A thought occurred to me this morning.

[ginnyinWI]

Thinking about Dowd and others who have jumped ship on *, and the many others who voted for him and now sit embarrassed/disillusioned/angry/disgusted with him. Many ordinary voters doubtless have turned cynical on the whole process of politics in this country, seeing as how they were sold a "bill of goods" not once, but twice! They don't want to think about politics anymore. And these same people are the "winners" of the 2004 race!

Then there are those of us who voted for JK and continue to have faith in him, in his integrity, honorable character and truthfulness, not to mention his capacity to be a great president. We are the "losers" of the 2004 race. But are we? We still have a guy to believe in, and they don't. They feel stupid for believing lies and empty promises. We feel validated every time JK does something true to his good character. Our only anger comes from the way he hasn't been taken seriously enough by the media and many Americans.

In that way, we are the winners, after all. We've still got a guy we can believe in.

[karynnj]

1. What a beautiful way to think of it and very true

It is extremely rare to have a leader that you can believe in. That was why I took Whome's and the other MA people's comment that while they have sometimes disagreed, they always trusted that he was acting in good faith. That means a lot.

[cadmium]

2. Good point. It must astound

some Republicans that we are not going away like they told us to.

[MonteLukast]

3. Kerry made me believe in politics again

The turning point for me was reading the article profiling him in Newsweek, with the picture on the cover of JK's face graphically unwinding... "The Facets Of John Kerry", or something like that. It was a June issue, I think... definitely released before he picked Edwards as his running mate.

Before then, I believed he was just another Senator. I didn't know about his involvement in Iran-Contra/BCCI, or his anti-war activism. I certainly was a bit cynical about politicians in the way most Americans are: "Where are our heroes" and that whole feeling of no one to inspire us.

The more I read about Kerry, the more I liked. More than that, the more I found I could really believe in.

What cinched that belief was that he's NOT a white knight on a horse. He always called upon us to serve WITH him, to get all in this together, to each do our part in rebuilding the middle class and the American Dream.

I used to think such a person didn't exist... someone who could inspire and motivate, someone who could be an example to follow, without excessive self-promoting as a savior or a "hero".

I'm the type of person who's not so easily convinced by words-- ESPECIALLY now, when ExxonMobil is blathering about how good their new policies are to the environment. (More likely, their spokesperson was told to only say shiny happy things or find another job.) Staying strong in spite of the Bush administration requires an ability to look beyond the words to the deeds.
To make a long story short, I need to see people in action, to see what they're really made of, in order to learn from them.

In politics, I've found that example in Kerry. And I will be forever grateful for it.

[ginnyinWI]

6. me too

I was cynical about politics until JK caught my attention--for me it was during the primary debates. He came across as both smart and sincere and stood out above the others for me. More even tempered than Dean, more experienced and wise than Edwards, more politically savvy than Clark, etc. etc. And when I learned about his life story too, I was sold.

[TayTay]

4. Wonderful way to look at things.

Yesterday upon the stair
I saw a man who wasn’t there
He wasn’t there again today
Oh how I wish he’d go away.

Not any time soon honey, not going away any time soon.

Or this one: (Just in that kind of mood today!)

If there is righteousness in the heart,
there will be beauty in the character.
If there is beauty in the character,
there will be harmony in the home.
If there is harmony in the home,
there will be order in the nation.
If there is order in the nation,
there will be peace in the world.
So let it be

—Scottish Blessing

[blm]

5. How about a collection of quotes from GOPs who now say Kerry was right?

That would make a nice montage for the Kerry blog.

[cadmium]

7. well George will would be one.

Matthew Dowd would be another. Even if others switched positions it would take a lot for them to admit that Kerry was right. It should come out of John MCCain's mouth at some point. His peristance in trying to prove Bush's side is just hurting him every day.