Yes. They are lashing out in every direction right now. They may even land a few blows.
But it doesn't matter. Dole isn't running for office. The swiftvets aren't running for office.
Thus, they are "off message."
Moreover, they can't very well get traction for Senator Kerry as a "war hero" during the same timeframe that they are smearing war heroes such as Dole, POWS, and veterans such as the swiftvets.
So relax. Keep in mind what I've been saying since mid 2003: "This election is about more than merely winning. We're also going to burn the fat cat Dem donors as well as slime the current mainstream media irreparably."
Right now the Kerry Campaign has had their first chance at bat. They've managed only a tie game nationally, and they are already behind in most or all of the 38 states that Bush won back in 2000 (more than he needs to re-win in '04).
They've selected their VP candidate. They've had their convention. They've run countless editorials and spammed newspapers with their form letter. They've had their talking heads on every show that would take them. They've even outspent Republicans in ads for every month until July.
Now from here on out it is our turn at bat. From now on we will run more ads than them. We will hold our Convention. We will announce policy after policy and build on our existing achievement after achievement.
...And while we're out saving the world, boosting American prosperity, and running the country...the Dems are still going to be floundering, held back by their own lack of vision, their own tortured past, swiftvets, their own self-contradictions, their own voting records, their own tax records, their own military records, their absenteeism, their elitism, their near-infinite vacations, as well as by the positions that they've taken on various issues over the years.
Dem donors, told from Day One that this election would be "close", aren't going to be pleased with the November outcome. They will, in short, be burned. The big donations by the fatcats, the 527's, the celebrities, all will be for naught.
The current mainstream media, caught in lies that stretch back forever: bogus polls that showed Bustamante ahead of Schwarzenegger by 19 points, McBride ahead of Jeb Bush by 6 points, Kerry "tied" with Bush in Florida...caught not only lying, but also slamming characters (e.g. swiftvets, Dole, etc.) and insulating the Kerry's for far too long (the msm hadn't even asked for Mrs. Heinz-Kerry's tax returns before this campaign)...will find that the Public has lost faith in them. The news media knew that McGreevy was on the take and in the closet, but didn't inform the Public. The news media knew that Nixon wasn't President and that the Khmer Rouge didn't exist in 1968, but didn't remind the Public.
Moreover, we've got some tricks up our sleeve that we'll only play if need be. The above alone should give a taste for precisely how we will deliver all three of our goals this year. The current mainstream media will be forever tarnished. Fatcat Dem donors will feel burned.
...And the same Heartland states that delivered in 2000 will again win the election for President Bush. It isn't even remotely feasible that two East Coast, left-wing, elitist attorneys would change that equation, either.
5 Legislative Days Left Until The AWB Expires