Morris Urges Rove To Go Negative on Kerry

NewsMax.com ^ | 3/03/04 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[kattracks]

Former Clinton White House political guru Dick Morris is urging his Bush administration counterpart Karl Rove to go negative on presidential rival John Kerry hard and fast.

"Bush needs to come out of the box with negative commercial after negative commercial," he told Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes" Tuesday night, after Kerry's nine state sweep locked up the nomination.

"I ran with Bill Clinton 14 months of $40 million in advertising," Morris recalled. "Bush is gonna run five months of $150 million of advertising. And in eight weeks, John Kerry is going to be a distant shadow of what he is now - if Bush goes negative."

Morris warned that some White House advisors will say that a negative campaign will be demeaning for Bush. And he predicted, "If they win the argument, Bush is gonna lose. But if he goes negative, he'll win."

Turning to the camera, Morris directly addressed Rove.

"Karl, if you're tuning in, don't let them go positive. Everybody now knows all there is to know about George Bush. The game now is to define John Kerry and let 'em have it."

Editor's note:
Urgent: President Bush needs your support – Click Here Now and show your support to your friends and family

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:

2004 Elections
Bush Administration
Sen John Kerry

[Chuzzlewit]

Brilliant! Indeed... you now have to define Kerry...

[TommyDale]

Go negative? Not even necessary -- just go "truth".

[Behind Liberal Lines]

As the brilliant David Horowitz noted in the "Art of Political War," you must define the enemy before the enemy defines you.

[Diogenesis]

Hey Dick, Talk to the Toe.

[KellyAdmirer]

I think the sappy ads are good - for a week or two. But there's no way around the fact they have to do some serious comparative ads, the sooner, the better.

[atomicpossum]

Bush's best friend is Kerry himself.

(I would also see if I could get Kerry to lose his temper--He looks to have as short a fuse as Howard Dean.)

[veronica]

Rove will pull out all the stops at the right time. Remember, his mentor was Lee Atwater, God bless his soul.

[international american]

Too early to go negative. Morris is in a time warp! When Kerry self implodes, then you finish the castration.

[LADY J]

A no brainer. There are not many positive things to say about Kerry.

[TomEwall]

LOL

[So Cal Rocket]

Given Morris's recent track record, I would do exactly the opposite of what he says.

[Former Proud Canadian]

I think people are afraid of the truth about Kerry. The truth will be deemed to be negative.

[Viking2002]

I'll go with Toesucker on this one. Hammer Hatchetface to a bloody pulp. After all, the idea of a 'negative ad', in it's purest sense, is to use your opponent's record against him. All McAwful and Co. have been able to do is use distortions and lies to hit at Bush. He's been vetted for the last five years. Kerry record is a gold mine of embarassments, waffling, glad-handing, and p!ss-poor decision-making. If Morris and Rove get on the same page with this, I think they'll make mincemeat of him by September.

[11th Earl of Mar]

Too early to go negative.

No kidding.

If Bush goes negative now, the President will peak in May.

Timing is everything.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Go negative too soon and Hillary will be crowned at the Democrat Convention regardless of the delegate count.

Better to wait until Ketchup Boy actually has the nomination.

[gbaker]

I agree if Bush went negative the media would immediately pounce on him declaring him to be negative and desperate. Go negative in the last two weeks of the campaign. That is why W almost lost the 2000 race. Remember the Bush wants to kill blacks ads and the drunk driving story? Until that point he had a nice lead but the gullible undecided broke against because of negative ads.

[pfflier]

One resource just returning to the country is 100 thousand plus veterans. This group of veterans are likely very strong supporters of the President. They are also likely very pissed over the lousy reporting on their actions and probably feel betrayed by turncoats like kerry. This group probably affects at least 5 people each, directly and that is half a million who also have friends.

We need to welcome them home and encourage then to "tell it like it is".

[BallyBill]

When the Bush machine goes after Kerry I think we'll see the real Shock and Awe. These guys won't know what hit 'em. I think it's way to soon though.

[don-o]

Thanks, Dick for telling the Bush campaign exactly what NOT to do.

Sheesh. Give Lurch a chnace at self destruction. I lay 1: 4 odds that it will happen. He will do or say something outrageous; given time.