What are the L.L.L.ittle things you love about John Kerry?

[Island Blue]

We all love John Kerry for his policies and service to country, but what are some of the little reason why you have grown to love this man? (And don't say his WMD because we've seen his hands and his WMD ain't a little reason! ;-) )


I love it when he rolls his sleeves up just so!

I love it when he talks with his hands, especially when he puts his open palm to his chest or when shows gratitude by putting both hands together almost as in prayer.

I love how he says "idear". (I know it's a New England thing.)

I love that he still wears his LIVESTRONG bracelet.


That's a short list for starters. Anyone else?


http://www.richardavedon.com/images/editorial2004/newyorker/kerry_full:jpg

[BlueIris]

1. The smile. The smile is a beautiful thing.

I love it mostly because it is precisely opposite to Dubya's smarmy little smirk.

[JI7]

2. i love how he is very affectionate

and always giving big hugs and kisses and the way he puts his arm around those he talks with.

[TayTay]

3. My views have been softened in this group

So, my throw-back response is all those wonderful moments when people here (in MA) under-estimated the guy and then were thrown for a loop when he just up and did something unexpected.

I posted the St. Pats Day breakfast story from 2003 a while ago but there are a lot of newbies here so maybe the long-time folks will forgive me this repeat. The pols locally were all having a great deal of semi-mean fun at Kerry's expense at this breakfast because the Globe had recently reported that John Kerry was of Slovak and Jewish descent on his Dad's side and it was just too big a target to let it go. (Nobody really cares about his background, but it was a good target for kidding.) That breakfast had speaker after speaker come in and do Kerry jokes complete with altered blow-up pics. (John Kerry with an Italian mustache, Kerry with a French beret and so forth.) Somebody actually said that he wouldn't dare show his face here. (It is a clubby little breakfast that is local pol heaven.)

Anyway, Kerry was just suddenly there and strode up to the platform, spread his arms out wide and said, "Who said I didn't have the matzo-balls to be here." He just owned the room after that. He totally rocked. My fav Kerry moment of all time, cuz it was so "f*ck you, you bunch of provincial bozos. Btw, I love you guys.") I thought that was so cool and a totally LLL-worthy. I loved that moment. What a great and in-your-face thing to do.

[vinessa4freedom]

4. rolled up sleeves do it for me...

with the LLL thing. And when he has his head sort of down and looks up really intently. His eyes do this combination intense/soft thing. I don't know how to explain it. It's pretty hot--and the look is absolutely ageless; he could be 18 or 80 that look is just sexy.

There are many little things to love about him though. I think most of the reasons are what he believes in and stands up for. Like kids, seniors, the environment. And who doesn't love a guy that's got his mind?

[TayTay]

5. Oooh, the sexy glasses thing

I love that. I love those moments in committee questioning when he is talking to the person who is testifying and they suddenly realize how intense a questioner Kerry can be. These witnesses usually sit up straighter and start to reply in more careful ways. I saw it happen with Condiliar Rice and with the USTR hearings on Portman. That is very hot. (And the sexy glasses help.)

Then again, I have seen Kerry in committee lately in concert with that moron George Allen. He can't seem to make a decent point to save his life. (His questioning is either full of the desire to bully the Dems or it is just unfocused and sort of all over the place. Kerry looks sooooooo good after listening to that lightweight.) I really love the putdowns of the Rethugs when they do their reprehensible Rethug things. Warms the cockles of my heart.

[Island Blue]

6. Oh yes, the sexy glasses!

Love it when he's listening to the answer of the person he's grilling and he looks over the top of the glasses and just stares a hole through the poor soul on the hot seat!

[vinessa4freedom]

7. yeah, when he gets the look you know what's next

grill time. I have the rice hearings on tape (all of it--3 tapes worth. I labeled them Fried Rice, Steamed Rice and Boiled Rice) and when he was questioning her he did that a lot. Gives me a shiver.

[Island Blue]

8. That's too funny! I didn't know Rice came in so many varieties!

I remember a photo from the hearing when he didn't have the glasses on, but he had his hands clasped in front of his mouth, and he was staring at Condiliar just daring her to tell another lie. Yes, he's hot when he's pissed!

[vinessa4freedom]

17. I was so fired up when I watched it...

Between JK and Barbara Boxer they just let her have it. I was disappointed in the attitude Biden took. "the president should be allowed to choose his own cabinet and yadda yadda" please, spare me. The president should be democratically elected, too and we all know that's a load of crap. Kerry was intent on exposing her, and did a spectacular job. I get tingles just thinking about it.

[BlueIris]

10. The sleeves. OH, the sleeves.

Dear Lord.

[whometense]

12. Made me think of this:

Favorite JK picture. Of all time.



This one's nice too. :loveya:

[vinessa4freedom]

18. Whome--its Sunday morning

I cannot get all tingly at 8 a.m. on Sunday. My whole day will be shot. :) But thanks. That one is my favorite too, and if I could get a poster of it, it would be hanging on my wall. WOW.

[vinessa4freedom]

16. I don't know what it is...

but that just sends me over the edge.

[jillan]

9. I love it when he says IDEAR too! along with...

the sound of his voice. And the way he expresses himself. That to me is the biggest turn on.

I love his eyes, and how they show so much expression.

I love that he protested the Viet Nam war, and was the person that was the representative to be the dissenting voice.

I love that his daughters admire him so much. You could just feel it in the campaign. It wasn't an act, like some other daughters we know.
You just know that he is a great, caring father.

I loved that brown jacket that he wore all winter while he was campaigning.

[Mass]

11. The glasses, definitively

and his voice also. It is so deep. I really enjoy listening to him, even if sometimes his sentences are too long.

[politicasista]

13. The glasses, the diverse babies/children...

rolled up sleeves, loosened ties, different gestures, and of course Momma T!

[europegirl4jfk]

14. The smile, the hand-talking, the voice

I first saw John Kerry on CNNi when I was seriously looking for a good Bush alternative for you US guys during the primaries. And I was deeply impressed by his honesty and seriousness. A politician has never left such a positive impression on me before, our European ones included.

All these little things came later when I observed him more during the campaign: his open smile, the moving of his beautiful hands when he talks, his warm deep voice...

[BlueIris]

24. The "hand-talking"--YES.

Hee. Hand-talking.

[whometense]

25. Just want you to know

that you've caused me an LLL moment at 7:55 am!! That must be some kind of record. ;-)

His voice - I love the sound of his voice. :loveya: :loveya:

[Island Blue]

15. I love his sheer intelligence and his ability to communicate

I love the way he made shrub sound just plain stupid in the debates. (I love him for his mind, really I do.)

I also love how his face is so expressive - he can throw his whole head back and laugh, scour at an opponent, show love for his family, listen intently to what someone is telling him, get choked up after a long, difficult campaign, and all the emotions register on his face. The best part is that you can tell his emotions are genuine - not "made for television" emotions like some folks we know. Not bad at all for someone who is so "aloof"!


:loveya:

[TayTay]

19. I love that gesture he makes

that is like praying hands. He uses it repeatedly when he is either acknowledging someone in a crowd or to signal thanks and a heartfelt 'right back at ya!'

Those committee questioning though just get me. I love a fighter and Sen. Kerry never seems to come unarmed to a committee hearing. He alsways 'knows something' that witness doesn't seem to think he should know. I adore the way he set the Sen. Commerce committee hearing on it's ear with his question to one of the Identity tracking companies about whether they have ever been approached to sell their info to political consultants or campaigns. He came, he detonated a powerful idea no one else had thought about and then everyone else started picking up on it. Nice work.

[Island Blue]

20. Gott'a love a man who does his homework!

[beachmom]

21. Great Dad

During the campaign, and particularly the Dem. Conv., I was very impressed by the Kerry girls. However, at the time, I heard Mark Shields comment how Julie Thorne is no doubt proud of this moment. The reason for their divorce, I had heard, was that Julia didn't want to be a political wife. So at the time, I figured the reason Alex and Vanessa were so impressive was because they had a down to Earth mother who gave them a fairly normal childhood. I didn't give John credit for how well they turned out (to be fair I blamed the * twins' behavior on Laura, moreso than W).

Well, after the election, I read a ton of articles about JK, and it appears (correct me if I'm wrong) that there was a period of time that Julia fell into a severe depression and was in and out of psychiatric hospitals. I suppose there was a nanny to care for the kids or I think they were in boarding school, but it sounds like JK was the main parent during this time, constantly travelling back and forth between D.C. and Boston. From everything I've read, I like Julia very much so, and she's doing great now, but there was a time when she was too ill to care for the kids. Had Kerry been an absentee Dad 100% focussed on his career (which I had assumed before), this would have spelled disaster for the girls. But this didn't happen. Kerry took an active role as a father, and continues to be very close with them to this day. I wish I had known this during the campaign, because I would have told all of my Mom friends how good a father he is. How he is, in fact, an above average Dad.

[TayTay]

22. Thankfully

there was extended family in the area. Never underestimate the power of grandparents.

[elshiva]

23. Yep, idear. Very New England. Dean says it too.

If you asked WEL: HANDS!

[BlueIris]

26. I think his grasp of the cadence of his speeches is quite adept.

It makes his oratory melodious. Extremely soothing to listen to. Not every senator in the world can master the concept of cadence. It's tough.