"...if you don't, you get stuck in Iraq"

[sgeeeee]

http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/white-house-accuses-kerry-of-troop/20061031130009990004?ncid=NWS00010000000001

. . .
It came during a campaign rally for California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides. Kerry opened his speech at Pasadena City College with several one-liners, saying at one point that Bush had lived in Texas but now "lives in a state of denial."

He then said: "You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."

That, Kerry said, was meant as a reference to Bush, not troops. Kerry said it is the president who owes U.S. soldiers an apology -- for "a Katrina foreign policy" that misled the country into war in Iraq, failed to adequately study and plan for the aftermath, has not properly equipped troops and has expanded the terrorist threat. . .

 

[lets-retire]

sqeee-- The problem with that type of campaign is you are relying on the "Anybody but Bush" theory. It didn't work in 2000. Why would the thinking populace vote for someone who's campaign is, "I can do better, but I won't tell you how, because I don't want my ideas to be smeared." If their ideas are so good they wouldn't be afraid of having people tear them apart. Those people might discover the ideas is a good one. Leadership is taking the lead and putting your ideas out there to be ridiculed and laughed at. Some of the ideas are successful, while others should have been forgotten as soon as they were thought up.

That type of campaign also leads me to believe all they will do if elected is oppose anything the GOP puts out, whether it is good or bad.

 

[F-One]

Do you think that, or are you just repeating the damage control spin?

That's why I wrote "I think", I hadn't heard any spin when I wrote this just saw the video clip. I guess Kool-Aid must interfer with the ability to recognize sarcasm..... and stupidity of GWB

 

[sgeeeee]

sqeee-- The problem with that type of campaign is you are relying on the "Anybody but Bush" theory. It didn't work in 2000. . .

I don't have any idea if it will work or to what extent. I didn't choose the strategy nor have I endorsed it. But it is not 2000. I doubt seriously that GWB could get close enough to allow the Supremes to give him the election this year. Things have changed. Based on recent polls, there seems to be a lot of people who are willing to choose anybody but Bush in the current election.

Rove has orchestrated significant victories catoring to one-dimensional voters. He has sliced and diced the country into one issue regions and turned his attack machine on one Democrat at a time based on those single issues. He has kept the message simple for the simple-minded voter he wanted to appeal to.

For better or for worse, the Democratic strategy seems to be modeled after Rove's approach. Take one issue (in this case Bush is a Loser) and pound home the single message: You must neutralize him for the good of the country. The Dems may be blowing a great opportunity to sieze power, or they may be very successful. We'll see how it plays in about a week.

 

[Patrick]

Re: "You might get stuck in Iraq..."

How does Rove attack a Bush is a Loser campaign.

They're doing it now by saying "Bush is not a loser" with interviews all over: "the economy is good, unemployment is down, the stock market is up, we are making progress in Iraq, the Dems will not protect you from terrorism . . ."

 

[youbet]

He has kept the message simple for the simple-minded voter he wanted to appeal to.

Do you think that the "wine and cheese liberal" leadership of the current Dem party is helping the cause with their outspoken hatred of the non-lexus-driving work-a-day folks? Is telling "Joe Blue Collar" that his vote is not wanted by the Dems because the "elite libs" alone will bring them to victory smart planning? A few hundred thousand blue collar votes would have gone a long way in 2004!

 

[Brat]

Some of us 'old farts' remember the Vietnam war and conscription. We worry about that for our kids/grandkids. Kerry's comment will resonate with our generation.

Bush and his menions forget that our brothers and classmates served in 'the zone'. Their 'reserve status' doesn't cut it, thank you.

 

[Cattusbabe]

What he meant to say was this.

"You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get us stuck in Iraq,"

Sen. Kerry is known for flubbing lines which is one of the reasons why he is
Sen. Kerry and not President Kerry.However Kerry served which is more that I can say for the guys that got us in to this mess in Iraq so I doubt that he would ever say anything against our troops. Pres. Bush and Co. who are jumping all over this need to cut the crap. It won't save their hides next Tuesday.

 

[Patrick]

What he meant to say was this.

"You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get us stuck in Iraq,"

Well he ought to know, since he voted for the war. Or was it against it? Or was it for it after he voted against it? Or was it against it after he voted for it?

 

[Alex]

it seems that the public ain't buyin the BS that John F'n Kerry is selling. The latest ABC news poll: (not scientific!!)

Sen. John Kerry claims that the White House has distorted his comment that kids who don't do well in school "get stuck in Iraq." The White House has accused him of "troop bashing," and is demanding an apology.

Was Kerry's statement offensive to troops?

Yes. The comment was unnecessary and negative. Kerry should apologize.
8,435
No. This isn't even an issue. It's just Republicans trying to hurt Democrats close to elections.
2,944
Possibly. But I don't think that was his intention. The press is making too big a deal out of this.
588
Total Vote: 11,967
Not a scientific survey.

 

[youbet]

Some of us 'old farts' remember the Vietnam war and conscription. We worry about that for our kids/grandkids. Kerry's comment will resonate with our generation.

Well, I'd be one of those "old farts" and my lottery number was 25.

I think Kerry's remarks were ridiculous and inappropriate. I cannot bring myself to excuse him based on the performance of any others. Looking at him alone, an experienced US Senator, he just blew it. Dumb.

 

[Mr._johngalt]

I listened to an interview with GWB on the Hannity show tonight
(yes, I know it was not unbiased). Anyway, "W" never sounded more
upbeat and statesmanlike. Is it too late for me to register?

JG

 

[sgeeeee]

Do you think that the "wine and cheese liberal" leadership of the current Dem party is helping the cause with their outspoken hatred of the non-lexus-driving work-a-day folks? Is telling "Joe Blue Collar" that his vote is not wanted by the Dems because the "elite libs" alone will bring them to victory smart planning? A few hundred thousand blue collar votes would have gone a long way in 2004!

I really don't have any idea what you're talking about. Maybe you failed to finish reading that post. I indicated that the Dem strategy seemed to be modeled after the Rove approach. I didn't support the strategy, just reported it. I think most politicians from both sides would sell their mothers into slavery for a voting bloc. One dimensional voters are the easiest targets. Find people who can get whooped into a frenzy of fear over a single issue (guns, gods, gays, trees, war, or welfare) and feed that fear.

But I don't know what "wine and cheese" liberals are. That seems like a misguided label to me. My guess is that the elitist country clubs in this country are filled with more Republicans than Democrats. I've never seen statistics on that. I also have never seen any indication that the Democratic party thinks they are too good for blue collar voters. Historically, that group has been their strength. It would seem like political suicide to take a stance like that and I would think that Dem leaders know better than that. This concept sounds like some sort of Fox News fantasy to me.

 

[youbet]

Sgeeeee, you're definitely an alligator!

 

[maddythebeagle]

Well he ought to know, since he voted for the war. Or was it against it? Or was it for it after he voted against it? Or was it against it after he voted for it?

 

[justin]

I listened to an interview with GWB on the Hannity show tonight
(yes, I know it was not unbiased). Anyway, "W" never sounded more
upbeat and statesmanlike. Is it too late for me to register?

You realize Bush won't be running again, right?

 

[HFWR]

There IS a god...

 

[donheff]

I didn't bother reading this thread until today but I am amazed at how few people actually checked out the context of Kerry's statement. Sqee is the only one who got it right. Kerry was telling jokes (or as close to jokes as Mr. stiff can come) at the beginning of a speech. He joked about Bush being not in the state of Texas, but the state of denial and then went on to make a lame. poorly constructed joke about failure Bush's failure to get educated and getting stuck in Iraq because he is so dumb.

You can't look at the entire statement including the lead in jokes and reach a conclusion that he was talking about the troops. (You could reach a conclusion thta he is also dumb for constructing such an idiotic ambiguous sounding "joke").

This is also proof positive that the media don't have a "left" bias. Almost none of the mainstream media provide the context. They are basically taking the Rovian spin and running with it. They completely miss the reality.

 

[Patrick]

. . . and then went on to make a lame. poorly constructed joke about failure Bush's failure to get educated . . .

Well this is patently ridiculous since Bush attended Yale University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 1968 and an MBA from Harvard University (Bush is the only US President to serve holding a Master of Business Administration degree).

I think Kerry has defected and is a closet Republican. He is trying to "throw" the election for the Dems, and doing a damn good job!

 

[Mr._johngalt]

They are basically taking the Rovian spin and running with it. They completely miss the reality.

Yep, us right-wingers are the Holy Rovian Empire.

JG

 

[Eagle43]

If you don't vote, you don't count. That's not original with me, but learn it, live it. JG are you listening?

 

[justin]

I figured that Kerry's statement was taken out of context. That assumption being based on today's media is centered around a >10 second sound bite. I mean, who has the time to listen to a 45 second sound bite these days?

I tried searching the net for the full video clip of Kerry's speech (or at least enough to provide some context). Anyone have a link?

 

[Mr._johngalt]

If you don't vote, you don't count. That's not original with me, but learn it, live it. JG are you listening?

Yep. I take the Mark Twain approach..................
Don't vote. It only encourages them.

Seriously, I agree that the right to vote is sacred. I merely choose not to exercise it.

JG

 

[TromboneAl]

I saw a clip on TV, and it was obvious that he got mixed up in the middle of the joke. Of course he meant to say ""You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get us stuck in Iraq." Bush and Rove know that.

To me this is an example of why, in today's world, democracy isn't working. I'm not saying a better system would work better. I'm saying that the combination of poorly educated voters and well-educated campaign managers leads to important decisions being made on the basis of irrelevant sound bites.

 

[PsyopRanger]

We did a quick survey in my office of 12, we are all Army, which the Air Force will joke is the dumbest branch.

Of the 12 who work in my office we have:

11 Bachelors Degrees
8 Masters Degrees
5 with Double Masters

We also have someone who worked the White House during the Clinton era, apparently Hillary yelled at him for wearing his uniform in “Her House” and from then on they were not aloud to wear their uniforms in the White House but had to wear a suit and tie for briefings.

P.S. Look at the picture below, LOL!