Kerry's past will catch up with him

The Cincinnati Post ^ | 29 April 2004 | David Broder

[MegaSilver]

WASHINGTON -- When Matthew Dowd, a senior strategist for the Bush campaign, was asked in a conference call with reporters last week why the president had gained strength in two of the latest national surveys despite the worst month of bloodshed in Iraq, the headlined investigation of pre-9/11 intelligence failures and Bush's rocky prime-time televised news conference, he had a ready answer.

First, he said, most of the public was well-conditioned by Bush's own statements to expect a long and difficult struggle in Iraq. And in hard times, Bush's demonstrated leadership qualities dwarf those of his Democratic opponent, Sen. John Kerry, in the eyes of most Americans. Dowd speaks as a partisan, but there's evidence to support his conclusions in the mid-April Washington Post-ABC News poll.

The poll found a roughly 10-point swing from Kerry to Bush during the seeming time of trouble for the president. In trial heats, Bush went from trailing the Massachusetts senator by 5 points to leading by the same margin.

Some public opinion experts, including Andrew Kohut of the Pew Center, think this is a rallying-around effect. When the country is in trouble, especially when young men and women are at risk, the inclination is to support the commander in chief. But the shift appears to be tied directly to a decline in regard for Kerry. Between March and April, the Post poll showed a 9-point drop in the percentage describing Kerry as a strong leader and a 10-point drop in the share saying he is honest and trustworthy. (Bush's numbers moved not at all.)

Full story ...

[MegaSilver]

I've been thinking for quite a while that Bush will win, not because people are particularly happy with him, but because Kerry is so repulsive to the average person. Now I see I'm not the only one...

[Republicus2001]

just finished reading Vol. 1 of Cato's LBJ bio - Kerry reminds me of the flip-flopping LBJ was notorious for...(pro-FDR before WWII - anti-New Deal after 1941)

[Semper Paratus]

David Broder, The (liberal) dean of columnists.

The end may be near for the F'en candidate.

[beaversmom]

Ping--more Kerry commentary

[KJacob]

Didn't Broder write "Blinded by the right"? If so what is the consensus of that book?

[Republicus2001]

Does anyone know if Kerry ever served in the military? Funny I never seem to hear about that

[TomEwall]

The fact that Bush's numbers have improved not based on good news is very good for him. Bumps from news events will come and go, but questions like this illustrate the point the article makes:

Who believes what he says? Bush 53 Kerry 29.

That's such a huge edge, it's curious that Kerry is as close as he is.

[TomEwall]

I should have pointed out that was from the recent NYTimes/CBS poll, which was a terrible poll for Kerry when you factor in the oversampling of Democrats.

[KeyLargo]

I heard that Kerry was a war hero and Al Gore invented the Internet.

[1066AD]

Dowd was on Brit Hume's show yesterday. He said the reason for the close polls is that there are far fewer swing voters than in prior years. He estimates there's only about 10% now so he expects polls to show a close race right to the end.

[PMCarey]

Some Democrats blame this on the millions the Bush campaign has spent in recent weeks on ads depicting Kerry as a flip-flopper. But in the Post-ABC poll, Kerry actually fared much better against Bush in the states where those ads have run than in the rest of the country.

Broder is a dumb***. Those ads are run in battleground states where naturally Kerry will fare better than in other states. Does the dofus expect Bush to spend money running those ads in Texas?

[68skylark]

The end may be near for the F'en candidate.

Yeah, this column shows what Kerry's friends are saying about him. Libs seem more and more unhappy with him (and less bashful about saying so). I just hope they don't dump him before he's nominated.

[dts32041]

[Denver Ditdat]

That was David Brock of "The Real Anita Hill" fame. I never read the book, so I can't give you a fair opinion of it.

[TomEwall]

Yes, I saw that. I've heard others say that too.

[MegaSilver]

Didn't Broder write "Blinded by the right"? If so what is the consensus of that book?

That's "David Brock." The general consensus--among both Liberals and Conservatives--is that David Brock is emotionally unstable, quite possibly schizophrenic, and wrote Blinded by the Right in a state of embitterment. I've heard at least a few people--from both sides of the spectrum--say that they wanted to take another shower after they finished reading it.

In short, the consensus is that the book is a slime bucket.

[KJacob]

"In short, the consensus is that the book is a slime bucket."


Glad I didn't read it. By the way, thanks for the response.

[white trash redneck]

David Brooks, not David Broder, wrote Blinded by the Right.

A gay "conservative" turncoat.

[SkyPilot]

[SkyPilot]