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'm not opposed to this type of ad, but am opposed to using Mary Cheney to make the ad. It was sleazy for the Senator to do what he did, he spawned commentary on those remarks precisely because of its manipulative sleaze. If you make it the subject of a campaign commercial, than some of that sleaze rubs off on Republicans. I don't believe the B/C team would sink that low, for which I'm grateful.
Instead, you could make the same ad and take Kerry's other sleazy moments and run with it. His attacks on the President, demoralizing the troops, deminishing the contributions of our allies, fear mongering politics.. Plenty of material could be used to form the same ad without using Mary Cheney.
BTW, G.W. won that debate. Mary Cheney was the ONLY factor, though people will make it out as such.
I completely agree.
correction-Mary Cheney was "not" the only factor.
G.W. was more likable, upbeat, optimistic. He cited Kerry's record, cited his litany of complaints was not a plan, Kerry's hate rhetoric is getting old, Dubya stated his own successful policies, issues of faith, love for spouse, etc...were all factors as well.
Especially since 'effin LOVEs to quotes McStain's seemingly endless criticism of the President. (Lugar, too.) Of course, he has to quote 'pubs, since none of his own have anything worth saying.
Nobody (including Kerry) has the right to wave her around like a bloody shirt. This goes to show you that these people will use anything or anybody as they see fit.
I disagree. I perceive a message that there is something wrong with the Cheney family. This was confirmed by follow up comments from Kamp Kerry about how they "admire how the Cheney's have dealt with it" and that kind of thing.
I am positive that they are walking a double edge on this issue---they want to be the party of tolerance, but they don't hesitate to act like the Cheneys did have something to be ashamed of.
The whole thing didn't make any sense, but if you like your take on the situation better, go ahead.
I'm saying what the perception of even neutral columinsts was. Dick Cheney didn't seem to think they were that harsh....but he made himself clear: "I disagree with the President on this one, but I'm not giving you a soundbite to use against us.
I know what you're saying, and you're right - Cheney's statements in response did not indicate a personal offense, but an unwillingness to discuss the subject. I personally thought he was royally pissed, but that's my interpretation of his body language and tone of voice, not from what he actually said. My guess is that Cheney was mad because he perceived (correctly) that the little punk lawyer was trying to take advantage and to drive a wedge in the Republicans by using his daughter's life choices. But he chose not to bristle at it and make it worse. I thought his 'thanks' to John Edwards was dripping with sarcasm, personally.
Yup. Branding her with the Scarlet L! Good thing Cheney didn't fall for that rope-a-dope. Even the moderator was in on it. When he asked Cheney if he had anything to add to those remarks, Cheney said NO. Edwards and the moderator looked just like two dogs who had got the gold plate grabbed from under them.
They don't admire the Cheneys. That much is obvious.
I like my take very much because I understand where Kerry is coming from and it isn't nice.
*****Kerry's remarks demonstrated his own low character, Kerry's lack of integrity highlighted Bush's own qualities.*****
When Kerry followed Bush's praise of his wife and daughters and parents with the "married up" comment, THAT was a defining moment, too. And then he talks about his mother? He REALLY screwed himself when he didn't say that he loved TayRayZah and cherished his daughters. And he should have left his dead mother out of the photo. (Had she been alive, he could have mentioned her, but a man NEVER should place a deceased mother above a current wife. NEVER.)
He's a loooozzzeeerrrr. He'll find that out on November 3.
I'm surprised I'm not seeing that opinion anywhere else...because it was clear as MUD to me! ;^)
My whole family, watching the debate, thought the same. Cheney's terse thank-you-for-your-kindness was followed by a pause, after which Gwen Ifill asked "That's it?"
"That's it," answered Cheney, putting the seal on our impression that his "thanking" Edwards had certainly been ironic.
Someone posted that Cheney couldn't have been more clear if he'd said "Well bless your heart" to Edwards's sanctimonious little speech. (Apparently to Southerners, "bless your heart" in such a context tmeans "f*** you.")
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