Kerry is getting the fatal Dukakis touch

The Times ^ | September 14, 2004 | Gerard Baker

[MadIvan]

I have a feeling that Bush will do well in the debates - his answers will be concise while Kerry's will ramble. That alone will make people wonder if Kerry is decisive enough, and indeed if they want an insufferable bore in the White House for 4 years.

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Ping!

[Torie]

This year Mr Kerry was deemed to have had a similarly successful convention

Whatever. The analogy is stretched. Dukakis was a more upfront liberal. Kerry is trying to be an ex-liberal, and has far more characters flaws than Dukakis did. Dukakis was an honest man. Kerry may have his good points, but honestly is not one of them.

[Judith Anne]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!

Wonderful post, hilarious!!!

I'm sitting here in my pjs, wondering if I want to have a beer and read that again! ;-D

[MJY1288]

"Kerry is getting the fatal Dukakis touch"

John Kerry had it all along, the MSM ran cover for it until now

[Paleo Conservative]

[My Favorite Headache]

I already know what each debate will focus on...and get ready for it because this is their only trump card:

W M D

[Anti-Bubba182]

"..his answers will be concise while Kerry's will ramble. That alone will make people wonder if Kerry is decisive enough.."

I can see that happening, since it is very consistant with the styles of both. You can bet Kerry will be drilled into putting out some zingers of his own to compensate for his natural nuanced answers. Bush should be able to do very well if he is himself and does not get baited.

[Lurker]

It's not an 'insuferrable bore in the White House' that I fear Ivan.

What I fear is a modern day Neville Chamberlain who'll land in New York with a scrap of paper in his hand declaring loudly that he's secured 'peace in our time' while the Mad Mullahs in Iran or a psychotic North Korean aptly named 'Il' has their finger on a nuclear trigger.

Nonetheless, good article.

Regards,

L

[dixiechick2000]

What a winning pair.

Surely, I don't have mention that was sarcasm

[jporcus]

Oh ohh - Kerry has "Dukakitis"

[Mike Fieschko]

Rush today had a remark from the Rev Jackson to the effect that every sentence Kerry utters has three commas.

[gipper81]

Kerry, like Dukakis, is insufferably wonkish. Mr Dukakis once admitted to having read a couple of volumes on Swedish land-use management while he was on holiday. Mr Kerry speaks to campaign audiences as though he were lecturing them on Swedish land-use management.

Wow. The things you learn here ....

[Cultural Jihad]

For Mr Kerry ... windsurfing off Nantucket ... even his favourite pastime depends on which way the wind blows.

LOL!

[vbmoneyspender]

Of course, the big difference is that the 2004 campaign is not over yet. Mr Kerry’s last chance at redemption may be the presidential debates.

This idea that Kerry can somehow salvage his campaign via the debates is pretty silly. People already know George Bush and most people find him to be both likeable and decisive, which would appear to be a pretty good character combo in a time of war.Given that people are already very familiar with George Bush, the only way Kerry can shake peoples' general impression of Bush is if Bush does something completely bizarre at the debates, which ain't going to happen.

[Repub4bush]

Boy you just crushed my fantasy. I thought we all sat here in our designer pink pj's sipping champagne!

Oh wait, That would be J'effink, sorry, my mistake, we are not worthy, we are the just plain everyday dumb Americans.
Flannels, pretzels and beer!!! :)

Carry on ! LOL

[PresidentFelon]

"For Mr Kerry it looks increasingly like the TV pictures of him windsurfing off Nantucket while Republicans were tearing him to shreds at their convention in New York –as Jay Leno, the late-night television comedian put it, proving that even his favourite pastime depends on which way the wind blows."

What a great line by Leno. I was laughing out loud.

President Felon

[hinckley buzzard]

There is a thread somewhere here with a quote from Kerry at a stump speech where he got away from the script-- and promptly became genuinely obtuse and incoherent.

In the debates he will have carefully scripted comments to be triggered by questions on each subject. He will try to have a few snappy comebacks on predictable points GW will make.

But if GW gets under his skin somehow, and Kerry decides to take off after him on some subject, he is liable to totally embarrass himself. He doesn't do spontaneity well at all.

[txrangerette]

Bring it on. Kerry & all the Dems have yakked & yakked about Saddam's WMD. I have heard Bush on the stump; he is ready, more than ready for it.

Mark it down.

He'll ask: so you want Saddam still in power, Senator Kerry???

And lots of other goodies.

Lookin' forward to it...

[txrangerette]

Mario Cuomo, I think it was.