Kerry Comment Riles Bush Campaign (Update - Kerry Reaffirms GOP "Attack Squad" Claims, No Apology)

Yahoo! News ^ | 3/10/04 | Mike Glover - AP

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON -

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) called Wednesday for deeper tax cuts for the middle class than proposed by President Bush (news - web sites) and described his Republican critics as "the most crooked ... lying group I've ever seen." The chairman of Bush's re-election campaign called on Kerry to apologize "for this negative attack."

After urging labor leaders to support his campaign, Kerry met with one-time rival Howard Dean (news - web sites) to discuss an endorsement and what role the former Vermont governor might play in his campaign.

Hoping to win over Dean, the presumptive nominee's staff greeted the fallen rival with a round of applause as he walked into Kerry headquarters. The two men shook hands, embraced briefly and raised joined hands for the cameras.

After the 45-minute meeting, officials close to the talks said Dean will endorse Kerry, with only the timing in question. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the best time might be March 25 when the presidential candidates join former Presidents Clinton and Carter for a Democratic Party fund-raiser.

"I will work closely with John Kerry to make sure we beat George Bush in November and turn our country around," Dean said in a statement that did not specifically mention an endorsement. "There is a lot we can do together to rebuild an America that belongs to all of us, and we'll be saying more about what our amazing grass-roots network can do to help with his goal." Dean has set March 18 to announce details of his grass-roots advocacy organization.

Kerry was scheduled to meet with another key rival, John Edwards (news - web sites), on Thursday.

Anticipating their meeting, the Bush campaign issued "Howard Dean's Greatest Hits on John Kerry," a 10-item recounting of Dean's criticisms. The quotes from news stories include Dean's statement in January that "you're not going to change America by nominating somebody who's a Washington insider whose biggest long suit is talk."

Kerry had 2,037 delegates after sweeping four Southern primaries Tuesday, an Associated Press analysis showed. He wasn't expected to reach 2,162, the number needed to secure the nomination, until next week.

Earlier Wednesday in Chicago, Kerry toughened his comments about his GOP critics after a supporter urged him to take on Bush. "Let me tell you, we've just begun to fight," Kerry said. "We're going to keep pounding. These guys are the most crooked, you know, lying group I've ever seen. It's scary."

Bush-Cheney campaign chairman Marc Racicot called on Kerry to apologize.

"Senator Kerry's statement today in Illinois was unbecoming of a candidate for the presidency of the United States of America, and tonight we call on Senator Kerry to apologize to the American people for this negative attack," Racicot said in a statement. "On the day that Senator Kerry emerged as his party's presumptive nominee, the president called to congratulate him. That goodwill gesture has been met by attacks and false statements."

Kerry spokesman David Wade said earlier that Kerry was referring to Republican critics in general and that the comment was intended to convey the message that "he's a Democrat who fights back."

The Bush-Cheney campaign didn't see it that way. "John Kerry has run a relentlessly negative campaign from the very beginning and this comment is completely consistent with that," the campaign said.

In a satellite address to top AFL-CIO leaders meeting in Florida, Kerry said a "Bush Tax" stemming from the president's economic policies has driven up costs for working families. He vowed to reverse that trend while asking those making more than $200,000 a year to pay the same taxes they paid under President Clinton (news - web sites), effectively repealing portions of a tax cut Bush pushed through Congress.

Kerry also proposed creating a $50 billion fund to help states provide relief from state and local taxes for working families that he said have been struggling.

"Under George Bush's policies, middle-class families are paying more," he said. "America's middle class can't afford a tax increase. That's why we're going to give the middle class a tax cut."

In response, the Bush campaign accused Kerry of favoring broad tax increases that would affect all taxpayers.

"John Kerry has voted for higher taxes 350 times and his numbers for new spending don't add up," said Steve Schmidt, a Bush campaign spokesman. "His campaign-trail promises mean he is going to raise taxes by at least $900 billion." It is the first time the Bush campaign has put a number on tax hikes it says Kerry favors.

Kerry said a middle-class tax cut would do far more to spark the economy than what Bush has pushed, by helping people afford college costs, pay for health care and make ends meet.

"If this president wants to make this election about taxes after he's cut billions for billionaires and given middle-class families a larger share to pay, we're ready for that fight," he said.

Kerry also addressed Democratic National Committee (news - web sites) staff, seeking to end speculation that chairman Terry McAuliffe's role will be diminished. "No one can do what this man has done," Kerry said, according to Kerry and DNC aides in the private meeting.

___

AP Political Writer Ron Fournier contributed to this report.

[Loyal Buckeye]

Or,

NO DEBATES UNTIL KERRY STOPS VIOLATING CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS

[VadeRetro]

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) called Wednesday for deeper tax cuts for the middle class than proposed by President Bush (news - web sites) and described his Republican critics as "the most crooked ... lying group I've ever seen."

Incredibly insulting, considering the kind of two-legged scum you know he hangs with.

[GailA]

His health care is nearly $600B and another $50B for tax relief for states and counties.

[facedown]

Mine never descended, there still up here.

[NorthWoody]

How can people even think of voting DemocRAT? What has America ever done to these people to make them want to turn it into a 3rd-world cesspool?

Is it urbanization and no one knowing who their neighbor is anymore? Are we too far removed from there being actual consequences for acting like an amoral idiot? In a small town you know everyone and everyone knows you and that has a definite effect on people's behavior, attitude and personality. Is it lack of religion? Too many people believing that there is no higher power to whom we must answer one day, that the short time we have on this earth is all there is and that as long as you don't get arrested you have nothing to worry about? What the he!! has happened to this country? That's all I'm asking! Laws and rules seem to be fading into the sunset, unless of course, someone mentions God, then mountains are moved to see that no one is offended by that name again.

As Rush pointed out today, the voter turnout at the Dem primaries has been less than encouraging for them, yet listening to the media you'd think there are only about four people in the nation thinking of voting for W. It appears that people just "hate Bush" so badly they don't even care about their country anymore. I'll admit I don't like his immigration ideas nor do I support outsourcing of jobs, but he's definitely the lesser of two evils. I just keep thinking back to 9/12/2001 and remembering how glad I was that AlGore wasn't in charge.

Beam me up, Scotty! Or maybe me and the wife will go homestead some land in Alaska and if anyone comes near wearing rainbow-colored anything or a ribbon of any kind, they'll meet the muzzle of a Thomson-Center .50cal and be advised to turn around, go the other way and not look back.

[OldFriend]

As another freeper once said......Sean Hannity has written more books than he's read.

Watch for the phone calls to his show telling him he should run for President!

Shallow and insufferable about sums it up.

[xeno]

I didn't expect this from Kerry, but he is self-destructing. These comments show he is an undiscipled campaigner. He is saying the things that fire up the left-wing of the party, but turns off everybody else. He's got that Dean disease.

[Qwinn]

Glad you posted that pic again, lets me do a caption....

"John Kerry, informing yet another group of veterans that, yes, believe it or not, he served in Vietnam. In this picture, he smiles and demonstrates to a vet who lost an arm while serving his country how Kerry will allow him to pull BOTH of his fingers! At the same time!"

Qwinn

[Verginius Rufus]

This guy is totally without class. Remember that last year, at the time of the invasion of Iraq, he was calling for "regime change" in the United States.

There was a funny segment on Brit's show tonight where they were trying to make sense of Kerry's comments in an interview with Time magazine about the war in Iraq.

[dwilli]

I think I was the first to say Hannity now has written
twice as many books than he has read.

[AGreatPer]

Oh, this is too easy. No comment.

[NormsRevenge]

I saw that segment , nobody knows what the heck he said.

[facedown]

Kerry will allow him to pull BOTH of his fingers! At the same time!

So he f@rts and burps at the same time, thus collapsing into the middle.

[Psycho_Bunny]

described his Republican critics as "the most crooked ... lying group I've ever seen."

OMFG.....Every day it seems like November is farther and farther away. 

You think I'm psycho now.....Just wait until I've digested another 3 month of Kerry's blathering tripe.

I'm going to be out of my freakin' gourd.

 

[cyncooper]

"Senator Kerry's statement today in Illinois was unbecoming of a candidate for the presidency of the United States of America, and tonight we call on Senator Kerry to apologize to the American people for this negative attack," Racicot said in a statement. "On the day that Senator Kerry emerged as his party's presumptive nominee, the president called to congratulate him. That goodwill gesture has been met by attacks and false statements."

Kerry will never do or say anything that could be construed as gracious or even polite when it comes to any Republican. But I am glad Racicot made his gentlemanly yet pointed statement.

[TonyM]

President Bush should go to a podium and say: “I wish to comment on the vile and disgusting things Senator Kerry said about those who happen to disagree with his policies. If Senator were a gentleman he would have kept these crude remarks to himself. Instead of focusing on the safety and security of the poor and unemployed he showed a childish schoolboy attitude of talking behind our backs. This shows contempt for the American people and the office that he wants to be elected to. Because of Senator Kerry’s mean spirited comments I must prepare to campaign vigorously in order to show the American people a side of Senator Kerry that the bias elite media has help him to keep secret from the American people. I assure you that my comments will be made openly and directed specifically at Senator Kerry. I will make the loud and clear so all will clearly understand. I will not turn my back on you and whisper contemptuous remarks. I will point out the actions Senator Kerry took on returning from Vietnam and illustrate how his careless actions prolonged the war and placed our servicemen in danger. I will tell you how Senator Kerrys constant attempts to reduce our military capability to the point where we would not be able to protect our nation. I will tell you how Senator Kerry has clearly stated his desire to make our nation subservient to the United Nations. Most importantly I promise that I will tell you the one thing Senator Kerry could never tell you, the truth!”

Or at least something like that.

[Brilliant]

Kerry has no credibility at all. Zilch.

[sport]

I, personally do not want the sob's apology.

It would only be like every other thing he says, a lie.

As far as kerry goes, I don't like him and anybody that does like him don't want him liking me or anybody that does like him liking me.

[jeffworden]

John Kerry - "irritating boil of a man"

[rwfromkansas]

Wow, actually a balanced article.

I think I recall this Ron Rournier character....I think I e-mailed him one time about some bias in an article he wrote.

He actually wrote back and apologized and said he does his best to be objective but fails still but e-mails like mine keep him trying harder.

He did a good job with this one, actually quoting Bush people. Wow.