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Bounceless
townhall.com ^ | 8/06/04 | Charles Krauthammer

Posted on 08/05/2004 9:46:44 PM PDT by kattracks

WASHINGTON -- No bounce for Kerry. The Democrats and their pollsters will tell you this is because the electorate has already made up its mind. But if that is the case, why are they campaigning? Why have a convention in the first place? In reality, at least 10 percent of the population is undecided, and Kerry's convention appears to have gotten none of them.

The other explanation is stylistic. Kerry rushed his speech, stepping on his applause lines. Then there was the sweat on brow and chin, not quite Nixonian lip sweat, but enough to distract.

Hardly. The explanation that respects the intelligence of the American people is that Kerry had nothing to say. Well, one thing: Vietnam. His entire speech, the entire convention, was a celebration of his military service. The salute. The band of brothers. The Swift boat metaphors. The attribution of everything -- from religious values to foreign policy wisdom -- to Kerry's four-month stint 35 years ago.

The problem is that the association of fitness for the presidency with military experience does not withstand five minutes of reflection. If that were the case, Lincoln would have failed as commander in chief in the Civil War, and FDR would have failed as commander in chief in World War II. By that logic, Ulysses S. Grant should have been -- as Douglas MacArthur would have been -- a great president.


(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: kerry; kerrybounce; krauthammer

1 posted on 08/05/2004 9:46:44 PM PDT by kattracks
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To: kattracks

Bounceless......Gutless.....Brainless.....Worthless.....Useless......Spineless.....

I could go on and on and on......


2 posted on 08/05/2004 9:51:30 PM PDT by Howie66 ("America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our people.")
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To: kattracks

Bounceless......Gutless.....Brainless.....Worthless.....Useless......Spineless.....

I could go on and on and on......


3 posted on 08/05/2004 9:52:19 PM PDT by Howie66 ("America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our people.")
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To: kattracks
If you read posts by certain members here, Kerry has already won the election and didn't need a bounce from his convention.

Now lets see how long before one of the (unnamed) pessimists replies...

4 posted on 08/05/2004 9:58:20 PM PDT by COEXERJ145
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To: kattracks

Kerry served in Vietnam????


5 posted on 08/05/2004 10:00:34 PM PDT by Always Right
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To: kattracks
Kerry's speech was style over substance.

Kerry has about as much style, substance, and charisma as a wet cardboard box.

The "no bounce" was because his speech didn't persuade or dissuade anyone. All style, no substance.

The Democrats hung themselves with what little rope the Bush/Cheney team gave them when the Bush/Cheney team came with their charts and graphs before the DNC convention even started showing a historical fact that candidates coming out of their convention enjoy 15% bounces.

In other words, the Bush/Cheney team gave Kerry high expectations of a bounce, and Kerry didn't deliver.

But, there's another school of thought. The Democrats became overly excited to the point of cockiness after the GOP came out with their charts and graphs and historical convention polling data. Asked for comment, Terry McAulliffe, the chairman of the DNC went so far as to say the Democrats had the election "locked up".

6 posted on 08/05/2004 10:03:29 PM PDT by BigSkyFreeper (Nobody But Bush | Kerry/Edwards: Re-inventing the we'll)
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To: BigSkyFreeper

nut's


7 posted on 08/05/2004 10:31:24 PM PDT by Kahuna
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To: Howie66

clueless.


8 posted on 08/05/2004 10:32:07 PM PDT by smonk
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