The problem with the rope-a-dope

[mrgorth]

So you think the rope-a-dope is cool. It's fun to watch Bush/Rove flail away and hardly gain a point in the polls. Indeed. You can't wait until October when Kerry starts hitting it out of the park. Here's the problem. Rove knows Kerry's a good closer. How much will Kerry's efforts matter at the end when Rove is distracting people with the Saddam trial or finding OBL. Sorry, I think toe to toe is better than rope-a-dope in this one. Make Rove play his cards now.

[On the Road]

1. I Agree, Rope-a-Dope is Not Good Until the Convention

However, I do not believe the Howard Dean strategy is the best. Going on the attack can pile up just as many negatives as not doing so.

I think what Kerry has to do is to spend enough on TV spots to take the edge off the GOP attack ads, and then make headlines with positive proposals rather than just criticizing Bush. He's good at both those things. He just needs to get busy.

[JI7]

3. if he had the money for those ads he would do it

the problem is he doesn'thave nearly the amount of money as bush does. and it would do no good to spend all he has now and risk not having enough as we get closer to the election.

[On the Road]

10. Neutralizing an Ad Campaign

doesn't take nearly as much money as running the original attack campaign. You just need the right ad. I think it would a wise time to select certain critical markets and run postive pro-Kerry ads. Of course, if MoveOn takes the initiative, it might not be necessary for the Kerry campaign to get involved at all.

[JI7]

2. the entire campaign is not "rope-a-dope"

kerry has been speaking on bush's failures in the area of foreign policy, and in domestic areas such as environment, economy, health care etc.

[displacedtexan]

4. Kerry is not a good loser. He refuses to lose.

He chewed up Weld and spit him out in the last senate election. Kerry simply does not lose. He paces his campaigns.

Don't forget the Dem primary. JK's campaign ignored the polls and the other candidates and delivered a majority of supporters,in almost every individual precinct, who were trained to caucus and vote in Iowa and NH. For Kerry, losing is not an option.

[jobycom]

7. I agree. He's pacing.

Big difference between pacing yourself, as Holyfield did the first time he beat Invincible Mike, and rope-a-dope, as the over the hill Ali did to beat the less talented Foreman.

Kerry needs pacing. That was Foreman's mistake. He didn't pace himself, so when Ali stopped rope-a-doping, Foreman was spent.

Kerry is fighting hard, but not wearing himself out. If Kerry were to hit Bush with everything he has now, Bush would have months to overcome it. Kerry knows what he's doing.

[jobycom]

5. Ain't no rope-a-dope!

Kerry's been slugging away at Bush. He's hitting Bush harder than any candidate I've ever seen, taking personal attacks on Bush's military record, on Bush's failed foreign policy, and on Bush's economy, right at him. He's hitting Bush on the issues Bush is weak on, and dodging Bush's strengths so he doesn't take any blows himself.

Do people remember that it wasn't long ago that Bush had a 88% approval rating? That it was in the 60s a few months ago? Kerry's doing a helluva job. At this rate, by October, Bush and his strategists will be wondering if their "October surprise" will even be good enough.

[trumad]

6. Wrong... The Rope-A-Dope has a good ending

Besides... Bush blew half his chunk the last couple of months and Kerry's not that far back in money.

[sandnsea]

8. Rove is exposing himself

Rove is playing his cards now, millions of them. And the worst thing that he's doing is continuously showing the American people that the Bushies are a bunch of smearing, attacking liars. So by October, people won't believe anything they have to say. Kerry comes on strong, with the help of the grassroots, and we kick the living shit out of them. This is WAY more than rope-a-dope.

[Gothmog]

9. Not a true rope a dope

We are a long ways away from the convention and the true fall campaign. Kerry needs to keep enough resources to be competitive with Bush in September and October when the big spending really counts.

Bush has used over $50 million and has very little to show for it. Already Bush/Rove has cut back on the spending because there is simply not enough money to keep it up (even for the Bush/Cheney money machine).

I am glad that Senator Kerry is pacing himself and think that he is still running a good campaign.

[jpgray]

11. It seemed to work rather well in the primary.

People whose crystal balls wholly failed them then (that includes me) should have their prognostications taken with a grain of salt this time.