Could someone tell me what idiot told Kerry to go on a ski vacation?

I know he is entitled to spend his free time however he wants, but he couldn't look more like an elitist, limousine liberal if he tried.

Starting like TOMMORROW. geez

like the chimp! Maybe he doesn't fake being a good ole boy rancher like some photo op candidates. Maybe he's REAL!

Let Bush & Co. roll around in the mud and sling about...let Kerry come back from vacation looking fresh as a daisy but I wish he would begin a series of "let me tell you what I'd for this country and let the PEOPLE define me..." He should defend the mud slings but focus on the positive things he'd do...now would be a great time to announce his VP...like Edwards... What a positive image that would be to counter smirky bully tactics!!! Go John!!!

I just read that on another thread.

This type of behavior has costed dems many elections before. Go ahead and pass it off however you want, but I don't think we should be risking it. Kerry should be giving 100% until the last ballot is counted. There is no excuse not to with the stakes so high.

1. Kerry certainly should be allowed a small vacation.

2. He looks absolutely gorgeous on that ski.

3. No such word as "costed". I know I'm anal, but using the spellcheck we now have would have prevented that small error. Please forgive this spelling policeman; it's in the blood.

On Edit: Welcome to DU, I think.

JK just passed the magic number of delegates needed for the Dem nomination (no one can possibly get more delegates now).

The first anniversary of the Iraq invasion was coming up(and major world protests): if JK is in one of the big cities, reporters would ask why he either was or wasn't joining the protest; Dems would be divided over JK's decision either way; and repukes would have a JK Hate Fest on Fox.

Clarke's book would be coming out, and JK could actually enjoy watching the WH squirm.

Also, JK could be sure that TV cameras would show him doing the jock sport thing (which he enjoys) and hopefully contrast him with the freak monkey.

IMHO, this was the perfect week for JK's vacation!

I think Kerry's decision to go skiing this week and weekend was an early campaign misstep. A hard-earned vacation following the campaign is fine; a less visible one would be preferable.

And I am not responding to the current partisan whinings of Kerry's luxurious vacation. I'm responding because, well, I was turned off by the vacation to begin with.

All that being said, I imagine Kerry will be back to work on Monday, as it's going to be a bad week for the Chimpers, what with the war anniversary raising questions; the massive worldwide protests, tomorrow's 60 Minutes episode...

ON EDIT: Josh Marshall's Talking Points Memo addresses this concern in its most recent (09:53 AM ET) entry. He's questioning not the vacation itself, but rather the cheap opportunity the vacation affords right-wing spinners. It's a good read.

Excerpt from Josh's site:

A thought: if your opponent has $100 million to portray you as an effete snob, don't go on vacation to a fancy ski resort in Idaho.

In a few days, we'll all find out whether Kerry's a true pit bull old-school Dem fighter, won't we? It's going to be a whacko week. But we have to steel our resolve, and be willing to defend our candidate, no matter the circumstances or triteness they throw in our direction.

At any rate... he should have gone camping. :+

I hate to admit it but there are times when Kerry has to be a little phony, grit his teeth, and act like a regular guy. He could get just as much R and R at a more middle-class place. Not at his $4.9 million vacation home.

Very bad timing. Is Terry McAuliffe still giving campaign advice?

Richarc Clarke, Clinton people testifying before the 9/11 commission ...

I find it far preferable for our candidate to spend it snowboarding with the press present than on a month-long dude ranch/survivalist compound/fundraising rally surrounded by taxpayer-funded bouncers like a certain drugstore cowboy we know.

This stuff in Josh Marshall's column, quoting Clarke - about the COLD WAR MINDSET of these jerks when they took over, well...

When you have an acknowledged SOVIETOLOGIST - Condoleezza Rice's speciality. She's a SOVIETOLOGIST, specializing in the SOVIET UNION - which ceased to exist, years ago. So she's a specialist in an adversary that DOESN'T EVEN EXIST, and hasn't, for more than a decade. Yet, there she is, with all her SOVIETOLOGIST savvy, advising the pResident of the United States on National Security issues. JEEZ!!!

I knew there'd be trouble the minute I heard of her being named, and what her expertise was.

And YES! Kerry had no business taking time off now, on the ski slopes, or anywhere else, for that matter. There'll be time enough to take a vacation after the election's over, and hopefully, WON.

and it beats putting on a stupid cowboy hat and chopping wood.

I thought he looked great -- healthy, athletic, and actually rather cool in those shades.

hell, if I could go skiing (snowboarding rather) I'd be doing that right now!

Time would be better spent picking apart the MANY inconsistancies in shrubby's "speeches" than wondering why Kerry relaxed for the weekend, doing something that really isn't elitist anymore (since many Americans ski or snowboard).

You don't have to be an elitist to ski. It takes way less money to go skiing than it does to own and run a "ranch" like Bush* does. There are many places where you can still go skiing for like $30. A lot of people here in Canada ask me if I've gone skiing at Aspen. I say "hell no! $70 lift tix are for losers". Skiing can be done on the cheap. Just look at all the people out there who show up in the old VW Bus with their beat-up old boards and skis. My favorite place in Colorado offers 4 tix for $80.

I'm afraid your characterization of skiing is incorrect.

I'm proud to be a ski bum.

past-time...

... aren't going to buy it.

I bought the goods, as packaged. Kerry's loaded, he married a multi-millionaire, he's Ivy-League, elite, from Massachusetts.

It's just that I am none of the above. I'm also not a lying manipulative fortunate son who was handed the presidency, so I'm more inclined to agree with Kerry's message.

Dammit, the skiing doesn't help things one bit. He'll bounce back, but I'd be more than pleased if he put the skis in storage until next January. Vacations and down-time are understandable; many Americans dream of such things. But far too many average Americans are going to buy into this obvious (to us) personal slam on Kerry and Teresa, and they needn't set themselves up for wars that aren't necessary to fight...

My problem with the entire thing was that it was SO high profile.

We were coming off the Madrid attacks, huge bombs going off in Iraq.
We lost a lot of troops this week, & then the Afghanistan thing.

We have about 150,000 troops in a combat zone, & they're being shot at. Madrid experiences its' own 9/11, & thousands of troops are hunting Al Queda in Afghanistan.

And Kerry takes a Much Covered vacation to a fancy resort & is trailed by packs of media, etc. It doen't smell right. We all know Kerry is wealthy, & Americans have no problem with that. It's just that it looked phoney.

I think he needed a break, & deserved a vacation. But why didn't he go someplace private & keep a low profile. He should have disappeared for a week. That's the beauty of Secret Service: they can give you privacy. And although I've been criticized for posting this, the incident with the SS on the slopes, didn't help.

In summation: Is it a big deal? No. But people are watching Kerry & Bush, perhaps subconsciously, maybe just getting sound bites. And the majority of Americans don't KNOW Kerry.

He can either introduce himself in a good way, or he can let The Bushes introduce him. And the Bushes won this round.

forget about 'low profile' for awhile..... :shrug:

They may NOT be your average Joe, but if they were you would never hear about them. You need money to make it in politics and get your name out ... as unfortunate as that is, it's the truth. So Kerry married a millionaire and you don't think that he'd fit in too well down at the local McDonald's or Joe's Diner ... chances are, if he didn't marry that millionaire, we would be saying John who??

Naked truth: the average American will never be a presidential nominee. More Americans need to stop nit-picking about what Kerry is doing in his personal time and comparing it to what he or she can do in their own personal time and pay more attention to who will make a better president for the next four years.

Ideal, I know ... it just points out one of many MAJOR flaws in this country and with our people.

Sure, it would appeal to the midwesterners, the southerners and the general macho-man crowd. But then wouldn't it alienate the vegans, vegitarians et. al. who we are trying to win over so they don't vote for Nader? Sounds like a catch-22.

I'm tellin ya skiing is no big deal. Read my original post. That's 4 lift tickets for $80. You and three buddies pay $20 apiece to ski. Add 5 bucks to stash some sandwitches and Gatorade in your backpack, and everyone chip in another five dollars for gas. That's a whole day of fun for $30. Makes going to Disneyland seem elitist by comparison.

edit for clarity

On re-edit:
The above scenario I described takes place in Colorado, about an hour from Denver. I'm sure in Idaho prices are much lower. The huge vacation house is one thing, but there aren't any photos of that. My biggest problem with all of this is that he's on a snowboard. As a skiier, there would be natural friction between us. I'll let it slide, however, just as long as he doesn't sit in the middle of the run like some boarders do.

vacations to Colorado, we even have some stupid fake ski hills in the state.

and made a point of how he doesn't go to Gstaad or Aspen or whereverthehell, he goes to Joe's Ski Slope just like other people do who want to ski and can't afford to waste money being trendy.

well off. Owning skis was never an option for lower income people I knew including my family. It's little experiences like that that forge our animosity towards people who will never know close to the sum of it all like Kerry.

I believe I'd counter with the "40 day vacation" DURING the time that he was given the famous August briefing.


BRING IT ON

She said he looked good and fit. So there.

Did he ride a limo down the hill?

Geez, man, get a grip. If our future President wants to go on a ski vacation he's allowed. Now, once we're paying him in tax dollars, ok, we can complain. Until then, quit yer bitchin'.

:thumbsup:

This thread itself is detrimental to Kerry. We have hundreds of lurkers, ya know?

Gee, at least he didn't go to France! Also, why would he go elsewhere when he has a "place" in Idaho?

good to the younger crowd and I think it's going to do him good with the 20 somethings.
It's a long time before the election and I don't think he has to be out in the field constantly to react to what Rove is doing. He knows that this is bush's week to wear the war mantle.
They aren't stupid and I believe this is a part of a strategy. Let bush make noise this week as the war prez and then come back on the attack.
I trust their judgment.

Shows Kerry with a ten point edge in this particular age group.

with facts (in some situations) :)

Kerry 2004

:eyes:

he does go over with you young pups.
But I guess that's why you don't want to talk about the poll :)

:)

Meanwhile...back in the jungle

Kerry has a good lead in all of the state polls in the states carrying the largest amount of electoral votes.

There is a great site...Real Clear Politics, that givess every poll,national and state, and gives a breakdown of the point spread in these polls as well as showing if Bush is doing better or worse in states he won in 2000 its at:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/

Latest Zogby Polls nationally have Bush and Kerry neck and neck:

Kerry 48, Bush 46; With Nader It's a Tie; Kerry Leads Big in the Blues, Bush Leads Big in the Reds; Bush Preferred If Terror Hits US, New Zogby International Poll Reveals



With less than eight months to go before the presidential election, likely voters are almost evenly divided in their support for a candidate to capture the White House in November. Massachusetts Senator John Kerry holds a slight edge of 48% to 46% over President George W. Bush.

Candidate
March 17-19 %

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry
48

President George W. Bush
46

Undecided
5


When Independent candidate Ralph Nader is added, Kerry and Bush are tied with 46% each, followed by Nader at 3%.

Candidate
March 17-19 %

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry
46

President George W. Bush
46

Independent Ralph Nader
3

Undecided
5


In the Blue States, those that were won by former Vice-President Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election, Kerry receives 56% support, as compared to Bush with 38%. However, in the Red States, those won by President Bush in 2000, Bush leads with 53% to Kerry’s 40%.

http://zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=812

Oh but, that's so yesterday. Now it's pig shit, horse shit, and bullshit.

and people were drawn to them because of that. Intelligence, education and accomplishment were once admired, and if people didn't have those things, they wanted them for their kids. Now, I'm afraid "Joe Sixpack" prefers, in your words, "pig shit, horse shit, and bullshit." Ever listen to the country songs so popular in the "heartland"? I do, and enjoy them, but the message always is celebration of a simple, limited life, and acceptance of your lot. Skiing at a Western resort is as foreign to most people as France. I am desperate to win this election, and I wish Kerry had stayed off the slopes.

Clinton was about as Joe Sixpack as presidents come. And there are plenty of Joe Sixpacks--or at least Mrs. Joe Sixpacks--who cried and rent their garments when Di died. "You can't please everybody." When it comes to this kind of thing, I think, "don't bother." And pre-emptive criticism to deflect criticism from the Other Side *never* works, p.s.

Golly, gee whiz, how many of them are going to vote for Kerry no matter what he does. Do you suggest a beer party at a local roadhouse, arriving in a red pickup with a confederate flag and rifle rack? Send in your ideas to the Kerry campaign.

Aren't we all a lot tired of people who pretend to be other than they are? Kerry is athletic; he has a "home" in ski country. This is a no-brainer.

For God's sake, he looked wonderful out there and it got press. I hope it was a good "rest" for him. He's looking great to me, and everyone knows he was not my primary candidate.

I might also point out that he certainly needs no grief from fellow democrats. Shame on you.

GOOD FOR KERRY!

NASCAR racing ain't for chumps.

Anyway - BFD he's skiing, he has a home in Idaho. Kennedy liked to cruise around on his yacht.

Let's not let them define Kerry. He's rich and that's a fact. I can respect that more than some Yale cheerleader buying a friggen pig farm the year before running for an election and trying to be a cowboy who can't ride a horse. Then there was the little business about having to be told by a reporter which end of a chainsaw is the business end.

*bush is a farce, his life is a farce and his pResidency is a farce.

Let Kerry be who he is. The Real Deal!

Peace

Hey, I love skiing as much as the next flatlander who has to save, and travel to do so. The RW attack isn't against skiing. It's against elitism.

Now, we all know that the powers-that-be are, themselves, elite exotic-vacation-loving Republicans. The hypocrisy surrounding this story is fascinating, but it shouldn't be surprising to anyone who reads these boards.

I guess my beef is this... shouldn't the Kerry folk know better? They provided their opponents with the cheapest attack imaginable. Gratis, go for it, bring it on. It's going to take one great liberal journalist to propel the obvious Bush elitism, even at the taxpayers' expense, and we shouldn't be holding our breaths for that to happen. However, this issue is the kind of stuff I was worried about when we nominated Kerry in the first place...

Listen, I'm for Kerry, but these are horrible press decisions.

I just don't think everyday people are going to pay all that much attention. Of course, we will and the freepers will. Cable will be filled with cheap shots and lies but, if I remember 2000 doesn't make a bit of difference because the 'liberal' media will spin it the way their bosses tell them.

We've got a few more months left to this campaign. The economy doesn't look good, yet. And more and more people are getting pissed that their tax money is going to rebuild Iraq. Which I think they care more about since they don't have to pay for Kerry's ski trips.

I could be wrong - it's happened. Once ;)

Well let's see what the week brings and I promise to eat a full plate of crow if this becomes a major scandal. You post, I'll bring bib and fork. :toast:

drip, drip, drip.

Their defnitions of drip are personal-based, trite, and frankly ridiculous.

Ours are meritous, grave, and impending.

This is the stuff elections are made of.

It's going to be a long few months. I just have to say that I still think we'll pull it off, because I hold hope that Americans are smarter than given credit for, and pay more attention to the content of drip than we're aware.

But I'm crossing my fingers, and taking one helluva faith-based leap.

Yowch!!!!!!!!!

As an aside, golf sucks.

:+

I agree with the post below, this is the all time silliest thread on DU ever. Skiing is elitist. :crazy:

Here in Colorado, nobody thinks skiing is elitist because pretty much everybody skis.

Golf is elitist! :evilgrin: pffffft ;)

the $4.9 million vacation home. It will hurt him. Most working-class people can't afford to take a week off in March to go on a ski vacation. He has to try to act like one of us.

Well, we didn't nominate "one of us."

We could have nominated Kucinich, but then everyone would be criticizing him for speaking at protests.

this wealthy Senator should go to Nascar races and rodeos, that would look fantastic.

He should also start talking like an idiot, just so the man on the street can relate.

You don't need to raise it to an art form like W, but you have to try to not give your enemies an easy shot.

pretending he doesn't ski would be over the top.

Hi Cocoa :hi:

makes him look very immature and caused the whole SOB incident. Chimp is out there addressing troops and Kerry is flying around on a snowboard, doesn't look good to the 'average joe'. :argh:

This could be attractive to the younger generation here. It was as hip today as the picture of Pope John Paul II going skiing sometime after his ordination as Pope in the late 70's; I recall the kids thinking of him as hip.

This is being blown out of proportion...

He allowed the press to go with him snowboarding? Geez!

Kerry's vacation will be forgotten next week. And he'll have gotten some much needed R & R.

I can't believe that people will criticize him for some time off now....would anyone here possibly want to face the assault JK will be enduring for the next 8 months?

Bush is getting all the attention he wants with Kerry on vacation.

...wish they could afford to go on a vacation. Or had jobs that gave them the money and vacation time to go away and relax.

That sounds like a plan. Let me know when he keels over from exhaustion.

:eyes:

Picture this:
Kerry on a snowboard versus the Chimp tripping over a Segway.

.

and that he's doing more than skiing. The political climate has cooled down--he's rested and ready to go.

I just had a very different impression. I saw a physically fit man doing something he loves. The picture of him snow shoeing got me. He seems to be able to perservere.

I think Hockey costs more than skiing in most instances btw.

I don't know but I think Kerry would be stupid to pretend to be something he isn't. He needs to embrace who he is and not be a phony like *. It might be a good time to run some ads about the wealth * has though.

I think Kerry desperately needed this vacation. The guy seemed exhausted and would not be able to withstand the GE if he didn't take a break. I'm glad he is vacationing.

It was a bad move. I am a Kerry supporter and don't get me wrong. The man has a right to vacation whereever he chooses. Down time would have been better or my strategy for his vacation would have been a Family vacation with his entire family shown either on the slopes or by a fire. The vast majority only know him by what Bush is saying or what the vets against Kerry are saying.

People see pics like these and see Princess Diana or envisions of something the majority cannot relate to. By tht I mean the economy has tanked so that, the majority cannot afford a vacation. True he is wealthy but he has not picked his running mate to counter attack.

I personally think he shows he is healthy and fit but right now all eyes and the majority of those eyes are beaten down and looking for some one they can relate to..even if its a lie. Bush is just as wealthy if not more so but old Redneck Joe can identify cause he's a man's man. I may be wrong but I think this was not the time for a ski trip. The press is already calling it Blue Blood Sking.

Kerry's an "elitist, limousine liberal" becuase he took a ski vacation after campaigning non-stop for almost two years?!?

Do you realize that he would be attacked for ANYTHING he did on vacation. He chose skiing, so they attack him for skiing.

If he went to the caribbean to lay on the beach, they'd call him a rich playboy gadabout. If he stayed home, they'd say he's hiding from the campaign, paralyzed by Bush's attacks. If he spent it building homes for Habitat for Humanity, they'd call him a sanctimonious phony.

There is NOTHING he could've done during a vacation that wouldn't be attacked, so he may as well have picked something he enjoys, and that shows him to be young, vital, strong and healthy.

Silly to me is going on a canned pheasant hunt to shoot up some tame birds, or spending all of August at a pig farm in central Texas in 110F heat.

Every thing Kerry does, and some things he doesn't, will be attacked.

As for the SOB comment, I think most guys would have said the same thing. Makes him sound more like a regular guy.

If he wanted to ski as an effete snob, he could have went heli-skiing in private.

Which is exactly why he shouldn't have taken a vacation in the first place.

Contrary to popular belief, slow and steady occasionally really does win the race. Better he should get some R & R now; there's going to be plenty of sleepless days and nights ahead.

and they calculated that it'd be worth more than the stories portraying him as elitist.

Furthermore, the guy's just about the richest person ever to run for president. He can't run from his class without looking like a fake. The only alternative is to embrace it.

it's early, and Kerry will have plenty of time to blast Bush and his record . . . if he needs some time to recharge his batteries before the campaign, best to get it early, before the real battle engages . . .

Geez...

act like he was toking on a joint. Kerry or his media consultant seem to think that being "rad" and acting "cool" will garner him some votes from some obscure faction of American voters.

The problem is, Kerry is 60 years old and there is no way in hell he's gonna come across as cool to generation X, in fact, it's troubling to see him pandering this way to a segment of voters that rarely even vote. Kerry would have been better off to take Tereasa to some romantic location and atleast appear to be a dutiful husband.

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This just another post from someone not inclined to like Kerry. You know what? I'm not part of any campaign, not even the one here at DU. Folks who feel free to hurl insults at decent men like John Kerry make me sick to my stomach.

What in the world can be accomplished by someone spreading insults about our own candidate? Kerry skis, snowboards, plays hockey. On what planet are these things elitist? Compared to what? Compared to who? What the hell does Bush actually do with his time?

It seems incredibly desperate to come on to a Democratic board and insult the nominee. Many do it everyday here. Kerry won't be able to elect himself. He will need the loyal support of those who can't tolerate another Bush term.

So, LaLaLa! Kerry looks like an elitist! Kerry took a couple day's vacation! Let's drag him down and not support him now! WHY DON'T WE JUST HAND BUSH THE ELECTION!!

I know what's going on here, but I can't do a thing to stop it. But I don't think folks will stand with those who bash their own. These petty pied pipers of cynicism. "But But But I will support Kerry in the general election," they say. I don't believe them. Those who would come here to throw petty insults our nominee don't appear to me to give a wit about unseating Bush. So back at cha MikeG with your elitist crack. It's worth as much as any of the bullshit that the republicans have thrown at our nominee so far. It doesn't help that their bullshit machine is in full gear. Thanks for the insult. It is the crowning moment in a night of wading through the incredible lies that form the opposition's case against Kerry. I don't buy the line that Kerry has a problem with his actions or his statements, which are miles away from the idiocy of Bush. I think the problem is that the political establishment and their entrenched media hack machine is in full gear. Unfortunately there is a mindless sector of our party who won't acknowlege this and comport their activities and their rhetoric to support our nominee. Thanks for adding to the mindless bullshit. :mad:

Well, I don't, but that's beside the point. He's hitting the slopes in the good ol' heartland. BFD. Anyway, generally, we *like* rich people and their fancy lifestyles, remember? Or have you forgotten all the not-so-thinly veiled "white trash" slurs thrown at Clinton? Mary Matalin sneering at him for going to Burger King. You really can't win with these people; why bother playing their game? Let's stop with the handwringing over "making ourselves look bad," can we?

I concur, absolutely. As a matter of fact, this will be my last post on this thread. It's senseless.

BTW, I thought without Theresa's money that Kerry was only considered "moderately wealthy", and, please, don't come at me saying "He married money." No one, I'm sure this includes Kerry, looks at a balance sheet when they fall in love; and these two have serious feelings about each other. This is in regard to that comment "He's probably the richest man to run for the presidency." Comments, please.

he is gonna be open to every & any criticism.
IS he a liberal? Then by damn admit it and convince folks what a great thing it is to be a liberal!

The dems need to quit playing by the repubs terms....or they are gonna lose bigtime to the repubs.

We need to take a stand....we are not to be seen as wishy washy...walk your talk and stand by it.

There is no way you can please all the voters...if you are in your integrity then the f'in media can't spin you. People want someone to believe in...who truly stands for something and won't back down from it.

Take a look at DK- there is nothing to spin him on...so they ignored him...but they CAN'T with Kerry- he's the dem nominee for crying out loud (and I want to believe me)

I personally am very tired and frustrated having to struggle to pay the basic bills and yet I see a man who is running for pres- worth millions (billions)...asking for more campaign money...promising whatever he thinks will get him votes and hell, he's taking a vacation after missing what % of his senate votes this past year ?? How many of us can afford to do that?? And I am supposed to identify with this man enough to give him my vote?? and you are trying to tell me he is way different than the fake cowboy we have in there now??

For all those out there who do not see the lifestyle of John Kerry as a problem...I think you will have a rude awakening if you are counting on the votes of those Americans who are struggling financially.

just my 2 cents.....hope I'm wrong.
DR

vacation spot for the truly wealthy and elite in Idaho does not equate to time off at a pig farm in Crawford, Texas. What is he thinking or more appropriately, what is he not thinking?

.... worth over $4 million. That's where the elitism label comes in.

they will define him no matter WHAT the fuck he does.

Name me ONE vacation activity he could've done, and I'll tell you what the attack machine would twist it into.

Your mistaken premise is that the attacks are valid. They are not. Invalid attacks would be made against him no matter what he does.

But this is just more of the same old "repeat every right-wing attack" bullshit we've seen here for months. It's tiresome. If only there were another website dedicated to tearing down Kerry.....

are you angry at him and for what reason? HE is not the reason for your quandry - would you be better off or even alive in 4 years with another term of Bush, Inc?

I lost a 6 figure income due to this admin. I am struggling too. Thank goodness I got married. What if my husband leaves me or dies - I am voting for Kerry!

Motorcycle riding?

Nope. Too rough and macho.

Drag racing?

Nope. Gas...

Hunting?

Nope. Yunno...

Tennis?

Nope. It's for rich people.

Disney Land?

Nope.....

Where should Kerry go on vacation? What should he do?

It signalled a man who doesn't know that tens of thousands of Dems have been working their hearts out for the past eleven + years to keep Republicans from fully gutting and flaying this land of liberty -- since the day Monica's name became news and it became apparent that the VRWC intended to take our president out in a coup. I know too many people who have sacrificed their work, their family time, their own health to fight back every freaking day.

From where I sit, this is a man who only in the last few months began to fight, and only when a lucky break gave him a clear shot at the WH. From where I sit, I've worked myself ragged as a citizen activist, largely because we had no leader who could take the fight to Republicans.

Kerry taking a vacation in such a high profile way in the first days of the campaign makes me mad. We're in the fight of a generation. I'm not sure he really, truly gets it.

is hanging on him. What the photo-ops of this Idaho Vacation said to me is that its more about his "athletic prowess" than about the "seriousness" of his candidacy in these dire times.

You said it well. :thumbsup:

and I will tell you what the attack machine would spin it into.

Geez, the readiness with which people here accept every right-wing attack against Kerry is insane.

It's hilarious.

We may as well give up now if our candidate can't even snowboard.

He shouldn't have taken some time to recreate. He should have campaigned until he dropped dead...:eyes:

He will be less tired when he comes back and he will be in a better condition to fight. It's not as if no one is attacking Bush.
Dems like Dean and Clark are out there hitting homeruns.
There is a quite successful fundraiser to collect 10 million in 10 days.
Clarke was out there with a big bang that there could have been made much more to prevent 911 (for god's sake!) but so many here have to worry about Kerry going skiing??

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after more than a year of grueling campaigning, plus his day job?? I think he'll come back sharper and more focused than before. He's probably not vacationing 24/7 anyway. I'm sure he and his staff are scrutinizing the * slime campaign and strategizing how to respond.

when I saw him on TV, which I must admit I thought was pretty cool for a Presidential candidate. Also, calling the secret service agent who crashed into him an *expletive* according to CNN, was also pretty funny. And rememberm Bush can't even ride a Segway without falling off. I think it was a good move and now the time has come for him to get back into the ring.

He has 8 months of campaigning. He was looking very tired, he needs to look rested and in good shape for the months ahead. I thought he looked so great on the slopes, could you picture the chimp snow boarding? My mom. 89, thought he sure looked sexy! Give him a break, I'm sure he is getting his ducks in a row so to speak.

Why are you buying into the RW spin? No matter what Kerry does, they'll trash it.

So he wanted to go skiing...big deal. A lot of my not-quite-rich friends go skiing or snowboarding on vacation. Big deal.

After a rather grueling primary season, plus waiting for the media to go after Bush once Clinton and his team testify next week as to what Bush was told about Al Qaeda during the transition which is bound to have a devastating effect on Bush's position as a leader in the fight against terrorism. Richard Clarkes Book on the entire eight months between Bush's Inauguration and 9/ 11 comes out tomorrow and it is loaded with the complete record of what was passed onto Bush and how most of it was ignored until 9/10/2001 the date which the Bush administration decided that they were going to set up a comittee to look at the information provided by Clinton in a few months.

where Clinton spent his vacation. What business is of yours?
The man has worked heard to win the primary and he needs and deserves the R&R. He loves sports so why wouldn't he like to snowboard? Lots of kids love snowboarding and they aren't elitist! If Bush can go sit on a bench at a Nascar race and win votes...why can't Kerry get some votes from winter sports enthusiasts?

His pole numbers went down...so what...he was on vacation and wasn't there to fight back...so that should be expected. Wait till he has had his R&R and he'll be right back there putting Georgie boy's foot back in his mouth. (I hope he has toe fungus)
Never fear! Kerry's here!

Could I be on the wrong forum?

So...

When soooo much is riding on it? I've gone for two or three years without a vacation before, and will likely do so again. I'm 100% behind Kerry, but he needs to suck it up for the next few months.

BAke

It sucks not to have a vacation, but even if I couldn't have one I wouldn't begrudge it to Kerry if I thought it would ultimately help him win, which I do. Those are going to be eight incredibly stressful months. And, contrary to a certain "president's" example, I'd just as soon he *doesn't* make vacation his priority *after* he's in office. Candidate burnout is very real. I say let the man take his rest when he can get it.

usual suspects...

Who cares if Kerry went skiing?

:eyes:

I would not worry about it.

Senator Kerry DOES NOT STAND ALONE.

General Wesley Clark is all over every threat. The General is "walking point". He is identifying the threats and responding with definitive force...not the force of muscle, but the force of intellect.

The General has vowed to continue this role as needed by Senator Kerry. When you have a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, twice Knighted by our allies, Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart awarded Four-Star General leading the way, Senator Kerry can rest assured that every attack that GWB and his minions can regurgitate toward the Senator will be answered and dealt with authority.

Senator Kerry rest now, the battle is not yet over. Allow your supporters to deal with this rift-raft called Bush. There is absolutely nothing that the Republicans can hurl at Senator Kerry that General Wesley Clark can not handle.

Senator your back is covered. Rest easy.

Saint N Memphis
A General Wesley Clark Moderate

Nobody begrudges Kerry a vacation at all. But his advisors should have been far more cautious about the *image* being communicated during this getaway, and at this particular time.

On the first anniversary of the Iraq invasion, with the media "reverently" covering * strutting around in front of troops and looking "strong on defense," and "acting like a leader," Kerry is off playing on the slopes at a posh Idaho ski resort.

The potent images of this sharp contrast in the behavior of the two candidates cannot help Kerry in the mind of the undecided voter who is concerned about issues of terrorism and strong leadership.

Most thinking people can discern that the two images are quite distinct and not connected. But "thinking" is the operative word -- far too many individuals would rather not think, and tend to accept media images and content at face value. It's unfortunate that the superficial gets so much shrift these days, but that's the reality.

IMO, this kind of blunder should not happen again -- it's simply handing ammo to the enemy; or at the very least, it's the Kerry campaign discharging that same ammo into its own foot.

On edit: typos

then he's pandering.

If I had the cash, I'd go skiing too. so would lotsa people. "limousine liberal" is used by people who think people always compromise their principles if they rise in income, then resent them when they do & resent 'em when they don't. Either way, people will always hate them because they're wealthy - so really the accuser is the one that has hangups about money.

well apart from the defeatists at DU.

at his ranch in Crawford. It's about time we had a president who knows how to get some fresh air and exercise that doesn't involve swinging an axe or operating a chain saw!

The photos of JK and his family skiing in Idaho are terrific and dammit, the man deserves a five day vacation after the grueling campaign primary season!

Chill out, why don't you?

* pretends to be a rancher and that he enjoys cutting brush on his "ranch" No one is fooled. The pickup and the brushcutting are just photo ops and everyone knows that. There is nothing more insulting to real working people than rich folks who play at working. Besides, skiing is not that elitist. Lots of ordinary folks do it. It certainly is not as elitist as Chaney shooting dozens of caged pheasants.

and rides in speedboats at that elitist "compound." He does the same at exclusive resorts in Florida. It's not all clearing brush.

But since it's Kerry- it's spun as elitism...

...How many ways ARE there to smear Democrats? Stay on DU long enough and you can count the ways...

Your thread is off base. Lots of people like sking and outdoor activities...

The problem is not that he looked elitist by going skiing on vacation. The problem is that he was gone skiing on the anniversary of a date that our young men and women were sent to war. We had people all across this country out protesting their hearts and souls against the actions this administration set into motion a year ago.

I'm sure many of our men and women in uniform were also looking at the support they would receive from both candidates on this important date. And what did they receive? On one side they see that * is visiting the soldiers and on the other you have Kerry off on vacation skiing while they are spilling their blood in a foreign land.

Yes, I think Kerry made a major mistake in taking his vacation on this particular date.

Very bad timing. He must not do anything like this again. Kerry has to stay in tune with what the hell is going on!
:kick:

Its amazing that its still going. I still stand by my statements.
By the way, I am not a freeper. I am a liberal and proud of it.

Kerry needs to stay out of the way while the Clarke revelations are being let out, and keep low key in order to come back next week so that the media focus can be on the Bush failure to monitor the activities of suspected Al Qaeda operatives in the U.S. While the media is paying no attention to Kerry.

HE can come back next week fresh and ready to attack an already worreid adn flustered Bush administration.

IN the primary

He tries to seem like a regular guy, by playing hockey and windsurfing, and freaking riding on a luxury motorcycle. But these are things I could never relate to because I don't come from a well off family. Prep School Hockey Players are not what independants in Florida and Arizona and Missouri tend to relate to.

Baseball team owner- okay pretty good.

Harvesting brush & fighting off the urge to booze it up- not so good. That's about it for Bush's interests...

Bush cant even stay on a scooter- remember those photos of him falling off one?....

Harley Davidson's may be expensive, but they are American made, and even middle & working class biker types save up for them...

I think when we compare the two men's private interests, Kerry comes across as much more interesting & dynamic...

...even if he loses every state that doesn't have a major ski resort.

I think he should ski more. :P
:D