Kerry can only be credible if he takes a page from Clark about the L word

[Bombtrack]

Kerry's really big problem is the perception that he tries to be on both sides of every issue and is afraid to be nailed down. If he makes some big speech about reclaiming the word liberalism as a party or something like that it could really give him a boost.

[Donna Zen]

1. And what about Edwards?

When is he going to say the "L" word?

[blm]

2. Yeah, because his lifetime liberal rating of 95% is just TOO ambiguous.

.

[Bombtrack]

3. This isn't a Kerry bashing thread

I'm assuming that he is going to be the nominee.

[Donna Zen]

4. Just a thought:

I have never started a thread at DU, but find myself often wondering why many threads hold one candidate's feet to the fire, but not another's.

I believe you when you say that this "is not a Kerry bashing thread" and would suggest that the addition of Edwards' name in the title would make that statement unnecessary.

There are several threads this morning that could use that dose of "fairness."

Do you think that Edwards should embrace the "L." word?

[Bombtrack]

7. First of all, Edwards isn't the presumptive/de facto nominee

he's running against Kerry, more than Kerry is running against Edwards. Kerry has already started to run against Bush.

I have lost alot of hope that Edwards will overcome Kerry, and I'm preparing to help Kerry get elected when what I assume will happen, Edwards drops out.

And second of all, Edwards has a more mainstream-democrat record than Kerry. Kerry, mostly because he was an extremely left-wing senator in the earlier part of his senate career, and that tips the scales away from his more "new democrat" record since the 90's, does have a VERY liberal career in the senate taken as a whole. He has a lifetime record from every liberal and conservative group as 90 % liberal or above.

And to act like he'll just sail past that without taking the initiative and not admitting and embracing being a liberal is just unwise in my opinion

[OneBlueSky]

5. a better approach would be to prove that liberals . . .

are the TRUE conservatives . . . something along the lines of this recent letter to the editor of the Oregonian . . .

Credo of a conservative
by Mark Oberzil (letter to the editor)
The Oregonian
02/26/04

I am a conservative. I believe in staying solvent and out of debt.

I am a conservative. I believe in keeping my nose out of other people's business, their nations and their bedrooms.

I am a conservative. I believe in conserving our assets and our resources -- our air, our land, our water. Accordingly, I don't support or engage in wastefulness, inefficiency or lavish excesses.

I am a conservative. I think an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Therefore I support appropriate government spending on such things as infrastructure, schools, social welfare and crime prevention, because in the long run it's cheaper and more effective.

I am a conservative. I don't sign on to risky schemes. I think if you give Bob a dollar, it helps Bob, but it may not necessarily help Oscar, Fred or Maria.

I am a conservative. If I am attacked, I respond appropriately and conservatively. I do not swat mosquitoes with dynamite.

I am a conservative. I don't deal falsely or prematurely with facts.

I am a conservative. I understand the purposes of various institutions. It is the job of government to govern, the job of religion to address spiritual needs, and the job of business to secure profits by producing needed goods and services. I do not confuse these institutions.

I am a conservative. I understand my position in the world and that my opinions are not the only valid ones.

I do not have an exclusive claim on what is right, good or patriotic, and those who disagree with me are not automatically evil traitors.

What's really weird, though, is that I've always thought these things, but now everyone calls me a "liberal"!

note to mods . . . as a letter to the editor, this is actually one big paragraph . . . broken up for readability . . .

[Pepperbelly]

6. I think that you may be on to something here ...

I was distressed at how clumsily both Kerry and Edwards ran from the word even though neither of them are, IMO, a liberal. But still, the ferver with which they ran away from the word was almost amusing.

If throwing around the word "liberal" is the strongest arrow that Georgie has in his quiver, then good. Both of the Johns need to come up with a better response when some Bush surrogate tries to do lonesome George's wet work for him by painting them with that particular brush.

[Bombtrack]

8. Kerry has a higher ADA record than Ted Kennedy

You have to be pretty fringe to not think of him as a liberal, or be obsessed with one or 2 of the few issues Kerry isn't consistently liberal on.

here's the link about the ADA
http://www.adaction.org/lifetimesenmassachusetts.html

JK has a 92, Kennedy a 90

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

12. Its even higher than Kucinich.

...which is actually a little suprising.

[Crunchy Frog]

14. Kucinich's scores have probably

been lowered by the consistent pro-life voting record he had until recently. That is most likely what accounts for the discrepency.

[tameszu]

9. I don't think Kerry can say the "L" word

Because he already knows that he's in danger of being painted as a MA liberal.

Same kind of goes with Edwards foreign policy issues--on domestic issues, he can kind of work it, because of his Southern charm and meeeeelworker upbringing, but his profile as a rich trial lawyer cuts this problematically.

This is why I liked Clark--he could call himself a liberal and take this head-on.

(Not to say that Clark wasn't vulnerable anywhere--if he had gotten the nom, they would have used the McCain "unstable"/crazy meme on him, not the "liberal" thing)

[libragirl73]

10. I think Kerry would be more credible if...

...he wasn't receiving contributions
from some of the same people who
contributed to Bush.

But, maybe it's just me...

[ludwigb]

11. I was satisfied with his answer today...

I'm a little wary of the inevitable soundbytes the GOP will use to attack him. However, if done the right way, you may be right.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

13. Howard Metzenbaum

..good example of an unapologetic liberal, winning in state thats widely considered to be moderate-to-conservative, with a strong GOP presence.