Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

The guy who might cause Kerry to lose

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread		 This topic is archived.
Home » Discuss » Archives » General Discussion: Presidential (Through Nov 2009) Donate to DU
 
quaoar Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-04-04 08:59 AM
Original message
The guy who might cause Kerry to lose
Bob Shrum, whose track record in presidential campaigns is terrible. yet he is Kerry's chief speechwriter:

http://www.bostonmagazine.com/ArticleDisplay.php?id=397

Bob Shrum's fingerprints have been found at the scene of an uninterrupted string of Democratic presidential catastrophes over the past 30 years. Ed Muskie and George McGovern in 1972. Kennedy in 1980. Richard Gephardt and Michael Dukakis in 1988. Bob Kerrey in 1992. The only successful Democratic candidacies of the era -- Carter in 1976 and Bill Clinton in 1992 -- were Shrum-free affairs. (Shrum worked for 10 days for Carter, but quit in a huff.)

Even after Shrum added to that litany with his disastrous 2002 attempt to transform silver-spoon Beltway insider Al Gore into the candidate of the common man, he remained the most sought-after catch of the primary season. And Shrum is tighter than tight with Ted Kennedy, Kerry's campaign savior. All good reasons, it seems, for Kerry to ignore the thread that runs through Shrum's failed presidential campaigns: blind devotion to an ideology that went out of style 30 years ago.

Shrum is, however eloquently, a one-trick pony, selling a 1960s populism bristling with the imagery of class warfare. When Kerry declares himself -- in the same language used by dozens of Shrum candidates over the years -- "a fighter" against "the powerful forces" of corporate greed and wealthy special interests, he is preaching the Shrum gospel.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
Davis_X_Machina Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-04-04 09:10 AM
Response to Original message
1. What a piece of rubbish.....
... silver-spoon Beltway insider Al Gore
... selling a 1960s populism
....imagery of class warfare

Who wrote this rubbish?
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
mike_c Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-04-04 09:11 AM
Response to Original message
2. hmmm..., seems to me that "a fighter against the powerful..."
"...forces of corporate greed and wealthy special interests" is precisely what America needs. Real democracy has gone out of fashion!
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
iconoclastic cat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-04-04 09:15 AM
Response to Original message
3. Is this one of those "important threads" that I should not ignore?
I'm fairly ignorant to Shrum's record or impact on the Kerry Supremacy.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Union Thug Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-04-04 09:17 AM
Response to Original message
4. Oh BS... Bring on the class war rhetoric!
If class war, anti-corporate messages are preaching the Shrum gospel, then I say, PRAISE BE! PREACH ON, BROTHER!
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
mzmolly Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-04-04 10:59 AM
Response to Reply #4
13. HELL YEAAAAS!
:toast:
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Name removed Donating Member (0 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-04-04 09:20 AM
Response to Original message
5. Deleted message
Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.
 
JVS Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-04-04 09:24 AM
Response to Reply #5
6. Would you mind typing in more compact manner?
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
FarLeftRage Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-04-04 09:27 AM
Response to Reply #6
7. I just alerted this freeper ass
it will be gone soon.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
klook Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-04-04 09:41 AM
Response to Reply #7
9. Me too
So long, morAn. :kick:
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
DinahMoeHum Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-04-04 09:28 AM
Response to Reply #5
8. Bye-bye, scumbag.
:nuke:
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
quaoar Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-04-04 09:52 AM
Response to Original message
10. If you were running for office
Would you hire a guy with an 0-for6 record?
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
DemocratSinceBirth Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-04-04 11:01 AM
Response to Reply #10
14. Considering We Have Elected Two Presidents In The Last Forty Years
we don't have that many campaign mangers with winning records....
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
JVS Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-04-04 12:02 PM
Response to Reply #14
15. You're comment is over-simplistic. 3 of the last 8 presidents are Dems
And it would be 3 of 7 if Nixon hadn't needed to resign.

First of all 3 presidents in 40 years. Johnson, Carter, Clinton.

Also over the last 10 presidential elections our results are not so bad

1964 win
1968 loss
1972 loss
1976 win
1980 loss
1984 loss
1988 loss
1992 win
1996 win
2000 loss (which many would say was stolen)
4 out of 10 isn't so awful.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
fujiyama Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-04-04 10:50 AM
Response to Original message
11. How much input
did he have on Kerry's speech?

The reason I ask is because it didn't seen very Shrumian...it wasn't like Gore's and it didn't deal with issues like abortion rights and gun control and "people vs powerful" stuff.

It was a lot bolder...and I have to say refreshing.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
DaveSZ Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-04-04 10:56 AM
Response to Reply #11
12. Kerry wrote it himself I believe
I heard that somewhere, but then it's hard to believe the tv whore media these days.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
DU AdBot (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Tue Apr 30th 2024, 04:18 PM
Response to Original message
Advertisements [?]
 Top

Home » Discuss » Archives » General Discussion: Presidential (Through Nov 2009) Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators

Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC