Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Moderate Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dale Baker who wrote (9260)	4/16/2004 3:08:15 AM
From: Dale Baker	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 20773

Today's Washington Post: "Although the Bush campaign is calculating that public interest in the campaign may be waning, the Kerry campaign believes voters are hungry to learn about the senator's views and biography. With fewer Bush ads to compete with, Kerry is also calculating that his ads might resonate more. His pollsters, Mark Mellman and Tom Kiley, recently completed extensive polling and focus groups to determine the best message for Kerry to take into the November election. Based on the results, Kerry's political team is finalizing a message and political map that will guide the candidate through the early months of the campaign and into the July convention, advisers said. The most consistent finding: Voters know little about Kerry and his vision for the country, two advisers familiar with the results said. Kerry's first two policy proposals -- a deficit-reduction plan and tax breaks for corporations -- were timed and tailored to position Kerry as the heir apparent to Clinton's middle-of-the-road fiscal legacy. His advisers said they were heartened by findings that only a small number considered Kerry a flip-flopper and a liberal -- the very labels Bush has spent millions trying to stick on him. One adviser said participants in focus groups appeared more turned off by negative ads than during previous elections, which contributed to the campaign's decision to run more positive ads in the weeks to come. The Bush campaign, however, is going exclusively negative on television beginning today, with an ad that calls Kerry "wrong on defense" and mocks his quote about a series of votes in October for spending on Iraq and Afghanistan: "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it." Kerry said his new ad campaign will begin in days, but two aides said a new biographical TV ad with a heavy emphasis on the candidate's military record is not finished and is unlikely to be launched in the next week. The senator will spend millions of dollars portraying himself as fair-minded, fiscal conservative, strong on defense and veterans issues. A top aide said the ad blitz will cost significantly more than the $2 million per week Kerry has been spending. A chief aim of the upcoming ad campaign is to convince voters that Kerry is capable of managing world affairs and the war on terrorism as well as, or better than, Bush. Much as he did during the primary race, Kerry will continue to play up his war-hero image and campaign with fellow veterans of the Vietnam War. "This isn't going to be any mealy-mouthed . . . you know, namby-pamby campaign," Kerry said.