Kerry gaffe: November gift ?

"You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. And if you don't, you get stuck in Iraq." Is John Kerry's gaffe enough to help Republicans retain the majority in the House?


MRB:

I was embarrassed to have Sen Kerry as our presidential candidate in 2004 and that he continues to go around purporting to speak on behalf of Democrats today. Sen. Kerry, please be quiet and leave the joke telling to Letterman, Leno, O'Brien and Stewart. They have great writers skilled in political satire.

I understand the context in which he gave the speech and I understand he was Bush-bashing in apolitical campaign speech. I also understand, having given enough speeches myself, how a well meaning tongue can slip up when it collides with a well intentioned brain. But there is too much at stake right now for the Democrats to make stupid mistakes and play into the Republican agenda a week before the election -- they are grasping at any floating object in the ocean to stay afloat right now. Will this hurt us? No. Will an apology help? No. But he has to do it. I know, and he knows, and America knows that Sen. Kerry supports our courageous troops in this awful "thing" in Iraq. He wants what is best for them and this country and accusations otherwise are specious and get the Republicans nowhere.

But please, no more jokes.

KJW:

The simple answer to the question is NO. How many voters do you really believe have not made up their minds who they are going to vote for? I never believe polls that suggest people don't already know. I believe they just like to say they have not decided. Can you really imagine an undecided Independent voter sitting in their home thinking....."Well I am going to show John Kerry....I am going to go out and vote Republican because he insulted our troops". Not likely. Now it might have an effect upon some Republicans who were more predisposed to sit this one out. But I don't think it will be significant in any respect. Of course there is the issue of the potential effect on the troops themselves. Well they tend to have a high turnout and also tend to vote Republican anyway, so I don't think that will be impacted significantly.

Kerry has already cancelled appearances following the furror over this situation. I expect that you will not hear or see much of him between now and next Tuesday. The reality is that this "November Gift" is going to be an empty box. Now I am not ready to suggest the Democrats hire a decorator to measure drapes, but I don't see a significant number of voters on election day telling exit pollers that they came out and voted because of John Kerry's statement.

Nevertheless, although I have concluded that this gaffe will not impact the election next week, I do believe that it will significantly impact the election (more particularly the primary) in two years. By committing this gaffe John Kerry has damaged his chances of successfully being nominated by the Democratic party in '08. I can already see the neverending commercials with Kerry insulting the troops and some voiceover questioning his fitness to be the Commander in Chief. To me that strategy will have legs.

EJS:

There are often references in political circles to an "October surprise". Usually it's several weeks before an election, and usually it is the opposition party digging up dirt. In this instance, John Kerry has shot the Democrats in the foot exactly seven days from the finish line. The question is, do they have enough gas in the tank to cross first? Or does this in fact confirm what we had already known: the elitist liberals (Kerry, Kennedy, Clinton, Dean, etc.) snicker at the military behind their backs and anyone else who doesn't hold power, because they are somehow inferior in intelligence. The left isn't anti-war, they are anti-military. They are anti-police. Those same thugs you saw fighting the police in the streets of Seattle during the WTO have now metamorphised into peace-loving, Birckenstock wearing anti-war protestors. The left has an utter disdain for the military, and the comment by John Kerry illustrates this perfectly. As does their repetitive votes against the tools that help our military defend the people of this country.

The left has voted against every major weapons system, from missile defense to the B-1 bomber. They have been an obstacle in the road continuously throughout the War on Terror, from how to deal with enemy combatants to trying to defeat the Patriot Act. What is the family of a soldier who perished in Iraq or Afghanistan supposed to gleam from John Kerry's remarks? What Americans do get from this is, once again, it has been proven the Democrats cannot be trusted with national security. I believe this IS enough to cost the Democrats a takeover in the House.

PS. Kerry already held a press conference to say he won't apologize. Any apology now is simply politically motivated.