I have to say it: I'm anybody but Kerry

[ludwigb]

If Kerry is nominated, I will support him all the way. I will convince myself he is the 2nd coming of Jesus. I will harass my friends and family about how a decent, experienced leader could be POTUS. I will go door to door with his literature and learn to summarize all of his proposals.

But until Clark, Edwards, and (yes) Dean are out of this, I'm anybody but Kerry. Yes, Kerry has his strenghs--he's tall, good voice, experienced, a Veteran, etc. But considering his charisma problems, I frankly don't see how he does better than Gore--in fact he's likely to do worse. Having Edwards or Clark as the VP won't save him--Kerry will still be the ticket's figurehead. The mainstream media hate him (check out Slate and TNR for starters--you may not like them but they do represent the CW on most issues)--they find him boring and calculating whether or not this is true (I happen to think there's something to it, though I don't dislike Kerry) they will beat this meme into the populace. His activism against Vietnam will, despite Shrub's record, be used by GOP attack dogs to rile up the opposition. His wobbling on the war will be contrasted ad nauseum to Bush's supposed leadership--with Kerry foriegn policy will take a central role whether we like it or not. Unless Clark or Lieberman is our candidate, we're likely to lose the foriegn policy debate even if we're right.

I think that Kerry might be able to win, but we have a hell of a lot better chance with Clark, and to a lesser extent Edwards and Dean. With Clark, we can make the simple, obvious, nonideological argument that Bush is just not up to the job on the War on Terror, and that Clark is. Clark can boast real desicionmaking and command experience, Kerry, dispite his Vietnam heroism, cannot. If you watch enough of Clark on CSPAN, you'll see he is the answer to the modern Dem dilemna--to get people who ought to agree with us on social policy on board without culturally alienating them. They can't attack Clark as a liberal--he doesn't look like one or sound like one, and the more people learn about his tax proposal, the better they'll like him. Clark also has the southern identification thing going for him, which will put the GOP on the defensive in the South. He sounds ordinary, while Kerry says "idear". How is Kerry going to win over ordinary Southerners and Midwesterners? By emphasizing his liberal record and pristine leadership on Iran-Contra? I think not. Clark offers a distinctive, likable, and honest seeming personality, while Kerry wears after a while (after all, Kerry was the front-runner and guess what--people tired of him and went for Dean. It could happen again).

I think Edwards and Dean are more electable than Kerry as well, but that would make an even longer case, and this rant has gone on long enough.

Am I crazy?

[jpgray]

1. You're not crazy. You've made your choice, and I respect it.

:hi:

[blm]

2. Iowa is the Midwest. They REALLY liked him there. He won. BIGTIME.

.

[deutsey]

35. I think I'm getting closer to ABDU

Anywhere but Democratic Underground.

:evilfrown:

PS: Didn't mean to respond to this post, BTW, so don't take it personally.

[bbmykel]

44. He certainly won the caucus but

..I think you would be on dangerous ground to extrapolate too far regarding what that means about his eventual support in the "Midwest", or even in Iowa.

You may be right, but the mere fact of the caucus victory does not necessarily support your claim.

[NNN0LHI]

3. I have to say it: I think your subject line blows n/t

[jpgray]

8. But being that way for the primary isn't as big of an issue

I'm nobody but Dean, Kerry and Kucinich for the primary. Doesn't mean I won't vote for the nominee.

[Uzybone]

9. Its a misleading headline

Anybody but Kerry implies he wont vote for Kerry in the GE.

[auntpattywatty]

4. anybody but kerry or lieberman

[cavebat2000]

5. Nope you are not crazy

Amen

[eileen_d]

6. I'm anybody but LaRouche

Flame away!

[Dark Star]

14. Hello!

LaRouche isn't a democrat. :wtf:

[eileen_d]

20. I beg to differ!

http://larouchein2004.net/pages/biography.htm

Candidate for U.S. Presidential nomination of Democratic Party: 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000... and 2004!

It's on the Internet so it must be true!

[Uzybone]

7. your not crazy

I thought you were until you stated you would vote for the Dem nominee.

[Bill McBlueState]

10. accent

Why is "idear" considered wrong and out of place, while people will fall all over themselves for a candidate who says "y'all" or "nookyooler" or "terra"?

:shrug:

[Qanisqineq]

15. I am personally looking for

a candidate that speaks my language and says, "Ya, you betcha" and "Jeez". Where are those candidates? :silly:

[newsjunkie]

30. it makes me giggle when Dean says idear LOL

so cute
I meant when DEAN says it its cute. Oh is that something else Kerry just started copying from Dean too,along with the rest of his plagarizing Dean's stump speech?
Kerry is ok, but I dont like his politics that much. Frankly...Im not too impressed with his personal side either.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

11. Asking us if you are crazy is asking us to personally attack you if we

disagree.

I don't look to Slate to form my opinions. They haven't gotten a single election right yet...going back to 2000 as near as I can tell...TNR is RW propaganda cloaked as a Dem leaning publication.

I think Kerry has overcome most of what has been said about him in the past and we'll see how he does in the south.

I think people inadvertently insult the south when they TELL THE SOUTH WHAT it likes.

[ChrisNYC]

21. OK, but as a native Georgian I'll tell you...

They don't like liberal "Yankees" from Mass.

[ludwigb]

23. Fine

But Slate and TNR represent the center of the "liberal media" clique, like it or not. They didn't like Gore and they like Kerry even less. We need to think long and hard about this--we've got a long way to go.

[THUNDER HANDS]

12. I have to say this

I think most of the people on this board are nuts. :D

[Dark Star]

17. I do, too, said

the Dark Star to the Magic Rat :silly: !


:yourock:

[Jerseycoa]

42. There you go

:yourock:

[TexasPatriot]

13. Vincent Hamm appreciates your support

the AB dem candidate stuff is sorta old... if you dont like someone - just dont like them. Bush is the only person deserving of AB.

[MaineDem]

16. Kerry sounds perfectly "normal" to me

Remember what was said about Kennedy and "Cuber" (which I also had no problem with).

The US is made up of all sorts of regional dialects. We've got to live with that.

[quinnox]

18. No, there are many who seem to feel the same way

Good to see you have the sense to vote for Kerry should he win the nomination. Some side comments that go with the general topic theme;

I have always thought there were many Dean or Greens here, who don't make their true affiliation known. And there are also many who are very unhappy that Kerry is beating their candidate, I can't blame them. It is human nature. I suspect it will pass in time.

[Carolina]

19. not crazy at all

You summed up my exact feelings. By the time the same media that's propping him now, finishes tearing him a new one during the GE fight, the bumper stickers will read:

Kerry is Scary!

[AntiCoup2K4]

22. Are you crazy? Only the first paragraph...

The rest of it's alright. Though I respectfully disagree that Clark is more electable than Dean.

[OutlawCorporatePolls]

24. i agree.

Kerry is sKerry.

[sandnsea]

25. Since you asked

Yes. And I can't even believe people are still pushing Dean. I guess he really does have to run naked through the streets.

In case you haven't noticed, the media has been harder on Clark than they have on Kerry. Not the mainstream media, yet. The pundits. I thought Clark being a General would create such an aura of patriotism that they wouldn't dare. But he isn't perceived that way. He's perceived as an executive, not an on the ground fighter. Kerry wasn't just wounded, he was wounded saving lives. I've seen way more right wing people say they won't go after Kerry who will happily go after Clark.

The Vietnam stuff is simple, quickly explained. This isn't about Vietnam, it's about the way this Administration abandoned our vets today.

Kerry already won over Iowa. He's going to do well in Missouri because he's Catholic and a vet and really just a regular guy. These arguments against him don't hold water. I guess we're going to have to go through it one more time.

[ludwigb]

27. If you look at the pundits attacking Clark

They are almost all conservatives. They are scared shitless of Clark. Thinking he is crazy is their psychological defense mechanism. They really hate him because they see him as a traitor.

The question is whether the attacks will stick. I dare say the attacks are already sticking to Kerry. The GOP and their willing media allies will have plenty of time to nail them home, as soon as the other contenders are defeated.

[sandnsea]

28. That's my point

They don't have the respect for Clark they have for Kerry. The pundits have not been and will not be as willing to go after Kerry. Even Dennis Miller said he wasn't going to go after Kerry. I've already gone to some conservative boards that aren't filled with freepers and seen the same thing. They'll go after Clark, they tiptoe around Kerry. He's the one who is the most dangerous. Sorry, he's a hero to every day vets and they know it. Kerry/Edwards is the ticket.

[mikehiggins]

36. What an interesting analysis

It reminds me of a scene in Alien 3 (if you haven't seen that film, spare yourself an excrutiatingly painful experience).

One of the aliens has trapped a human but doesn't kill her because it can sense she is already infected with one of the alien progeny.

So, the foamy mouth freepers and their like who won't hold back from bashing Mother Teresa have a "hands-off" attitude towards Kerry?

Hmmmm...

You really leave me breathless. I am astonished.

Like a lot of us, the right wing is convinced that Kerry will be as successful as the Governor he used to work for.

The day Kerry becomes our nominee starts the clock going that'll tell you how many hours are left before America is lost for good.

What is it about this situation that you can't grasp?

[newsjunkie]

34. now there's a hell of a campaign idea

are you trying to get Joe Trippi's job? LOL

[zulchzulu]

26. Whatever floats your boat

Your post contains nothing but fairly baseless generalities. Kerry won in Iowa by large numbers (hint: it's in the Midwest) and is doing well in Missouri (guess where that state's from) and is polling well in South Carolina (hint: it's below the Mason/Dixon line).

You asked if you were crazy. Um....whatever.

[newsjunkie]

29. Great thoughts..I like Dean/Clark myself *edited

but there could be other super-sized combos. Dean/Clark would be the bst IMO. I cant even get through Kerry's speeches already..I fall asleep. He's sort of disgusting to me,(just the overall way he lives life) even though he's a Democrat(sort of?). I dont want to put him down because i like him ok but to me he isnt 'presidential'.
Gee,for some reason when I heard about Dean, I thought I had some hope again,because he's for real..he's ready to do it,to stick his neck out for this country,but if the GOP controlled media gets their way I'll just be doomed to mosey back to my dreams for America and let the crazy rich people have their fun and frivolity at the expense of my grand-children's futures.

No,I wont give up...I will stand with Howard. I feel quite sure General Clark will help us any way he can also,because I am proud and happy to have him in the party. WE REAL Democrats can do this.

[waldenx]

31. Kerry can't win

And I will be here in November to tell all the "pragmatists" how wrong they were.

[newsjunkie]

32. count me in on that getogether

B-)

[mikehiggins]

37. What pragmatists?

I think you have to be a total true believer to buy into the "Kerry will win" storyboards.

He's no Bill Clinton. He's not even Al Gore.

And he has a long record of decisions made that he never thought he'd have to answer for because he was a pragmatist.

Well that is about to be tested big time, and I doubt he'll survive.

Unfortunately this Kerry-fantasy will also drag down the Party, like Dukakis did, and the nation to boot.

Wake up!

[ludwigb]

40. How to wake them?

Hopefully the media will catch to the 'Kerry is unelectable' meme sometime this week. It may just be our only chance, with 3 good candidates splitting the anti-Kerry vote. I'm actually beginning to hope Dean drops out, but it's highly unlikely. If Edwards does poorly Tuesday perhaps he will drop out. Either he or Clark need some more media.

[Walt Starr]

33. After today, I'm now ABB

Anybody But Bonesmen.

[killbotfactory]

38. Same here

I would much prefer Edwards, Clark, or Dean to Kerry.

[PatGund]

39. Sad to say

Will I vote for Kerry if he gets the nomination. Yes.

But, to be honest, I don't *LIKE* him at all. He's marginally better than Lieberman and Sharpton, but that's all.

Will I vote for him? Yes, he's still better than Bush. But I think he's got a horrible chance of winning the general election.

[copithorne]

41. I agree with you 100%

ludgwigb.

And it's great to be on the same side as Michael Moore again, isn't it?

[ludwigb]

49. Indeed....

Copithorne, indeed. We need the biggest tent possible. Who can build the bigger coalition? Who has the most diverse appeal?

I hope I'm wrong, but it seems to me that the Kerry bandwagon has come up with the wrong answer. Kerry could very well manage to alienate both self professed moderates and hard left progressives at the same time, while boring the rest of us.

[Myra]

43. Are you crazy? Since you asked...

Before the primary you're extremely not crazy.
Vote with your heart.

After the primary, we have to be ABB.
We must be ABB.
It's critical we be ABB.
Vote with your head, your billfold, your soul, with everything that's been damaged by the BFEE.

[Nay]

45. I really don't have a dog in this fight, because I am very ABB, but

I have to say I agree that Clark is the best one for calming the 9/11 heebie-jeebies that so many people still have.(Don't aske me why so many people are still scared -- whatever happened to maintaining a stiff upper lip??) And 9/11 seems to be the only thing * can use to push people's buttons. Clark would take that issue away from *.

But Kucinich and Edwards have platforms that appeal to me the most.

I still don't know if I could go to the voting booth and vote for Lieberman, but I promised myself that I would be ABB. . .and besides, his campaign is almost dead already, and I probably won't have to worry about him.

I will probably vote Clark or Edwards in Feb., and definitely ABB in the GE.

I just wish it was closer to November. I have some thinking to do if * is elected.

[Octafish]

46. Too bad. You don't know what your talking about.

Kerry is a good man. Where others in his position (read Bush) lived a life of priviledge, Kerry has lived a life of public service. He's used his service as a US Senator to make life better for ALL Americans, not just the well-bred or well-off (like Bush). Kerry also has a vision of where the country should head (unlike Bush).

How do I know this? It's because I'm a Democrat and I recognize them when I see them. Not only is Kerry a Democrat, he's one of the BEST Democrats. Something else I know, he'd make an outstanding President.

[Pantherman]

47. Yes

Yes im with you. but im kinda leaning tord dean. Ok maby alot tords dean but i get what you are saying. i hope he drops about 10% in the polls.

[TopesJunkie]

48. Exactly! I am ABK in the same way! All the way! --

It's just the right thing to do, since I am ABB, and Kerry gives us slim hopes in the Gee EEE!

[anti-NAFTA]

50. I'm anyone but Kerry, Edwards, Clark, Dean, and Lieberman

It's either Kucinich or Gephardt or third party as far as I'm concerned. There's no way my vote is going to help ANYONE expand NAFTA no matter what party that person is.

[joe_sixpack]

51. I am not sure I understand Democrats anymore.

I became a member of the party because of the positions on issues we took. I've voted for past candidates based on whether their ideas seemed close to beliefs I shared. Now that doesn't seem to matter. I've been told it's all about "elect-ability". I'm not even sure what "elect-ability" is, or worse, who gets to define it? Does "elect-ability" mean someone who appeals to conservatives? to independents? moderates? or the mysterious swing voters?
Now I'm being told it's charisma that's important. Never mind where someone stands on important issues. I'm a veteran and a member of the military reserve. Kerry's got enough charisma for me. Does it mean something that with all the varying political experience we had in this crop of candidates, many are thinking that our best chance is someone who has the least political experience? Someone who has virtually no political pedigree, has the least amount of history when it comes to political positions and someone who wasn't even sure he was a democrat until recently? Are we that embarrassed with our party that we need someone with the least amount of attachment to it?

[Meshuga]

52. I'm anybody but Dean...

But if Dean wins the nomination I will not only vote for Dean but I will spend most of my energy attacking Bush.

[THX1138]

53. I am ABK

...until Nov 1, 2004

then I become ABB

I originally supported Kerry, way back when. Seems like such a long time ago. Back before the IWR, before Dean, before his double teaming with Dick Gephardt to take Dean down, before the tortured explanations of his IWR vote, before he tried to pat himself on the back for *supporting* the IWR the day Saddam was captured. Even before his forehead stopped moving. How things change.

I feel absolutely zero enthusiasm for a Kerry presidency. But in the end its about who staffs the EPA and the USSC isn't it?

[Carolina]

54. THX1138

You are truly my kindred spirit. :toast: Everything you wrote applies exactly to me. Once upon a lifetime ago, I had even sent Kerry money. Now I can't stand to listen to him, and I feel less than "no enthusiasm;" I feel a sense of doom ...