Maxprop wrote:
Fringe extremists in Congress are rare, Doug. But on the existing
Congressional scale, Kerry generally votes as left as anyone.

I disagree, this is a Bush/Cheney smear that has been repeated so many
times it is taken as true. Take a look at his actual voting record...
for example the times his voting on defense issues has been in
accordance with Dick Cheney's (a well known leftist).





.... I don't
give a **** what he preaches during an election cycle--they all lie like
used car dealers when the cameras are rolling

Agreed

Unfortunately, voters tend to go for the candidate with the largest
advertising budget, most of the time.


That's likely true of the primaries, but not necessarily the general
election. Media coverage plays an increasing role in the general election,
and people tend to tune out the innundation of ads.


It's been well proven that
egregious falsehood and appeals to low prejudices will sway more voters
in less time than any other type of campaign.


Pop psych bull****. The swing voters can't be categorized as a group.
Their ultimate choices are made for reasons that run the gamut from wise to
idiotic. What you claim above sounds like a gross oversimplification.


That's why we are in the
mess that we're in.


Perhaps you'd like to provide some of that "well proven" evidence.

Nixon's landslide in 1972 and Reagan's landslide in 1980 are the biggest
examples I can think of... both were based on loudly repeated falsehood
(for example, Nixon's record with the war in Viet Nam) and racist
innuendo (for example Reagan's speeches about the evils of welfare).


... Don't
bother, because you can't--it's your opinion.

An opinion based on observation of facts.


...Kerry's going to have a hard time
selling himself as a centrist with his voting record, regardless of how you
attempt to portray it.

I'm not trying to portray anything. In fact I am not particularly a fan
of Kerry's. He is certainly more liberal than many, but the attempt to
paint him as a far left winger is pure propaganda... and it appears to
be working.

DSK