Kerry flip flops killing him

HOW 'FLIP-FLOP' KILLS KERRY At Vote.com ^ | 3/17/04 | Dick Morris

[MNJohnnie]

HOW 'FLIP-FLOP' KILLS KERRY by Dick Morris

March 9, 2004 -- It is increasingly clear that President Bush's line of attack against Kerry will be to describe him as a flip-flopping politician, changing his positions constantly to suit the political needs of the moment. One negative ad, previewed on "Meet the Press," showed an animation of two John Kerry boxers battling one another. The winner? George W. Bush.

The obvious goal of the Bush attack is to discredit Kerry and make it hard for anyone to believe in him or anything he says. But this round of flip-flop attacks is just the precursor of the main Bush offensive. Attacking Kerry for reversing himself on many key issues will weaken the Democrat, but the real point is to soften him up for two more deadly attacks likely to follow.

First, the flip-flop ads are designed to make Kerry appear too weak to lead America through the tough challenges of terrorism at home and abroad. Attacking a candidate for reversing himself on key political issues is the best way to make him appear weak, indecisive and vacillating.

When I worked for President Bill Clinton, the Republicans tried the same tactic, constantly citing his frequent reversals on issues to demonstrate weakness. Their barbs were very effective and led to a White House policy of never, never, never reversing a stand on anything.

(Sometimes, White House staff liberals took advantage of this axiom to leak word that Clinton was about to take a liberal position so as to foreclose him from doing anything else for fear of it seeming to be a flip-flop. During the welfare-reform debate, after Clinton had privately decided to sign a waiver to let Wisconsin move ahead with the work requirements and time limits its Legislature had adopted, some White House staffers leaked that he had decided to veto it instead. Terrified of seeming to flip on the issue, Clinton eventually backed off the Wisconsin proposal but then signed a national welfare-reform law. )

Bush wants to show that Kerry is too weak to lead the nation as a wartime president. It is no accident that Bush is opening his paid media campaign by reminding voters of his strong stance in the months after 9/11. He wants to raise the saliency of terrorism as an issue and to up the ante for the strength required of a chief executive. The flip-flop ads are his way of doing it.

By showing the Democrat as a man who can be pushed first one way and then the other by political winds, he shows him to be far from the strong, decisive leader America needs.

The flip-flop attack is also designed to prevent Kerry from responding to the other key line of Bush attack - that Kerry is too liberal for mainstream America.

By criticizing Kerry for changing his position constantly, the Bush campaign hopes to stop their opponent from wriggling out of his previous liberal votes and views. Once the public is alert to the chance that Kerry will change his mind, it becomes harder for the Democrat to explain away his votes and to move to the center under Bush's fire.

Now, when Bush moves in for the kill and accuses Kerry of opposing the Defense of Marriage Act or appropriations to fund the Iraq War, the Democratic candidate will find it harder to spin his positions and to move to the middle on these issues. When he tries, voters will repeat to themselves the Ronald Reagan criticism of Jimmy Carter: "There you go again."

By showing Kerry to flip-flop, Bush sets him up for the real charges - that he is too weak and too liberal to be president.

Conventional wisdom says that this election is going to be close, a replay of 2000. It need not be so. If Bush runs aggressive national advertisements, hammering at these themes, he can put this race away by the end of the spring.

We must remember that Bush's father trailed Mike Dukakis by 17 points in the months before the conventions. Until Bush Sr. ran negative ads, it seemed that the Massachusetts governor would be Reagan's successor. Kerry's bubble may prove to be just that fragile.

[AlbionGirl]

I understand the point you're trying to make about GW's sincerity, and I agree. But I still think that he has problems with language, and that at times it's a disadvantage for him. It's not really a personal criticsm of him, to me it's just presenting a fact, but I will agree to disagree w/you, and do respect and don't totally discount your point of view.

I want to see Kerry go down in flames, because now I'm starting to dislike him in the same way I dislike Clinton. And I get a lot of pleasure watching hm squirm, like I did when that audience member asked him for the names of the foreign leaders who so desperately want him to win. Kerry is vapid and arrogant, not a good combo at all. And I hope President Bush has the opportunity to put one right between his eyes.

[cajungirl]

Interesting, I think Kerry is dumb and confused. I think he has no center and needs approval like Clinton but Clinton was smart and had a good memory. He was as Bob Kerry noted, an unusually good liar. Kerry is not. He is a dumb liar. He believes his own lies. That is bad in a politician.

[AlbionGirl]

I do think Kerry is electable. He wouldn't normally be if we hadn't seen such a decline in the caliber of person the electorate is willing to accept as President.

However, that being said, the more exposure Kerry gets, the less electable he is, in my view.

[BobS]

Bush must keep some powder dry. For our entertainment, of course. We have a long trail to follow and Kerry is an idiot. We can't set him up too early, you know...

[Lady Heron]

Now if only Dick Morris could stick to one opinion. One week Bush is going to win, no Kerry, no Bush. He gives me a headache.

[uncbob]

A|nd if Kerry really sinks in the polls the democrats will pull a NJ and drop him the last weeks before the election and replace him with

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[CommandoFrank]

because now I'm starting to dislike him in the same way I dislike Clinton

Welcome aboard... What took you so long? :>)

[AlbionGirl]

I don't think Clinton was stupid, but I just never got a 'he's real bright' vibe from him. He's intellectually nimble, and if that is how intellect is measured, then I guess I'd have to admit he's pretty smart. But I really don't think you end up as he ended up if you're a really bright person.

I know that most people would contend that actions and intellect aren't necessarily linked. But every move, even the most carnal move, requires thought. Circumstances vary of course.

Look at Nixon, his obtuseness led him to do what he did. And I'm more forgiving of Nixon, because according to G. Gordon Liddy (who you may say many things against, but liar is not one of them), Nixon was not in on the initial break-in. He just became involved when he tried to cover it up, so that I understand a little more.

Also, his parting speech the day of his resignation is basically an entreaty to all to not hold his parents responsible for his actions. For me it nearly totally redeemed him.

Now you can say that his actions were born of goodness and not intellect. But I would disagree, he thought it through before he spoke it.

[AlbionGirl]

Well, Commando, thanks for the welcome first of all, and in my defense I never said I was first in my class.

[MNJohnnie]

Well that is true but I guess after seeing all the doom and gloom posted by the usual suspects, I thought some POSITIVE remarks were warrented. Here is a link to the latest Bush Ad, Do you agree with me that this is just about perfect?

http://www.georgewbush.com/

[BARLF]

Well, as I commented on another thread last night,it looks like he doesn't want to be president. He seems to be running harder to lose than win.

What is a strawman, exactly?

[joanofarc]

Some of "W's" grammatical inconsistancys appear to be on purpose. For example: "NUCULAR" and "MISUNDERESTIMATE. Strictly tongue in cheek.
To be honest, I love it.
Clinton spoke elequantly when he used a prompter; when he ad libbed, he came across as a backwoods hillbilly.

[Torie]

The biggest flip flopper is Dick Morris. He thought Bush was probably headed to defeat fairly recently, because the war on terror was losing saliency. Even here, he does not mention Spain. The guy is just a creature of the latest headlines.

[AlbionGirl]

I never thought Clinton was eloquent, adequate yes, eleoquent, no. And I don't think he ever came across as a hick because of how he spoke.

But he did come across as the man with dog-swipe always on his heels because of the way he acted. He did act like white trash, that's for sure.

And what's with that man-rack that he's got going on? Between that and the cellulite I noticed on his leg, I hereby nominate him (along w/being the first Black president) as the first female President, passive-aggressive ways and all.

[ClarenceThomasfan]

"A|nd if Kerry really sinks in the polls the democrats will pull a NJ and drop him the last weeks before the election and replace him with"

That is my worry also. I hope Kerry doesn't implode too quickly like Dean did, especially since he appears to be such a vunerable opponent. I also worry about Kerry's health. He hasn't been looking too good to me lately and now he's taking a week to rest?? I hope he isn't sick again. We must pray for his continued good-health-only until November -just kidding!

[MNJohnnie]

"The biggest flip flopper is Dick Morris. He thought Bush was probably headed to defeat fairly recently, because the war on terror was losing saliency. Even here, he does not mention Spain. The guy is just a creature of the latest headlines."

Whistling past the grave yard of your political hopes Torie? I wonder why you are so eager to smear Morris? Morris has actually managed and won election campaigns. That makes Morris an expert. What credentials do you have to be so dismissive of him? Also, do you have a citation to back up your claim of what Morris supposedly said? I haven't seen him say any such thing. What he DID say was Bush was going to be in trouble unless he started fighting back. Also, the final bit in your post really begs the question. WHAT POSSIBLE relevance does Spain have to do with the US Election and Kerry's basic unelectablity?

[jwalsh07]

The only thing Morris is an expert on is sucking toes and the appearance of the underside of rocks.

[Torie]

What credentials do you have to be so dismissive of him?

I have a certain familiarity with politics and elections and voting behavior, and sometimes make predictions. I even post of these matters right here on FR occasionally. But you are free to traduce my layman's status as worthless. After all, it is the public square and a free country.

Also, do you have a citation to back up your claim of what Morris supposedly said?

I am not going to bother to look it up for you. I saw it on the tube. Most that know me on this forum, however much they may disagree with me, appreciate I think that I don't deliberately lie or mis-characterize regarding specific facts. You are free to think about that what you want.

Have a good evening.

[I got the rope]

Another apologist for the the "Master of the Obvious"...Dick Morris. You are about to be flamed unmercifully if you start genuflecting to Morris on this site.

[MNJohnnie]

Still waiting to hear even one valid reason to doubt Morris's conclusions. That some of you have a personal dislike fore the guy is understandable. He is a creep. He is also an expert on elections. That he is a creep does not invalidate his conclusions. Kind of curious why you ignored the argument Morris makes to launch an ad hominen attack against Morris's person? You all CANNOT subscribe to the Democratic Underground's notion that if you smear the poster you invalidate the post?