October 18, 2004
TIMES EXCLUSIVE--KERRY LOSES DEBATES!:
For Kerry, a Few Words That May Be Debatable (ADAM NAGOURNEY, Oct. 18, 2004, NY Times)
Senator John Kerry and President Bush devoted four and a half hours and nearly 45,000 words to three detailed and substantial debates. But a single remark by Mr. Kerry, noting that Vice President Dick Cheney's daughter Mary is a lesbian, has shadowed his strong performance and given Republicans an opening to slow the momentum Mr. Kerry got from the debates, some Democrats say.Amid signs of Democratic concern, Mr. Kerry's advisers acknowledged Sunday that some voters perceived Mr. Kerry's remark as an invasion of Ms. Cheney's privacy, a gratuitous personal insult, or a crass political calculation by which Mr. Kerry was trying to drive a wedge between Mr. Cheney and conservatives unaware that his daughter was gay.
And Republicans were quick to seize on the exchange to reinforce their effort to portray Mr. Kerry in these closing days of the presidential race as a man who, as Mr. Cheney put it, "will say and do anything in order to get elected."
You knew this story was only a matter of time. Wait'll they see the exit polling on "global test." Posted by Orrin Judd at October 18, 2004 1:50 AM
I have a very hard time believing the abortion rate varies with such relatively minor economic ups and downs. But it is fun to imagine the look on the faces of the Democratic base if Senator Kerry were to promise that his plan (he does have a plan, doesn't he?)for economic prosperity is so promising it will stop all women from having abortions.
Posted by: Peter B at October 18, 2004 6:45 AMWhoops, that was intended for the post below.
Posted by: Peter B at October 18, 2004 6:47 AMYou might as well leave it here. According to Alan Keyes, since adopted children will eventually have incest with each other, then they might as well be aborted or sterilized.
Was Mary adopted? Is that why the Cheney's are so upset now? She sure looks like him.
Posted by: steve talbert at October 18, 2004 8:25 AMNagourney is gay so it is no surprise that he is focused on this.
Posted by: Bart at October 18, 2004 12:32 PMThe creepiest thing about Kerry during the debates was the way he would lower his hands and then pull them towards his body whenever he talked about 'making alliances' and 'bringing allies together'. It was a religious move, showing a deep yearning. But for what?
Posted by: jim hamlen at October 18, 2004 12:49 PMI thought it was interesting the way Kerry paused and sounded awkward when he got out the "Mary Cheney is a lesbian" hit. I got the distinct sense that he had been prepped to say it, and didn't really want to, or knew he was taking a chance it might backfire.
Posted by: PapayaSF at October 18, 2004 2:40 PMI think Elizabeth Edwards made him do it.
Posted by: ratbert at October 18, 2004 5:00 PMPapayaSF: I think he realized that he had messed up the delivery, but had no choice but to keep going. He was supposed to basically say just what Edwards said, but flubbed it badly.
Posted by: brian at October 18, 2004 6:21 PMKerry just couldn't help himself. It goes to character (or lack thereof), and that is what bothered people. We love to intellectualize things, but deep down we all know.
PS: Great point, ratbert!
Posted by: DL Meadows at October 20, 2004 5:59 PM