RINGLEADER
09-10-2004, 10:34 AM
The bad news just keeps coming for the Kerry campaign...this time courtesy of Democratic strategist Pat Caddell...a transcript:
Jane Skinner: Pat, how big or how long is this window of opportunity for John Kerry to get some traction, I guess you could say?
Pat Caddell: Well, he better hurry. I tell you what, he better hurry quick, because, first of all, I've been through all...you've got a bunch of polls out all together. The Fox numbers are the lowest. The others are averaging 8-9 points, it's 9 points this morning. I was comparing the Gallup last night and the Washington Post poll which followed successfully, one from the third to the fifth, then the fifth to the eighth...
Skinner: And we should add, nine points in president Bush's favor.
Caddell: President Bush's favor. Plus what's going on in the states. But more important than the overall numbers it's what the internal numbers are showing. The hemorrhaging that John Kerry was having in August has not stopped. It's amazing. I've done a half-dozen presidential campaigns and four major nominees and I want to tell you something, I have never seen this kind of problem and his negatives are going up at a point, he's got the highest negatives by a consensus of these polls of any challenger in the history of American presidential politics. And I, you know, and this thing they're doing, with this, going after Bush on this, on this National Guard is insane. The last thing they need is to have Vietnam on the table and that is exactly what they're doing with this. I have no idea what they're doing.
Skinner: We're going to get to that Vietnam issue in just a second Pat...
Caddell: No, I'm just saying that this is a wrong issue for them. They've got to get back to something more serious, another agenda.
Jane Skinner: Pat, how big or how long is this window of opportunity for John Kerry to get some traction, I guess you could say?
Pat Caddell: Well, he better hurry. I tell you what, he better hurry quick, because, first of all, I've been through all...you've got a bunch of polls out all together. The Fox numbers are the lowest. The others are averaging 8-9 points, it's 9 points this morning. I was comparing the Gallup last night and the Washington Post poll which followed successfully, one from the third to the fifth, then the fifth to the eighth...
Skinner: And we should add, nine points in president Bush's favor.
Caddell: President Bush's favor. Plus what's going on in the states. But more important than the overall numbers it's what the internal numbers are showing. The hemorrhaging that John Kerry was having in August has not stopped. It's amazing. I've done a half-dozen presidential campaigns and four major nominees and I want to tell you something, I have never seen this kind of problem and his negatives are going up at a point, he's got the highest negatives by a consensus of these polls of any challenger in the history of American presidential politics. And I, you know, and this thing they're doing, with this, going after Bush on this, on this National Guard is insane. The last thing they need is to have Vietnam on the table and that is exactly what they're doing with this. I have no idea what they're doing.
Skinner: We're going to get to that Vietnam issue in just a second Pat...
Caddell: No, I'm just saying that this is a wrong issue for them. They've got to get back to something more serious, another agenda.