Kerry to head south for announcement
The Boston Globe - By Joan Vennochi, 8/21/2003
SENATOR JOHN F. KERRY plans to make a Sept. 2 public announcement that he is running for president. That is not news. The news is where he plans to tell us what we already know: not in Massachusetts but in South Carolina. ...
So, why the change of venue? "The logistics of that were just too difficult to pull off -- crowd building, busing supporters, etc. It just made much more sense to do the big rally in a central location right after work," said a Kerry campaign aide who did not want to be named. ...
Fanueil Hall is a far better location than Old Ironsides to gather Kerry's supporters. Though the backdrop of Old Ironsides would have been a beautiful sight, logisitcally it is a nightmare to get supporters in there.
To political junkies, Kerry's revised itinerary speaks volumes. With all due respect for the usual caveat about polls being snapshots at a moment in time, current polling snapshots do not paint a breezy political picture for the Kerry presidential campaign in Iowa or New Hampshire. The first Iowa poll conducted by the Des Moines Register and published Aug. 3 showed former Vermont governor Howard Dean leading with 23 percent. Dean was followed by Richard Gephardt with 21 percent and Kerry with 14. ...
Joan, as a journalist you should know that polls are meaningless.
In these fading August days, there are murmurs about two fading Boston-based campaigns -- the Boston Red Sox in yet another pennant race and the Kerry presidential campaign. But really, it is too early to write off either. The Sox are still in the American League wild card race, and, on paper, Kerry is more than a wild card in the race for the nomination. He is still the Democrat with the broadest experience and strongest credentials to take on President Bush in 2004. ...
Yes, Joan, John Kerry does have the broadest experience and strongest credentials to beat Bush in 2004!
Losing New Hampshire would be serious for Kerry, but would it be fatal to his campaign? Bill Clinton lost the New Hampshire primary and went on to beat the first President Bush. Demonstrating an ability to compete in the South -- the base for another Democratic presidential hopeful, North Carolina's Senator John Edwards -- would be a great advantage for Kerry. A Southern strategy, illustrated by an announcement in Charleston, shows some guts, even if it is fueled by a certain desperation about potential outcomes in Iowa and New Hampshire. ...
You call this fueled by desperation, Joan. I call it fueled by brilliance!
He should forget about theatrics like hopping on motorcycles and offering hugs to mothers of soldiers. With Kerry such tactics seem contrived. ...
What is so contrived about a man doing what he does naturally and has been doing for a long time... Riding a Harley and showing compassion?
Massachusetts knows Kerry. As always, familiarity breeds a measure of contempt, magnifying weaknesses. But Massachusetts also knows its senator's strengths. They include intelligence and determination. Kerry must show that and more. A candidate who is good only on paper cannot defeat a flesh-and-blood president. That is true in the South and everywhere. ...
John Kerry is a candidate who is good on more than paper. His constituents know the score! So do his supporters across the nation!
The Boston Globe - By Joan Vennochi, 8/21/2003
SENATOR JOHN F. KERRY plans to make a Sept. 2 public announcement that he is running for president. That is not news. The news is where he plans to tell us what we already know: not in Massachusetts but in South Carolina. ...
So, why the change of venue? "The logistics of that were just too difficult to pull off -- crowd building, busing supporters, etc. It just made much more sense to do the big rally in a central location right after work," said a Kerry campaign aide who did not want to be named. ...
Fanueil Hall is a far better location than Old Ironsides to gather Kerry's supporters. Though the backdrop of Old Ironsides would have been a beautiful sight, logisitcally it is a nightmare to get supporters in there.
To political junkies, Kerry's revised itinerary speaks volumes. With all due respect for the usual caveat about polls being snapshots at a moment in time, current polling snapshots do not paint a breezy political picture for the Kerry presidential campaign in Iowa or New Hampshire. The first Iowa poll conducted by the Des Moines Register and published Aug. 3 showed former Vermont governor Howard Dean leading with 23 percent. Dean was followed by Richard Gephardt with 21 percent and Kerry with 14. ...
Joan, as a journalist you should know that polls are meaningless.
In these fading August days, there are murmurs about two fading Boston-based campaigns -- the Boston Red Sox in yet another pennant race and the Kerry presidential campaign. But really, it is too early to write off either. The Sox are still in the American League wild card race, and, on paper, Kerry is more than a wild card in the race for the nomination. He is still the Democrat with the broadest experience and strongest credentials to take on President Bush in 2004. ...
Yes, Joan, John Kerry does have the broadest experience and strongest credentials to beat Bush in 2004!
Losing New Hampshire would be serious for Kerry, but would it be fatal to his campaign? Bill Clinton lost the New Hampshire primary and went on to beat the first President Bush. Demonstrating an ability to compete in the South -- the base for another Democratic presidential hopeful, North Carolina's Senator John Edwards -- would be a great advantage for Kerry. A Southern strategy, illustrated by an announcement in Charleston, shows some guts, even if it is fueled by a certain desperation about potential outcomes in Iowa and New Hampshire. ...
You call this fueled by desperation, Joan. I call it fueled by brilliance!
He should forget about theatrics like hopping on motorcycles and offering hugs to mothers of soldiers. With Kerry such tactics seem contrived. ...
What is so contrived about a man doing what he does naturally and has been doing for a long time... Riding a Harley and showing compassion?
Massachusetts knows Kerry. As always, familiarity breeds a measure of contempt, magnifying weaknesses. But Massachusetts also knows its senator's strengths. They include intelligence and determination. Kerry must show that and more. A candidate who is good only on paper cannot defeat a flesh-and-blood president. That is true in the South and everywhere. ...
John Kerry is a candidate who is good on more than paper. His constituents know the score! So do his supporters across the nation!
posted by Pamela J. Leavey at 12:40 PM
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