What happened to the campaign?

[TomClash]

Kerry, Edwards, Cahill, Jordan, et al are on vacation. The last thing they want to think about is politics, after doing it 16 hours a day, almost every day for the past 12-18 months.

This is a time of reflection and rest and regrouping.

I think that's the prime reason you are not hearing from them.

[Straight Shooter]

1. Link? Source of information? Or is this speculation?

Inquiring minds want to know.

[Ardee]

2. Just when you need them the most

they aint there. Just as they werent there during the whole freaking campaign.Bah humbug Im no democrat.

[progressivebydesign]

3. Edwards gets a pass, of course, as they work with Elizabeths' condition.

But the rest of them? Unless they pull something out of their hat, I have never felt more betrayed and more abandoned. I have a great idea for a political cartoon...

Bruce Springsteen sitting on a stool singing to a massive crowd in Ohio, he's singing "No Surrender", Kerry walks up and whispers in his ear. Bruce stands up and says... "never mind". and just walks off the stage to a stunned audience.

[TomClash]

4. personal knowledge from two people

[robbedvoter]

5. Boston Globe, Nov 4, 2004:

"Kerry forces planned for a
battle that never was" (by Patrick Healy, Boston Globe, Thursday Nov.
4, The Nation section, p. A340.) I'm sure the entire article can be
found on the web, and it's worth reading in its entirety, but here are
excerpts:

(opening paragraph:)
"When senior campaign advisors left John F. Kerry's town house around
10 pm Tuesday, the decision was made: Even if President Bush were
ahead in the popular vote or Electoral College, even if Republicans
were calling for him to concede defeat, Kerry would stay in the race
until every certifiable vote had been counted."

"By the time his consultants departed Beacon Hill for the campaign's
war room,..the candidate had concluded that his final stand would
probably come in the battleground of Ohio-and he would take as long as
he needed to analyze results, investigate any reports of voter fraud,
and wait for firmer tallies of the remaining ballots."

"Yet Kerry also told his aides that he did not want a protracted
recount like the 36-day showdown in Florida..the idea, Kerry aides
said, was to take 12 hours -and then the candidate would decide if he
would (concede) or fight on..."

"Kerry only grew more nervous as the night went on, pacing at times
and running up and down some of his home's five floors to collect
papers or make phone calls, according to aides. But he, Cahill,
strategists Bob Shrum, and John Sasso, and others were resolute that
they would take all the time Ohio officials needed to ensure they had
a final vote count...."


"The war room agreed to send Edwards out to Copley Square to address
the thousands still waiting for Kerry. A two-minute speech was
prepared that, aides said, was intended to have a tough, direct
tone-to make clear that if Democrats wanted all votes counted this
time around, they would be counted."

(bunch of stuff about the numbers of uncounted votes and which
districts they were from, etc. not looking particularly hopeful for a
win, etc. and Cahill informing Kerry of this) It was Cahill who
shared the (not good) news..to the nominee who was working off of five
hours of sleep...And while a team of lawyers pressed to go to court on
Ohio at 8 am to challenge the state's vote-counting procedures, Cahill
said, KERRY DID NOT SEE THE POINT.

'He immediately just decided that in order to go forward in a time of
war, an election lawsuit was not something that he wanted to put the
country through' Cahill said."

(end of excerpts).

[demokatgurrl]

6. Edwards is NOT on vacation-

he is helping his wife cope with breast cancer. At least give THEM a break.