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Did Kerry make a "gaffe" with his comments about the "Southern" vote?

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kentuck Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-26-04 03:24 PM
Original message
Did Kerry make a "gaffe" with his comments about the "Southern" vote?
Considering that many voters in OK and MO consider themselves 'Southerners'? Will it boil to the surface before the primaries next week? If it does, how much damage could it do to his campaign?

If he was saying that "Southern" voters should be treated no differently than voters anywhere else in the country, then his comments should have no bearing on next week's primaries. However, if they are interpreted as something different, then it could affect his support. Any ideas?
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Davis_X_Machina Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-26-04 03:26 PM
Response to Original message
1. No.
Dean 'makes gaffes'.
Kerry 'looks presidential'.
Edwards is 'young and untested'.
Clark is a 'maverick outsider'.

Sheesh -- some people don't read their memos.
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NWHarkness Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-26-04 03:28 PM
Response to Original message
2. How was it a "gaffe"?
If you are referring to Kerry's remarks that southern voters are concerned about the same issues as voters elsewhere in the country, I don't understand why there would be a problem.

If anything, I would hope that such an approach would be appreciated by southern voters, in contrast to the often condescending way they are treated by non-southern politicians.
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LuminousX Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-26-04 03:28 PM
Response to Original message
3. It was just as bad as Dean's comments about caucuses
If you think such a thing is bad, then it is bad. If you are like me and tend to wax realistic, then it isn't bad.
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WiseMen Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-26-04 03:30 PM
Response to Reply #3
5. What was bad about Dean's comment? I don't think it was an issue.
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NewYorkerfromMass Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-26-04 03:29 PM
Response to Original message
4. Kerry: "The South is not a foreign country"
He had a great clarification today:

"The South is not a foreign country," he said. "If all they want to do in this campaign is throw labels around, they've got a problem."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/01/26/politics1351EST0647.DTL&type=printable
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LuminousX Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-26-04 03:31 PM
Response to Reply #4
6. Sounds like another candidate who wanted to counter GOP
talking points in the south with the facts that GOP policies hurt everyone in the south because GOP policies hurt lower/middle class people.
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NewYorkerfromMass Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-26-04 03:42 PM
Response to Reply #6
9. "like" is not "is". He didn't say anything potentially inflammatory
as some others have.
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kentuck Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-26-04 03:32 PM
Response to Reply #4
8. If that is what Kerry said, then....
I think that is he best way to campaign in the South. It is not a foreign country.
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TacticalPeek Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-26-04 03:31 PM
Response to Original message
7. Makes me wonder
what his internal polling says about his support in the South.
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TopesJunkie Donating Member (979 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-26-04 03:43 PM
Response to Original message
10. Yes, a rather large one, in fact --
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mitchtv Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-26-04 04:14 PM
Response to Original message
11. if someone is "offended" by that
I daresay they won't be voting Dem anyway.
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BootinUp Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-26-04 04:19 PM
Response to Original message
12. It was a gaffe because it will bring more attention
to the fact he is weak in the South relative to some of the other candidates. He would be better to point out positions he thinks will play well there. And not make statements that sound like he doesn't expect to do well there, which is how it sounded.
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cthrumatrix Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-26-04 04:24 PM
Response to Reply #12
13. it doesn't seem that bad.... let the people decide...the media always
trying to paint each candidate...

And I'm a dean supporter...I'm tired of these attacks by the media.
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emulatorloo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-26-04 05:02 PM
Response to Original message
14. He said the L Word
"If the worst they can say about me is that I'm a liberal or something, bring it on," he said. "I'll take that anywhere in the country."

That is thrilling. . . . . . .
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Jacobin Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-26-04 05:06 PM
Response to Original message
15. The problem is bigger than the "south"
Red states go all the way from the southeastern states up to Oregon.

Blaming the "south" doesn't cut it.

He has a problem. Big problem, calling it a "southern" problem is an attempt to minimize it.
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TLM Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-26-04 05:08 PM
Response to Original message
16. No, it is only a gaff if Dean says it....


If Kerry says it, it is an indication of his evolution as a candidate.
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