Kerry on IMUS at 7:29 AM (est) - Imus called him a "phony"

[welshTerrier2]

Imus supported Kerry during last year's campaign but has since called him a "phony" ... this morning, Imus said he wondered whether Kerry would ask him about it ...

Kerry should highlight that bush just proposed a budget with major budget cuts for veterans, farmers, people receiving food assistance and many other groups of the neediest people in our country ...

Kerry should point out that regardless of what people think of the budget cuts, these cuts should have been talked about publically BEFORE the election so that the American people would have an honest understanding of the choice they were making ... what bush did is not just phoney, it's undemocratic and un-American ... when you believe in our system of democracy, playing politics with the people's right to know is not the way you go about being a president ...

[Skidmore]

1. Imus was calling Kerry names

all during the time he was "supporting" during the campaign. Imus and his bunch remind me of a bunch of abusive losers that hang out a the corner bar. People only suck up to them to avoid being verbally abused by them.

[Maddy McCall]

2. Yep. He's a recovering alky and druggy who's really mean.

And that bald headed albino looking fucker is disgusting to me, too. Talk about a right-wing wanker.

[Skidmore]

5. That Bernard guy?

He's pretty disgusting.

[LittleClarkie]

35. Is that why he looks like death twice-baked?

Man o manichevitz, if ever someone needed "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" it's him. Could we trim the eyebrows please?

[IndianaGreen]

3. Imus is a total jerk, here is but one example

One morning last week a woman got on Imus phone line by accident. She was asking for someone that apparently works for the radio. Imus asked her if she was the man's mother. When she said no, Imus told her that the man had just died.

Did anyone else witness that event?

[welshTerrier2]

4. i did ...

that woman did a really good job ripping Imus apart ...

[TexasSissy]

33. What did she say/do?

[welshTerrier2]

34. something like this ...

the setting was that the woman called the Imus show by mistake and asked to speak to a man she knew ... Imus told her the man couldn't answer because he had died very suddenly ... i can't remember her exact words but she was very effective ...

she asked him what was the matter with him and asked him how any person with feelings could be so cruel ... then she asked him how he would feel if someone made a sick comment about his wife or his child being dead ...

i couldn't believe they let the whole thing go on the air ... she really highlighted what a truly sick remark it was ... and the only good thing about Imus, if you want to look at it in those terms, is that he just sat there and took it and basically agreed with the woman ...

[blondeatlast]

11. No words, just...

:wow:

What a sick sob.

[rodeodance]

6. I think Kerry can hold his own against Imus. Good for him for going on

Imus's show.

[rodeodance]

8. well, JK is talking now--not in person

[ebayfool]

16. He is more than holding his own, even w/Imus acting the schmuck ....

most of the time!

[babylonsister]

7. As distasteful as Imus can be, he

also 'gets' the big interviews and coverage all over. I'll be watching/listening.

[welshTerrier2]

9. Kerry just came on ...

small talk for starters ... talking about the Pats ...

[rodeodance]

10. Eliz Edwards tumor is shrinking--doing well

[rodeodance]

12. Irag elections--"it is a beginning" says Kerry

[rodeodance]

13. Imus-repeating Kennedy saying--our troops are becoming part of the

problem.

[rodeodance]

14. go to JohnKerry.com --"kids first" for his health care plan

Also raised large amount of money for phone cards for troops just before Christmas--though people who are on his Internet lists. These are a few of good things that JK believes came out of the election.

[rodeodance]

15. JK critizing Evan Thomas Newsweek for the article he wrote about Teresa

JK said he called Newsweek. He was upset about it.

[ladjf]

18. Two weeks ago, Kerry opposed Kennedy's idea to start

withdrawing the troops. How many sides does his mouth have?

[cindyw]

22. What are you talking about? He has said nothing opposing.

Just because he opposes Kennedy's plans does not mean he does agree with him on why Kennedy said it. In fact he said just that on MTP. That he disagreed with Kennedy's plan, but that he agreed on the reasons why Kennedy has a certain plan.

Stop repeating bullshit talking points.

[ladjf]

25. Kerry was directly asked did he agree with Kennedy's plan

to withdraw troops from Iraq. He replied no. That is unless he was misquoted in the media.

Please stop insulting me. I know what I heard and I was sorry to
learn that Kerry wished for the troops to remain.

[Pirate Smile]

26. I thought it was the timetable he didn't agree with. He doesn't want to

set a date.

[DireStrike]

27. You're missing the point.

Disagreeing with a plan to withdraw the troops doesn't mean that he disagrees with withdrawing the troops. He may simply want to do it in another way.

This is just like the $86bn thing. He disagreed with the plan, not with funding the troops. He attempted to gain support for his own versions of troop funding.

[ladjf]

30. To agree with an idea to withdraw the troops with no timetable

is nonsense. Ultimately, the troops will be withdrawn. So, withdrawal is the question.

I simply stated that Kerry disagreed with Kennedy's plan to set up a plan for withdrawal and to get on it right away.

If everyone in the U.S. wants to continue the massacre of thousands of people at unsustainable costs I can do nothing about that.

I agree with Kennedy. We should get out. And moreover, the sooner the better. I don't agree with Kerry that we need to mess around there for an indefinite time. Excuse me. I thought this was a open board where all could post the opinions.

We have already lost one election by running the candidate selected for us by the media and Iowa. Am I that crazy to believe perhaps we should choose another candidate and stop acting like Kerry did a great job for America? Could we at least select someone who isn't in the same fraternity?

[LittleClarkie]

36. Indeed it is an open board

So we're free to let you know when we think you're wrong, and when we think you're repeating GOP talking points. Kinda works both ways.

To say that Kerry doesn't agree with Kennedy's timetable is not to say he doesn't have one or he'd leave the troops for an "indefinite" period. During the campaign he said he goal was to be out by the end of his term, a timeline the Repubs ridiculed, but that Rummy just repeated not too long ago.

Actually, I thought the media tried to select Dean as the front runner before a vote was cast. I don't think the media and Iowa were the only ones to "select" Kerry. I seem to remember several primaries, in fact.

Why is this about choosing another candidate all of a sudden. I don't see a discussion of re-running Kerry on this thread, just of what he said during the campaign. It's an answer thread to the Klein misinformation from alternet.

No, he didn't run a terribly faboo campaign, and there is room for critique. Some blame belongs to Kerry, some to the Media, some to his advisors, some to me and some to you and anyone else who worked on his campaign. It's too easy to point a finger at someone else without taking some responsibility yourself too.

And it's also important to get the facts correct. Some of us think you're not getting them correct. You're misrepresenting the facts or at the least you don't seem to be willing to see them from a different perspective. Kerry is not a warmonger, much as you seem to be tilting the facts so that it appears so.

I see you reference Skull and Bones at the end there. Oh please. The S & B connection is pure B & S. He didn't let Bush win because they're cousins. No, it's not because they're fellow Skull and Bones folk either, or Kerry wouldn't have gone after Daddio during his investigations. Kerry is a better man than that, campaign prowess notwithstanding.

[ladjf]

40. If I wanted to present "Republican Talking Points", I would

be praising Kerry, as you do, in hopes the the Democrats might be dumb enough to run him again in 2008. And if we aren't talking about potential candidates, why discuss Kerry at all? I don't think the Republicans are bothering to talk about Kerry.

During the Iowa primary, the media ran the Dean scream hundreds of times, with distorted sound properties every 24 hrs. It appeared to me that they decided, perhaps after Dean had public ally stated that the media monopolies were not good for America and that he would take steps to bring them under control, to stop Dean's candidacy. Yes, there were other primaries. I didn't include every "nuance" of the 2004 election. I tossed out my ideas about Kerry, based on my impressions of past events and in light of future political considerations.

[ladjf]

28. I said that Kerry disagreed with Kennedy's suggestion to

start withdrawing troops immediately.

"MR. RUSSERT: Specifically, do you agree with Senator Kennedy that 12,000 American troops should leave at once?

SEN. KERRY: No.

MR. RUSSERT: Do you believe there should be a specific timetable of withdrawal of American troops?

SEN. KERRY: No.

"

His subsequent remarks :

"MR. RUSSERT: What would you do?

SEN. KERRY: I understand exactly what Senator Kennedy is saying, and I agree with Senator Kennedy's perceptions of the problem and of how you deal with it. I would--in fact, last summer, if you'll recall, I said specifically that if we did the things that I laid out--the training, the international community, the services and reconstruction, and the elections and protection--we could draw down troops and begin to withdraw them. I think what Senator Kennedy is saying--and here I do agree with him--is that it is vital for the United States to make it clear that we are not there with long-term goals and intentions of our presence in the region. I agree with Senator Kennedy that we have become the target and part of the problem today, if not the problem. Now, obviously, you've got to provide security and stability in order to be able to turn this over to the Iraqis and to be able to withdraw our troops, so I wouldn't do a specific timetable, but I certainly agree with him in principle that the goal must be to withdraw American troops.

Now, I wouldn't be surprised if the new government, as soon as it's possible, begins to negotiate some modality like that. And I wouldn't be surprised if they even asked us to leave in some way over a period of time. I wouldn't be surprised if the administration privately, behind closed doors, asked them to ask us to leave. I think there are plenty of ways to skin this cat. But the most important thing is that you've got to have stability.

What Iraq is after this is important to the world. It cannot be a haven for terrorism. It cannot be a completely failed state. Now, you'll notice the administration has backed off significantly of its own high goals of full democratization and so forth, and I don't think you're going to hear them pushing that. There are a lot of conservatives, neo-cons and others in Washington debating now sort of what the modality of withdrawal ought to be."

were the same slippery rhetoric that he used throughout the campaign.



Did he or did he not say that he disagreed with Kennedy's plan?

[cindyw]

32. "Kennedy's plan", centered and Russert question centered on Kennedy's

idea to immediately withdraw 12,000 troops after the election took place for the sake of withdrawing. Kerry said he disagreed with this. Essentially Kennedy has reached a point where he believes there is no winning the peace except to withdraw and leave well enough alone, regardless of the result. In essence, he thinks he seems to think that either the presence of troops is causing the violence and that a pull out would end the war. Fine. Some may agree with that. I myself may agree with him. Kerry, on the other hand, has been consistent in his stating that while the goal must be withdrawal, it must hinge upon a certain level of stability. He and agree on the basic facts of what is happening, but have differing opinions on how you go about a pull out. How is that talking out of 2 sides of your mouth?

As for talking point thing, I am just tired of hearing Republican talking points that Kerry is a flip-flopper, be spouted here. And I am tired of people suggesting that everything is black and white. Nuance is the reality of the world. If I insulted you, I apologize. it was not my intention. If you truly think it, then it was not a talking point.

[mtnsnake]

17. Listening to Kerry is about as interesting as watching paint dry n/t

[w4rma]

20. Well we had all better do something quick to keep mtnsnake entertained!

Obviously mtnsnake's entertainment is the #1 priority. Nothing else should takes precident over mtnsnake's entertainment.

mtnsnake, if you want to be entertained go watch a cartoon, but if you'd like to help do something about the problems plaguing our country then maybe you shouldn't worry so much about your being entertained.

[mtnsnake]

23. w4rma, what you just did is

the same thing that I've seen done by some of the most uninformed neocons on the planet. You successfully took something I said, put your own words into my mouth, and transformed it into just about the most preposterous piece of nonsense imagineable. Good job!

If you don't like me or anyone else stating that I or they think Kerry is BORING then maybe you need to grow some thicker skin. BTW, not only is he boring, but he ran a horrific campaign. I still don't know where he stands on anything. I hope you don't have a problem with that, too.

Now instead of running around the boards looking for posters to attack who happen to disagree with your perfect view on everything, how about YOU try to do something conconstructive for a change. FYI, I've chipped in plenty of constructive ideas on this forum, so for you to come out with that ridiculous notion about me...well, it's typical of someone who's only purpose here is for the purpose of whining. Have a good one!

[LittleClarkie]

38. I find the Social Security debate boring as hell

But I just printed out reference material for it to study what's going on.

Kerry's one of the leaders of the Dem Party now. It's probably a good idea to pay some attention to him therefore, even if you find him unexciting. Maybe if you could get past being bored, you'd know what he stood for. One has to actually take more than a passing look at him to "get" where he's coming from. Not so good for a campaign, I grant you, but it explains where the "intensely loyal" of Newsweek fame came from.

I know where he stands. And yes, sometimes he bored me during the campaign, so I read up on some stuff instead. But I must say he has rarely bored me since the debates, however. I was quite interested during his MTP interview, and I'm quite sad I missed Imus.

Sometimes politics and world affairs are like that. It ain't always sexy, but it's often important. And sometimes you don't get a dog and pony show. Sometimes you have to study it like homework.

[welshTerrier2]

39. good points ...

it's really unfortunate to see the "boring" label so freely used ...

the issues being discussed are often about life and death ... i guess i see those who use this label as being selfish ... the real message is "i don't find the issue, or the candidate, interesting" ...

imagine if your mom or dad, or your grandparents, were about to have their benefits reduced so severely that they were about to become homeless ... would you still be bored? or imagine that you yourself are on Medicaid and have a serious problem with your leg ... if you had better coverage, the doctors tell you, they could do the more expensive procedure to save your leg ... but because so many were bored when this issue was being voted on, well, you can still hop ...

i understand that some candidates could use a bit of life breathed into their presentations ... i think that's often a valid criticism ... but i think it should raise red flags when anyone from our party, whether we agree with the position being taken or not, is called boring ... the issue is NOT boring when you understand that the issues have a tremendous effect on people's lives ...

Democrats should be about looking out for what's in the best interests of society and those who are most in need ... being bored seems to be looking out only for "number one" ...

[ScreamingMeemie]

19. I am just as guilty of talking about Kerry in the same manner I confess.

I put my pennies and my tootsies to work for the campaign. And was really let down. Although I think Imus is a creep, I can see where he is coming from.

[GoldenOldie]

21. IMUS reading written questions to Kerry?

I wonder who wrote them for him Chuck, Bernard, or the WH?

He stumbled in his reading and it became obvious to me, that they were setting Kerry up with these pre-written questions.

Chuck, the good little CON supporter was snickering when Kerry made his responses.

Seems IMUS needs the approval of Chuck whenever he questions anyone from the DEM side.

[robbedvoter]

24. Kerry campaign guy said they considered Imus an ally.

If you get mixed with fleas...what was that expresion again?

[itzamirakul]

29. Lie down with dogs...

get up with fleas.

is that what you are looking for?

[robbedvoter]

37. Yup. It's just that Imus is more like a flea....but that's the idea.

[sabra]

31. Transcript here...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6928257/

[0007]

41. Why does anyone with any good sense even listen to this idiot?