Bush has Kerry on the defensive... True or False ?

[kentuck]

With all the questions about Teresa's income tax returns, questions about his war record, questions about him throwing his medals away, etc. So long as Kerry is responding to questions from the press, then Bush gets a free ride, no matter how much shit is hitting the fan.

Kerry needs to find a way to put Bush back on the defensive. It should not be that difficult to do. All he needs to do is make another controversial remark, like he did when he said he had never seen such a "crooked bunch of liars"...Any ideas on how he could put Bush on the defensive? Maybe he could make a remark about "chickenhawks"?

[fearnobush]

1. Agreed, Kerry needs to take a stand and say "Enough with these

Chicken Hawks questioning the merits of what I did with my Medels 33 years ago. If they were really that concerned with the war effort in 1971, then why did they actively avoid it?"

[Dark]

4. Amen!

[billybob537]

13. The real question is

where are shit for brains medals? :puke:

[Syrinx]

2. that's why I miss Howard Dean

I'm behind Kerry all the way, but he really needs to go on the offensive. Bush's record is so amazingly bad, there is no shortage of targets for Kerry to attack. Is there such a thing as a feistiness transplant? If so, Kerry and Dean to meet up at the most convenient hospital. And pronto.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

3. So, with all of the negative news about the NeoCons over the last...

...week, you really believe Kerry is on the defensive? I personally thought that Kerry's response to all of the demands from the NeoCons to see Kerry's war record was perfect.

Additionally, I haven't noticed that anyone but the rightwing media has been bothered by the other questions you mentioned. Is any even talking about those questions anymore?

Maybe Kerry should just continue to march the way he is now without resorting to what some would consider insulting remarks.

[kentuck]

5. That would be about everyone in the media, wouldn't it?

"I haven't noticed that anyone but the rightwing media has been bothered by the other questions you mentioned"...

[Media_Lies_Daily]

8. You forgot add the rest of my paragraph, didn't you?...

"Is anybody even talking about those questions anymore?"

[kentuck]

10. What questions??

??

[Lindacooks]

6. Nope

Senator Kerry is letting them hang themselves with all their lies.

[kentuck]

7. You may be right....

I hope so....It just pisses me off to see so much time spent on Kerry's wifes's tax returns, his medals, his inability to lead our nation, and so forth...

[Media_Lies_Daily]

9. So, why do YOU spend so much time on those issues?

[kentuck]

12. Because my head is not in the sand ?

Ignore it and maybe it will go away. Is that your advice? Or should he fight back in some manner? Should he respond at all?

[Tellurian]

14. agreed, and not giving in to their demands...

he's placed them on ignore until further notice.

[zeemike]

11. Just like 2000

When Gore was on the defensive at all times with the help of the media
I question whether Kerry or the Democratic Party has the guts or the willingness to get in their face.

[nostamj]

15. oh, just take ON the media already

TALTY

[Rageneau]

16. Kerry needs to treat the GOP as if they were the VC

When they shoot, shoot back with overwhelming firepower. Unfortunately for him, it isn't only the GOP he has to shoot back at. The New York Times finds room and motivation to dig up some niggardly incident from 1971 in order to impugn Kerry's veracity, but they have lost all interest (which never was very much) in the fact that Bush was AWOL for over a year and has consistently lied about it.

Bush absconding from his legitimate military duty is okay, but conflicts in Kerry's 30-year-old statements about whether or not he threw his own medals is grounds for national outrage?

Bush isn't the only one who goes AWOL. The NYT often accompanies him.

The rightwing media is the only media there is. That makes it incumbent upon Kerry to do his own fighting. The only way he can do that is for his rhetoric to rise above the clatter and clutter of GOP gutter politics. Fortunately, Kerry has the truth on his side, so all he has to do is tell it -- loudly, aggressively, provocatively. The press will HAVE to report what he says.

If Kerry would just tell the truth about Bush -- in appropriately provocative language -- from now till election day, I'd be satisfied even if he DIDN'T win.

What I can't stand is Democratic candidates who don't even TRY.

[leftofthedial]

17. that's their intent

the media is helping them just as hard as they can

I don't think Kerry is acting defensive. I think the media just ignores everything he says and instead covers whatever the GOP smear machine is putting out each day.

Kerry needs to make some noise they can't ignore.

[dollydew]

18. Re the Medals vs. Ribbons No big deal.

Medals and ribbons are the same thing. They're just different versions of the same honor awarded. He could have kept the medals and thrown the ribbons or vice versa. It's a stupid argument. It's a false distinction. I'm new here. I've been reading the threads for a while.

[Old and In the Way]

19. Welcome aboard dollydew!

Absolutely correct on your comments, too. This is much adieu about nothing.

Here's what Kerry should say-

"Medals? Let's take all the medals earned by this entire administration and compare them to what I've been awarded."

[newyawker99]

20. Hi dollydew!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[IrateCitizen]

21. I think that Kerry has Kerry on the defensive more than Bush

Unfortunately, he's been running his campaign according to the classic centrist playbook, trying to be all things to all people. The end result is that it has actually been too easy for Bush to characterize him as a flip-flopper (also a natural disadvantage of serving so many years in the Senate), and that Bush has actually been able to adopt in varying forms some of Kerry's proposals (like the UN being in charge of forming the new Iraqi government).

See the following article: ALL PROFILE, NO COURAGE, and take it for what it's worth.

[kentuck]

22. I htink you are correct, IC....

He's operating on an old system, where the idea was to run to the left in the primary and toward the center in the general....I'm not sure that is the best way to campaign this time around...