the shows where the GOP sends people to the shows to make these charges and there will be Dems responding to the charges again on the defensive. I say forget it. ATTACK! Get Dems on these shows and keep hammering on: SO Where was Bush again? Did he bleed? Where are his medals. Do you have any proof he was even in Alabama? How do you defend his miserable job creation numbers.

Kerry has to show the American voter he can fight this kind of trash and show the American voter exactly what kind of trash he is fighting.