A Special Post - Senator Kerry Stakes Out Ground As a D-E-M-O-C-R-A-T…

[kerrygoddess]

Thanks Tay Tay - this is wonderful!

Senator Kerry Stakes Out Ground As a D-E-M-O-C-R-A-T…
Posted by Tay Tay
July 31st, 2006 @ 7:05 pm

By now you have heard or read about Senator Kerry’s speech at Faneuil Hall today. I was there in the back of the Hall, struggling to find a network to let me live-blog something out of the place, but it was not to be. These are some thoughts that I had while listening to the Senator speak:

Senator Kerry stakes out ground as a D-E-M-O-C-R-A-T…

Senator Kerry was preceeded to the podium by two speakers, Thomas Farrington, who, like Kerry himself, is a prostrate cancer survivor and by the Senator’s youngest daughter, Vanessa Kerry, who is one year away from her medical degree. Mr. Farrington pointed out the particular problems that African-American men have in getting medical treatment because of the cost and because of institutional problems in the delivery of preventive care to minority communities in America. He spoke of working with Kerry on getting help for minority men in getting treatment for this disease. Mr. Farrington pointed out that he, as a black male, has a far greater chance of getting and ultimately dying of this curable disease simply because he is African-American.

Farrington’s remarks were not chosen at random. If I was to use any phrase to describe Senator Kerry’s remarks today it would be Democratic. (Large D.) The Senator spoke pointedly about the problems that low income people have in affording health care. He pointedly mentioned that the delivery of health care in poor and minority community is far worse than it is in middle or upper class areas. In other words, the good Senator spoke as a Democrat. As he did in his speech about Iraq, he claimed a moral high ground and spoke of health care not as a privilege that should be afforded some people, but as a right that all Americans should have at birth.

MORE - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=3762

[ProSense]

1. Well done!

Love the title!

[TayTay]

2. Thank you for posting this!

I do feel that Sen. Kerry has really come into his own with the Faneuil Hall speeches. (Yes, he was good in '04, but he had gotten better.) His positions on the issues are in-your-face Democratic. This should end the silly dlc or not-dlc argument. (Not dlc. Very, very, very not-dlc.)

The Faneuil Hall speeches have been distinctly Democratic in proposing plans to move the country forward. The Iraq War speech laid out the case for withdrawal under a timeline. Kerry has not backed down from this, though he was forced to extend the end of the timeline for the Senate amendment. (BTW, in the FH spech and the one at TBA, he still talks about withdrawal by the end of the year.) The speech on energy and the environment were very notable for Kerry's use of mandates to achieve goals in this area. He didn't pander to any constituency, he didn't apologize for the notion of putting the energy/environmental concerns above other concerns and his plans had business conform to the needs of the nation first.

The Senator did that again today. I don't think it was random to include the attack on Wal-Mart, I think it's illustrative of his approach as a Democrat, to go after these large companies that are not being good coporate citizens. (No other Senate Dem is really calling these people out. BTW, wasn't HRC on the Board of Directors of Wal-Mart for a time? hmmmmmmm.)

Maybe it's my addled brain or the fact that I saw Sen. Kerry again on home turf, which is very Democratic, but he is polishing his credentials as an authentic Dem and not dlc. (Hmmm, Jim McGovern came, he is about the most liberal Congressman in America, btw. Interesting that he should come and be pointed out for attending the speech.) A gauntlet of sorts has been thrown down. Kerry has his own unique positions and they are really different from the 'rest of the pack.'

[karynnj]

4. McGovern was cool at the Patrick rally last spring

He made a joke that people were saying Patrick was too liberal to be elected state wide - and that Patrick wasn't, but he was. He had a foot in a cast, so he said fighting Republicans was hard work.

[kerrygoddess]

3. Pics added now

Tay Tay sent these pics too - they are added in the post now...

[karynnj]

5. Vanessa looks great - the bottom picture with her dad is nice.

What an impressive woman.

[wisteria]

6. Very nicely done!

I am glad he mentioned Walmart also.