Thursday, September 30, 2004
Bush Set Debate Trap for Kerry
President Bush has set a debate trap for John Kerry that will force him to take positions opposed by a large percentage of his backers, former top Clinton strategist Dick Morris said this week.
Dick Morris: What's happened is that Bush has set up a trap for Kerry.
He has so emphasized Kerry's flip-flopping, so-called weakness, vacillation, all that stuff, that Kerry has to take strong positions in the debate.
A third of his voters are certified hawks, who say that we're winning the war on terror.... [But] half of his voters are doves. When he starts adopting an anti-Iraq line, anti-war line, he's going to alienate a third of his own voters.
If Kerry comes out strong for the war, however, he can say goodbye to the anti-war types, who think he'll cut and run.
Kerry has a strategic problem... and it doesn't matter how good a debater you are and how attractive you are. Every time he opens his mouth on a foreign policy debate, he's got to take a position that alienates a portion of his voters.
President Bush has set a debate trap for John Kerry that will force him to take positions opposed by a large percentage of his backers, former top Clinton strategist Dick Morris said this week.
Dick Morris: What's happened is that Bush has set up a trap for Kerry.
He has so emphasized Kerry's flip-flopping, so-called weakness, vacillation, all that stuff, that Kerry has to take strong positions in the debate.
A third of his voters are certified hawks, who say that we're winning the war on terror.... [But] half of his voters are doves. When he starts adopting an anti-Iraq line, anti-war line, he's going to alienate a third of his own voters.
If Kerry comes out strong for the war, however, he can say goodbye to the anti-war types, who think he'll cut and run.
Kerry has a strategic problem... and it doesn't matter how good a debater you are and how attractive you are. Every time he opens his mouth on a foreign policy debate, he's got to take a position that alienates a portion of his voters.
