Are you as optimistic as I am?

[Maddy McCall]

I have watched bits of the convention, and it is boring and lacks substance.

Kerry has been holding his guns (funds) until after the RNC, at which time I KNOW he and John Edwards will let loose on Bush.

I talked to a guy who works in Homeland Security last night. He's a guy that would be considered part of Bush's base. Guess who he's voting for. (And he is a veteran who was undecided until the Swift Boat Liars mess began. Can you say "BACKLASH"?)

Because of FEC laws, Kerry would be foolish to blast Bush right now. He has to wait until after the convention, when, fund-wise, he and Bush will be on an equal playing field.

All I can say is, on September 4, LET THE GAMES BEGIN.

[pmbryant]

1. Yes

The campaign begins in earnest later this week. See you there! :-)

--Peter

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

2. I am very optimistic personally

But that has more to do with predicted voter turn out, which will be HEAVILY in favor of us Democrats.

As far as lacking substance... I hate to say it, but America can't swallow too much substance. Why do you think reality TV is so popular?

[blondeatlast]

3. Indeed I am. The opponents have tipped their hands early,

and it's Kerry's to lose.

I personally CAN'T WAIT for the real campaign.

[bigtree]

4. The convention is a boring sham

The speakers are droning too long and they have little of substance to say beyond their demagougic cheerleading of Bush's 'war on terror'. There is little that they can say there that the public hasn't already made negative judgements about. And I understand that the tone is going to get even more mean spirited with the Cheney spech. Bring it on! When the voters look for substance behind the Bushco's rhetoric they will only find a dismal record of failure and neglect and a republican plan for more of the same.

[Maddy McCall]

6. Yes. For worse of the same. nt

[michigandem2]

5. yes I have a feeling we are going to come out swingin

its gonna be a whole new ballgame come sept 3 and I can't wait to watch!

[enigmatic]

7. Absolutely

Unlike the same people who post the same threads day after day bashing Kerry more than they do W, I realize that despite a virtual blackout in August by Kerry and W's best efforts, Kerry is still ahead or tied in every major poll.

All his campaign money is saved, there are debates to come, and there are people voting in 2004 who din't vote in 2000 just to vote for Kerry and get W out of office. And Kerry is the best campaign closer this side of Clinton. And I haven't even mentioned the embarrassment of the GOP convention this week..

This is a marathon, not a horse race. I realize for those I mentioned whatever Kerry does will never be good enough for them, but for the overwhelming majority who aren't wallowing in pathos or misplaced anger, this race will be won by those who HELP Kerry by registering voters, getting the word out, and most importantly, feeding him the energy he needs to defeat W. Kerry knows he's in the fight of his political life; he needs help, not sniping.

Let's ALL of us here help make Kerry/Edwards the winner in November.

[quinnox]

8. You bet

I remain very optimistic, despite all the DU doomers and nostradamus wanna-bees telling me I should be negative and defeatist just like them.
Out of annoyance, I'm hiding all the negative "I'm depressed/worried" threads. It almost seems like there is a quota of 5 or so started every hour.

In my estimation the Kerry campaign is still in a prime position to win this thing.

[Dob Bole]

9. I R 1337 0pT1m15t

We win.

[JohnKleeb]

10. you got that right

I am very optimistic.

[MrBenchley]

11. Yes...

One is struck by the utter lack of reasons at the convention to vote FOR Republicans. "American smiled when Nelson Mandela got out of prison." Yeah, swell...now why is my job in India?

[bluedog]

12. Yes I am

We are the better party..we have more members ..........we are energizing our base........polls?.............I have never been polled in my life and I am almost 60................

the people who are going to carry this election are the silent majority.....the ones not on the front burner..........maybe some GOPers will join us...because the republican platform is not for even civil right among gays.........trying to outlaw abortion........taking our Social Security..and many other programs to fund an needless and endless war........which was created by bush!

[Joylaughter]

13. Sling shot

We've had a few days where Kerry was pulling back against the rubberband. Soon he will release and catapault past *. Never looking back.

[molly]

14. Yes!!

I just finished watching Batchelor on C-Span. He said that no war time president has ever lost an election. If that is true, LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

[Maddy McCall]

15. This will be the election of precedents....

Look how many precedents Bush has established. First of all, no president has ever declared "pre-emptive war."

No president has ever assaulted the Bill of Rights as has Bush.

No president has ever used catastrophe for political advantage as frequently as Bush.

Historically, there are too many aberrations to say that no war-time president has ever been defeted. LBJ probably would have been the first war-time president to be defeated, but he decided not to run for a second term. Lincoln was assasinated. FDR passed away.

It's really a shitty gauge to use to say that history is predicting a Bush election.

This will be the year of new, positive precedents. And a new, positive president. :-)

[molly]

17. AMEN!!!

[cthrumatrix]

16. of course...Kerry has the electoral votes

[RobertDevereaux]

18. Optimistic, but not letting up...

...one damned second in working for and contributing to Kerry's and other's campaigns.

[Maddy McCall]

19. Me, too, Robert.

:thumbsup:

[terrya]

20. YES! Message to Senator Kerry: repeat the "economic girly men" comment....

Often. Repeatedly.

That was a majorly stupid thing for Ahnuld to have said. A colossal fuckup...on primetime, yet.

As the economy continues to head south, and the Bush tax cuts for the rich is shown to do absolutely nothing for the poor and working class, it would be beneficial for Kerry to remind Americans that the Republicans think that people who are worried about the economy are "girly men".

I'm more optomistic than ever.

[Maddy McCall]

21. Kick, because some people just don't get it.

[goodhue]

22. I'm very optimistic.

Thurs at midnight the game is on.
Kerry/Edwards will have the ball and not look back.
Hope is on the way.
Help is on the way.

[spanone]

23. Absofreakinlutely

[incapsulated]

24. No, because I'm not the target of the RNC

You need to be in the heads of the voters that they are targeting to get any objective idea of how this convention is going. I have no idea how this is playing with the swing or soft support voters. If this country voted according to my viewpoint, Bush wouldn't be in office to begin with, lol.

Let's wait and see. The big show is on Thursday. The media will probably lap it up, but that doesn't always convince everyone, especially if they actually watched it themselves, rather than be told what to think by the pundits.

I'm also waiting to see what the Kerry response will be. I've been let down before so I'm not holding my breath, just hoping that they mean it when they say they are going on offense, this time.

[Lefty Pragmatist]

25. Guardedly optimistic.

I've said all along that the election is ours to win if we can get enough people who are mad at Bush actually motivated enough to get their butts to the polls on election day. The Bush strategy is to chloraform everybody back to sleep with declaring premature victory and saying "it's over, it's hopeless for you, resistance is futile." As long as we don't fall for that, mobilize, and get the vote out, this election is ours to win.

If we have the same "bitch a lot but do nothing" response that we have had to the Reagan administrations, we'll lose and we'll deserve what we get.