Kerry/Edwards 2004

“Repub's have a long way to go to match the oratory the Dem's delivered this week. Bill C set the tone, and they kept it up all week. Kerry's finale tonight was pretty damn good.”

“I was pretty pleased with the speech and the convention. I think it is going to be an exciting election.”

“The Dems did themselves well, very well orchestrated convention, surprisingly positive, and with only a few exceptions had mostly mainstream presentations. My hat's off to them.”

“Go balloons- balloons? What's happening balloons? There's not enough coming down! All balloons, what the hell! There's nothing falling! What the #&%!$ are you guys doing up there? We want more balloons coming down, more balloons. More balloons. More balloons'...”

“After 4 years, we finally got to hear a presidential speech! Hell, even Pat Buchanan loved it!”

“What will be the response from the Republicans, I wonder? Should we expect a smear campaign from Rove and Company?
So, I've heard all of the stories about Kerry faking his wounds in order to obtain three purple hearts. I've heard that his fellow shipmates don't back him up. All this coming from the right-wing. It looks to me like if Kerry was the wuss that the right-wingers make him out to be, would all of his shipmates appear on stage to support him over 30 years later?
How can GW counter that?
It was great to see Cleland there. It is amazing how low the right-wingers, who profess to support the military and those who serve, will go to defame a veteran.”

“"all of his shipmates appear on stage to support him over 30 years later? "

Not all of those who served with Kerry were there Dunadan, there were plenty who served with Kerry who weren't. I find it interesting that you would laud those who were, but when those who served with Kerry and don't support him come out against him you call it a right-wing smear campaign. Sounds to me like your talkin' out of both sides of your mouth. I wonder how many of those who praise "Farenheit 911" around here will bother to read "Unfit for command" ? As though its alright to go on a left-wing smear campaign.

There is one line in that speech that was massively ill advised and they will beat Kerry into ground with it.

"You don't value families if you force them to take up a collection to buy body armor for a son or daughter in the service"

Kerry had a chance to provide that armor and he decided that rolling back the tax cut was more important, so he voted against the funding that provided it.

Dunadan and his ilk will call it a right-wing smear I'm sure. But I'm sorry it's simply the truth. Karl Rove is going to hang him with that line for the next month, and Kerry has no money left to spend on TV advertising to spin it away.”

“Has the Republican Party sold its soul to the highest bidder? When one considers their policies, this is an obvious conclusion.

Its sad to see how they will attack veterans out of one side of their mouths and simultaneously wrap themselves in the flag Like They Own It.

In these times, I'd rather have a president who knew what combat was like rather than one whose war wounds consisted of getting his toes stepped on by Tricia Nixon while dancing at the White House.

Sorry, Dubya. You're simply not qualified for the job; you never were. We know that you won't be on the speaking circuit after you've been retired... just go back to Texas and chop cedar.”

“How can anyone be anti-hamster?”

“There is one line in that speech that was massively ill advised and they will beat Kerry into ground with it.

"You don't value families if you force them to take up a collection to buy body armor for a son or daughter in the service"

Kerry had a chance to provide that armor and he decided that rolling back the tax cut was more important, so he voted against the funding that provided it.

Dunadan and his ilk will call it a right-wing smear I'm sure. But I'm sorry it's simply the truth. Karl Rove is going to hang him with that line for the next month, and Kerry has no money left to spend on TV advertising to spin it away."
Bison
12:44:26 AM


It looks as though Bush has no problem putting politics ahead of the lives of the troops.


MR. RUSSERT: ..."If that amendment does not pass, will you then vote against the $87 billion?"

Kerry: "I don't think any United States senator is going abandon our troops and recklessly leave Iraq to whatever follows as a result of simply cutting and running. That's irresponsible. ...I don't think anyone in Congress is going to not give our troops ammunition, not give our troops the ability to be able to defend themselves."

RUSSERT: "And yet you voted against that very amount of money."

SEN. KERRY: "There's nothing inconsistent in either of those statements and that advertisement displays really how sad and full of distortion, almost pathetic, the Republican approach to this is. First of all, they had a series of no's: Mr. Kerry on this; no. Mr. Kerry on this; no. It wasn't a series of votes. It was one vote and that is a distortion to the American people.

Secondly, that vote would never have prevented any of the body armor, ammunition or anything from getting to our troops. That's a lie. That's just an outright lie. In fact, the president of the United States himself, Tim, threatened to veto that very bill if we put health care for Reservists in the bill. The president threatened to veto that bill if we had loans instead of a grant. Think of that. The president threatened to veto that bill, and yet he is now accusing me for voting no."


Transcript for April 18”

“You can't look at these votes when they presented 'out of context'. It seems that when the story about a Senate or House vote breaks, the only item that is mentioned is the top piece of legislation. You can't look at it at face value. Most of the time, these bills are packed with other items that will directly affect the way the official votes on it...


BTW, I thought Kerry's speech was pretty well done last night. Good, positive tone without a lot of mud slung. Well delivered, too!”

“That's very nice goog but we don't live in a world of hypotheticals, Bush didn't veto the bill (and in fairness he had no need to) Kerry did vote against it. From a purely political standpoint that's a problem. He shouldn't have gone anywhere near that 87 billion in his speech, he already had a list of points in that section. Politically it was an unneccesary risk.”

“There is nothing hypothetical about it. The bill was going to be his way or no way. That’s not putting the troops first.”

“Kerry voted no and he has to live up to that vote and explain it, but to me it’s as if the president was holding the troops hostage and saying give me what I want or else the troops get it and he's getting a pass on that.”

“So, I wonder if Dubya's going to stand up there with all his frat brothers at the Repub convention. Maybe they'll have some great beer-chugging stories to tell!”

“I found his speech to be a speech of hope. I hope he’s not lying. I hope he’s not really going to do that. I hope he doesn’t get elected. I hope he gets hit by a bus. LOL!”

“Maybe Dubya could have his Vietnam era drug dealer on stage with him.”

“...Or he could have the officers from Kerry's unit who believe that Kerry is unfit to be President.”

“Hey, at least he was in the game. Dubya's killed more civilians just sitting at his desk!”

“His father made sure no one would be able to judge his performance under fire.”

“That was a good speech. John Kerry looked like a president.

I voted for Edwards in the primary and always felt a little that Kerry might not have been the best choice. But I liked what I saw last night. Kerry would be a very good president.”

“Jeez Tilt, the man can't even ride a bike and you want him to chop cedar?????”

“Like YOU can geo?”

“A rich guy like Bush could afford to hire someone to ride the bike for him.”

“If Bush can afford to hire one, Kerry can afford about 50.”

“Oh yea. I forgot sKerry is a pauper who only wants to help the little working guy. LOL!”

“Yeah, Shrub has been such a big help to the working guys (and gals). Unemployment went back up in Pennsylvania in June, probably while Shrub was going around telling folks what a great job he was doing. The only "working" (and I use that term loosely) guys who Shrub has helped were the guys with golden parachutes.”

“So you conservatives don't like Kerry because he's rich? Ha! Whooda Thunk?”

“I never said that Kerry wasn’t a rich SOB. I just haven’t seen him fall off a bike yet. Maybe he’s just smart enough to stay off one. Actually these wealthy guys as president scare me a little. I guess that’s because I read a book on JFK and in it there is a story about how JFK said he had never heard of the Great Depression until he went to Harvard and read about it. Even though it was one of the most trying times in our history and he grew up in the middle of it he had never heard of it.”

“Aero, they're just mad because Kerry married into wealth. He didn't steal it fair and square like a real man would.”

“I don’t mind that he is rich. Hey, more power to him. I’m a capitalist at heart. It’s when he tries to put on airs that he is a working class guy who came up from the bottom and is only looking out for the little guy that I don’t like. Little guys? He has absolutely no idea what the little guy needs or thinks. And yes, Bush is the same way but he doesn’t try to make ya think he’s anything other than what he is, a rich son of an oil man. And again, nothing wrong with being rich.”

“Hmmmm.

Yep.... Probably safer to have him watch someone else chop cedar. Axes and Haldol don't mix, LOL”

“Bush ran on the image of relating to the average Joe in 2000, Nigal. You don't remember all that rhetoric from the election?”

“I'm trying to get richer all the time. I need those tax breaks.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble Geo but John "Forbes" Kerry was born into wealth. He wasn't going to top private schools on scholarship, or working his way through summers on the families French estate.”

“"Bush ran on the image of relating to the average Joe in 2000, Nigal. You don't remember all that rhetoric from the election?"

No, I don't remember that at all. then again, I don't remember weather I wiped my ass 20 minutes ago...[checking]..yep, all is well.”

“So, Bison, are we splitting hairs? That was quite an impressive number of veterans up on stage supporting Kerry. You don't agree? I have heard that the neocons are trotting out a Vietnam veteran, who they pay, to defame Kerry. Who else is coming out publicly, without being paid to do so, and who is in a position to judge, who says Kerry didn't serve honorably in Viet Nam?
Let's don't let the self-righteous neocons do to Kerry what they did to Max Cleland. How low can you go?”

“The vets who are speaking out against Kerry aren't being paid, they're part of their own organization and there are hundreds of them. 11 specifically are officers who served in the same unit at the same time as Kerry, that's 11 not 1, see the difference (thats 1 + 10).”

““who says Kerry didn't serve honorably in Viet Nam?”

John sKerry himself for one…

"I committed the same kinds of atrocities as thousands of others in that I shot in free fire zones, used harassment and interdiction fire, joined in search and destroy missions, and burned villages. All of these acts were established policies from the top down, and the men who ordered this are war criminals."”

“OK, Bi-son. Here are the men who were actually ON THE BOAT WITH KERRY saying that he served honorably. Be honest. If there were anyone to stand up for GW like that, I would be impressed.”

“Knee-gal. You want to go around and get honest testimony from Viet Nam vets? You will find out that there were many fighting men commiting outrageous acts. It was an illegal war, fought in an insane manner, and our soldiers found themselves in bizarre situations.
He served honorably in that he was loyal to the men under his command, and fought to protect them. He served honorably in that he went into harms way when asked to do so. We could talk about atrocities committed in Viet Nam all day long. The government put our soldiers in many stressful situations that they should never have been in.”

“In fact, I would say that the people who want to defame Kerry for his voluntary service, should be ashamed.
Where is the website that I can go to that lauds GW's service in Viet Nam????????????”

“They sound like they are more offended that he launched an anti-war crusade after returning home and (god forbid) actually came near the dreaded Jane Fonda! Sorry, but the man served and he is one of many vets who came back and weren't too fond of that war and the reasons we were there.”

“Oh yeah, GW was in the National Guard to become a fighter pilot, WHICH HE NEVER DID. He didn't get certified as a pilot, did he?
Was it because he was packing his nose too tight?”

“GW is a whimp and you guys that are backing him should ask yourselves some hard questions.”

“Sorry to have to inform you of this Dunadan but Bush was indeed a qualified fighter pilot. And yes he was busy defending Texas when he could have volunteered to go to Vietnam, but then again he didn't go around broadly accusing (or if you like at least creating such an impression) people of war crimes that they didn't commit.”

“Defending Texas?!”