Visit jibjab.com!
Posted on 10/18/2004 4:25:43 PM PDT by InvisibleChurch
In a bit of political poetic justice, it appears that polls showing the Bush Cheney ticket surging ahead of Kerry Edwards started last Thursday, just hours after Kerry announced that Dick Cheney's daughter was "a lesbian" in the final presidential debate.
"Overnight polling showed a sharp gain by George W. Bush," columnist Robert Novak reported in his Monday column, noting the race had been dead even after Bush's first disastrous debate performance until that moment.
While Democratic Party officials publicly say Kerry did nothing wrong by identifying Mary Cheney's sexuality, outside the Kerry camp party regulars were horrified. According to Novak:
"Democrats at debate-watching parties gasped in surprise. Wired focus group members across the country displayed an instant negative reaction. Old Democratic political hands, in disbelief, tried to convey their unhappiness to Kerry. Even Kerry's Republican friend, Sen. John McCain, publicly criticized the Democratic nominee."
The unhappiness from prominent Democrats was conveyed to Kerry's campaign plane with a strong recommendation: Apologize for any inadvertent insult.
The push for an apology had one important backer, seasoned Clinton press flack Mike McCurry, who joined team Kerry just last month.
But McCurry was shot down by the take-no-prisoners campaign staff, who agreed more with campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill's pronouncement that Mary Cheney was "fair game."
As Kerry continues to stonewall on any Cheney apology, some Republicans would like to see team Bush do more to spotlight his sleazy low-blow with a round of last-minute TV ads.
Reports Novak's colleague, William Safire:
"They have in mind a TV spot using an old film clip of a Boston lawyer named Welch at a Congressional hearing, saying 'Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?'"
I don't give John Kerry that much credit. Bush surged because he's the better man period.
Wouldn't that be poetic justice - using against Kerry the famous line employed against Joe McCarthy? Frankly, though, I'd advise against it. There could be a backlash against the backlash if W's campaign tries to exploit Kerry's gaffe too hard. I think the issue has done it's damage. Time to move on.
Quote: "some Republicans would like to see team Bush do more to spotlight his sleazy low-blow with a round of last-minute TV ads."
Nope. Not going to happen. The GOP will rise above that.
Watch and see.
I totally agree...I said the same thing yesterday...
Even Kerry's Republican friend, Sen. John McCain, publicly criticized the Democratic nominee.A guy I know on another forum knows McCain personally. He says that what McCain says privately about Kerry could peel paint.
Even liberal observers have admitted that while Edward's comments about Mary Cheney weren't meant to be nasty, Kerry's were.
-Eric
Is this, at long last, our Dukakis moment?
Visit jibjab.com!
they might rise above it....but the Swifties might be holding back some arsenal...
This whole election has been one long Dukakis Moment.
Here Here
The Lurch would have gone down without the Mary Cheney comment. This just made it come about quicker. IMHO
He's the most likable and believable one.
Well please suggest to your friend to suggest to McClain starts getting vocal about and let everyone know how he feels.
McClain could have done a lot more than he has.
John
new tag
heard part of his speech via Rush today - he better hope none of his supporters had wireless connection to factcheckers.ORG while in the crowd...
I agree with that. I disagree with the notion that Kerry lost the 3rd debate simply because of the Cheney daughter remark. Kerry looked weak and pale in the 3rd debate. He had no energy and said a lot of goofy things that made no sense.
In the 1st debate, people weren't paying attention to what he said. They were looking for him to be "Presidential". That is, someone they could see as president. He walked like a president and sounded like a president. Once you get past that, his message is gobbledygook.
The problem with singling out the Cheney gaffe is that there have been so many other gaffes since then. Kerry's "ask me about my wife, I'll tell you about my mother" strategery didn't pan out. Also, Edwards' "Vote For Me and The Dead Will Walk" eulogy is something out of a creepy horror film.
Edwards simply managed to sugarcoat his remarks more than Kerry did, and couch them in less offensive terms. The intent was entirely the same, believe me.
IMHO the point has been made, the gaffe has produced maximum damage. If we overplay this, it won't be good. It is not necessary to do any more.
BTW I think Bush won that debate hands down even without Marygate.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.