advice to john kerry by the rude pundit

excerpts:
"Look, dude, you became the nominee almost by default. If Edwards had had a house to mortgage for 6 mill, you’d be history. If the press hadn’t gotten so scared of Dean, you’d be toast. And if Gore – oh, let’s just not go there. It’s just so goddamn tragic. So you are the man. And you’re being perceived as hemorrhaging. Now is the critical time. You can’t let people go into the summer thinking certain things about you. It’s time to change the rules. It's time to get ahead of the game. It's time to start fucking with them."

<SNIP>

"It’s time to trot out the “l” word. Not “liberal,” you stupid fuckers. “Liar.” It’s time to start calling things “lies.” People don’t hear when you are saying everything but “lie.” "Mislead,""prevaricate,""misinterpret," whatever - too many syllables. It’s like Condoleeza Rice insisting that she wasn’t given a “plan” for dealing with al-Qaeda, just a “series of actionable suggestions” or whatever the fuck she said.

Start calling Bush a “liar” and demonstrate it in the easiest way possible: use his own words against him. Use hardcore facts, things not open to interpretation, like pledging $15 billion to fight AIDS in Africa and then requesting only a couple hundred million from Congress. Force Bush to respond. Don’t fuck with Cheney. Don’t fuck with Rumsfeld. Don’t fuck with any of the surrogates he sends out to attack you. The press has given Bush a free pass on the lies, and they will continue to do so until someone with your stature and recognition and place in the news cycle comes along and starts to say the words “lie,” “lying,” and “liar.” Then maybe, just maybe, the press will be forced to do its job and fact check. It’s very simple: Bush has given you tons of material. Make him have to use nuance to defend himself - that'll only make your allegations stronger.

Don’t say, “Here’s a President who says one thing and does another” or “Here’s a President who takes photo ops with schoolchildren and then doesn’t fund the programs that affect them.” Say, “Here’s a President who lies. Do you want a President who lies and then lies about lying?” Make the ad: “George Bush: Liar.” No one ever started a bar fight over a "prevarication" or an "exaggeration."

http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/

I wonder why he won't take it.

he's going to be looking for a job come November.

I hate to say it (and I don't endorse it), but Bushco is very organized and focused, and getting away with every reprehensible action. Kerry needs to get out and fight - and I'm not hearing anything that makes me think he can just cruise to the finish line.

Time to hit * hard!

his senate term will continue for another 4 years.

Kerry need to start hitting back and hard. Go after Bush like they are going after Kerry. Don't pull any punches. When a sitting President (even a court appointed part-time one) is up for re-election it is a referendum on him. Make Bush the issue. When he lies (hint: when he's speaks, he lies) call him on it. When they question Kerry's Vietnam record ask why Bush stopped flying. When they imply that the Iraq invasion is part of the "War on Terra" ask where are the WMDs. Tell it like it is. This election is about Bush and Bush is not competent to be President. Go out there and shout that message!

but if you say "Lies Lies Lies" all over the place, then wham! they "uncover" WMD (that they planted) Kerry is completely FUCKED. This is why Kerry always covers his ass with "they may still find WMD", he's not going to give Bush the leverage to annihilate him.

Bush is waiting for an emotional response. In my opinion, the lies expose themselves - each one piling on top of the other until the cumulative weight becomes too much to possibly bear. (though admittedly, these people have a remarkable threshold of guilt)

Perhaps using the full arsenal of accusations of lying will prove useful at some point, but its too early to bring out the big guns- especially when Bush is waning already. Use those to finish him off once he's down.

self destructing

hell yeah