Wait, I don't get it . . .

[ProfessorPlum]

One Gay Republican ELF posts a vague, sexual innuendo about the Democratic front-runner, and folks here are already saying things like "the damage has been done"??? WTF?

If the GOP figures out that Democrats don't want to hear sexual smears against their candidates, expect 24-7 sexual smears from every evil talking head on TV from now until the end of time.

Jesus, there are a lot of reasons not to like Kerry as the candidate, but what a bunch of wilting flowers we all are here. This is just a toe in the water - Drudge doesn't have any standards or editorial responsibility to uphold. He can say anything he wants and Fox will repeat it. So what? So he just starts making crap up, and voila, people are already calling Kerry damaged.

[lancdem]

1. You're right

I think a lot of us just don't want a repeat of what happened to Clinton. I have to admit, in my case, this accusation hit me a lot haeder than anything else thrown around about Kerry - and that's even without knowing if it's even true or not.

[Dookus]

2. I suspect

the people jumping on that bandwagon were never Kerry supporters to begin with.

[ProfessorPlum]

3. I'm not a Kerry supporter either

but for God's sake there is such a thing as knowing the enemy and what to expect.

The GOP, especially ones that don't even have to live up to any standards of journalism, will accuse the Democratic nominee of any and every sort of foul behavior.

Or have we not been through this before? Maybe we still haven't learned our lessons about who and what we are up against.

[WilliamPitt]

4. You know the old saying about crabs in a barrel, right?

Bunch of crabs sitting in a barrel. One gets ready to claw his way out, all the others grab him and drag him back down.

Sound like any forum you know?

[eileen_d]

17. Perfect analogy.

LOL

[GumboYaYa]

5. I think there is a healthy dose of skepticism

among most people here, regardless of whether you support Kerry or not. Most of us know how reliable Drudge is when it comes to faux Dem scandals.

[eissa]

6. I stated similar thoughts earlier

If we all agree that the repukes are going to hit our nominee with everything they got (and then some) why are we believing this crap? If past indiscretions are what they want, then fine...we got plenty on them we'd be more than happy to use.

[candy331]

8. It is so nice to lam blast the repukes but I have been

far more turned off by Dems than them. I suspect many other Dems have too and that is why they stay away from the polls. Will the record turn out of the primaries be repeated in November, remains to be seen. The Dems need to do some thorough house cleaning to rebuild the party or else it is not going to be a party.

[placton]

7. You are sooo right!

Here's what other "news flashes" we can expect from the GOP-ites:
-KERRY INVOLVED IN MURDER PLOTS, JUST LIKE CLINTON
-KERRY ACCEPTED CAMPAIGN DONATIONS
-KERRY PROVIDED MAP TO AL-QUAEDA ON 9-11
-KERRY HAS A PENIS, JUST LIKE CLINTON

Let's relax and not worry about things we have no control over. Pass the popcorn, please, I am watching Bush lie himself into a huge hole over AWOL. There is another DU thread on the 2 men from the Alabama unit who both say "Bush never showed." It's a great read:
http://www.memphisflyer.com/content.asp?ID=2834&onthefly=1

[jbfam4]

12. Thanks for posting

This is a great read. Wonder when the paid people will come out of the woodwork to say they saw *.

[Eloriel]

9. Well, Professor, maybe you didn't notice

Few people here who support other candidates came to the defense of Dean when smears, lies, distortions, and dirty tricks were played. I and others tried to point out that certain kinds of attacks should be denounced and fought because they could be leveled against any candidate and because they would damage whoever the eventual nominee would be. Further, we shouldn't stoop to and do the GOP's work for them. My appeals fell on deaf ears.

And now you're suggesting that some of us should jump to ANY defense of Kerry about ANYthing?

Further, Kerry was among those engaging in THE most ugly, dirty tricks against Dean in IA and NH in order to get where he is today. As a result, I wouldn't lift a finger to defend him against anything -- truth or lie. Sorry. I don't want such an unprincipled (and now we can apparently add philandering to the list) in office.

Further, I think he'll be a horrible nominee (if he makes it that far) and an even worse President (if elected, which is incredibly unlikely partly because he does carry such a shitload of baggage). So I think Drudge does the world a service if the rumor, which has yet to be shown to be true or false, were to do Kerry in.

YMMV.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[GumboYaYa]

11. False dichotomy....

our current choices do not include Bush. That argument is used frequently to denigrate Dean supporters, but it has no basis in reality.

[RetroLounge]

18. As can be said of most of their arguments...

That argument is used frequently to denigrate Dean supporters, but it has no basis in reality

[polpilot]

21. The pro-war, pro-establishment DLC's nominee has greater problems

than a 'bimbo report' real or not. Defining himself to voters as a clear choice from Bush wil be impossible. To have a pro-war demo nominee in the face of the Iraq catastrophe is laughable and if demos wanted a shot, just a shot, of electing a demo, outside of voting for REAL structural change in America (Dean) then Edwards/Clark would have been the lukewarm, 'at least we won' ticket.

[ProfessorPlum]

14. I'm not asking anyone to defend Kerry

I'm asking people not to be such nervous nellies about smears of any Democrat. This particular one had no dates, no names, no witness, nobody on the record. It was like a dream Drudge once had, that he sort of wrote down. And everyone is declaring the collapse of a campaign over it.

As for Dean, I still believe he is the best in the field able to overcome dirty tricks. He happened to get a lot of them played on him early on, but that doesn't mean he doesn't handle them well. I think he's done just fine (he is in second, after all). But rank-and-file Democrats are not voting for him in droves, for whatever reason. I think they are just too scared to think outside the box a bit.

I guess I'm on the fence about whether people should "denounce" dirty tricks. The Republicans won't, which is why Dems playing them on each other is an unfortunate, but necessary, symptom of our diseased process. We'll see how well Kerry does with his own set of dirty tricks. The Democrats foreshortened primary season may make it impossible for us to change course at this point, though. That is the fault of the DNC and this stupid system, though, not necessarily Dean or Kerry.

[YouMustBeKiddingMe]

16. Kerry wasn't behind the Osama ads in IA, he denounced them

and called for their removal.

He's going to be the nominee, that is pretty clear. Might as well get used to that.

Apparently the majority of Democratic voters do not agree with your assessment of "a shitload of baggage" and they rather see him as the best able to challenge Bush in the GE. Sorry to disappoint.

As far as wishing for a known right wing hack to take Kerry down over unsubstantiated rumor and innuendo that he is so famous for making up, well, that just speaks for itself.

[HFishbine]

19. I still haven't seen this Kerry denunciation

All I've seen are posts on blogs that copy what are purportedly e-mails from Kerry campaign staffers. No news sources and nothing from Kerry himself. Have I missed something? Is there a source where Kerry denounced the Osama ads?

[Atlant]

20. Then he'll lose.

> He's going to be the nominee, that is pretty clear.
> Might as well get used to that.

Then he'll lose. Are you sure you want to get used to that idea?

Atlant

[TreasonousBastard]

13. If anybody's got the time...

add up the comments, and who they're coming from. It might be revealing.

Most of us don't really care about Drudge's latest. If it grows some legs, then Kerry will just have to deal with it But, methinks it won't get much traction.

I doubt any hystrionics from certain quarters of DU will have much of an effect in the real world. Hasn't so far.

[progressiverealist]

15. Kerry is toast.

I'd rather have Bush than someone who someone says had an afair sometime, and... and.... and.... um maybe got a blowjob even!!!!!!

Yeah that's it!

Who cares about jobs, the deficit, and education??? Kerry is guilty! GUILTY!!!! DRUDGE SAID SO! DEAN WAS RIGHT!!!!

{sarcasm off}

[NewYorkerfromMass]

22. Suddenly innuendo is all you need

thank you Professor.