I posted that challenge way back in the OP of this now-lengthy thread, and so far no Southerner has come forward to disagree. Any takers?
For that matter, I don’t believe Kerry can win Ohio, Pennsylvania or Missouri in the general election.
Not here.
Kerry picking a southerner will help him as much as Bentsen helped Dukakis in 88.
This is the kind of stuff that will make it hard for Kerry to be elected.
But don’t get me wrong - the stuff outlined in that article is common behaviour for Senators on both sides of the aisle. But this is why Senators rarely make it to the White House - because to stay in the Senate for decades requires compromises, veering from principle, and outright shady behaviour that leaves a long paper trail for your opponents to chew over.
Because Bush has made such an effort to keep special interests out of the White House. :rolleyes:
I forget if I posted it earlier or not, but it sounds ever more likely that Dean is going to lose the endorsement of at least one of the unions that supported him earlier. Everything keeps going wrong for him, and a lot can happen before Wisconsin.
C’mon, Sam, citing David Brooks? That’s almost as silly as me citing Robert Scheer as an unbiased source… :rolleyes:
I was just pointing out the example of the type of criticism Senators come under. John McCain was beaten up over the same kind of thing. The point is, a 20 year legislative record is bound to give your opposition a fair bit of ammunition.
My post was more a comment on the difficulty of Senators getting to be president than it was any comment of the merits of Brooks’ attack. Although I notice you’re not nearly as dismissive if, say, Paul Krugman attacks Bush. Almost by definition, attacks on a politician are going to come from partisans on the other side. Dismissing them all out of hand is basically the same as holding your fingers in your ears and going, “lalalalala.” The question is whether or not the charges have merit, and even if they don’t, whether they can be made to pigeonhole a candidate and be made to stick.
Politics is a dirty game. Both sides are dishonest, opportunist, and sleazy. Always have been, always will be. The stakes are too high, there’s too much money in play, and the lure of power is too hard to resist. Bush will get dirty, and so will Kerry. The question is whether Kerry’s long public history in the Senate will give his opponents enough openings to sink him.
What Sam’s saying, I think, is that Senators can’t get elected because they have experience in government. Which is kind of scary, actually.
Naw, it’s because we let the media spin us all the time, so we don’t check to see for ourselves what incident(s) the opponent is referring to. We don’t seem to investigate facts because it makes our heads hurt or something. Ooops, gotta go, Friends is on!!
I think Kerry could take Florida if the votes were legally counted, but I DON’T think that will happen in Florida. I think Kerry might also take Louisiana, whose Democratic leanings haven’t yet given way to the Pubbie machine. Georgia might go Kerry – not as likely as the other two, but it could happen – but once again, I worry about the votie counting in Georgia.
Dems generally are united and energized behind the idea of beating Bush, while the Repubs are showing signs of disillusion with Bush’s economic policies.
How about some specifics about John (Rambo) Kerry in Vietnam?
Tour of duty #1:
December 1967 to June 1968: Kerry serves 6 months in the electrical department of the USS Gridley, a guided missle frigate, in the Gulf of Tonkin.
June 6, 1968: His ship returns to Long Beach CA
Tour of duty #2:
December 1968: Actually in Vietnam, Kerry serves as skipper of swift boat #44. This duty lasted from December 1968 to January 1969.
Dec.2, 1968: Kerry is slightly wounded on his arm and gets Purple Heart #1. He misses two days of service due to the wound.
January 1969: Kerry joins a 5 man crew on swift boat #94.
Feb. 20, 1969: he gets a shrapnel wound in his left thigh and gets his second Purple Heart. The wound is so minor he misses no time served.
March 13, 1969: receives another slight wound in his arm to earn his third Purple Heart. Like his second wound, this wound is so slight, he misses no time served.
March 17, 1969: Fills out request asking to be sent home immediately as he is entitled to do after receiving 3 wounds.
April 1969: Returns to the US and serves as an Admiral’s aide.
January 1970: Requests an early discharge (which he is granted) so he may run for Congress (he does run and he loses.)
John Kerry’s two tours of duty totaled 4 months actually in Vietnam, 3 minor wounds, and an early exit.
vietnamveteransagainstjohnkerry.org
I don’t doubt he’ll have hurdles in the South, spoke, but naysayers seem to be underestimating just how maniacally focused the Dems are becoming in knocking the smirk monkey out of office.
And as of this morning, numbers say that Kerry’s slated to take Tennesseee and Virginia. . .? I know we’re not talking the Deep South yet, but it ain’t a bad start.
Kerry may well win the primaries in Tennessee and Virginia (as I predicted he might after the Oklahoma primary). With Clark still in the race, Clark and Edwards are splitting the anti-Kerry vote.
And I hasten to point out that Kerry’s performance in the primaries means little. The question is not whether he can convince Democratic primary voters. The question is whether he can win swing voters (–the topic of this thread being his electability in the GENERAL election). As we learned in '84 and '88, Democratic primary voters are very different creatures from general election voters.
I thought I’d already said this, spoke. I could see a Kerry/Edwards ticket taking NC MORE easily than a straight Edwards ticket. With Edwards at the top, the homeboy advantage would be tempered by the inexperience disadvantage; with Kerry at the top, the homeboy advantage is augmented by the experience advantage.
Florida is also, quite obviously, up for grabs. If you assume that Floridian Jews didn’t go out for Pat Buchanan in unprecedented numbers, then the last election should have gone Democratic by several thousand votes. I’m figuring that the Democratic party is going to put a wee bit of effort (and media attention) into ensuring fairer, clearer voting procedures in FL this time around, which would mean that Bush would need to gain support in FL in order to win the state.
And I could see several constituencies there voting against him more (or for him less) than last time:
- Military families who, given a choice between a decorated veteran and the guy who cut their danger pay, will opt for the former.
- Senior citizens who don’t get a butterfly ballot and who got a bum deal on prescription drugs.
- Disneyworld characters like Goofy, who don’t like the White House stealing their thunder.
Daniel
What of it? The man put himself in harm’s way. He got harmed. Fortunately, his wounds were minor - but that was luck, not design. He wore the uniform, he put himself in front of hot shrapnal - are you suggesting this is somehow insufficient to be called a veteran? How many limbs need to be lost before the man earns recognition as a hero?
Kerry’s war record is admirable. Period.
- Rick
Well said. I may have problems with his decision to fight in that war, but he certainly can’t be faulted for an insufficient sense of duty or courage. The suggestion from that story, that he didn’t really have much of a war experience, is disingenuous and shameful. By which I mean, the people behind that website ought to be ashamed of themselves.
Daniel
Max Cleland still has one left, and look what your guys did to him.
There is a common belief amongst the people I talk to that if the general economy is chugging along fine by Election Day, then Iraq, the missing WMDs, and Bush’s lying just won’t matter. Bush will get re-elected regardless of who runs against him.
But there are other economic avenues of attack which could be used against Bush. I found the following informative and interesting. I remain hopeful.
There are some errors of omission in your “specifics”:
**
February 28, 1969: Engagement for which Kerry received Silver Star.**
March 13, 1969: John Kerry pulls a Green Beret back into his boat under intense fire, and is awarded the Bronze Star with Combat V. In doing so, Kerry is again wounded in action, and received his third Purple Heart Citation. More on this here:
“Disingenuous” is the polite term for that website you’re promoting.
Lets not forget either, that his family also had money. He probably had the means to opt out for the National Guard, not a dishonorable thing by any means, or perhaps at least attend school instead, but he rather chose to face live fire. Had he never been injured, still he was willing to put himself in harms way.
But I still don’t think that the Republican voter uneasy about Bush’s performance is as likely to vote for someone that will be as far to the left as Kerry appears to be. Unless things keep getting worse for Joe & Jane Average, once the currently sleeping Bush campaign machine fires up, they’ll probably feel uneasy about electing someone so far afield from their political values. I’m sure it’s getting ready to counter the month long infomercial the Dems have been enjoying.
Let’s not forget the brilliant job the Rebublicans did at getting out the vote in 2002 when they swept the congressional and gubernatorial races that year.
So, Baranlainth, are you proposing a new system for military medals? Every wound has to be shown to you personally so you can inspect it and decide if it’s good enough for a Purple Heart? Puh-lease.