Bush calls to congraulate Kerry

[MAS117]

Just in from CNN, President Bush calls Kerry to congraulate him.

[zachman]

That must have been an awkward phone call for both.

[© tweed]

He'll be calling to congratulate Kerry in november too.

Lets hope so anyway

[agcatter]

don't bet on it

[StevenNick]

Dream on.

[angus]

At least he'd understand that a concession is something you don't take back after 20 minutes.  Oh, yeah baby.

[Platypus]

If you are reffering to Florida, I think under the circumstances it was acceptable

[HoopsCubs]

He'll be calling to congratulate Kerry in november too.

Lets hope so anyway

Don't be upset about the comments.   Most thought that Nixon would easily beat Kennedy in 1960.   Kerry can win.  It takes work and effort.  Republicans are already scared about losing Ohio and Arizona.

 

[opebo]

He'll be calling to congratulate Kerry in november too.

Lets hope so anyway

Don't be upset about the comments.   Most thought that Nixon would easily beat Kennedy in 1960.   Kerry can win.  It takes work and effort.  Republicans are already scared about losing Ohio and Arizona.

Good lord, Kerry is no Kennedy.  Nobody even likes the guy - every vote he gets is not for him, just against Bush.  But yeah, it will be close.  Can't see OH or AZ going for such a leftist Northeasterner though.

[Inmate Trump]

If the candidates were reversed and John Edwards had just won the nomination, I would be telling every Republican I know to get ready for President Edwards come 2005.  I would've hated that, but at least I'd have been honest about it.  Bush would've lost to Edwards b/c Edwards was the better candidate and the candidate in the Dem primary most likely to beat Bush.

But that's not the situation and there's now no chance of that becoming reality.  Kerry is the Dem nominee.

Fact: an ultra-liberal (or ultra-conservative) CANNOT win a national election.  And no matter how much Kerry tries to project himself as a moderate between now and November, he cannot compete against his own ultra-liberal voting record, which puts him in league with left wingers like Dean.  He won't be a McGovern or Mondale repeat.  This election will more resemble 1988, with Dukakis, and 1996, with Dole.

You guys should've put Edwards in if you wanted to win this year.  You had your chance and you didn't take it.  Now you'll just have to suck it up and wait until 2008.  Sorry, but that's the way it is, in all honesty and with no bias intended on my part.  (Note--I've been sarcastic in the past on this forum, but I'm being dead-serious right now.  I'm really looking at this election with no bias one way or the other.)

Kerry's only real chance is in his VP pick, but even then he can't win.  All the VP pick will do is determine how much he loses by.

[Reaganfan]

Vp will not be Edwrds, I don't think. Robert Byrd, or Bill Richardson.

[Gustaf]

I think Kerry will put up a better whow than I iniaitially thought and go down honourably or even make it close. But Bush is still a clear favourite.

[dunn]

I think Kerry will put up a better whow than I iniaitially thought and go down honourably or even make it close. But Bush is still a clear favourite.

Sounds correct

[NHPolitico]

Most thought that Nixon would easily beat Kennedy in 1960.   Kerry can win.  

Actually, I'd say 1960 is good news for Bush. Bush comes off better on TV than Kerry does.

[angus]

The implication here is obvious to me.  The symbolism is unmistakable.  Bush's call, and the fact that his team went out of its way to make the congratulation known publicly, is his way of saying, "Let the games begin."  And, no it would hardly have been awkward.  The calls between holier-than-though Gore and spoiled-frat-boy Bush would certainly have been Awkward.  But these two blue-blood skull-and-bones yankee yalies are like Sam and Ralph from Tex Ritter's old cartoons.  They're not brainwashing themselves, only you.  Make no mistake, this call means "Bring it on!"  

[opebo]

The implication here is obvious to me.  The symbolism is unmistakable.  Bush's call, and the fact that his team went out of its way to make the congratulation known publicly, is his way of saying, "Let the games begin."  And, no it would hardly have been awkward.  The calls between holier-than-though Gore and spoiled-frat-boy Bush would certainly have been Awkward.  But these two blue-blood skull-and-bones yankee yalies are like Sam and Ralph from Tex Ritter's old cartoons.  They're not brainwashing themselves, only you.  Make no mistake, this call means "Bring it on!"  

Bush is a true blue blood, but Kerry is not.  He's the next rung down, with the Kennedies and whatnot (hint - Papist).  And Kerry's pretty damn stiff, though not to Gore levels of rigormortis.  Heck most Pols seem stiff next to Bush.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Kerry is a quarter Jewish.

Interesting that Reaganfan thinks that Kerry might choose the Octogenerian "West Virginian of the 20th Century" as his running mate.

[opebo]

Kerry is a quarter Jewish.

Interesting that Reaganfan thinks that Kerry might choose the Octogenerian "West Virginian of the 20th Century" as his running mate.

Byrd would be bizarre and hilarious.  I don't know where Reaganfan got such an idea.

[angus]

Hey, I come from a long line of catholic white trash.  If a republican ever came out as anti-capital punishment, he'd not only win every vote in my extended family, but he'd have a landslide:  CA, TX, FL, NY, PA, IL, OH, MI.  But that's about as likely as a snowstorm in Los Angeles.  

Byrd?!  Well, if they could pull his sorry Democrat ass away from a klan meeting long enough to campaign and supply his hourly doses of librium, he'd make a fine running mate.

oh, and I think I ment Avery above, not Ritter.  Sorry for any consternation.

[opebo]

Hey, I come from a long line of catholic white trash.  If a republican ever came out as anti-capital punishment, he'd not only win every vote in my extended family, but he'd have a landslide:  CA, TX, FL, NY, PA, IL, OH, MI.  But that's about as likely as a snowstorm in Los Angeles.  

Byrd?!  Well, if they could pull his sorry Democrat ass away from a klan meeting long enough to campaign and supply his hourly doses of librium, he'd make a fine running mate.

oh, and I think I ment Avery above, not Ritter.  Sorry for any consternation.

Why do you think being against capital punishment is a popular position?  I should think just the opposite.  A lot of your relatives on death row?

[classical liberal]

"Thou shalt not kill"  taken to include the entire spectrum of innocence, from blastocyte to felon

[angus]

no, it's an unpopular position.  Polling data suggests a pretty consistent 70-30 split.  I'm assuming most of that 30 comes from those raised in the Church.  (e.g., Kerry, and myself.  I assume the only remaining vestigial catholocism in Kerry manifests itself in this issue.  But perhaps I'm projecting.)  

I'm saying if a Republican comes out as Pro Life (meaning anti-abortion for Prots, presumably, and anti-capital for catholic white trash teacher's union types like most of my uncles and aunts), can tactfully play the wedge issue as a real "uniter, not a divider."  Just thinking out loud, I suppose.

All, in all, I shouldn't speak for others, though.  Wanna win my vote?  Cut taxes and spending (except on Defense and Education), stay away from the negative stuff, talk about the bill of rights, stop trying to amend the constitution, welcome John Kerry as an honorable and worth opponent, and admit that June 30 is too early for iraqi suffrage.  

[Mort from NewYawk]

If the candidates were reversed and John Edwards had just won the nomination, I would be telling every Republican I know to get ready for President Edwards come 2005.  I would've hated that, but at least I'd have been honest about it.  Bush would've lost to Edwards b/c Edwards was the better candidate and the candidate in the Dem primary most likely to beat Bush.

But that's not the situation and there's now no chance of that becoming reality.  Kerry is the Dem nominee.

Fact: an ultra-liberal (or ultra-conservative) CANNOT win a national election.  And no matter how much Kerry tries to project himself as a moderate between now and November, he cannot compete against his own ultra-liberal voting record, which puts him in league with left wingers like Dean.  He won't be a McGovern or Mondale repeat.  This election will more resemble 1988, with Dukakis, and 1996, with Dole.

You guys should've put Edwards in if you wanted to win this year.  You had your chance and you didn't take it.  Now you'll just have to suck it up and wait until 2008.  Sorry, but that's the way it is, in all honesty and with no bias intended on my part.  (Note--I've been sarcastic in the past on this forum, but I'm being dead-serious right now.  I'm really looking at this election with no bias one way or the other.)

Kerry's only real chance is in his VP pick, but even then he can't win.  All the VP pick will do is determine how much he loses by.

I wish I could be as optimistic as you.

I think that an unusually high percentage of the probable electorate (>85%) have their minds made up already, not to be changed. Another 10% are leaning heavily one way or the other.

Events, and perceptions by the electorate of character issues or the latest media hot-topic could throw the remaining voters either way.

Bush won last time with a PV 47.8% to 48.4%

This time, with less of a third party vote, he needs closer to 49%, the Dems need to go close to 51%.

I'd put down favorable odds on Bush right now, but those are not a lot of percentage points to play with.

[angus]

Anyone for some lowbrow Kerrydirt?  Here's a juicy morsel from Howard Kurt'z Wapo column today.

In the gaffe department: "The senator, in attempt to make an Oscar connection, joked, 'Did you see Peter Jackson, Lord of the Rings? (It) cleaned up, obviously. I learned that Peter Jackson used 25,000 extras (to make the film). He's created more jobs than George Bush has, ladies and gentlemen.'

"Unfortunately, a majority of those 25,000 jobs were created in New Zealand where the 'outsourced' trilogy filmed."

Ba-da-boom!


Kerry really ought to hire a few republicans in his research department if he wants to win.  

[Filuwaúrdjan]

It's a New Zealand film made with American money, not an American film filmed in New Zealand...