Posted on 09/29/2004 11:45:03 AM PDT by Reagan is King
How bad is John Kerry's campaign? So bad that the race is already over. By David M. Carney
Trust me. I know a dead campaign when I see one
John Kerry is in trouble. More precisely, Kerry's campaign is in trouble. I should know: I served on two of the worst-run national presidential campaigns in history, Bush-Quayle '92 and Dole-Kemp in '96. Watching the Kerry campaign flounder is giving me nightmares and flashbacks to those bad old days.
There is no way that Kerry can win this race. He and his merry band of elitists have done everything in their power to blow it. They have given many of us pleasure in the knowledge that in a few weeks others will carry the mantle of "the worst run race in presidential history." Thank you Mary Beth, Bob, Joe, James, Paul and the rest.
In honor of Kerry's appearance on Late Night with David Letterman, I would like to list the top 10 reasons why the 2004 race for the White House is over.
10) If a simple yes will do but you insist on explaining why no is a viable alternative, the flip-flopping tag will stick
9) When the number of folks participating on conference calls for your rapid-response team exceeds the number of days left in the campaign, the calls are neither rapid nor responsive. They merely provide excuses for Nov. 2.
8) When there are more sightings of your vice presidential running mate on milk cartons than on the campaign trial, you are going to lose. Your VP choice is supposed to help win the election, not reassure the trial bar.
7) When your battleground states become the states that Walter Mondale carried in 1984, you may notice campaign staffers updating their resumes.
6) When your most loyal backer, Don Imus, is trashing you while you're still on the phone and not waiting until after you hang up, the noise you're hearing is the fat lady warming up.
5) When your friends are more effective taking you off message (i.e., the Texas Democrats, Dan Rather and Max Cleland) than your opponent, you can kiss that Nantucket White House goodbye.
4) When the Electoral College scoreboard has tilted toward your opponent after $300 million worth of negative attacks, there's not much hope for the $40 million you have left.
3) When you need to pull out every trick in the book to keep folks off the ballot, like Ralph Nader, it says two things: One, you have no confidence in your own platform and two, you're not very tolerant of others' views. Not appealing traits to swing voters.
2) When the makers of flip-flops are considering a defamation suit for spoiling their good name, it's time to take a position, any position and stick with it.
1) When your Senate Democrat leader, Tom Daschle, is cutting his losses and embracing President Bush, put a fork in your arm, John, you're done.
Events out of the control of the Kerry campaign could still change the outcome. Barring that, if Republicans keep on the offense and work hard and Kerry keeps adding to the number of chairs on the deck, this race is over.
Now, for those true believers who cling to the impossible and consider Kerry to be the real deal, here is my reality check for you:
If you believe anyone's better than Bush, you are not like the rest of America. Real folks don't hate Bush; only you and your friends do. Folks like Bush much more than Kerry.
If you believe the debates will change the dynamics of the race, I'm afraid the reality will never live up to your fantasy. The debates will not change the election.
First, they are not debates but joint appearances. Second, Kerry will have to reach too far and make up to much ground to ever meet expectations.
Third, Kerry may be smart, but he cannot connect with average voters, and this will never be more painfully obvious than during the "debates."
If you believe Iraq will save the day, look at the last few weeks. Kerry has had too many positions to be an effective voice for change, and Bush will always win on the war/national security issue, just as he has done since the Republican convention. You can take book that Kerry will have at least three more stands on this issue before election day.
If you believe Kerry's new team will straighten all this out and Kerry will be on message, take a second look. They are on board now, and let's see, their new message is . . . ? Okay, give up? Is it "W stands for wrong," "the excuse president" or "the buck starts here?" That was just from three days last week. Kerry has the message discipline of a spoiled brat. He would not know a talking point if it stuck him in the eye.
If you believe the battleground states will pull him through, it's time for you to get a new map. Deep blue states of New Jersey, Maine, Minnesota, Oregon and New York are in play. This race is on the verge of being a landslide.
Finally, if you believe Kerry is always best when he's behind, check your history. Kerry is a liberal from Massachusetts. When was the last time he was behind in a race? The fact that he even had a race the last time he ran for reelection only shows how bad a campaigner he really is.
The elitist Bush bashers were scared of Howard Dean and rallied around the one guy they believed had been vetted and had been through tough campaigns before. They were wrong.
And there are many Republican political operatives, like me, who are ready to relinquish the mantle of running the worst campaign ever.
Thank you, John Kerry.
(David M. Carney has been involved in Republican politics, as well as both state and federal government, since 1982. He is president of Norway Hill Associates, a Hancock political consulting firm.)
You can't say the race is over until after the debates.
It ain't over til the fat lady sings...
just ask Big Daddy Bush...
Posted already. I don't think it is your fault though. Different title on the first thread.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1230237/posts
BUMP!
ping
Yep, I agree. Now is not the time for any of us to start thinking this election is in the bag. I'm still a little bit worried because God knows what the Dems have up their sleeves for the next 5 weeks.
Best article of the last two weeks. Exactly right on the money!!
Well Yaaaawn, your pessimistic hate campaign comes down to 90 minutes. You either win the debate or you and your Party/beliefs are relegated to the trash heap of historic losers. This is it and there are no do overs just like your silly Convention. You have to sell yourself as a regular guy who is not a pompous, egotistical, self absorbed elitist. Apparently, your face got wind burned from taking that final nuance on the war. Now you have nothing to offer as far as record or economy so all you have left is to fool enough voters with your empty cliches.
The Yaaaawn Tax & Kerry campaign has decided to throw dice on Iraq and hope for more dead soldiers. Witness the desperation that is left of this sinking Garbage Scow. If Yaaawn asks the people if they are better off than 4 years ago, he is terrified of the answer. If the people vote their pocketbook he is toast. Most voters know their after tax income is as good as it has been.
In his obsession to bash the President, the challenger decided he had to insult the very leader that an independent Iraq chose to run their country in the interim. Alawi was not the leader we would have preferred but was the Prime Minister they chose freely. How unstatesmanlike can you be?? This the guy who says he is the superior diplomat? In what way, by insulting and degrading all our allies sacrifices??
He has pretty much torpedoed the worst economy since the Great Depression line. It is really hard to sell that line when it is the fastest growing economy in the world. All of his midget buddies in Europe would die to have our 3.5-4% growth rate or 5.4% unemployment. Now this is not the 30-35% growth that Iraq is expected to have this year but it is still the envy of the world. This in spite of GW inheriting a recession when he took office!
The economy has never been so robust as it has over the past 12 months thanks to the steady leadership of George W Bush. Being in the housing industry over the past 15 years the average housing starts has been around 1.4 million starts nationwide. During the BJ and the Witch’s years they went to an unheard 1.6 million. They have been pegged at 2 million over the past 12 months which is the Dodge Hemi of the economy. The combination of low interest rates, tax-cuts and more jobs than any other time in history has made home ownership grow at unheard of rates. This is why they have been forced to crying about every car bomb or kidnaping in Iraq.
Now Yaaawn comes down to the biggest 90 minutes in his disgraceful history. After President Bush places his Tony Lamas where the tanning booth doesn’t shine, Cambridge will be the only Battleground left. He knows that the Rat Party is not kind to it’s losers, ask Albore if you can get into his rubber room and unmask his muzzle. He has to convince women that apologizing to terrorists and serving them subpoenas is going to make them safer?? He has to convince America that leaving Iraq is a better idea than finishing the job. Finally, he has to convince America that they want him & Dingbat in their homes over the next 4-8 years. That would bankrupt Sominex!
Otherwise, he and his Party are all losers (is this line filled with redundancy?). This would make 6 elections in a row that they have gotten blown-out since Newt Gingrich’s Contract With America. They had the White House for 2 elections but only received 42 and 48% of the vote while losing Congress? If he doesn’t win on Thursday he and his party will be 0-6 and as relevant as Gorbachev and Carter. So Yaaaawn the Demosaur has to pull the wagon full of screaming kids through the tar pits knowing the sabers are out of their scabbards. There’s still a spot left for one more failed Party on the ash heap.
Pray for W and Our Troops
He already had two just this morning with Diane Sawyer.
The debates and the media reaction to them will be the next bellweather. The 'Rats have been sowing the ground for their "lowered expectations" gambit. Any kind of near-miss or draw by Kerry will be spun as a "win". If Bush flubs, the media and the 'Rats will pounce.
We need to keep in mind that the race is still close from an electoral viewpoint. Many people counted Gore out late in the race in 2000, saying he was trailing in too many states, he had to win too many states that were close, that he needed things to break just right his way, that he had to "run the table", etc. Well, he came close to doing exactly that. Bush and the Republicans can't let up. They need to keep hammering away, because it's a sure bet Kerry and the 'Rats will be.
Voter fraud on a massive scale is what is coming (IMHO).
As President of the FR Chapter of the Tad Devine (Our Lady of the Perpetual Sneer) Fan Club, I protest Tad's exclusion from this list of people responsible for the impending Kerry defeat.
With his supercilious tone and permanent "who cut the cheese?" expression, Tad has done as much as anyone to contribute to Kerry's failure. Let's give credit where credit is due!
I think he is right, but I will still be sweating till Bush is declared the winner.
That was a good one.
Shalom.
They will probably have a young black girl run on stage yelling she is Bush's secret love child! Would never put it past Kerry and his crew of thugs!
The most telling reason that the Democrats will lose (apart from the fact that they failed to nominate George W. Bush): We haven't seen John K. and John E. quit their day jobs.
I have to agree that the kerry campaign is the worst I have ever seen. And the basic problem is kerry himself. There's no way he can be fixed.
But there are still three things that could produce a kerry victory: an October surprise, media bias, and election corruption.
The media have been weakened, but they won't give up. And the Democrats may well double the number of illegal votes they cast. Instead of 3 million, my estimate for 2000, it might be 6 million. Or 9 million. The media will be happy to overlook their crimes. The judges and attorneys in democrat strongholds will look the other way. Soros will continue to pour in money to buy corruption.
No way we can rest easy until after the election. And not then, either, because this political corruption must be weeded out of the system before the next Janet Reno takes office.
That's my biggest worry because they've already shown that they'll do whatever it takes to win no matter how dirty. The only good news is that he's hurting even in his supposedly safe states and that makes them have to manufacture even more votes.
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