Kerry planning to go negative ? (Yahoo story)....advisors planning

[cthrumatrix]

snip

His advisers, sitting on a stockpile of ads comparing Kerry's record to his rivals, debated whether to go negative. Some argue he had to pull voters from Dean, Clark and even Edwards. Others said attack ads would backfire, as they did in Iowa for Dean and Gephardt, and are unnecessary if Kerry maintains his Iowa-bred momentum.

As for each of the candidates, Kerry's strategy was still in motion Tuesday because the campaign was caught off guard by his strong showing in Iowa.

"We hadn't factored in this whole winning-the-thing outright," said Michael Meehan, strategist for the Massachusetts lawmaker who defeated Edwards by 6 percentage points and Dean by 20.

snip

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040120/ap_on_el_pr/democrats&cid=536&ncid=536

what do you think he'll do as the frontrunner....?

[jpgray]

1. I really hope he goes with positive--it helped him win in Iowa

Towards the end, his positive ads are what helped turn the trick, I think.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

2. Don't look back at those behind

a positive campaign will be better rewarded.

[funky_bug]

3. Agreed

We see how the nation feels about attacks... Kerry issued a CHALLENGE to Clark last week... those are okay... attacks are not. This year's voters don't seem to want that kind of candidate. Look at Edwards? Whodathunkit... and I LIKE the guy!

Stay clean, Kerry. Let's make this race one built on issues(and on behalf of Clark supporters everywhere, I apologize for the big mouth duo of Chris Lehane and Michael Moore).

[in_cog_ni_to]

4. The High Road is always a better

wat to go, but I won't hold my breath. I'm sure Clark is ready for whatever is dished out.

Go, Wes!

[blm]

5. Typical campaign background noise.

They seem to have a handle on what they need. We'll see what happens.

I'm not expecting any dirty pool out of Kerry, Clark and Edwards. I do expect some jockeying, but, not outside the bounds of the political arena.

[Jerseycoa]

6. Unfortunately

That horse left the barn pre-Iowa. I don't know how he gets it back in again now that he's in the lead. NH's flooded with anti-Clark material from the Kerry campaign.

[cthrumatrix]

10. did they show what he said...?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

12. Is it negative

to point out Clark's lack of a political record or history as a Democrat?

Doesn't Kerry have to show the voters what the difference is betweeen him and Clark?

[KittyWampus]

16. The Kerry Campaign Called Clark A Republican

and maligned Clark in fliers and his webpage... insinuating that Clark had done something unethical.

Kerry should be prepared to answer for his accepting huge amounts of money from Telecom. Lobbyists and VOTING against the public interest and FOR Telecom.

In fact, a book is coming out with an entire chapter featuring Kerry. Published by Center for Public Integrity. Called Buying The Presidency. Can't blame THAT one on Lehane...

It will be fun watching Kerry try and explain that to the public in a soundbite.

Unfortunately for Kerry, he is a Washington Insider and LOOKS like one.

[IndianaGreen]

17. Clark is not the candidate that endorsed Bloomberg over Green in NYC

Yet, I don't see the Kerry campaign using such a language on Sharpton.

[sangha]

21. Green ran a racist campaign

A hgh level worker in Green's campaign distributed a disgustingly racist flyer. Once caught, Green promised to have the worker fired from his campaign. Green reneged.

Why should Sharpton endorse someone who lies to protect a racist?

[IndianaGreen]

27. Sharpton is the real racist in here. I am shocked that you defend him!

New York lawsuit winds down
Sharpton, lawyers guilty of defamation in Brawley case
By David Walsh
25 July 1998

The defamation trial of attorneys Alton Maddox, C. Vernon Mason and the Rev. Al Sharpton neared its conclusion Thursday in Poughkeepsie, New York--some 60 miles north of New York City--with the expected no-show of Tawana Brawley during the damages phase of the proceedings. The three defendants were found guilty July 13 on 10 out of 22 counts.

The $395 million suit was brought by former Dutchess County assistant prosecutor Steven Pagones, named by Brawley, who is black, as one of a group of white men who abducted and raped her over the course of four days in November 1987. Brawley, a 15 year old at the time of the incident, did not testify before a grand jury in 1988 and her story, apparently concocted to explain her absence to her mother and stepfather, was established as a fabrication. (One witness saw her surreptitiously climbing into the garbage bag in which she claimed her assailants had placed her.)

Maddox, Mason and Sharpton became Brawley's "advisers" and publicly identified Pagones as one of Brawley's attackers. Maddox and Mason are ardent black nationalists who have never let the truth stand in the way of their political aims. Maddox was suspended from the bar until 1999 for refusing to cooperate with an inquiry into his conduct during the Brawley case. Sharpton, a former FBI drug informant, who has distanced himself somewhat from Maddox and Mason in the recent period, used the Brawley case to advance his career and has risen to a position of prominence within the Democratic Party in New York City and state.

Brawley has consistently refused to testify under oath about her allegations. Pagones won a default judgment against her in 1991 after she failed to answer a subpoena. She now lives in Washington, DC. When the penalty phase of the trial began Mason asked State Supreme Court Justice S. Barrett Hickman to allow Brawley to testify. Hickman at first turned him down, but this week granted his permission. Mason's lawyer, Stephen Jackson, asserted on Tuesday, "Now we're going to make efforts to bring her up here. She's going to be here." William Stanton, Pagones's attorney, suggested that the judge had called the defense lawyers' bluff. "I might not even prepare a cross examination," he said. "People don't travel to New York state to get on the stand and lie." In the event, Brawley did not appear.

http://www.wsws.org/news/1998/july1998/braw-j25.shtml

[Jerseycoa]

18. It is unethical

to call Clark a Republican when he never was. It is also unethical to call Clark on the lobbying when Kerry KNOWS it was a national security service that Clark performed for free for four months and performed, even after he was paid, in a way that notably stressed privacy issues.

But let me be clear: I don't care if Kerry stays negative or decides to go positive, either way. I expect this stuff in politics. I think he's better off not being negative with Clark, because it forces a response and lowers the bar, but that's his own decision.

[IndianaGreen]

7. Kerry already went negative on Clark in NH

According to one of Clark's spokesmen on Crossfire, the Kerry people have been putting flyers in people's mailboxes smearing Clark.

Kerry is slick. He fooled Iowans, the 25% of Dems that did bother to caucus, into believing that his vote for IWR was a vote for peace. Kerry is now trying to fool people in New Hampshire that he is running a clean campaign, when the truth is the complete opposite.

[ShaneGR]

8. PLEASE GO NEGATIVE!

It will only help Clark, and especially Edwards.

[Hawkeye-X]

9. Negative ads works best

Because it'll only sink Kerry, Clark, Edwards, Lieberman, and the rest of the DLC folks.

Hawkeye-X

[mmonk]

11. If he appears to be swinging wildly

it will hurt him.

[yellowcanine]

13. If they were going to do this they wouldn't be

yapping about it to reporters. Somebody is trying to stir the pot. Maybe KKKRove?

[Carni]

14. Go positive on your Dem opponents Kerry people!

And negative on bush!

Dean and Gephardt just got burned by getting overly negative on each other- it doesn't play with the public!

[KittyWampus]

15. Kerry Already Went Negative Against Clark

Maligning Clark on his webpage and in fliers people handed out at Clark events in NH.

Hell, Kerry even had Jeanne "I voted for Nixon myself" Shaheen lieing about Clark in NH.

Everything I've heard about Kerry's past campaigns is that he wins by spending huge amounts of moey and going negative.

Thank Good Clark has him out manuevered.

[Jackson Smith]

19. I say stay positive. If the others try and attack you, THEY will look

desperate. JMO.









Kerry~Edwards 2004

[elfin]

20. Stay positive against Dems

Go negative against Bush, but let other organizations do that heavy lifting so all "I approved of this ad" are positive.

[kentuck]

22. I certainly hope not but....

if he is attacked, and he will be, he shouldretain the right to respond accordingly...

[DjTj]

23. Bring it on!

...says this Edwards supporter...

:eyes:

[mandyky]

24. Kerry needs to consider what happened to Gephardt

I hope Dean finds a non-negative way to address any attacks on him.
People don't like negative ads.

[SangamonTaylor]

25. what about the "Edwards was in diapers" comment?

Though he apologized later to Sen. Edwards, it seems obvious that Kerry was, or possibly plans on attacking Edwards with questions on his experience.

I personally think it's ok to question Edwards' background and experience. However, the delivery is what really matters.

Edwards differentiates himself from his competitors by saying that he is not a candidate that has been in Washington his whole career, he is not a candidate who has been a politician his whole career, but that he is a candidate that has been in Washington long enough to know exactly what is wrong with it.

[mlawson]

26. It was pointless and rude.

Edwards was SIXTEEN in 1969. It that some fault for which he should be berated???? Give me (him) a break... That was, at the very least, tacky.

[incapsulated]

28. *Everyone* is gonna go negative

This is going to be a real fight in NH, it's wide open now. Even the "nice" guys, like Edwards and my guy Clark are going to have to take off the gloves.

That's politics.