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Kerry Speaks: What Went Wrong

 
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Tom Poole
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 02, 2005 5:36 pm    Post subject: Kerry Speaks: What Went Wrong Reply with quote

Silky Pony, Drudge & Newsweek wrote:
KERRY SPEAKS: WHAT WENT WRONG
Sun Jan 02 2005 10:35:31 ET
New York-In an exclusive interview about his presidential campaign and his life now, Sen. John Kerry tells Newsweek, "I'm not going to lick my wounds or hide under a rock or disappear. I'm going to learn. I've had disappointments and I've learned to cope. I've lost friends, a marriage: I've lost things in life."

Kerry has not given any formal interviews since his defeat. But on Nov. 11, he summoned a Newsweek reporter to his house on Boston's fashionable Louisberg Square. He wanted to complain about Newsweek's election issue, which he says was unduly harsh and gossipy about him, his staff and his wife. (The 45,000-word article, the product of a yearlong reporting project, is being published next week as a book, "Election 2004," by PublicAffairs.) Details from that interview appear in the January 10 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, January 3). Kerry talks with Newsweek about the campaign, why he lost and what's ahead for him. He did not wish to be directly quoted touting himself, however; he did not wish to appear defensive or boastful.

When asked why he lost the election, Kerry points to history and, in a somewhat inferential, roundabout way, to his own failure to connect to voters-a failure that kept him from erasing the Bush campaign's portrait of him as a flip-flopper, reports Newsweek Assistant Managing Editor Evan Thomas. Kerry said that he was proud of his campaign, that he had nearly defeated a popular incumbent who had enjoyed a three-year head start on organizing and fund-raising. Sitting presidents are never defeated in wartime, he insisted (true, though two, LBJ and Harry Truman, chose not to run for another term during Vietnam and Korea).

While he quarreled with descriptions of his speaking style as "soporific," Kerry tacitly acknowledged that he failed to connect with enough voters on a personal level. Jose Ferreira, Kerry's nephew, told his uncle, "Some people are saying that your candidacy was driven by ABB [Anything But Bush]." Kerry replied: "Do you think so?" Ferreira said that once people got to know Kerry, they were intensely loyal. "Those are the people I let down," Kerry said, falling silent. In conversation with

Newsweek, Kerry seemed particularly interested in trying to find a way to speak to ordinary voters that didn't sound too grandiose or "political." Though Kerry did not directly criticize his friend Bob Shrum, it's clear he did not feel well served by his message makers and speechwriters.

The deeper problem may be Kerry's personality, which may be too distant or reserved to win mass affection. As Thomas left Kerry's house in November, Kerry called out and followed him down the street. Kerry wanted to show a letter from a schoolgirl that had been left on his stoop. The letter read, in part, "John Kerry, you're the greatest!" Kerry looked into the reporter's eye. "The pundits have never liked me," he said. "Is it the way I look? The way I sound?" He seemed vulnerable for a moment, then caught himself, smiled and walked home to his empty house.

In the heady days before the election, Kerry's top aides sat around picking a cabinet. Nowadays the foreign-policy team still meets on the assumption that it could be reconstituted for '08. But the reality is, "it's mostly sitting around some lawyer's office and asking each other if we've heard about jobs," says a member of the team. As for Kerry, says this adviser, "he thinks he's the frontrunner for '08 without recognizing that he needs to do some soul-searching. If he wants to come back, he'll have to come back as a different candidate, not the stiff who plays it safe and takes four sides of every issue."

Developing...Silky Pony Speaks

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gmez2001
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 02, 2005 6:37 pm    Post subject: Kerry Reply with quote

Not a 'Bush portrait' of Kerry as a 'Flippity Flopper' but an accurate photograph of his personality and assessment of his track record from Vietnam to the 04 election.
With no help from our beloved MSM, the american people got this one right.
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scotty61
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 02, 2005 9:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What went wrong?!!!???? How about nominating a Grade A, #1, USDA Prime horse's patoot as a candidate? How about not apoligizing for slandering vets? How about having a certifiable nut case as a potential first lady? How about using totalitarian tactics to keep opposing ads off the air? How about making false charges, like Bush bringing back the draft? How about being complict in helping Dan Rather in his "false but true" TANG report? How about the fake missing ammo dump story right before election? How about being totally unable and unwilling to run a decent and above board campaign? How about being way out of touch with the majority of the people? How about being so dumb as to not recognize any of the above? Jeeze Louise.
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Mooncusser
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 4:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

What went wrong is Kerry became a traitor...aided the enemy and betrayed his fellow countrymen.
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Tom Poole
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 5:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Better 12 hours late than never. I forgot to include my comments to my original post.

Tom Poole wrote:
Interestingly, this summary article attributes his failure to these things: "...failure to connect...sitting presidents are never defeated in wartime...speaking style as "soporific,"...did not feel well served by his message makers...too distant or reserved..."

But, not a word about less-than-honorable dismissal allegations, Swift Boat Vets & POWs for Truth, his Vietnam record, his testimony in '71, his meetings with the enemy, etc. Does he believe they had no impact?

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Kathy Kay
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 11:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think in this article they're warning -- he is going to run again. So I suppose it's clear that the drive to obtain full disclosure of all of his records cannot stop. You'll notice in the article also he talks about legislation he intends to introduce. He obviously learned that his track record hurt him too and so he has four years to work on that.

I do believe the comment made by one of his staffers -- he was the ABB (anything but Bush) candidate and, when Bush is not running, he'll have a much more difficult time even without publicizing his traiterous behavior. How can the issue of his entire record be forced? Any ideas?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6777696/site/newsweek/
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Uisguex Jack
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 1:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey Scotty61 if I spent all day I could not wrap it all up as nicely as you have. I will be quoting you.
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coldwarvet
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 2:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Uisguex Jack wrote:
Hey Scotty61 if I spent all day I could not wrap it all up as nicely as you have. I will be quoting you.


Ditto

It will be so much fun watching him squirm about as he tries to hang on to his senate seat for another term. Because we are all out here with our wallets locked and loaded, ready for another round of adds.
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becca1223
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 6:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

SKerry 2006...I'm willing to donate again when the SwiftVets for Truth are ready!

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1991932
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 04, 2005 5:12 pm    Post subject: 2006 Reply with quote

If you're referring to Kerry's senate re-election bid, that's not scheduled until 2008. Teddy Kennedy comes up in 2006, and he's already announced he will run again.

Philosophically, it's easy to confuse the two senators. Kennedy is about 300 lbs. heavier than Kerry, however.
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army72
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 04, 2005 11:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What went wrong? He ran for pres and was taken down by the people that knew him best. I salute those people!!!!!!

He has to know these guys are waiting for him. The best thing about these guys is that they are not doing it for revenge, money, or anything other than the best of motives. He has to try to negate them in some way to run again. I don't think it'll happen. I think the party has already decided that Hillary is their man!
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