FAIR: Kerry urged to abandon progressive principles and move right

[Selwynn]

FAIR-L
Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting
Media analysis, critiques and activism

MEDIA ADVISORY:
Pundits to Kerry: Move Right
Same advice every four years

April 9, 2004

Every four years, loud voices in the media advise the Democratic
presidential candidate to abandon progressive stances and occupy the
political center. With Sen. John Kerry having emerged as the presumable nominee, the pundits are once again issuing the same prescription.

Time magazine's Joe Klein wrote (4/12/04) that Kerry needs to be bold:
"The ideal step would be to make John McCain his
choice for vice president and announce a government of national
reconciliation composed of moderate Democrats and Republicans." Klein
recommended making a "radical move to the middle, a campaign that looks and sounds different from the usual partisan claptrap."

Over at Newsweek (4/12/04), political reporter Howard Fineman had the same advice. In a column based on what anonymous "wise guys" are saying, Fineman says Kerry needs to craft "a coherent, centrist vision." As Fineman puts it, "There's room in the middle, wise guys insist." To Fineman and his unnamed experts, "Kerry can't occupy the center if he's defined as a mere liberal. He has the most liberal voting record in the Senate. What to do?" Fineman has the cure: Kerry should "run ads in battleground states reminding voters that he was a prosecutor and that he voted for welfare reform in 1996, a brave (for Massachusetts) stand that drew picketers to his home."

(Incidentally, the claim that Kerry has "the most liberal voting record in the Senate" is dubious. National Journal-- 2/27/04-- ranked him as having the most liberal record in 2003-- a finding based on candidate Kerry's votes on only 25 out of the 62 votes that the publication ranked as either liberal or conservative. In a more comprehensive, less subjective ordering of senators by voting-- voteview.uh.edu-- Kerry was the 25th most liberal voter, right in the center of the Democratic Party.)

(more)
http://www.fair.org/press-releases/kerry-centrism.html

[Selwynn]

1. This is why I am ABB, not pro-Kerry.

[ixion]

2. yep... if Kerry moves any more right, he'll be a repug

Dems moving towards the center is one of the things that soured me on the dem party. I'm an independent now.

[peachy]

3. They're wrong

and Kerry can't win on the ABB vote.
Please Mr Kerry move to the left before I Ralph again.

[soleft]

4. moderate Democrats and Republicans?

When I start hearing the distinction, moderate Republicans and Republicans, I will regard such bullshit with less distain.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

5. If Kerry gets any "ideas" WE better bombard him with emails and phone...

calls!!!

WE WILL NOT STAND FOR RETHUG-LITE!!!!!!!!!!!

:mad: :mad: :mad:

[mhr]

6. BS, BS, BS - He Moves Right - I Vote Elsewhere - That Simple!

Kerry is already too conservative for my taste!

If America wants conservatives then leave Bush in power and see what extreme conservatism is all about!

I am sick and tired of Democrats that are afraid to be Democrats.

[Classical_Liberal]

7. Listening to pro-war pro-outsourcing Tom Friedman would be really dumb

. The man has the worst political instincts of any columnist I am aware of.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

8. OK but can we evaluate the propaganda of FAIR?

So what the pundits are telling him to move right...does that mean he will? His programs but for arguably some of his defense positions are for the most part liberal.

Then, let's take a look at this statement:
(Incidentally, the claim that Kerry has "the most liberal voting record in the Senate" is dubious. National Journal-- 2/27/04-- ranked him as having the most liberal record in 2003-- a finding based on candidate Kerry's votes on only 25 out of the 62 votes that the publication ranked as either liberal or conservative. In a more comprehensive, less subjective ordering of senators by voting-- voteview.uh.edu-- Kerry was the 25th most liberal voter, right in the center of the Democratic Party.)



Well he couldn't be right in the CENTER of the Democratic party as there are HUNDREDS and only 62 people were evaluated from BOTH houses according to the article. Furthermore one has to go to BOTH studies to see if the comparison was even of the SAME senators and congresspeople.

My point is, shouldn't a group that DEMANDS fairness and accuracy in media demonstrate any themselves?

[w13rd0]

9. Correction: there are not hundreds...

...SENATORS by voting, Kerry was 25th. There are what 48, 49 D Senators (counting Zell though we shouldn't). So now that FAIR takes a pre-emptive shot at Kerry, they are out of bounds?

Typical. The "fall in line" mentality strikes again. Does the DLC just want company in going over the cliff into irrelevance?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

21. Read the study they claim is more accurate

[Selwynn]

10. There is nothing inaccurate about anything they said....

...but yeah, let's go ahead and rip on one of the most healthy organizations out there for exposing fraudulent media claims, an organization that has taken people like Rush Limbaugh to task regularly and exposed the dishonesty of people like Bill O'reilly.

The statement you choose to "take a look at" is just a fact. In fact the whole thing is factual...

1. Kerry is being urged by pundits to move to the right.
2. Kerry isn't "left" but "center" in the first place.

It's pretty hard to come here and bitch about the site when that's all its saying - two facts.

What's really scary to me is the fact that Kerry is already a centrists, and yet for many people, that's not good enough and he should move more to the "right."

It just goes to show that we don't have a real "left" in US politics. What we have is the Right (Democrats) and the far right (Republicans). And its a shame.

ABB.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

23. Not attempting to flame your post or discredit FAIR anymore than they

have discredited themselves.
1. Kerry is being urged by pundits to move to the right.

Kerry is being urged by the pundits cited by FAIR to move right.. they cited approximately 4 pundits out of dozens if not hundreds.

2. Kerry isn't "left" but "center" in the first place.

Kerry is center on some issues and more liberal on others...and anyway some of these tags are pretty useless compared to the spectrum of LEFT debated on DU which spans from traditional liberal Democratic party issues to socialism.

[sangh0]

11. More about FAIR's propoganda

Notice who they mention - Joe Klein, Howard Fineman, and Tom Friedman

Aren't you people familiar with their views?

[Eric J in MN]

13. FAIR is liberal. The point of the FAIR piece is that they hope Kerry

FAIR is liberal. The point of the FAIR piece is that they hope Kerry doesn't listen to conservative columnists who say Kerry should move to the right.

[supernova]

14. Exactly - a bit misleading if you don't read the whole thing.

It's a bit misleading in that the piece is not well fleshed out. It's most important idea is last and doesn't have much of a build up.

They note that Dukakis and Mondale both took the advice to move to the center, picking more conservative running mates.... and they both lost in landslides!! They didn't energize the Democratic base.

The article hopes Kerry doesn't listen to this stupidity masquerading as "conventional wisdom.

[Selwynn]

16. Jesus Christ read the fucking article for god's sake.

[sangh0]

22. Nice talk there

Really persuasive

[Guaranteed]

12. I'm not going to tolerate any of that shit.

I want leadership- a real ALTERNATIVE to Bush.

We have to change our CULTURE, and it's going to take a real leader to do that. He's alright too far right as it is. Any farther, and I'm not supporting him.

[xxqqqzme]

19. I'm w/ U.

BBC was showing footage of kerry talking up more troops in Iraq B4 an audience. As I listened I was horrified. My vote is being held hostage right now Bcuz of squatter; kerry moves right - he loses the democratic base - which he has now...but just barely. Gore allowed the DLC to dictate his campaign - the DLC dictated the '02 campaign. How's that workin' 4 us so far? If the DNC moves right - they lose the base, they lose the election and the party is dead.

[wasichu]

15. I assumed Kerry already moved to the center

with the tax cut plan for corporations and denying gays their human rights.

[Selwynn]

17. No kidding!

[Joanne98]

18. He won't. Howard Dean won't let him. Na na na

[camero]

20. These "pundits" just want Kerry.....

to be another corporate shill. If he goes any farther to the right I may just sit this one out. We don't need a Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum vote. The corps hardly pay any taxes as it is and he had a proposal for them to pay less? Unreal. Just unreal.

ABB is a good thing but a man like Kuch is what this country really needs. Kuch should be his VP. More than likely I will vote ABB but this is not looking good at all.