Will Jeanne Shaheen's attack on Clark in NH help or hurt Kerry?

[CMT]

Former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, the national chairmwoman of John Kerry's campaigned, renewed criticism Monday of Wesley Clark's praise for the Bush administration two years ago...Shaheen, former state party chairman Joe Keefe and state Senate Democratic leader Sylvia Larsen, pointed out that Clark was keynote speaker at a Republican fundraiser in 2001. and that he praised President Bush, Vice President Cheney and other members of the Bush administration...

Shaheen said "the issue here is this candidate is not a Democrat," and doesn't support Democratic values, "I welcome Wesley Clark to our party," she said. "But I don't think someone who has raised money for Republicans, praised George W. Bush after he had begun his systematic reversal of Bill Clinton's policies" should be the Democratic nominee.

http://www.theunionleader.com/articles_showa.html?article=31520

Do you think this will work for Kerry's advantage or not in challenging Clark for second place?

[lazarus]

1. All one has to do

Is pull out quotes of Kerry praising Bush, as well. It's happened. It's called politics.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

2. It will get people to assess individual Democratic credentials

of which John Kerry's are the deepest.

[maddezmom]

3. and he got a lot of media attention

that he didn't have to pay for out of campaign funds. It's just another day in politics. :)

[bryant69]

6. Not necesarily

I mean, it's amazing how normally smart capable people can look at a list of information and come up with the "wrong" answer.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[NewYorkerfromMass]

13. Irrefutably true

Kerry's delivered most consistently for the longest time.

[jmaier]

4. It might have a minor

effect -- a few points. If it works, at all, these negative attacks tend to increase unfavorables for a candidate rather than cutting into core poll numbers. In essence, they lower the ceiling of potential votes without actually decreasing the votes among most supporters and leaners.

It appears to me that the attacks against Gov Dean have mostly worked that way: they haven't brought him down in the polls but they have possibly increased his unfavorables.

Wait. Who knows. I'm throwing around my $.02 but I'm pretty ignorant on this sort of politics. :-)

[CMT]

9. actually according to ARG tracking

it hasn't increased his unfavorables--they remain at 19%--pretty low considering all the attacks. It has increased those who "aren't sure".

[sandnsea]

5. It was stupid

There are real issues about the Reagan years and his policies that I would like Clark to answer. I wish she would have just asked the hard questions.

[JI7]

11. agree, it was weak

i thought she would have more but she just repeated something everyone already knows by now. i thought she would be critical of some of his current positions or something. but it seemed like she just came out to say "i support kerry because he has been a democrat his life and clark hasn't". would be better to actually get into the issues. a press conference just to say that ?

[La_Serpiente]

7. we had an earlier thread about it

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=108251

it's nothing to me really.

[Bush loves Jiang]

8. Kerry?

Dean is the frontrunner in NH, while Kerry's in 3rd. An attack on Clark will do little for Kerry and only hand NH ot Dean on a silver platter.

[John_H]

10. Woops, there goes her cabinet post in the Clark Admin, I bet.

[returnable]

12. My guess is it won't have much impact...

...but I'm not a New Hampshire resident, so I don't know if Shaheen's word carries some significant sway.

However, I think it's a dicey tactic.

I mean, the Clark campaign can simply reply that while Clark may have said some nice things about the administration, Kerry actually VOTED WITH the administration.

End of discussion :hi:

[Moderator]

14. dupe

Please continue the discussion here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=108251


DU Moderator