Dems Take Chance With 'Fortunate Son' Slam

Associated Press on ABCNews.com ^ | September 9, 2004

[The Great Yazoo]

Dems Take Chance With 'Fortunate Son' Slam Democrats Taking a Chance on 'Fortunate Son' Criticism of President Bush's Guard Records

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON Sept. 9, 2004 — Seizing on 30-year-old memos and memories, Sen. John Kerry's operatives are painting an unflattering portrait of President Bush as the "fortunate son" who used family connections to dodge the Vietnam War and then lied about it. But even some sympathetic Democrats say voters won't be easily swayed, and they fear the controversy will deflect attention from Bush's biggest vulnerabilities: the Iraq war and the economy.

The challenge for Kerry is to talk about issues that matter to voters today health care, education, jobs and the war while his allies at the Democratic National Committee do the dirty work. The DNC's goal: convince voters that Bush string-pulling in the Texas Air National Guard is part of a pattern of elitism, lies and lack of credibility that stretches to the White House.

"Two things: One, he didn't tell the truth and that's not going to go away," said Howard Wolfson, a strategist dispatched to the DNC by Kerry's campaign to go negative on Bush. "Second, it begins to paint a picture of a very fortunate son who uses connections and pulls strings for special favors. That is a theme running through the man's life."

The DNC has nicknamed its effort "Operation Fortunate Son" after a Creedence Clearwater Revival anti-war anthem from the 1960s. The song speaks of the privileged few, "born silver spoon in hand," who send others to war.

Bush is not the "senator's son" written about in the song, but he's the son of a former president who served in the House during the Vietnam War.

Former Texas House Speaker Ben Barnes, a Kerry supporter, says he helped Bush and the sons of other wealthy families get into the Texas National Guard to avoid serving in Vietnam.

As a young lieutenant, Bush was "talking to someone upstairs" and trying to "get out of coming to drill," according to newly unearthed memos by the late Col. Jerry B. Killian, squadron commander for Bush in Texas.

Democrats said the documents prove that Bush lied as president when he said that he did his Guard duty. White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett accused Democrats of reading too much into the memos "of a dead man," and said the bottom line is the president was honorably discharged.

"People formed their opinions of President Bush's service in the National Guard many years ago," Bartlett said. Indeed, the president's Guard service was a campaign issue in 2000 and had little, if any, effect on the results.

This time, Democrats are pressing media organizations to dig deeper while Kerry and his team make a broader argument about Bush's credibility and character. He misled the nation into war against Iraq, Kerry says. There are no weapons of mass destruction, no broad alliance as promised.

Bush promised fiscal discipline but ran up the debt. He promised education reforms but didn't pay for the changes. He promised to lower the price of prescription drugs, but the costs are higher so say Democrats trying to make 30-year-old records relevant to this year's campaign.

"This is not about George Bush's service. It is about who he is and why he lied and continues to lie today," Wolfson said. "These guys are knee-deep in the big muddy."

Kerry focused on health care Thursday, declining to address the controversy, both in an interview with The Associated Press and when a crowd member mentioned her military service number. "That's something you never forget," Kerry said, prompting another audience member to shout, "George did!"

"Well," Kerry said, "moving on."

Some Democrats wish he would do just that move on to Iraq, the economy and domestic issues that traditionally favor Democrats. Polls show Bush opening a lead over Kerry nationally and in key states, causing a rash of second-guessing.

Democratic strategist Dane Strother noted that Kerry has sharpened his message in recent days, accusing Bush of squandering money in Iraq that could improve lives at home. "That's a very salient argument," he said, "but it's getting overshadowed by Vietnam."

Other Democrats, including a top Kerry adviser and a Midwest governor, said the strategy, combined with Bush's own negative tactics, could lead undecided voters not to vote and most of them lean toward Kerry.

The senior Democrats spoke on condition of anonymity, not wanting to upset Kerry. Voters are not so shy.

"I'm not interested in Bush's military service or what he did back when," said Cara Easterly, a 37-year-old health care worker in Everett, Wash. The undecided voter said, "I only want to know how they're going to take care of us."

Sue Docekal, 49, a graphics artist in Seattle, said Bush "is clearly a hypocrite" on the Guard issues, "but what's that got to do with my vote?"

EDITOR'S NOTE Ron Fournier has covered national politics since 1993.

[The Great Yazoo]

Sen. John Kerry's operatives are painting an unflattering portrait of President Bush as the "fortunate son" who used family connections to dodge the Vietnam War and then lied about it.

Was Bill Clinton a "Fortunate Son?" He didn't even serve in the National Guard. Was he more "fortunate" than, say, George W. Bush, Al Gore, John McCain, John Kerry, and many, many others? If so, how did he get to be more "fortunate?"

Or was J.C. Foggerty's song a distortion in the first place.

[Hank All-American]

Note this quote:

"I'm not interested in Bush's military service or what he did back when," said Cara Easterly, a 37-year-old health care worker in Everett, Wash. The undecided voter said, "I only want to know how they're going to take care of us."

Not protect the country. Not fight the war. Not strengthen the economy. She wants to know how they' re going to take care of us.

I'm a grown man. I don't want a nanny. I want a leader. Some benign neglect wouldn't hurt, either.

[The G Man]

"Seizing on 30-year-old memos ..."

Speaking of memos, appears Ron missed the one about them being fake-a-roos.

[Finalapproach29er]

Kerry's mother was a Forbes. He went to Swiss boarding school.

That's all that needs to be said.

[Sybeck1]

And John Edward's military resume is what?

[Names Ash Housewares]

The Dems are barking up all the wrong trees. I would post what I think they should do, but I dont want to help them one bit! I stand awed at the incompetence of the Kerry campaign. He was a poor candidate to begin with, but they seem to be going out of their way to highlight that!

[anonymous_user]

Class envy coming from a very "FORTUNE-ate Husband."

[John Thornton]

Gee whiz. Bill Clinton could have credibly claimed a Republican was a "fortunate son." After all, he was basically trailer trash. But, JOHN KERRY? The guy is married to a billionaire and comes from a millionaire family. When will this guy figure out that we don't care about Vietnam?

[the_Watchman]

This article is from September 9. It indicates that the Democrats were ready to go using the now discredited memos. It also shows that they knew the contents and were planning a major assault. I guess Free Republic succeeded in derailing this one!

[angkor]

The Forbes family estate at Saint-Briac, France, and the international family seat of the descendants of James Grant Forbes (b. Shanghai, China), a member of the Forbes family of China and Boston who settled in Brittany at Les Essarts. He is the grandfather of two famous politicians, Brice Lalonde, a socialist and Green Party candidate for President of France in 1981, and John Forbes Kerry, a Democrat candidate for President of the United States of America. Many of the Forbes family have socialized during summers spent in Brittany at Les Essarts.

[OpusatFR]

Wow.

This is just incredible. They keep digging at El Presidente's NatGuard record and Kerry can't get it off Vietnam.

Does the media want him to fall? What the heck is going on here?

[Billthedrill]

What the heck is going on here?

I sure wish I knew. Here is an issue so lame that it doesn't sway graphics artists in Seattle (believe me, that's usually a liberal one-two punch) and is causing even Kerry's political opponents - that's us, folks - to wonder aloud if this incredible ineptness isn't deliberate. That isn't the stuff of a clever political campaign.

I can think of one possible explanation, at least as far as the media are concerned. It is that they've read the tea leaves and have decided to try 1973 over again - recall that Nixon won by a prohibitive margin and eventually lost office due to an unremitting negative press campaign and a stupid political mistake. A lot of journalistic glory resulted and dozens of reputations were made at the time. Maybe they're ceding the election and focusing on bringing Bush down afterwards.

OK, it's a pretty weak hypothesis, but it's the best I've got at the moment. They're just not that stupid. They can't be.

[BonnieJ]

Speaking of that Nixon-McGovern race, I have wondered a lot lately if he would have even been driven from office and into disgrace if they'd had the Internet then? We all could have seen the "evidence" from the W.Post, etc, and looked into Deep Throat (whom I believe to be a fabrication) and all the various documents and testimony and the whole thing might have turned out in quite a different direction.

[Smartaleck]

You forgot to add the Girlieman John Edwards?

[reformedliberal]

No. It is dead on. I have been saying this for months and got flamed for it or questioned severely.

This is exactly the game plan, IMO. The Donks have a limited playbook. Of course they will try and reprise something they think brought them back to power.

What they don't understand is that it is a weak strategy. This isn't 1973. We all know all the differences and they are all in our favor, including that they think we are stupid, ignorant, powerless, poor and can be bought.

They are wrong and they are that stupid.

[Senator Goldwater]

The undecided voter said, "I only want to know how they're going to take care of us." Not protect the country. Not fight the war. Not strengthen the economy. She wants to know how they' re going to take care of us.

This recalls that ponty-tail that stood up towards the end of the 1992 town hall debate [the one where the elder Bush checked his watch, understandably] and declared:

"We are you children. What will you do for us?"

[reformedliberal]

OMG! I wonder if Hillary is going to relive her youth, only this time she will head the Senate Committee?

She does realize she has to unite the Party and win back the hard left progressives............

If so, she will get sliced and diced, IMO.

[Hank All-American]

I remember pony-tail man quite well. The little piss-ant.

[NewLand]

What's next...that GWB once played hooky in high school?

Keep it up Dums...

[PhilipFreneau]

>> Second, it begins to paint a picture of a very fortunate son who uses connections and pulls strings for special favors.

Flying a dangerous, high-performance fighter jet is a special favor? LOL! These clowns have no clue. None.