Kerry to Reach Out to 'People on the Right'

LA Slimes ^ | july 11, 2004 | Matea Gold and Mark Z. Barabak

[Kuksool]

ALBUQUERQUE — Counting on his liberal base to stick by him, Sen. John F. Kerry plans to aggressively court more conservative voters with a message that emphasizes traditional values of service, faith and family.

Following his pick last week of a running mate with potential appeal to rural communities, the presumed Democratic presidential nominee said he was not content to target the narrow band of swing voters that the two parties were expected to fight over in roughly 20 swing states.

"I'm going to talk to people on the right," Kerry told The Times on Friday during a joint interview with his vice presidential pick, Sen. John Edwards. "I want to talk to conservatives."

As for rank-and-file party members, Kerry said his record of strong support for environmental protection, gun control and abortion rights — all core Democratic issues — "speaks for itself about my priorities in policy terms."

Indeed, Kerry seemed unconcerned about antagonizing his liberal supporters.

"I'm a hunter. I'm a gun owner. A lot of people on the left don't like that, but that's who I am," he said.

The Massachusetts senator has already begun his effort to broaden his political reach. During a recent swing through the Midwest, where he tramped around farms and toted a shotgun on a trap-shooting range, Kerry said that he represented "conservative values," and emphasized his personal opposition to abortion.

[Corin Stormhands]

"I want to talk to conservatives."

Hey John-John, conservatives have something to say to you too...

[Concerned]

OBLOMOV WROTE: "Kerry would have to go got to the right of Bush on ISSUES, not simply emphasize touchy-feely BS about traditional "values", to get votes of "people on the right".

I would NOT vote for Kerry under ANY circumstances!!!

Even though Kerry now SAYS he believes in, stands for and represents conservative values, he is a PROVEN, REPEATED LIAR!!!!!

I learned after the Perot--->Klinton Election, that if MY candidate for President does not win the PRIMARY, then it is MY fault because I FAILED to do MY job of ensuring that MY candidate won the PRIMARY.

Once the Republican NOMINEE is chosen, I need to support that nominee, and wait until the NEXT election PRIMARY to work to get MY choice for President (or whatever office) elected as the nominee and eventual elected official.

Even if the NOMINEE is not EVERY SINGLE THING I want in a nominee, he/she is at least closer to being on the right track than the LIBERALS and will NOT SET US BACK TWENTY or THIRTY YEARS if we abandon the Republican nominee.

BTW, not even President REAGAN---my all-time favorite President---was EVERYTHING I wanted! And no one will EVER be!

As a 2004 Bush Presidential Elector, I say VOTE BUSH!!!!!

You do YOUR part to vote for Bush/Cheney (actually for the Bush/Cheney Elector of YOUR U.S. Congressional District), and I will do mine and place one of 538 Electoral College votes for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney in December.

[catpuppy]

... he wants to lie to conservatives

Yes but he is an equal opportunity liar, telling whoppers to whomever will listen.

[sweetliberty]

What he doesn't count on is conservatives being smart enough to see through him. I foresee Kerry losing his temper when challenged on his lies by a conservative. He's already shown that he has a short fuse and disrespects the voters.

[oblomov]

I will definitely vote for Bush, and would not vote for Kerry or a 3rd party candidate no matter what they say.

[Kuksool]

Kerry regards anyone questioning his proposals as unpatriotic.

[tet68]

Kerry to Reach Out to 'People on the Right'

Sorry Jhon boy I'm deaf in my LEFT ear.

[LibWhacker]

Heck, salsa's real popular ... I like the idea! It'd have to be something like that, with low overhead and shallow learning curve for me to get involved. Much of my publik-skool imparted knowledge seems to be useless in the real world of business. :-)

[Jank]

Hey Kerry, "Go F-yourself"...

[Indy Pendance]

If you make it big, I expect a heads up!

[Recovering_Democrat]

Counting on his liberal base to stick by him, Sen. John F. Kerry plans to aggressively court more conservative voters with a message that emphasizes traditional values of service, faith and family.

He can shove it. I don't tolerate liars.

[George W. Bush]

So all you guys (about 8% as polls have it) who are GOP and not supporting Bush because he's not conservative enough -- make your choice. Kerry's move to the middle and right has what value of credibility? Right, zero. You will have 5 additional staunchly pro Choice Justices replacing the retirees if Kerry is elected. With Bush, far fewer.

We heard this "It's the judges, stupid" mantra in 2000.

I've yet to see any staunchly conservative jurist placed on high courts, let alone a Supreme.

I don't think anyone who was paying attention since 2000 is going to buy your line of reasoning. Although some of these justices are pretty old, they might hang on for a very long time. Stevens is, what, 127 years old or something? He's not planning to retire.

Even granting your premise that Bush will nominate conservative and pro-life judges, there's still the problem of a gutless/RINO GOP Senate majority that lets the Dims shoot down any judge they don't happen to like. Not a promising record so far.

As far as the supposed 8% of disaffected GOP voters, it might be exaggerated. I'd say that, if true, it has more to do with the long-term garrison of Iraq (never popular in America) and with traditional conservative issues like smaller government and less regulation. Since Bush is president, they're taking it out on him but the real blame is with your Congressrino, not Bush.

[LibWhacker]

Okay, you've got it, my friend (plus I'll send you and yours a free case of salsa and an invite to a 4-star restaurant somewheres) . . . But don't hold 'yer breath . . . I've prolly got a better chance of winnin' the lottery, lol!

(Making a note of this in my journal so's I don't forget.) P.S. If you make it big, do the same for my better half and me, would 'ya?

:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

[hershey]

Oh boy, I can hardly wait 'til Botoxboy reaches out to me. I might not wash that hand for a month. AAAARRRRGGGHHH.

[TASMANIANRED]

He's going to reach out to conservatives?

He's going to stick that slimy paw right into your wallet.

[George W. Bush]

“The Democratic Party Will Never Be The Choice Of The NRA – And I’m Not Looking To Be The Candidate Of The NRA.”

Doesn't matter.

Kerry has no more chance of NRA support than Bush has of NAACP or the ADL. And everyone knows it.

Both parties are aligned on certain causes and get all those votes as part of their base.

[FairOpinion]

"Both parties are aligned on certain causes and get all those votes as part of their base."

That is why it is so important that Bush's base turn out in this election.

[not2worry]

As far as I am concerned, he's gonna need an awfully LONG
arm!

He is who he is, before he was who he was.

[ride the whirlwind]

During a recent swing through the Midwest, where he tramped around farms and toted a shotgun on a trap-shooting range, Kerry said that he represented "conservative values," and emphasized his personal opposition to abortion.

He sounded idiotic making the farming comments. As for reaching out to conservatives, he knows it worked (sort of) for Billy Jeff Clinton.

[George W. Bush]

That is why it is so important that Bush's base turn out in this election.

The disaffected segment considers themselves to be conservative, not anyone's 'base'.

You may not like it, hundreds of threads with thousands of posts here at FR may bewail and scorn and condemn it. But it won't change.

It's still about a smaller government and lower taxes/fees and less regulation.

If Bush and the GOP want these voters back on board, they have to put some red meat on the plate. That's all there is to it. Otherwise, they need to write off their disaffected segment and campaign to the middle or even to the RINO segment as hard as possible.

You know, Bush may not need that 8% to win. This may be the year when the GOP finally manages to discard the conservative base entirely. This has been the goal of many top party leaders for years.

I have my doubts such a strategy will work for more than one election cycle. It will be interesting to see how Rove plays his hand in this election.