Kerry's Done and I'll Tell You How I Know-

[styersc]

So I know that I'm not the only one saying this today but I have a suspicion about how this played out.

I was happy to see Kerry in the lead- largely because I wanted him to be in the cat bird's seat when the AWOL story got going.

I thought that maybe, if Kerry was going to be the nominee anyway- why did McAuliffe pull AWOL out of the bag so early??

Answer is that Kerry only had a week left before his girlfriend story was going to hit and we had to take advantage of AWOL while we had a war hero at the helm.

Now we have the best of all worlds- Bush has been wounded by AWOL and questions still linger. Kerry, with baggage of his own, is ended before he really begins. Edwards and Dean are still in the mix (though I wish Clark would still think things over).

Last week I voted Kerry in SC and immediately felt guilty that I had not gone with my heart. The lord may have given me a chance at redemption.

[gWbush is Mabus]

1. why would you not vote with your heart?

...so you could be on the winning team perhaps?

[Fovea]

2. And Kucinich is still on the campaign trail.

And looks better every day.

[BeatleBoot]

3. Remember the Flowers scandal during the 1992 Primaries?

Just a bump in the road on the way to the WH.

:boring:

[dansolo]

6. But after Monica, everything changed

The American public is not going to want to go through another Lewinski-like ordeal.

[MidwestTransplant]

14. You got that right

also, I noticed that at Kerry's VA speech, Theresa looked very unhappy for a while.

[progressivebydesign]

15. I can't decide how, though..

Wary or weary of these stories? Hard to know. I knew that once the fire was put to Bush's behind about the AWOL something would happen.

[w4rma]

7. And in 1994 the Repugs took over Congress, then a few years later

Clinton was impeached.

I am waiting for Kerry's side of the story, but he needs to put it out NOW. The lie (I hope it's a lie) will have traveled around the world before he says a word, at this rate.

[Atlant]

8. The difference now is that Dems have already been down this road before.

> Remember the Flowers scandal during the 1992 Primaries?"
> Just a bump in the road on the way to the WH.

The difference now is that Dems have already been down this road before.
They know where the Republicans will take this DURING the presidency.

Atlant

[styersc]

11. A bumb on the road to what became

a very bumpy road and gave the GOP leverage to get lots out of a president I otherwise admired.

[Ravy]

26. I think (if substantiated) this will be different...

most democrats don't want to go though all the defending again. We will need someone who can win with a mandate to actually get something accomplished in Washington.

Issues like this will further turn off the electorate, and we need those votes to win big.

I hope this is dealt with quickly... either Kerry is vindicated or drops out.

I realize vindication is tough, but the charges seem to indicate a specific woman in the affair (rather than general "womanizing" charges). It should be possible to get to the bottom of this so we can all move on.

[LeinesRed]

4. this is baggage?

You can't be serious! AWOL was out of the bag in 2000, the press is finally waking up. You should always vote with your heart...but voting for Kerry was certainly not a mistake.

[JVS]

9. There is a double standard

So we just have to be that much cleaner

[styersc]

12. Truer words

ne'er be spake.

[BL_Zebub]

5. Kerry's done? Let us pray....

...and it takes a lot to get ME to use the "P" word!

[mzmolly]

10. Who was in your *heart*

Just Curious...

[styersc]

13. I love Dean

but fear his tax plan. With the economy sliding, asking folks to cough up more will be a hard sell.

[mzmolly]

18. I know what you mean, but I think he has a plan for payroll relief which

of sets that a bit. I did have the same concern, but appreciate his honesty in the matter. He is the only one not pandering on this issue.

I'd rather pay my taxes then have my daughter pay my taxes LOL.

Should be interesting.

[Cheswick2.0]

19. Dean is not asking people to cough up more in taxes

He says the middle class actually lost ground and from what I see he is right. He might get rid of those long term cuts but he is going to give back a decent economy which will make everyone better off.

[progressivebydesign]

20. I thought that too about the tax thing..

but.. I realized what Dean was saying is true. Our taxes (some people,anyway) were cut a bit.. BUT our property taxes, sales taxes, school bonds, etc. all ended up costing us more, because the Feds were unfunding everything. It's quite logical, it just has to be marketed better. I understand his point. It's not raising taxes, but is described that way by the GOP. It's basically paying for all the stuff that got unfunded through our taxes, rather than through endless property and school bonds and sales tax increases.

[LSK]

34. Howard Dean

I just wish he would come up with new lines...

"were going to give George W Bush a one way bus ticket back to Crawford Texas"

[Cheswick2.0]

16. I think you might have a good theory there

someone else said Clark probably dropped out because even without Kerry he is in third place. Someone else said they thought he might not want to be art of the picture with all this happening and that Chris Lehane might be the one who leeked the information. :shrug:

[oasis]

17. Not convinced that a "girlfriend" story will bring Kerry down. Stories

from the National Enquirer are even less credible these days than they were in the past.

Voters want jobs and a solution to the problems overseas. They will have little patience with rumors of a sexual nature.

[David Dunham]

21. Kerry'll Stay in, Be the Nominee, and Beat Bush

[GRClarkesq]

22. Needs to be a straight girldfriend story

Not an intern, not a staffer, not way too young, not a member of the press (which Drudge mentioned that she was AP employee) or some lobbyist.

Two consenting adults people I think could live with, even though Wisconsin is going to be hell for Kerry.

Any unseemly twist and the story gets more legs.

THE MEDIA LOVE RATINGS WHICH EQUAL DOLLARS - if they can run with a juicy story like this they will. Curios to see how this breaks with the news outlest who are supposed to be investigating this matter.

Fun to be the receptionist at Kerry HQ today!

[styersc]

23. Slate had a good story concerning Kerry's rise in popularity

and demonstrated that a lot of it was due to inevitability. If Kerry is seen as tarnished and flawed folks will give others a second look. There are 36 states left- plenty of ticks left on the clock.

For me- I'm sending Dean some cash (and Kerry some condoms).

[GRClarkesq]

24. Polling indicates many Kerry supporters base their support

on electability. If that is tarnished will the support flow to?

[littlejoe]

25. I don't live in a cave, but can someone explain this Kerry story?

This is the first I've heard of it.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

27. Matt Drudge is spreading infidelity rumors about Kerry.

So now apparently many at DU consider Drudge as a reputable source, and candidate's sex lives as an important story. :eyes:

[styersc]

28. You're not reading the threads- Drudge's story has gotten some to

consider the recent events in the context of possible problems with Kerry and pieces are fitting together.

I don't trust Drudge per se, but if he is correct that NYT and Time have been following the story then perhaps the pieces make sense.

[IndianaGreen]

29. Rush is saying that the Clintons are the source

*** Warning: Worldnet Daily is a RW rag, however, it is true that Rush did say what he is quoted as saying, which doesn't make it necessarily true ***

During his broadcast today, radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh speculated the bombshell information could have been leaked to Drudge by Bill or Hillary Clinton. He said if that were true, the irony is "just too juicy." The former president was impeached after Drudge first publicized allegations of Clinton's own marital infidelity with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

The news is providing fodder on messageboards like Lucianne.com, where one post reads: "Watch out boys, those hoof prints you are hearing is Hillary running in for the rescue of her party!"

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=37089

[jmoss]

30. kick

:kick: :cry:

[rodbarnett]

31. Kerry consulted with Bill on the matter........PIC

Bill giving John some Pointers

[indigo32]

33. Rush can kiss my Ass

they will NEVER see anything clearly with regards to the Clintons, and it makes me laugh. So much the better... let them worry about her while we kick the Repubs out.

[LSK]

35. like i would believe Rush

Rush and worldnetdaily both have a license to lie.

[janx]

36. Dang, those wingnuts just can't let the Clintons go!

They'll be talking about the Clintons ten years from now.

[Name removed]

32. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[in_cog_ni_to]

37. WHY did you not vote with your heart?

WHY? You voted for Kerry? WHY? I don't get it. :(

[styersc]

38. Two Supreme Court Seats will be filled after 2004-

this is a very important call. Electability is an important factor and for a while there Kerry looked like it.

Dean- his tax plan seems to be a problem.
Edwards- young and inexpereinced.
Clark- I have had food in my fridge that has been edible longer then CLark has been a Democrat.

Kerry- I was luke warm on except for electability.

With Kerry damaged- everyone else gets a look see. The race (re)begins today.