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Why W. Must Bash Kerry Now - Latest Dick Morris Column
Vote.com ^
| February 18, 2004
| Dick Morris
Posted on 02/22/2004 9:12:02 PM PST by Starve The Beast
WHY W. MUST BASH KERRY NOW
February 18, 2004 -- The 2004 presidential election may be decided in the next two months.
For three years, George W. Bush has sought to define himself by his accomplishments as president. Legion though they are, he has only achieved a stalemate: His job approval is only a break-even 48 positive and 48 negative in the most recent Fox News poll.
Stalled in his effort to win re-election on his own merits, the president now must turn his attention to his opponent. The Battle of Bush is deadlocked. But the Battle of Kerry has only just begun.
John Kerry is now entering any candidate's period of maximum vulnerability: the time after he becomes well known among the voters, but before they have enough positive information on him to be resistant to negatives.
Before a candidate achieves wide name recognition, attacks against him don't matter much. Until the voters know who he is, they have no mental file in which to store negative news. The charges or accusations just wash away.
But once he becomes widely known, voters develop an intense and understandable curiosity about the man who might be their president. They quickly absorb and process anything about him that is floating around in the information ether. And the negatives (or positives) stick for the rest of his political career.
Kerry's gallantry during the Vietnam War has been permanently emblazoned on the public mind with the dramatic appearance of the soldier he rescued, under heavy fire. But so has his subsequent strong anti-war position. (Rumors of marital infidelity will leave their faint trace, but, without corroboration - and in the face of his denial - shouldn't amount to much.)
Bush can't let this definitional period pass without putting up black marks against the Massachusetts senator's record. And he won't miss the chance.
The battle to define Kerry comes when the Democrat must focus all his resources on the remaining primaries. His opponents lie wounded on the ground, but he has still won only a small proportion of the delegates he needs to win the nomination. While his is busy with this task, Bush should - and likely will - advertise nationally to sully the Kerry image.
In 1988, Bush's father could afford to wait until the summer nominating conventions to tell voters about Mike Dukakis. But, back then, the nominating battle was drawn out over half a year and it was premature for the opposing party to inject its own attacks on the frontrunner that early.
If Bush delays his ad blitz, the Democrat will wrap up the delegates he needs by early March and replenish his coffers. Presumably learning from Dukakis' failure and Clinton's success, Kerry will see the need to answer all negatives within hours of their launch.
Right now, Kerry can't answer in paid advertising, no matter how much he wants to. His resources are fully engaged with the primaries. But he'll soon be free for the combat.
Bush must strike now, while Kerry's planes are still on the ground or otherwise occupied.
Bush had two opportunities to avert a nail-biting finish in 2004, one in which he might not be as fortunate as he was in 2000. The first was to build up a level of job approval which would have made him unbeatable. Inaccurate predictions about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and the ongoing drip-drip of American casualties have ruined that chance. But he can still win with a commanding margin if he turns Kerry into a Dukakis (instead of letting him become a Clinton). We'll know by spring if he has succeeded.
If Bush fails in this effort, we'll be in for a see-saw battle and another photo finish.
TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bush; dickmorris; elections; gwb2004; kerry; politics; shrimpjob; toesucker; w2004
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I suggested this article on another thread earlier this evening, but I think it makes so much sense that I decided to post it.
To: Starve The Beast
I agree we do need to form an offensive but I think we just need to let our credentials speak for us and out class this loser.
To: Starve The Beast
Bush must strike now, while Kerry's planes are still on the ground or otherwise occupied. Judging from Kerry's whining all over the media about unfair attacks from "Bush surrogates", I would say Bush is already a step ahead of Dick Morris.
3
posted on
02/22/2004 9:16:17 PM PST
by
Jorge
To: Starve The Beast
President Bush, don't listen to this idiot. Keep your professional attitude, and focus on the issues.
4
posted on
02/22/2004 9:16:39 PM PST
by
SunStar
(Democrats piss me off!)
To: Starve The Beast
Kerry doesn't need to answer with paid advertising when he has free advertising daily in all the mainstream media. The Democrats keep whining about Bush's campaign chest of $100+ million...but what is the equivalent value of having the networks and all the major newspapers and magazines on your side?
To: Afro_conservative
Your point is valid, but I think Morris is right. There are many valid reasons to doubt Kerry's credibility, and now is the time to present them to the public, while his national image is being formed. If Bush let's him define himself in the popular imagination as a hero, that will make him a lot harder to run against when things really get cooking.
6
posted on
02/22/2004 9:20:01 PM PST
by
Starve The Beast
(I used to be disgusted, but now I try to be amused)
To: SunStar
President Bush, don't listen to this idiot. Keep your professional attitude, and focus on the issues. Absolutely not. It is time to rip his throat out.
Metaphorically speaking, of course.
7
posted on
02/22/2004 9:20:18 PM PST
by
sinkspur
(Adopt a shelter dog or cat! You'll save one life, and maybe two!)
To: sinkspur
Oh... of course... of course... ;)
8
posted on
02/22/2004 9:22:55 PM PST
by
Starve The Beast
(I used to be disgusted, but now I try to be amused)
To: Starve The Beast
Dick Morris reminds me of people who have never played the sport on the field, but are full of ideas on how to do it.
9
posted on
02/22/2004 9:24:37 PM PST
by
jolie560
To: sinkspur
Yea, American presidential politics is hard core winner take all. Bush and Rove know this. They are not going to just sit back. They never have.
No matter how much Botox and hair dye Kerry uses he still has an incredibly shaky past that cosmetics won't help. And the "hero" stuff won't hold up.
To: Starve The Beast
Traditionally, the Vice President serves as the attack dog, so that the President can take the high road. Unfortunately, I think Dick Cheney is too nice a guy to serve in this role. So it's going to have to be left to others . . . Which is fine by me . . . I do think Dubya himself should take the high road.
To: SunStar
Wrong answer, the lesson of Clinton is never to let any attack go unanswered, because then public opinion develops that's what the truth is,
Remember the falsehoods that Republicans shut down the Govt in 1995, wanted to starve kids by taking away school lunches, wanted to take away seniors medicare. These are still attacks the Dems use because they have never been dealt with properly.
Bush should be touting his accomplishments also, explaining in detail how middle class got large tax cuts, prescription drug plan he loves, no child left behind act and increase in fed education spending, CFR signing to clean up corrupt politics, and arresting corporate criminals. That's his record and he should run on it.
To: Verginius Rufus
Maybe, maybe not, who knows? A guy like Morris can be bought by either side. You may not like him - a lot of people here still remember him from the Clinton years, and mentioning Morris around them is like waving a red flag at a bull - but right now he hates the Clintons' guts, and that makes him OK in my book. Also, a lot of his punditry is excellent.
13
posted on
02/22/2004 9:31:37 PM PST
by
Starve The Beast
(I used to be disgusted, but now I try to be amused)
To: Starve The Beast
Nope, we need to wait until it's clear that Kerry is going to be the nominee. Just have to wait until after March 2nd. If Bush were to unleash against Kerry now, and then people were to switch their votes to Edwards where does that leave Bush?
Remember Afghanistan folks. Everyone was screaming for us to start but we waited until the right time and then let loose, remember the results?
14
posted on
02/22/2004 9:33:49 PM PST
by
McGavin999
(Evil thrives when good men do nothing!)
To: Starve The Beast
Bush should BLAST AWAY!!
15
posted on
02/22/2004 9:35:02 PM PST
by
Saundra Duffy
(For victory & freedom!!!)
To: Starve The Beast
I agree. Clinton beat Dole in the spring with ads.
16
posted on
02/22/2004 9:36:13 PM PST
by
Finalapproach29er
("Don't shoot Mongo, you'll only make him mad.")
To: McGavin999
Your point is good, but Morris is talking a time frame of two months here. I think we'll know for sure in the next few weeks who the nominee will be, maybe as early as Super Tuesday.
17
posted on
02/22/2004 9:37:00 PM PST
by
Starve The Beast
(I used to be disgusted, but now I try to be amused)
To: sinkspur
Absolutely not. It is time to rip his throat outSo we end up with Edwards or Hillary?
18
posted on
02/22/2004 9:37:23 PM PST
by
McGavin999
(Evil thrives when good men do nothing!)
To: TheEaglehasLanded
CFR is one more reason to attack early. With limited TV advertising in the 60 days before the election, the biased media will have a bigger role than usual.
20
posted on
02/22/2004 9:38:21 PM PST
by
deport
( BUSH - CHENEY 2004 .....)
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