Free radical

[whometense]

Stop me if this has already been posted, but I don't think I've seen it before.



This poignant bit published in the March 4 - 10 Boston Phoenix:

Free Radical

One of the great frustrations of John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign was the candidate’s refusal to take credit for his opposition to the Vietnam War. At the Democratic National Convention, in Boston, Kerry’s military service was celebrated ad nauseam while his anti-war credentials were studiously avoided. And the rest, to use a painfully apt cliché, is history. In rushed the Swift Boat Veterans, filling the vacuum left by Kerry with an assortment of lies and half-truths that were promptly lapped up by voters unable to fathom the concept of a loyal opposition. We’ll never know if Kerry would have gained votes, and if so, how many, by embracing his days as an activist. But expediency aside, simple intellectual honesty — and respect for his anti-war comrades in arms — should have compelled Kerry to act differently.

In his speech Monday at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Dorchester, where he was accepting the Kennedy Library Foundation’s 2005 Distinguished American Award, Kerry did what he should have done all along. In his acceptance speech, the junior senator from Massachusetts made several references to the anti-war and civil-rights movements of the late ’60s and early ’70s, any of which would have come in handy during the campaign. "There was an old adage then, which I wish I had talked about more during the course of the campaign," Kerry said at one point. "We used to say, ‘My country right or wrong: when you’re right, keep it right, and when you’re wrong, make it right.’ And ultimately, we created what we are lacking today in American politics, which is accountability." It was one of his biggest applause lines.

A moment later, Kerry was back at it. "What we need to do," the senator said, "is go back to what we did when 20 million people came out on the streets of America — when a river was lit on fire, the Cuyahoga River — when we marched and worked and went street to street and house to house. We have to do what we did in 1970, when 12 congressman were identified as the Dirty Dozen, and seven out of 12 of them lost. Know what happened after that? We passed the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the .... Those laws, and that success, have carried this country."

Bush’s re-election, and the accompanying Republican ascendancy, have prompted much crowing on the right about the death of the ’60s once and for all. It was a time of misplaced rebellion, conservatives say, of moral degeneration and narcissistic self-indulgence. Good riddance. But as Kerry eloquently attested at the Kennedy Library, it was much more than that. If only he’d made that same point six months ago.

While I'm not convinced that unleashing his inner radical would have made the difference in this past election (it might have enraged as many latent hippie haters as it inspired), it was a tremendous relief to hear Kerry say these things in public. Unleashing the passion he displayed at this event could only be a plus.

Lest anyone reading this be tempted to use any of this as an argument against a possible Kerry '08 campaign, I'd like to add that one of the reasons for my loyalty to him is his ability to learn from his mistakes. A Kerry 2008 campaign would be very different.

[LittleClarkie]

1. In the bottom of Kerrygoddess's posts there is a link

to "For What It's Worth" remixed with Kerry, JFK and Teddy quotes interspersed over the old protest song with a beat added. He mentions he anti-war background there. It might be the same speech I saw on CSPAN in Ohio when he was with Stephanie Tubbs, but I don't know.

He'd mention it, but he didn't seem to think it was relevant right now to our current situation. If he felt more anti-war, I'm sure it would have come out more.

I tend to compare him now to him in '68. He's only up to doubting so far, not full out anger or protest.

I think he's going to have to feel it before he'll start talking like a war protester again. And until then he won't go around mentioning that part of his history much either.

It bugs me when people said he was only being hawkish to be more like the Republicans so he could get elected. If he didn't believe what he was saying, he wouldn't have said it.

[JI7]

2. i agree, it wasn't just that but so many other things

he could have put it into a narrative. vietnam wasn't just about being for or against the war but about fighting for the soldiers and he continued working on the issue decades after with the whole normalization and pow/mia search thing.

add in his work as prosecutor and his senate record, especially the investigations and it presents a more fuller picture of him and what he has done.

[JI7]

3. also, he came to California shortly after he wrapped up the primaries

on super tuesday and at one of the universities he gave a speech (i only watched on tv). the audience was mostly young people but he was very good and so passionate. he talked about these things , maybe because of the younger audience he felt more connected, but he also talked about Kennedy, King, how he was a young guy then with dreams and his stay in california during some of his time in the military.

it was just really nice.

[ginnyinWI]

4. it might not have made any difference

I think that most decided who to vote for based on their idea of who could keep them safer. They knew this: that's why they played up the war hero aspect at the convention. Those of us who were impressed by the activist side of him were able to get it. I mean, it wouldn't take much to attract their notice, because as a group they care more about politics. The majority who aren't into politics would also not be into activism--does that make sense? So beating them over the head with it wouldn't have done much good.

I think it was in Lakoff's book that I read that Democrats take the approach that all you need to do is give people enough facts and present a logical argument and you can win their vote. But many, if not most people base their vote on how closely they identify with the candidate, because then they can trust them and believe in them. They feel that they know them. So it's an emotional connection, or a leap of faith, or whatever you want to call it. So however this is done, we need to focus on this aspect of campaigning, in my view. I think they did just fine making emotional connections, except that they were working with a hostile media. But Dems should keep at it.
Bush was also good at making an emotional connection to his voters, unfortunately! Based on the facts, he should have not gotten a single vote, except maybe from CEO's of corporations.

[whometense]

5. I agree with pretty much everything

you say.

It's impossible to imagine that the people who would appreciate his activism would have voted for Bush, but Kerry did take a huge amount of bashing from the left (witness current events here on DU, though it seems to be fading some). I found it extremely aggravating that those people did not understand who he was. And I still do.

It's also aggravating that the Shrub had any emotional appeal to anyone. I don't understand that, and don't think I ever will. I mean, who could possibly be more elitist than he is?

[ginnyinWI]

6. * had the religious right in his pocket from day one

He identified himself as one of them, and he had them, solid. There are people who listen to hardly any media except religious broadcasting. They are stupendously ill-informed. I'm reminded of this lately by talking to my mom who has been listening to RR radio to get everything she knows about the Shiavo case. Sigh. She is shocked and disbelieving when I try to tell her anything different about it. Oh well!

As for Kerry, maybe a lot of people are simply confused by him because they can't fit him conveniently into a known stereotype. Well, they put him in the "liberal elite" catagory by default, but he doesn't really fit there. There are contradictions, like his Band of Brothers, his war heroism, his anti-war activism. None of those are elitist. And when people are confused and frustrated, they get a little angry.

Yeah, I don't know; is it better to run toward the left or the center? When * ran to the hard right, he got the votes for being sure of himself and full of conviction. I'd like to believe that all our Dems have to do is run clearly and confidently to the left, and they will take the moderates as well. This country is becoming more and more polarized, and people have to come down on one side or the other. There certainly was a clear choice in this last election. Bush was so far right that Kerry looked far left by comparison. Could that have been the problem? Are people drifting to the right in spite of themselves? It's a puzzle.

I also wish the Left would not be so quick to rush to judgement! Argh--especially over the concession speech. Give the poor guy a break already!

[TayTay]

7. I don't think it would have mattered who was nominated last year

The RW is very, very good at demonizing people. They have a flock of true believers who think that Democrats and lberals are hell-sent to destroy them. The RW has spent decades buidling this up and during last year's election they activated the particular template for Kerry and used it. Their base reacted as they had been trained to do. (The RW has always hated Kerry because of his actions against RW corruption and wrongdoing over the years. I'm sure it gave them a big happy to attack him in such a broad public forum. Screw them.)

HOWEVER, I think my esteeemd Senator has put his finger on a solution that will begin to turn the tide. I really do. It appears to me (and who knows, maybe me alone LOL!) that Kerry's newly articulated strategy to go wide on the next attack and get people from all 50 states involved is a good one. I agree with Kerry that the Dems don't need a big period of navel-gazing in order to figure out what we believe in. (If we don't know that by now, hang it up.) What we need to do is stand and fight. Say what we believe in over and over and over until it starts to sink in. The fight to preserve Social Security is a winner because the Dems are sticking together and not giving ground on that program and the false premise that * has that it needs to be dismantled into privitization or it will die. (The alleged intra-party fight between Reid and Kerry over how to go about this is a good healthy development. I want to see some passionate discussions on this. It's good for the party.)

[ginnyinWI]

10. I agree with you 100%--a very smart answer

:) And I do share you optimism. Now if only the Left will give Kerry another chance at the presidency, I'll be really happy again! I think if he gets the chance he can do it. As long as the election is not rigged, that is! Jimmy Carter getting into the election reform act is a very good thing.

[foreverdem]

12. It's a shame

It's a shame that bush voters didn't realize they need to be kept safe from their own government. Otherwise Kerry would have been where he belongs, in the WH.

[sandnsea]

8. Oregon got the boomer vote

Yes, I think it would have made a difference. Remember that post I made a couple of weeks ago about the Vietnam Vet and how he wanted Kerry to connect the errors of Vietnam to the errors of this Administration. How politicians and corporations screw up wars. JK didn't have to come off as anti-war in order to make that connection because making the connection would have shown he was the one who knew how to fix the Iraq mess. And it would have reminded the history rewriters just how big of a blunder Vietnam was. That's the campaign I expected him to run, sorry that he didn't.

The hippie haters bought into the Swift Boat campaign anyway, nothing Kerry could have done would have made it any worse.

[Hans Delbrook]

9. One thing I think people underestimate

is Kerry's deep regret that some vets were hurt by his activities and even view him as "anti-vet." Please understand me, I don't believe Kerry regrets for a nanosecond his protesting that war - when he says, "We saved lives" he means it. It's the impression that bothers him - and I believe he also regrets (as he said on MTP) some of the language he used at the time. Though as some have explained - they were being ignored and that language was a way of waking people up.

Now for a man who has devoted so much of himself to Vet's issues and who (I believe) will always view himself through the lens of Vietnam - this experience must be devastating. And this situation was exacerbated by the campaign. I think that during the election he was grappling w/ all that not trying to hide from his past to score political points.

[TayTay]

11. The analogous situation to that today

is this whole Terry Schiavo case. I believe the woman's family is being lied to and played by the RW thugs like Delay and Frist. But I have nothing but compassion and sympathy in my heart for those people who so obviously love their daughter. I also reconize that, to true believers, nothing I say will be heard beyond the first line of 'I disagree.' That's just the way it is now. We don't talk to each other, we talk to the cameras and to the people who believe as we believe. No amount of reasoning or compassion or sympathy will make one bit of difference. The lines are drawn.

[karynnj]

13. Does Kerry have the support of most of the Massachusetts vets?

I agree that it's probably hard on a person level, independent of the political level, to not have the respect for people he cares for. It's sad because it's so obviously an important part of who he is and he has worked on so many Vietnam related things.

If he is well respected by the Massachusetts vets, there might be some chance that he could gain the respect of more of the nation's vets, if only for his legislative work and his own Vietnam experience, if what he did became more known. In the Brinkley book, even some of his own crew still disagree with the protests, although they love him.

The only vets I really know well are one of my brother-in -laws and my husband's uncle. My brother in law had never really talked of Vietnam - and still hasn't except very vaguely. According to my niece, he spent hours watching C-SPAN and was extremely Pro-Kerry. (He's usually fairly apolitical) He went to one of the Arizona rallies. My husband's uncle is a moderate Republican WWII vet, who voted for Clinton in 92 and for Dole in 96, due to Clinton's sleaziness on many levels. He was pro-Vietnam war, but he took the time to read Kerry's testimony and commented that he saw where he was coming from. We sent him stuff that my husband thought would impress him - one of the BCCI articles and the Suskind Bush thing impressed him the most. He and his wife ended up voting for Kerry.

[whometense]

14. I don't know if anyone else

has those statistics, but I don't know the answer to that question. I was often curious during the campaign about how the veterans were lining up, but I never got actual statistics.

I'd assume his level of support among veterans here was fairly high, but in MA, just like everywhere else, Vietnam continues to be a divisive issue, and we certainly have our own bunch of Kerry haters with issues that go back to 1971.

[Hans Delbrook]

15. I can't answer you

I don't know that much about Vet's views beyond my family either. My father (a WWII vet) and my cousin (Vietnam vet) both respect him deeply for the work he did clearing up the MIA/POW mess but even for that, he still takes flak.

It was my cousin's experience that really "turned me on" to Kerry (so to speak ;-) - no pun intended:evilgrin: ) in the first place but I've written about that at length.

[whometense]

16. Hey, it's Friday,

at the end of a miserable news week.

I could use a few :evilgrin:'s myself right about now. ;-)

[TayTay]

17. Ain't that the truth

You can feel the energy zap around here. I think it's partly the horror of what the cable news nets have done with the Terry Schiavo story and partly just the spring doldrums. Honestly, I have never seen a more disgraceful performance by way of the national media than what I have seen in this right-to-determine case.

We do have fights to look forward to starting the week of April 4th. The hearing on the Bolton nomination will be set and that needs to be fought. (I will start posting my research this weekend. It's just been a long slog, lots of stuff and I find this kind of evil upsetting.) Kerry should go back out on the road, probably next week to stump for KidsFirst Health Care and that is a positive. And we should have more kabuki dance stuff over social security. (And the esteemed Senator from Ma is on the Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy. That should get progressively more interesting.)

So, we have to just sit tight and get through the awfulness of the Rethugs sucking on the pain and suffering of the Schindler and Schiavo families. (Again, there is no spot in hell hot enough to put such disgusting human beings.) Keep the Faith!

[Pirate Smile]

18. Is Congress out next week also?

[TayTay]

19. Yes, Congress returns on April 4th

More or less. That's a Monday. Congress almost never gets anything done on a Monday. It's a travel day.

But next week should see the national media moving on from the Schiavo case and onto the other pressing issues of the day. Social Security will continue to be an issue. (But in that weird way it's been going on; we are reacting to something that isn't there. Strange.)

There are environmental fights coming up, nomination fights and the ongoing cloud of the 'nuclear option.' That will probably come up in the April session. So sit tight, it's about to get real interesting.

[politicasista]

20. Good. It feels boring here at DU and the country

I miss everyone. :nopity:

[TayTay]

21. Me Too!

I miss Fire and WEL and Vektor. But, there will be times like this. It's just the doldrums.

[whometense]

22. I know what you mean.

I miss JK too. How pathetic is that?

After a week like this I need to be reminded there are real grownups in our government.

Morning Sedition line of the week: "Wake up, sheeple, the rats are in charge of the cheese!!!"

Maybe I just need a good laugh. Anyone know any good jokes? How about a laugh thread??

[TayTay]

23. A laugh thread is a good idea

And don't be so hard on yourself. You're not pathetic at all. If all you did was check in on this group and build a life around it, well, that would be one thing. But I know you have a family, you have concerns outside of this group and things that matter to you in life. You are a busy gal. (As am I.)

That you also reserve a part of your life for checking in here as a means for checking in on what is going on in the greater world is a good thing. We have all found companionship and a sort of support group here as well. (Good for us.) We get to check in and say, 'hey, did that thing that went on this week bug the hell out of you as well?' and that is a wonderful (and rare) thing.

So, it's okay to miss JK a little. You are missing a connection to 'what is going on in the world.' That merely proves that you care and that is a great thing. (Unless he owes you money. LOL!) Hey, I posted a moonily decrepit post this week about how I want JK to come home and have a public forum on Social Security, thus proving that I am both wonky and territorial. So be it. I want that connection to what the hell is going on in the good ole USA and he is one of those connections. I think that's an okay thing. (And he doesn't owe me money, so I don't have a selfish reason for wondering what he's doing. I think it an altruistic reason, at least I hope it is.)

[politicasista]

24. I guess all the 2008 threads are becoming depressing.

[whometense]

26. They are to me.

I was just trying to write a blog post about this web-only column http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/03/25/carving_up_the_kerry_vote TayTay posted earlier, by an obnoxious, Kerry-hating Boston Globe columnist. I just find it so depressing that she's already trying to cut him down for 2008.

[politicasista]

27. It just feels like nobody but us thinks Kerry deserves another opportunity

I don't know why I feel like Kerry was being set up so that Hillary, Clark or someone DU favorites could run again. All cause "he didn't beat the worst president ever."I hated all that most Dems bought into the lies of the media. It's just sad because Kerry would have made a good president, but I guess everyone here would still complain anyway. :cry:

[politicasista]

29. I wanted to edit the cry signature. I am actually moping

But I am making progress. :)

[whometense]

31. I know what you mean.

I've moved on to just moping too. :-)

[TayTay]

30. It's so early.

Don't get discouraged. These things have months and months to play out. Hillary is the darling of the moment, but that will change. And Kerry will be re-discovered. It's what the fickle media does. Relax, it's okay. It's way, way, way too early to get either overly encouraged or agressively discouraged.

[politicasista]

32. Thanks Tay Tay, Whome and everyone

:yourock:

[whometense]

36. Thanks.

I'm blushing. We Kerry fans have to keep each others' spirits up.

When did you start supporting him? It was so grim in the fall of 2003. It would have been a lot worse without the good people on the Kerry blog and then the Kerry forum.

[politicasista]

43. I was ABB until his acceptance speech

then became a supporter full time. I didn't care who won, I just wanted * out. Dean was cool because of his antiwar stance. The general was ok. Edwards was (and still is) cool too, but I didn't know who Kerry was until the DNC. I know this might sound silly but me and my parents voted for Kerry in the primaries cause he was the frontrunner. There wasn't much advertising here in TN (cause we were not a battleground state), but I was glad to support the most qualified person to defeat *

I then started reading the Kerry/Edwards blog almost everyday. During th campaign, one thing I was somewhat uncomfortable with was lots of criticism that Kerry and his campaign received was not reaching out to minorities for staff work. Some complained that he just didn't have any personality and that he wasn't comfortable working with minorities period. I was glad he interviewed with Urban magazines/radio. Although he did that towards the end, some blacks felt that it was too little, too late (around August-September).

Another thing I was uncomfortable with as a supporter was that so many were comparing Kerry to Clinton. While I liked Clinton, I felt it was unfair to compare Kerry to Clinton. See we (minorities) were spoiled by Clinton, therefore the Dem that was running for pres would have to "act smooth, stir the masses, move our souls," and so on.

Sometimes I get depressed off and on because I feel like if we just kept our mouths shut, Kerry would be in the WH. But no, my people believed the lies of the media and the vicious, mean-spiritied Rovian talking points against Kerry. It makes me sad cause I feel like I am the only minority (besides JI7 maybe) that would still support Kerry.

To make the long story short, I am an intelligent person. My issues are education, jobs, healthcare, economy, affirmative action, environment and so on. This is why I supported Kerry. No he isn't perfect, yes mistakes were made. Sometimes I wonder why he conceded so soon or why he chose to listen to his cautious advisors rather than his own gut. But he got more votes than any of them did. I don't like it when people kick someone when they are already down. Therefore, the more they bash Kerry, the more I appreciate his post-election activities.

Sorry for the long thread.

[whometense]

44. I enjoyed reading what you had to say.

And it's interesting to hear what brought people to him. Living in Massachusetts, and knowing him for so long (the first time I met him he was running for Lieutenant Governor), I'm not at all objective.

One of the little known facts I discovered during the campaign was that Al Gore's advisors thought Kerry was too charismatic to be Gore's running mate in 2000.How is that possible? Just goes to show you how corrupt and lazy the TV talking heads are. There are still a lot of print reporters I respect, but the news stations are worse than worthless. They're irresponsible and emptyheaded.

My issues are similar to yours. I have three kids, all of them musicians, so I worry a lot about whether they'll be able to afford healthcare. I'm also very interested in education and the environment. And womens' issues. I think it would be great to have a woman president, but Hillary has no appeal for me at all.

[politicasista]

47. Thanks Whome

I would have written more, but I thought this would explain everything. :hi:

[whometense]

33. You're absolutely right.

It's exhausting right now to think of dealing with all that already. Deep breaths.

Meanwhile, though, what do you think our chances are of getting Vennochi fired??? She's just dishonest.

[TayTay]

35. She's just doing the Pundit Shuffle

Or the Hokey Pokey, I'm open on that part of it. First she builds up Hillary so that she can diss Kerry. (I marvel that the Globe never runs out of snarky ways to diss Kerry. And he just keeps going and going. It's actually kind of amusing.) Then she will pivot and find something mildly acceptable that Kerry has done that she can hold at arm's length without vomiting. (Hey, this could happen, honest.) Then she will start to diss Hillary and intimate that she really never liked Hillary at all. She will then turn and say something snarky about Kerry, becaue it has been two whole days since she did so and she is in withdrawal. Then she will latch onto somebody from the Midwest and proceed to bite the life out of them as well.

It's a living! You can't get her fired. She's and Exec. Editor or someting. (And may have married into the Globe to boot.) The only way she's coming out of Morrissey Blvd is feet first. It's a nice cushy job.

[whometense]

37. I know. Gag.

But if I hear one more person refer to Hillary as a "rock star" I may get violent. No, not really. But I'll feel like getting violent.

[ginnyinWI]

45. Hee Hee

There's only room for one Rock Star in this Democratic Party, and we know who it is! :loveya:

[whometense]

46. Damn right.

:evilgrin:

[whometense]

25. Thanks!

That really helps. I thought of you yesterday when I received an invitation to a Marty Meehan fundraiser in Lowell April 10. $100 a head, but JK is going to be there. I guess it's time to pay off some of his campaign debt to the local pols. Is Meehan your rep? DId you get an invite? Do you want mine?

[TayTay]

28. Not yet.

But my husband is going down to DC in April at Meehan's invitation to have a schmooze or something. (Meehan invotes local officials to come down to DC and hang around the Capitol for awhile. Makes the locals feel all puffed up and important. Of course my husband bit. Politicos, can't live with them, can't fit their ego's in the sub-compact either.)

I would like to go to that. What's on the menu, BTW?

EDIT: I did wish for JK to come home and be here for an event and I guess I am getting my wish. (Now, ahm, I wish I had a million dollars that came to me in such as way as nobody got hurt or terribly inconvenienced. I'll wait on that one and see if that works as well.)

[whometense]

34. I'll pm you with the details.

I guess we gave JK enough $$ last year to move up on the list. Meehan isn't my rep, Barney is.

[TayTay]

38. Thanks

To bed for me. And I gotta talk to my Hubbie. I want to go to this. But I might end up going alone and I wonder if that would be fun.

Hey Rox, wanna go to a fundraiser for Marty Meehan? He's a good guy. He's even demanding that the troops be withdrawn from Iraq (in an orderly and well-considered fashion, as befits a guy from well-mannered Massachusetts. We are not a rash people.)

2 hours of John Kerry. (Okay, Whome, you and I both know he will be late. So it's probably more like 1 hour of local people and finger sandwiches, then 1 hour of Kerry. Not bad. I'm in.)

[whometense]

39. Good night!

If you go to Meehan's home page http://www.martymeehan.com/ it's right there - official and all.

[TayTay]

40. Thanks kiddo!

Sounds good. I likes it a lot. I think I'll go find something to wear that isn't reminiscent of Early American Tee Shirt and go. Sounds like an afternoon, ah, evening of pure delight. (I need to get a life over here.)

[whometense]

41. Promise you'll

come back and report!!! We will want details. :evilgrin:

[TayTay]

42. Oh hell ya!

I'll take the camera and download whatever comes out. Now, see ya!

I'll take the little recorder as well and make a transcript. Or not. Depends on how organized I get.

This would be fun. Kerry in Lowell. I hope it's fun for him too! (Well, it is Lowell. It's also a private fundraiser, so he probably only has to give an interview to the Lowell Sun. They won't be let into the actual fundraiser I hope. They suck rocks!)