Classy

[Guest MikeSC]

Dems plan full onslaught at RNC

 

By MARIE HORRIGAN, UPI Deputy Americas Editor

 

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- Democrats Thursday rolled out their campaign to counter next week's Republican National Convention with a catchphrase taken from President Bush's lexicon and the famous banner hung aboard the USS Lincoln when he declared the end of combat operations in Iraq.

 

"Every day next week we will be highlighting the simple truth about the administration of George Bush -- mission not accomplished," said Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe, unveiling a sign bearing the party's slogan for the convention.

 

"(Bush) didn't make this sign, but it is based on his record of failure," he later added.

 

McAuliffe outlined a string of issues including the economy, job creation, foreign policy, extending access to healthcare and making prescription drugs more affordable, all of which he said Bush administration policies had failed to solve.

 

"But it's not as if George Bush got nothing done in the last four years," he said. "When big oil, the drug companies, HMOs, the insurance companies and other special interests called, George W. Bush reported for duty and accomplished their missions."

 

McAuliffe said the Democrats would have a "very strong organization" in New York over the next week to point out what he said would be Republicans' sleight of hand.

 

"Instead of a convention (Bush) is going to have a masquerade ball in New York City, a Hollywood façade put up by extremists pushing moderates out on stage to mask the special interests' agenda that has governed America for the last three and a half years," he said.

 

"We will point out the truth," he said. "America can do better than George W. Bush."

 

The DNC's efforts mirror those of the Republican National Committee at last month's Democratic Convention in Boston, which featured daily events with speakers such as former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

 

Leading the Democratic effort will be Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, with help from Democrats in New York's delegation to Congress -- Sens. Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer as well Rep. Charles Rangel.

 

Former President Bill Clinton, who has been extremely popular at campaign events, including a speech at last month's convention, will not be in attendance in New York. McAuliffe attributed Clinton's absence to prior scheduling engagements, mostly tours to promote his new book, "My Life."

 

The party's push includes a multimillion-dollar television ad buy in 21 battleground states that would run at least through the convention, McAuliffe said, and a nationwide radio buy.

 

The DNC Thursday also sent out state-specific releases on what it said were Bush's failures in terms of jobs, the economy, healthcare and other issues, and a 45-page "Speakers Guide" discussing why each convention speaker is inappropriate for the job.

 

Overall, McAuliffe said, the counter-campaign would be "something our party has not done to this extent ever before," but said Democrats had a few tricks up their sleeves.

 

"And we'll need them," he said. "Because George W. Bush has a trick or two up his."

 

The most recent Los Angeles Times poll showed Bush with a 3-point advantage over his Democratic opponent, comparable to the lead held by presidential hopeful Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., ahead of the Democrats own convention.

 

The Kerry-Edwards ticket received negligible bounce coming out of the convention despite Republican estimates it would receive the historical standard 7-point jump in polling.

 

McAuliffe Thursday said he thought the Bush-Cheney ticket would likely receive a 9-point post-convention bounce, which would catapult it far ahead of the Kerry campaign heading into the fall campaign season.

 

He added he was "very comfortable" with the campaign's position in the polls, but said he realized "we've got a long ways to go."

 

At Thursday's news conference in Washington, McAuliffe also repeated the party's call for Bush to reject advertising by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. The group, one of several so-called 527 soft-money organizations, has questioned Kerry's record of military service during the Vietnam War.

 

"I believe it's a charade, I think it's disgraceful, I think it's disgusting, these ads that they have out there today," McAuliffe said.

 

"George Bush should come out today and say the ad is wrong."

 

Bush earlier called on Kerry to speak out against all 527s and their activities but has not condemned the specific advertisement. The Bush-Cheney campaign, however, announced Thursday it was launching a suit against the Federal Election Commission to get it to shut down 527s.

 

Campaign Chairman and former Montana Gov. Marc Racicot said the campaign was suing to "compel the FEC to take action to regulate these organizations as the federal political committees that they are."

 

"Our goal is a level playing field -- all organizations working for the election or defeat of federal candidates should operate under the same standards and rules," he said in a statement.

 

McAuliffe rejected the suit as political posturing.

 

"Until George Bush has the courage and the integrity to step up to the plate and to take those ads down, he has no credibility to talk about these issues," he said.

 

He later added, however, he thought it would be impossible to shut down advertisements by the 527s because of their First Amendment rights.

 

"They know as well as we do, they're not going to be able to shut down these 527 ads," he said of his Republican opponents. "But what I ask the president to do is to come out and condemn these ads when they're filled with lies and misperceptions."

http://interestalert.com/brand/siteia.shtm...00aaa00ba6.upi&

Sys=siteia&Fid=WORLDNEW&Type=News&Filter=World%20News

 

Hmm, last time I checked, tradition indicates that the OPPOSITION party doesn't do anything during the other party's convention. The Republicans left the Democrats alone during the DNC.

 

Nice to see the DNC won't give the same respect. Ah well.

-=Mike

[Guest Wildbomb 4:20]

Hold the damn presses...WH-Wh-what???

 

Obviously, someone missed the daily reports from the Republicans in Boston. Either that, or the only ran in the Greater Boston area. Every day, someone else would come on from the GOP and bitch about what someone said during the DNC.

 

Perhaps it's just me, but if one side did it, can't the other? And would we be talking about it if the Dems did it first, and the GOP copycated?

 

Timing people. Timing.

 

--Ryan

[jesse_ewiak 0]

Nah, Ralph Reed and Ed Gillespie on CNN right after peoples speeches were an obvious hallucination on your part. :-)

[Guest aaa]

Last time I checked tradition indicated that the Majority leader of the Senate does not campaign directly against the Minority leader but that has not stopped Senator Frist.

 

Classy

[Guest MikeSC]

Hold the damn presses...WH-Wh-what???

 

Obviously, someone missed the daily reports from the Republicans in Boston. Either that, or the only ran in the Greater Boston area. Every day, someone else would come on from the GOP and bitch about what someone said during the DNC.

 

Perhaps it's just me, but if one side did it, can't the other? And would we be talking about it if the Dems did it first, and the GOP copycated?

 

Timing people. Timing.

 

--Ryan

Bush was silent. Kerry is campaigning.

 

And the GOP only mentioned the DNC when they were asked, on TV, to comment on it. They did not have an orchestrated campaign against it. World of difference between being invited on-air and discussing --- and planning a campaign against it from the get go.

 

But, hey, at least it's better than the peace group that plans on ignoring a judge's order to hold a protest in Central Park.

-=Mike

...This is only going to hurt Kerry...

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

I have a really bad feeling about the whole RNC convention. These stupid protestors are going to get someone killed over all this crap.

 

There's a difference between being an analyst for a show and directly campaigning against it. They always have people from the other side to break down a political speech.

[Jobber of the Week 0]

Bush was silent. Kerry is campaigning.

Terry McAwful is campaigning. I just searched the entire article you posted for the word Kerry and no results came up in regards to him actually saying anything about campaigning during the convention.

 

And yeah, former Enron lobbyist and current GOP head Ed Gillespie was over the news during the DNC as well. I remember this clearly because I was in a Las Vegas hotel room wishing I had C-SPAN so I could watch without the talking heads. I did get a small token gift though with "BALOONS BALOONS GO BALOONS WHERE IS THE CONFETTI COME ON GUYS GO ALL BALOONS."

 

This time it'll either be C-SPAN or HDnet.

[Guest MikeSC]

Bush was silent. Kerry is campaigning.

Terry McAwful is campaigning. I just searched the entire article you posted for the word Kerry and no results came up in regards to him actually saying anything about campaigning during the convention.

 

Look at the NY Times, 8/18/04.

THE 2004 CAMPAIGN: THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE; Kerry Will Campaign During Republicans' Convention

 

By JODI WILGOREN (NYT) words

Late Edition - Final , Section A , Page 19 , Column 3

 

DISPLAYING FIRST 50 OF WORDS - Breaking with tradition, Senator John Kerry plans to campaign for at least one day during the Republican National Convention, venturing to Nashville to speak at the American Legion's national ... Mr. Kerry's aides said that he would spend most of the Republican convention week relaxing at his family's seaside sanctuary...

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html...DA10894DC404482

And yeah, former Enron lobbyist and current GOP head Ed Gillespie was over the news during the DNC as well. I remember this clearly because I was in a Las Vegas hotel room wishing I had C-SPAN so I could watch without the talking heads. I did get a small token gift though with "BALOONS BALOONS GO BALOONS WHERE IS THE CONFETTI COME ON GUYS GO ALL BALOONS."

 

This time it'll either be C-SPAN or HDnet.

Gillespie didn't do both jobs at the same time. Dems have a hard time pulling that off.

 

And Clinton did FAR more for Enron than Bush ever considered.

-=Mike

[Jobber of the Week 0]

Gillespie didn't do both jobs at the same time. Dems have a hard time pulling that off.

Does it matter? He still convinced our elected officials to give more of your money and my money to Ken Lay's band of thieves.

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

As opposed to the very civil and classy campaign George W. Bush is running?

 

Suck it up, Crybaby Mike.

[Guest MikeSC]

As opposed to the very civil and classy campaign George W. Bush is running?

 

Suck it up, Crybaby Mike.

Care to explain the uncivil part of Bush's campaign?

 

And since Kerry is the one bitching incessantly about how mean the campaign is, this is some delicious irony.

Does it matter? He still convinced our elected officials to give more of your money and my money to Ken Lay's band of thieves.

That was actually Clinton.

 

Note: Bush is PUNISHING Lay. Clinton helped him make untold millions.

-=Mike

[jesse_ewiak 0]

Actually, it was Clinton and the Republican Congress to be exact. And jusging by his donations, Lay thought Bush would keep the gravy train rolling more than Gore. Also, after Enron went kablooey, Calvin collidge could've been in office and he would've still been indicted. So, don't try that, "look Bush is going to charge him now!" If I had any money, I'd bet you Martha Stewart got a worse sentence than Lay will end up with.

[Guest MikeSC]

Actually, it was Clinton and the Republican Congress to be exact. And jusging by his donations, Lay thought Bush would keep the gravy train rolling more than Gore.

And Lay was wrong. Bush did not help him one little bit. Oh well. However, wasn't it a Clinton appointee who lobbied the Bush administration to bail out Enron?

 

And if you really want to paint a candidate to who donates money to the campaign --- well, Clinton will look really bad.

Also, after Enron went kablooey, Calvin collidge could've been in office and he would've still been indicted.

Care to name how many CEO's were indicted under Clinton for anything?

 

Can you name a name?

 

Are you going to try and argue that CEO'S didn't commit a crime during Clinton's terms?

So, don't try that, "look Bush is going to charge him now!" If I had any money, I'd bet you Martha Stewart got a worse sentence than Lay will end up with.

And both got or will get harsher sentences than any CEO's that I can think of got under Clinton.

 

Well, unless Clinton managed, through the sheer force of his impressive morality, got CEO's to not commit any crimes.

-=Mike

[Jobber of the Week 0]

Clinton, Bush, whichever, Gillespie was still a lobbyist, which is not exactly a very fashionable or appreciated job in Washington. That he represented one of the most corrupt companies in the last 30 years doesn't exactly establish good PR.

[Guest MikeSC]

Clinton, Bush, whichever, Gillespie was still a lobbyist, which is not exactly a very fashionable or appreciated job in Washington.

He wasn't a lobbyist while he was the RNC head. Not quite the same thing.

That he represented one of the most corrupt companies in the last 30 years doesn't exactly establish good PR.

Then let the Dems try and run on it. They'll only get SLAUGHTERED because there is NOTHING there --- but Clinton ties (again, care to mention who lobbied Bush to bail Enron out?) are prevalent.

-=Mike

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

As opposed to the very civil and classy campaign George W. Bush is running?

 

Suck it up, Crybaby Mike.

Care to explain the uncivil part of Bush's campaign?

 

And since Kerry is the one bitching incessantly about how mean the campaign is, this is some delicious irony.

Does it matter? He still convinced our elected officials to give more of your money and my money to Ken Lay's band of thieves.

That was actually Clinton.

 

Note: Bush is PUNISHING Lay. Clinton helped him make untold millions.

-=Mike

I'd say the unfounded bullshit about Kerry's war record, when Bush didn't even have the balls to go over in the first place, and couldn't even hack it in the TEXAS AIR NATIONAL GUARD without going AWOL.

 

Actually, the total lack of balls seems to be sweeping the Republican Party lately.

[Guest MikeSC]

I'd say the unfounded bullshit about Kerry's war record,

Done by SBVT --- and they have eyewitness testimony.

 

Bush has said, quite openly, that Kerry's service was admirable.

 

Also --- the SBVT have more balls than Kerry has ever dreamed of having --- but, yet again, Kerry is trashing vets to advance his own career.

when Bush didn't even have the balls to go over in the first place, and couldn't even hack it in the TEXAS AIR NATIONAL GUARD without going AWOL.

Wow, speaking of "unfounded bullshit"...

 

And, unlike Bush, Kerry HAS questioned it.

Actually, the total lack of balls seems to be sweeping the Republican Party lately.

Of course, how sad is it that Kerry feels that 4 months of his life are more important than a 19 year career in the Senate?

-=Mike

[teke184 0]

I wish that the Swift Boat people would stop arguing about the medals and move onto the lies Kerry spread in front of Congress in the 1970s and 1980s.

 

 

Claiming that he and other solders regularly participated in war crimes pisses me off to no end, as my father is a Vietnam vet and a great deal of my teachers and older friends were vets as well.

 

At least one of the vets, who became the warden of Parchman penitentiary in Mississippi as well as a professor of criminal justice, was attacked on his way back from Vietnam because he had to switch planes in San Francisco.

 

The labeling of veterans as baby-killers helped fuel opposition to the war and direct frustration about it onto normal guys who were already having trouble coping with what they'd seen over there.

[Jobber of the Week 0]

Then let the Dems try and run on it. They'll only get SLAUGHTERED because there is NOTHING there --- but Clinton ties (again, care to mention who lobbied Bush to bail Enron out?) are prevalent.

            -=Mike

I'm not suggesting the Dems "run on it," nor do I suggest there was some sort of collusion going on between Enron and the Republicans through Gillespie, nor did I say he was doing both jobs at the same time.

 

I'm just saying that's a pretty embarassing history for a major figure in politics. Nothing more, nothing less.

[Guest MikeSC]

Then let the Dems try and run on it. They'll only get SLAUGHTERED because there is NOTHING there --- but Clinton ties (again, care to mention who lobbied Bush to bail Enron out?) are prevalent.

            -=Mike

I'm not suggesting the Dems "run on it," nor do I suggest there was some sort of collusion going on between Enron and the Republicans through Gillespie, nor did I say he was doing both jobs at the same time.

 

I'm just saying that's a pretty embarassing history for a major figure in politics. Nothing more, nothing less.

And I can point out Clinton appointees who are more tied to them.

 

Also, McAuliffe started ALL of this rolling with his comment that Bush went AWOL.

-=Mike

[NoCalMike 0]

Umm, so can we conclude this thread with, "Clinton & Bush and Bush Sr. helped out Enron quite a fucking bit" ?

 

All this silly, "who helped Enron make more?" chatter is ridiculous.

 

Last I checked, Bush himself wasn't "punishing" Lay. Lay was caught plain and simple. Last I checked, Bush couldn't even say a single word when asked about Ken Lay's actions, and like we have come to love so much, offered a blank, confused stare at the camera, and then just walked off and ended the press conference......oh I know, they were FRIENDS.....

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

NoCalMike, you forgot the time that Bush said that Lay was a supporter of Ann Richards

[Guest MikeSC]

Umm, so can we conclude this thread with, "Clinton & Bush and Bush Sr. helped out Enron quite a fucking bit" ?

 

All this silly, "who helped Enron make more?" chatter is ridiculous.

 

Last I checked, Bush himself wasn't "punishing" Lay. Lay was caught plain and simple.

Under WHICH President were indictments brought under?

 

Under WHICH President did NO CEO's get indicted for anything?

Last I checked, Bush couldn't even say a single word when asked about Ken Lay's actions, and like we have come to love so much, offered a blank, confused stare at the camera, and then just walked off and ended the press conference......oh I know, they were FRIENDS.....

They were friends. And Bush had to let his friend suffer the consequences for his actions. It's a brutally difficult thing for ANYBODY to do --- but Bush did it.

-=Mike

[NoCalMike 0]

Umm, so can we conclude this thread with, "Clinton & Bush and Bush Sr. helped out Enron quite a fucking bit" ?

 

All this silly, "who helped Enron make more?" chatter is ridiculous.

 

Last I checked, Bush himself wasn't "punishing" Lay.  Lay was caught plain and simple.

Under WHICH President were indictments brought under?

 

Under WHICH President did NO CEO's get indicted for anything?

Last I checked, Bush couldn't even say a single word when asked about Ken Lay's actions, and like we have come to love so much, offered a blank, confused stare at the camera, and then just walked off and ended the press conference......oh I know, they were FRIENDS.....

They were friends. And Bush had to let his friend suffer the consequences for his actions. It's a brutally difficult thing for ANYBODY to do --- but Bush did it.

-=Mike

Umm, that is like saying, under which president did 9/11 happen.

[jesse_ewiak 0]

You forget NoCal, if anything GOOD happens, it's because of Bush.

If anything BAD happens, blame the Clenis.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Under WHICH President did NO CEO's get indicted for anything?

Gordon Eubanks, May 1993, you can now modify your argument accordingly

[Vern Gagne 0]

You forget NoCal, if anything GOOD happens, it's because of Bush.

If anything BAD happens, blame the Clenis.

Pretty much.

[Guest MikeSC]

Umm, that is like saying, under which president did 9/11 happen.

Oh, my bad --- NO CEO did anything wrong for 8 years.

Gordon Eubanks, May 1993, you can now modify your argument accordingly

Care to provide a link?

-=Mike

[NoCalMike 0]

Umm, that is like saying, under which president did 9/11 happen.

Oh, my bad --- NO CEO did anything wrong for 8 years.

Gordon Eubanks, May 1993, you can now modify your argument accordingly

Care to provide a link?

-=Mike

Umm, I didn't say that. My gripe wasn't with Ken lay going down under Bush. I was just trying to stop this "he helped Enron more, no he did, no he did, no he did" nonsense.

 

Of course CEOs were crooked and running rampant under Clinton, as they still are now. Ken Lay went down, that is great, but it is not like any new laws, provisions, trade policies etc.....have been modified that would make it seem like there is any type of effort to actively seek and destroy more law breakers, instead, under the current administration they all just got a huge kickback in tax cuts.

[Guest MikeSC]

Umm, that is like saying, under which president did 9/11 happen.

Oh, my bad --- NO CEO did anything wrong for 8 years.

Gordon Eubanks, May 1993, you can now modify your argument accordingly

Care to provide a link?

-=Mike

Umm, I didn't say that. My gripe wasn't with Ken lay going down under Bush. I was just trying to stop this "he helped Enron more, no he did, no he did, no he did" nonsense.

 

Of course CEOs were crooked and running rampant under Clinton, as they still are now. Ken Lay went down, that is great, but it is not like any new laws, provisions, trade policies etc.....have been modified that would make it seem like there is any type of effort to actively seek and destroy more law breakers, instead, under the current administration they all just got a huge kickback in tax cuts.

Enron made billions under Clinton. Bush refused to bail out his friend --- and refused to protect him from prosecution.

Of course CEOs were crooked and running rampant under Clinton, as they still are now. Ken Lay went down, that is great, but it is not like any new laws, provisions, trade policies etc.....have been modified that would make it seem like there is any type of effort to actively seek and destroy more law breakers, instead, under the current administration they all just got a huge kickback in tax cuts.

And some actual punishment for committing crimes.

-=Mike