Cheney Daughter Remark

[NHPolitico]

Dee Dee Myers said it was "not his best moment, awkward, and a distraction."  Howard Fineman was upset about it, too.  There's also this story:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/story/242401p-207840c.html

It could very easily sway undecideds. I'm not saying it will, but I'm certain Kerry regrets saying it now.

[NHPolitico]

ABC's The Note mentions how it was the topic of most every morning show...

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[NHPolitico]

Kerry's calling out of Mary will cause him to lose New Jersey. I'm calling it!

:-)

[NHPolitico]

Washington Post:

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Also, Kerry had to distance himself in Iowa from a Mary Beth Cahill comment that Mary was "fair game" in the campaign. Kerry said he disagreed with her characterization. The funny part? John Edwards called Mary "fair game" politically, too!

[NHPolitico]

More detail on the cited ABC News tracking poll:

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[NHPolitico]

Mary isn't even a public personality in the campaign like Liz is. People didn't like it when Chelsea was used for political fodder by conservatives. They could care less which side of the spectrum does it.  People want others to respect their own privacy and ask themselves how they'd feel if members of their family had their privacy stolen by a candidate-- and so they react strongly against such a move.  It's not good etiquette anyway-- which makes Kerry's remarks more deliberate. Kerry was raised among the hoity-toity and knows such a comment would be outrageous at a dinner party.  It would be like mentioning the childhood obesity epidemic and saying that someone at the table probably has some particular viewpoint on it since their kid is a tub of lard. It would be totally shocking in Kerry's social circle to do that.

[NHPolitico]

Someone's sexuality is a private and personal thing, even if they are out of the closet.  Fat people are out of the closet as being fat. You don't bring it up in front of 45 million people.

[NHPolitico]

I didn't mean to equate lesbian with tub of lard as both perjoratives.  I just meant that there are things that aren't appropriate to say in front of 45 million people-- and mentioning that someone's child is gay is one such thing.

[NHPolitico]

But it doesn't mean you have to mention one particular lesbian-- the out-of-the-limelight daughter of your opponent.

[NHPolitico]

It might have been a firestorm, but from the right, not the left. Jeez. I mean KandE aren't bringing it up to taunt, if anything they bring it up to neutralize the anti-gay bashing of Bush.

Voters realize it was politically motivated and that sickens them.

[NHPolitico]

She's NOT out of the limelight! 

Yes, she is. How many times have you seen her campaigning? It's Liz who is out campaigning.