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Politics - The Next US President? - Page 18

New allegations about President Bush's service in the National Guard. Vice-President Cheney makes a statement that many in his own party consider over-the-top. Looking for the truth, but in politics these days, does the truth really matter?

Negative attacks work. No matter how much voters say they only want to hear about the issues and all, the reason that campaigns put so much effort into defining their opponents in negative terms is that it works. You have only to look at the impact of the attacks on John Kerry's record in Vietnam. A rebuttal, even when it has the advantage of being accurate, never seems to have the same power as the original attack. And if you repeat something often enough, it takes on a life of its own.
Ref. Leroy Sievers and the Nightline Staff - Nightline Offices

President US The Politics

What little I have seen about these new allegations about President Bush's service in the National Guard has been particularly underwhelming.

Quite a lot of people who have worked in the USAF, especially in Personnel, have brought up many, many issues that throw a lot of doubt onto the allegations. Indications are that the "memos" about President Bush are/were forgeries. I don't have the expertise to address those issues, but with my knowledge of the Air Force, I find the doubts very strong.

As for negative campaigning, it really does work. That is why the Left have been actively negatively campaigning against President Bush for 4 years, and have really ramped it up for the last two years. They are trying to plant seeds of doubt, and are succeeding.

At the same time, when people take the time to really think about what the negative ads are saying, and do just a little bit of research into the claims, the negative ads can really come back to bite the hand that created them, especially when the proof begins to grow that the negative claims are either wrong or not actually negatives.

An example right now is that Kerry is claiming that the "W" in President Bush's name stands for "wrong". Of course this is really stretching, since the w is silent in wrong. But, the majority of the people in the US are NOT convinced that the President's policies concerning Iraq and Afghanistan are wrong. There may be a lot who are not completely sure, but they do recognize that at least the President is taking action, something that is not assured with JF...Kerry.

The negative campaigns will continue, no matter what. In some ways, they are necessary, since we do need to know some of the characteristics, choices, and policies of the candidates, especially the ones that they aren't going to talk about themselves.

Politics - The Next US President? History & Civil Business Politics

I find it appalling when grown, well-respected men have to stoop to schoolyard name calling tactics to prove a point. Kerry is really fighting to stay afloat these days and with the debates coming near, and Bush's last 2 successes in debated (in the last Presidential debates and in his Governor debates), he should be worried. We all know that Kerry was downright awful in his own Democratic presidential nominee debates, and so he will need all the help he can get.
Irony would have it that the CNN network who accused FoxNews of being very conservative and serving to the needs of Bush would now have 2 of their paid employees directly participating in the Kerry campaign. Go figure!

Edited: malexander on 10th Sep, 2004 - 1:45pm

Page 18 President US The Politics

I am not in the US, so I cannot say, but it looks to me as though Bush is going to get a second term in office. Now, with that said I believe the voting pattern will taken on the path of 'those who do not want war' and those who believe 'the fight on terrorism' is being handled well. Homeland issues may take second place to these since most parents and relatives do not want to lose a loved one and Bush is most likely getting ready for an attack on Iraq if he is re-elected. All in my limited point of view here in the South.

President US The Politics

In an ideal world, presidential campaigns are won and lost based on policies, philosophies and ideas. And I am not so cynical as to believe that is not at all true. But in this age of 24-hour news cycles, late night political comedy, and campaign rapid response teams, elections are largely driven by image and perception. Candidates and their staffers try to control image and perception, but at some point those things are not entirely in their control.

Both the Bush and Kerry campaigns know this. And they are carefully crafting every speech, every photo opportunity and certainly every last detail of the political conventions in order to present the most likable, winnable candidate. Who is invited to sit in the candidate's VIP box each night might seem unimportant but it is hardly a haphazard decision. Nor is the lighting, the music or the backdrop behind each speaker.
Ref. Sara Just and the Nightline Staff

Politics - The Next US President?

This is from one of my email groups, in its entirety.

~~~~~~~~~~~

I recently attended the National Pastors Convention in San Diego with
several thousand pastors from many different denominations. During one
of the general sessions, the MC introduced a pastor from Uzbekistan. He
had traveled the farthest to attend the convention, so they wanted to
interview him. I don't remember his name, and even if I did, I know I couldn't
pronounce it. However, I do know this: I will never forget this man.

Right away, I liked him. He was humble, sincere, and gracious. He
apologized for his broken English, though I thought he spoke very well.
As the MC interviewed him, he began to share about his ministry in his
country that borders Afghanistan. He talked about the church he pastors of a
few hundred people. He also shared how it is illegal in his country to be a
Christian. You see, his church is an "underground" church. Amazingly,
his city also has 3 "underground" Christian schools. He talked about how the Christians have been arrested and even killed in his country.

Then, as the interview was about to end, he began to speak very
urgently and passionately. He said something to this effect: "I would like all
of you to know that my church and the Christians in my country are praying
that President Bush will be reelected."

I was stunned. I knew that this gathering had to include many pastors
from all over the political spectrum and I was certain this would not go
over well. Immediately, there were murmurings and rumblings throughout the
audience and the MC seemed a little uncertain about what to do next.

However, this pastor would not be denied. Grasping the microphone
firmly in his hand, he continued, "The officials in my country are afraid of
President Bush, so they don't persecute Christians as much. Under
Clinton it was very bad for us. Many of us were arrested, put in jail, and
some were killed. With Clinton, it was very bad. But under President Bush,
it has been so much better, so we are praying for him."

The murmuring ended. It was suddenly very quiet. The MC paused. Then
he just asked us to stand and pray for this man and we did so with great
passion.

<>Choking back tears, I was immediately struck with this realization in
my heart: this coming election was not just about me or my church or my
country. This coming election would affect the entire world. And while
there are many Christians and churches in this country that may not
support and may even despise our current President, there is a group of
Christians halfway around the world who are desperately praying for his
reelection.

All of the sudden, the election became something very different for me.
It is not just about the economy, gay marriage, or weapons of mass
destruction. It's about the persecuted church around the world. As
believers, what issues should be more important to us? This transcends
politics. This is about the Kingdom of God for which Christ suffered
and died, and for those believers in other countries who are suffering and
dying as well.

<>I was also convicted in my heart about praying for our President. And
I wonder, which church is praying more fervently for him: the persecuted
church in Uzbekistan or the prosperous church in America? It makes you
think.

<>As the Apostle Paul said in Hebrews 13:3, "Remember those in prison
as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you
yourselves were suffering."

Remember, this election is not just about us. It's also about them.

James Lair (jlair@ojaiclc.org )

Senior
Pastor
____________________________________
Church of the Living Christ
190 E El Roblar Drive ~ Ojai, CA 93023 v: 805.646.1296 ~ f:
805.646.2975
e-mail: clc@ojaiclc.org
Minister of Evangelism Emmanuel Baptist Church Hot Springs, Arkansas

Politics The US President - Page 18

Who is going to win the debates?

BUSH AND KERRY GET READY FOR DEBATES

President Bush will consider making an expensive run for New Jersey's electoral votes and is likely to spend more money in Washington state if his leads in heartland swing states hold up after the opening presidential debate Thursday night, Republican officials said Saturday.
Ref. https://deseretnews.com/dn/view/1%2C1249%2C...94047%2C00.html

Politics The US President Politics Business Civil & History - Page 18

These debates will be one of the few things I actually will watch on TV. Looking forward to the face off.

Roz