Kerry Blasts GOP 'Fear and Smear'

[LRB]

Kerry Blasts GOP 'Fear and Smear'

NEW YORK — Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (search) accused the Republicans of "fear and smear" negative tactics Monday and said they would offer only empty slogans rather than real plans to help most Americans in their national convention here next week.

"They have obviously decided that some people will believe anything, no matter how fictional or how far-fetched, if they just repeat it often enough. That's how they have run their administration, that's how they're running their campaign, and that's how they will run their convention," Kerry said.

"You can't cover up reality with a few empty slogans."

Kerry delivered his speech at New York's Cooper Union (search), the site of President Lincoln's 1860 speech against slavery that historians say thrust Lincoln into national prominence. Kerry's speech contrasted his plans for raising middle-class living standards with the past four years, just days before Bush heads to the city to lay out his agenda for the next four years.

"On almost every issue before us, we face the same fundamental choice — between the narrow interest of the few and the future of the vast majority of Americans," Kerry said.

"The Bush campaign and its allies have turned to the tactics of fear and smear because they can't talk about jobs, health care, energy independence and rebuilding our alliances — the real issues that matter to the American people."


The Democratic ticket's plan for making middle-income voters more prosperous would preserve middle-class tax cuts, reduce the cost of health care, education and energy, and increase the federal minimum wage.

The Democrats also promise to close the pay gap between men and women and help families balance competing demands at home and at work.

Kerry said Republicans have not delivered on promises to bolster average families.

"Next week at Madison Square Garden, the Republican convention will focus on slogans, excuses and attack politics," Kerry said. "And mark my words, they'll bend over backward with last minute proposals and last minute promises to make up for all they haven't done and to pretend they're not who they are."

Steve Schmidt, spokesman for the Bush-Cheney campaign, said the Kerry record displays support for tax hikes, not tax cuts.

"John Kerry says the blueprint for his economic agenda was his vote for the biggest tax increase in American history he supported in 1993," Schmidt said.

The 1993 vote was in favor of President Clinton's plan to cut the deficit by $469 billion over five years, including some tax increases. It passed by one vote without any GOP support.

The call for a renewed focus on voters comes after days of exchanges between Republicans and Democrats over five medals awarded Kerry during the Vietnam War.

The Kerry campaign says Bush used a newly formed veterans' group not subject to campaign spending limits to attack his character. Those veterans say Kerry distorted his war experiences to win the medals, but their accounts in a television ad have been disputed by Navy records and veterans who served on Kerry's boat.

Bush on Monday criticized television spots run by all independent political groups as "bad for the system." Asked specifically about the anti-Kerry ad aired by the veterans' group, the president said, "That means that ad, every other ad."

Schmidt said Kerry has stood by while similar independent groups aligned with Democrats spend millions on ads against the president.

"John Kerry has been relentlessly negative," he said. "John Kerry has refused to condemn those ads."

The charge and countercharge saw both sides produce veterans whose accounts of the incidents that led to Kerry's war commendations.

Officials with the Kerry campaign, who count his war service as one of his biggest assets, say they have posted everything in Kerry's Navy file on his campaign Web site. The campaign said when the Navy sent Kerry his military file, it did not include his medical records, but Kerry had copies in his personal files.

On April 23, the Kerry campaign allowed 19 reporters who were traveling with him, including one from The Associated Press, to view the 36-page medical file for about 30 minutes while simultaneously interviewing his personal physician on a conference call. The physician wrote a three-page summary of the file that was posted on the Web site.

The Kerry campaign would not allow the AP to have a medical reporter present during that review and denied a request this week for a more substantial review. Kerry also has refused to release a journal he kept during his time in Vietnam, although parts were excerpted in Douglas Brinkley's book "Tour of Duty."

Bush released hundreds of pages of military documents but did not post them on a Web site. Bush also gave reporters limited access to his wartime medical records.

In Oregon, several pro-Kerry veterans called on a Clackamas County district attorney's office employee to resign after he appeared in an ad sponsored by an anti-Kerry group. Alfred French said in the ad and swore in an affidavit, "I served with John Kerry ... He is lying about his record." French subsequently acknowledged he relied on the accounts of other veterans and did not witness Kerry in combat.

[kg_veteran]

I wish John Kerry would just talk about what he wants to do rather than saying Bush has no plan. And talk in specifics. Don't say, "I want to make healthcare, education, and energy cheaper". Tell me how you plan to do it. What does "energy independence" and "rebuilding our alliances" mean to you, John? Tell me how you plan to achieve that. And please, for goodness sakes, don't whine about "slogans" and "attacks" while using cheesy rhetoric yourself ("fear and smear").

[dude1394]

He had kg. He wants to raise taxes like hell on everyone to do it. What don't you understand about the most liberal senator in the country? He just won't say it out loud.

[LRB]

Kerry has a big bag of nothing when it comes to debating the issues. Well he has 2 things. 1. ) raise taxes on those making 200K + per year to create new jobs. Of course just how raising taxes will create jobs is a complet mysterery but we should trust him. 2.) Anything Bush wants to do is bad.

Kerry spoke out about reducing our troops overseas and in specific the Korean penisula. However Kerry produced no detailed plan to do so. Bush comes out and says he has a detailed plan to reduce troops over the next few years. Kerry responds that the plan is bad but fails to offer a detailed plan to take it's place.

Bush stands by his decision to invade Iraq. Kerry fails to say whether he would or would not have done this, only that Bush did it wrong. Kerry refuses to offer details.

So and on and on. Kerry is a hollow shell of fabricated lies, slogans, and smear tactics against Bush. Take those away and you have nothing.

[kg_veteran]

Originally posted by: dude1394
He had kg. He wants to raise taxes like hell on everyone to do it. What don't you understand about the most liberal senator in the country? He just won't say it out loud.

I understand where he stands, but I want him to tell the country, because a lot of people don't.

[kg_veteran]

I just noticed when reading the CNN report on this speech the following quote:

"You can't lead America by misleading the American people," said Kerry, who has been struggling in recent days against charges -- denounced by Democrats as smear tactics -- that he lied about his actions in Vietnam that won five military medals.

"They have no plans, no positive vision and no understanding of an urgent and undeniable truth, a strong America begins at home," Kerry said in a speech blocks from the site of next week's Republican National Convention.

You know, I couldn't agree more. You can't lead America if you're going to mislead the American people. If you're going to tell America that you were in Cambodia on Christmas in 1968 when you know that was false, you're misleading the American people. When you tell America that our soldiers are war criminals when in fact they were not, you're misleading the American people.

Thanks for establishing that, John.

[dude1394]

Like most liberals,they have to run "from" their record and core beliefs to get elected.

[LRB]

"They have obviously decided that some people will believe anything, no matter how fictional or how far-fetched, if they just repeat it often enough.

Like how you were in Cambodia on Christmas Eve 1968 Mr. Kerry? Oh what wicked web we weave when when first attempt to decieve.

[Drbio]

Originally posted by: kg_veteran

I understand where he stands, but I want him to tell the country, because a lot of people don't.

Exactly. Has there been a worse dimocratic candidate ever? Even Gore was better. sheesh.

[MavKikiNYC]

"You can't cover up reality with a few empty slogans."

Such as...."Fear and smear" ?

[LRB]

Originally posted by: MavKikiNYC

Such as...."Fear and smear" ?

Still I guess it's better than Clinton's slogan for his worldwide strip club tour, "Leers and Beers"

[Drbio]

I thought Clintoon's motto was Lowenbrau's and Cow's. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img]

[knowitall]

Fear and Smear. Yes, it's silly. So is "The heavy lifting is over".

[dude1394]

Right..

August 24, 2004
Flashbacks

Max Cleland, 19 August 2004:

You know, this is a great country, everybody has got a right to their opinion and to vote the way they want to vote. But why trash somebody's record?

Terry McAullife, 2 February 2004:

"I look forward to that debate when Senator John Kerry, a war hero with a chest full of medals, is standing next to George Bush, a man who was AWOL in the Alabama National Guards.

You have your debate Terry- except Bush isn't involved. Doesn't seem like you like it that much anymore, you pompous windbag.

[Max Power]

Originally posted by: Drbio

Exactly. Has there been a worse dimocratic candidate ever? Even Gore was better. sheesh.

Michael Dukakis???

[LRB]

Originally posted by: Max Power

Michael Dukakis???

I'd take Dukakis over Kerry any day.