Kerry blisters Republicans, touts Democratic comeback at state lev

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

By DAVID AMMONS

The Associated Pres
SEATTLE — John Kerry, last year's unsuccessful Democratic nominee for president, was back on the campaign trail today — this time promoting a Democratic resurgence at America's state capitals as the party attempts to rebuild nationally.

The Massachusetts senator said the national government has been hijacked by fast-talking, mean-spirited and destructive Republicans. After blistering Republicans on everything from Iraq to health care, Kerry said Democrats have an opportunity to rebuild from coast to coast by simply addressing the concerns that affect people's daily lives — energy, transportation, health care and security, for starters.

His comments came before 750 Democratic state legislators who were attending the National Conference of State Legislatures. He announced plans to campaign and raise money for Democratic legislative candidates across America.

He may use those chits for a new White House bid, but said in an interview that he's taking his political plans a day at a time.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002446364_webkerry19.html

[bilgewaterbill]

1. Sorry, but I just can't get excited about this guy. nt.

[MissMarple]

3. It's OK. But I think we are approaching a tipping point.

And Kerry is quite articulate. Let's hope he can do some good. :)

[krkaufman]

5. Wish Gore was out there, too. We need everyone. n/t

[Melodybe]

36. Have you seen Current yet?

Gore is doing plenty, current is a god send.

The potential is through the roof.

[henslee]

98. The website is better than a sleeping pill.

[JMDEM]

32. We've already passed the tipping point

And the big tipper is Diebold.

Until that is fixed, nothing else matters.

[politicasista]

13. I can't get excited about Bush or any repuke but his base does

Too bad we can't do the same.

[fearnobush]

17. His loss is an illusion - the exit polls prove it.

Yet I agree with your statement in so far as his unwillingness to fight for what was wrongfully stolen from him and us.

[bilgewaterbill]

28. Exit polls don't win elections.

If he lost, admit and move on. If he didn't lose, what's keeping his lip zipped? This constant "maybe-possibly- might be gonna soon" shit is freaking ridiculous! Do it or shut the f--- up!

[goforit]

56. His loss is not challanging a STOLEN election!!!

He is a whimp for not having the courage to take Bush on!!

[bilgewaterbill]

79. Can I get an AMEN!

[SlowDownFast]

95. Amen!

Kerry shoulda made a stink like he promised (er, eh PREDICTED)...

[wisteria]

18. Thats to bad because he is a really good guy working hard

to make our party stronger and better.

[bilgewaterbill]

31. I believe that is the case. What I have a problem with

is this incessant "working-behind-the-scenes" bullshit. If something is found, it's already too late. Start working on '08 or shut up already!

[Dogmudgeon]

37. Good idea! You should try it.

Seriously.

No (further) sarcasm. Seriously.

Raising money is a tedious, ugly, puerile practice, but it has to be done. I don't like seeing cattle being dispatched for eventual use in meatballs, either. "Behind the scenes" is fine with me. If John Kerry has the stomach to get blood under his fingernails, he's got my okay.

I don't understand how anyone can "have a problem" with someone working and speaking out for Democratic ideals. I do know that it's possible, and easy, to overdose on the rhetorical pigshit that comes from the press and the Culture Warriors. But John Kerry isn't responsible for political battle fatigue, either.

If the media listen to John Kerry, then John Kerry should tell them what he thinks, loud and clear. Just the same as if you or I got the attention. Every moment Kerry gets attention is a moment less than our Wise and Courageous Maximum Leader, the God-Blessed George Bush, has it.

Better the microphone find a Democratic loser than a Republican winner. Besides which, the last three elections have been so compromised that nobody really knows for sure. We will need a home-run win in 2008; nothing less will do, since the last election seems to have confirmed a 5-8% unexplainable statistical skew toward the GOP.

We will need all the Democratic activists we can get -- and if that means backing people like John Kerry, Howard Dean, or Joe Lieberman (depending on your political position), then I'll do it. The Democratic Party belongs to all of us -- and it's fine if we fight. Just as long as we don't kill each other off before the election.

John Kerry isn't a racehorse, and it's probably not a good idea to euthanize candidates who lose elections, no matter how much the Republicans would like us to.

And I'm not asking you, or anyone, to shut up. I'd just prefer that we all train our fire on the Enemy once in a while.

--p!

[Helga Scow Stern]

53. Well said, Pigwidgeon! n/t

[stepnw1f]

62. Well Said (nt)

[Autonomy]

102. Yes, thank you. n/t

[MH1]

41. He's working on '05 and '06.

Maybe '08 too, but the emphasis is on '05 and '06, as it should be - for example he is raising money for Kaine for VA gov (2005) and his orgaization is also working to recruit volunteers for Corzine (NJ gov race in 2005).

Also keep in mind that it's statehouses (and governors) that control the voting machines and other aspects of the electoral process in their states. Much as we would like to see (better) Federal standards that the states have to meet, there is an argument that the Constitution leaves it up to the states. (I'm no lawyer let alone a constitutional lawyer, so I don't know if that's a good argument. But even if it's wrong, that wouldn't stop the thugs from using it anyway.) And anyway, it isn't that way now; we have to work with the federal system we have, not the one we wish we had. Note that we have won in surprising places - NC just passed a VVPT bill, and Reform Ohio Now has gotten election reform on the ballot in Ohio this year.

So Kerry emphasizing governor's races and state races is a good move, IMO.

[ray of light]

44. oh really, I disagree!

For one thing, IF he is able to discover the person or group who arranged the fraud and prosecute them successfully then we will be able to have real election reform! AND the pricks would be behind jail.

NEXT, go to your local police office and ask them how long the average investigation lasts? Ask them if the best way to find the culprits is to go on the news or if a sneakier behind the scenes investigation gets better results. Ask them what their quickest investigation was and if the person got convicted and ask them what their longest was and if they got convicted. Better yet, focus your questions on the same type of crime--maybe embezzelment or computer hacking--to see if there are any corrolations to be found.

But I'm tired of people assuming that Kerry should have stood like a crybaby on the hill and gone "WAAAAA, the election was SSS stolen!!!!" OR if maybe, they could actually DIRECT their anger towards the actual party involved in covering up election reforms--Repbublicans! AND if they could actually take that anger and make it more useful by campaigning for progressives so we can get rid of the neoCONS.

Is shooting kerry and dems really an effective strategy here? OR is taking our knowledge of how deep this Republican corruption is and getting progressives elected more important?

[fasttense]

49. Yeah, just get over it. So it was stolen and

may be stolen again. So what just get over it cause no one cares. :sarcasm:

Boy does that sound familiar. We heard it 2000, we heard in 2004, and we'll hear it again in 2008.

[roguevalley]

85. Dean is creating the state-by-state apparatus. He is putting the

framework in place. He gets the credit.

[Le Taz Hot]

92. Thank you!

Hmmmm . . . organizing on the municipal and state levels . . . where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, Howard Dean. Oh well, maybe Kerry's finally catching up. :eyes:

[Toots]

39. How about for what he says then?

:shrug:

[Goldeneye]

46. And yet you felt the need to read and post in this thread.

Why is that? Like the Aruba story, it bored the shit out of me...so I just never read the threads. Same for Michael Jackson stuff. And the threads about Al Franken sucking. I just ignored them. No better way to show a lack of interest than by ignoring something. Maybe Kerry'll go away if everyone who doesn't like him ignores threads about him. The posters would get tired of no one responding. Hell, people who don't like Kerry take up more space in some of these threads than people who do like him.

[geckosfeet]

50. Can he be any freakin worse that what we have right now? I can't

get excited about any of the dem's that I see lining up for '08. All extensions of various corporate entities.

Wish we had viable third parties (green) with significant presence in congress and senate.

[childslibrarian]

106. I agree

He had his chance. If he hadn't been so gutless....

[FloridaPat]

2. Who's this guy and where was he during the last election?

Although "hijacked by fast-talking, mean-spirited and destructive" seems a little bland for me. Maybe lying treasonous murderes would be more descriptive.

[MissMarple]

4. Earlier , they would have painted him as just "mean spirited". Now that's

a bit harder to do. Sometimes it is...all in the timing. His best thing to do now is to shift winds, to change minds.

The swift boat frauds for truth need to be exposed again... for the liars that they are. What they did to Kerry and the American people was an evil thing. And that is the truth, that's a fact...

[wisteria]

20. Your absolutely correct! n/t

[bilgewaterbill]

6. And where were these terms in Nov?

[wisteria]

22. Most were there in Nov. !

Others, have just had their time come.

[bilgewaterbill]

24. Sorry, but I don't recall Kerry using these terms in Nov.

In fact, I don't recall him objecting to the stolen election at all.

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. I agree that he's been too quiet, but keep an open mind in case

he does have irons in the fire in Ohio, and it pays off. We need someone who can come out slugging, and Kerry will be the obvious choice.

[bilgewaterbill]

30. It's been nearly a year. He's now John Who?

[The Backlash Cometh]

42. I know, I know.

I can't argue with that one. I just called John Edwards, Bob Edwards in another thread.

[wisteria]

19. I had no problem finding him.

Do you have a problem supporting those who support our party? Are you really a dem?

[Le Taz Hot]

93. Being a Dem

does NOT mean supporting the party line no matter what. Being a good Dem and a good American is having the courage to stand up and say, "No, that is absolutely NOT right." Your description fits the die-hard * supporters to a "T."

[lyonn]

7. hardly a gripping powerful speech

according to the Seattle Times. If Kerry was hard hitting we are in trouble.

[ginnyinWI]

84. I'm sad for those who demand perfection

from imperfect human beings--they will never be happy with anyone.

Here we have a Democrat with worldwide recognition who is working his heart out for the party, and using his considerable political capital to speak out against this administration, like the shadow president he is. He is no McGovern, who carried only one state; he got nearly half of all the (counted) votes!

He is not tacking to the right like some of them, but keeps saying what he's been saying for the last several years. He's a liberal Democrat, and no DINO. No,he may not be your own perfect,tailor-made version of a politician, but give the guy some credit, please!

Would any of you rather have him go out to pasture like Al Gore did? Grow a beard and start writing books or something? If you do, I question your dedication to the success of the Democratic party.

[Botany]

8. John ..... are you from the Deptartment of closing the barn door after ...

the horse has run off?

go away!

You know about the New Mexico vote ...... I have talked to somebody who
told you the data from there ....... you are a hero, a tough guy, a great
senator, and spoke the truth but you did not fight like you promised.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

10. Sorry guy. We need everyone involved.

No go aways please. He's still uncertain whether he will run in 2008 if that's what you're worried about. There's stil a lot of time left till then.

[nosmokes]

11. john who?

sorry, kerry won't get a vote outta me for dogcatcher or a seat on the sewer board. long walk short pier anat. and while i agree he had the election stolen from him, everybody and their dog knew that was gonna happen. i'll never forgive him for not fighting for it.

[politicasista]

14. Yawn

:boring:

[fedupinBushcountry]

33. everybody and their dog knew that was gonna happen

Well if that statement is true, then why didn't everybody and their dog do something about it. No take the easy way out, blame it on one person.

This is bigger than one person or one party and if we the people don't start doing some fighting than we the people are going to see the same results again and again and again.

Have you talked to that dogcatcher or sewer board about paper trail voting machines or voting rights ?

If you can talk the talk, how about taking a walk down that short pier?

[The_Casual_Observer]

12. Thus spake the emotionless carved wooden doll.

[wisteria]

23. You must have posted your description in the wrong place.

It certainly doesn't belong here. This is a post to support the efforts of a great man trying to do great things for our party.

[The_Casual_Observer]

26. My whole family supported the man heavily in a difficult

rw area. He is a fine guy, but he has just become so lifeless anymore.

[iconoclastic cat]

15. Well, better late than never. Now let's see you do more than talk, dude.

[NVMojo]

16. I'm not excited about Bush. GO KERRY!!! Rise above the media whores!

[sue_66]

21. Too Late Kerry

he should have discovered his balls when he was attempting to become the President. He is a waste of time, I no longer pay attention to anything the man says

[wisteria]

25. Then why are you here? Still find him interesting huh! n/t

[sue_66]

29. Sorry

Kerry will never be taken seriously again. He sat back and let the GOP destroy him.

[fedupinBushcountry]

60. Its all his fault

Mommy, Mommy, we lost the game and its all Johnny's fault.

The score was 1-0 and it was the bottom of the ninth with 2 outs and Johnny hit it to third base and he didn't run fast enough and was out. I told him he's a bad player and lost the game.

Mom: Sounds like Johnny tried his best to keep your team in the game. Did you get a hit ?

No,the stupid umpire said I swung but I didn't, he's not fair. So I was out and I was up right before Johnny.

Mom: Dear, blaming one person for losing the game is not fair either. You are a team , you win as a team and you lose as a team. Blaming will not help the team or players, but practice and team spirit may win you the next.

You're right Mommy, at practice tomorrow, I will show my team spirit and tell Johnny I'm sorry for blaming him.

[MH1]

40. Evidently you paid attention to this.

Belying your comment.

I see you are new at DU. You will find that there are a huge number of threads and forums on DU, and you really need never pay any attention to anything Kerry is doing.

I highly recommend the Birders' forum, for one. (Seriously, it's great. Who would've thought a political discussion site would devote a whole section for birders?)

[sue_66]

67. I refuse to

act like the freepers. We have to face facts, our democrat leaders are not Gods, when I think they are wrong or ineffective, I will say so!

[MH1]

71. Well in this case he was effective - watch CNN-HN

They are playing clips of his speech and even mention the quote, "I think we ought to be getting some intelligent design in our policy in Iraq." Unfortunately they don't give the whole context, but still the snark still comes through. The context, from the article:

In an arch comment about the president's recent statement in favor of teaching "intelligent design" as an alternative to the theory of evolution, Kerry said, "I think we ought to be getting some intelligent design in our policy in Iraq."

That drew a standing ovation and whoops of delight from the audience.

But what did that audience know anyway? A standing ovation for an old has-been like Kerry? Sheesh... :sarcasm:

[sue_66]

74. So?

He was on CNN. If Kerry runs again, we will have another repuke in office. Gore would have a better chance. No Hillary, no Biden, No kerry. We need a real winner! A fighter who stands up for what they believe

[politicasista]

75. Find a Gore thread and stop trashing good dems.

Thanks for playing into the hands of the repukes. That will help us in 06 and 08. :sarcasm:

[sue_66]

78. Time to face reality

Kerry is done. Gore is also.

[MH1]

80. So. Dem POV hardly gets on MSM, Kerry got on MSM.

THAT means effective.

As far as Kerry being "another repuke" you are so extremely wrong on that point that I am suspecting you are not a Democrat or progressive at all. Kerry is roughly the 11th most liberal Senator. That means by your logic, the balance in the Senate is actually 90 - 10, because everyone less liberal than Kerry must also be "another repuke."

Doesn't say much for your support of the Democratic Party, which btw is generally the purpose of this site.

[sue_66]

81. Not Kerry!

I know he is not a repuke, I mean if he runs, we will lose. And I am as liberal as they come. Worked on both of Clinton's elections.

[SlowDownFast]

96. Hear, hear, sue!

I hear ya, I really do...

[Helga Scow Stern]

54. It is never too late. n/t

[TankLV]

70. Ya got that right!

I've so gotten over him - loooooong ago - about the same time he did when he gave up the fight about 3 months to go in the last election.

Oh, and welcome to DU!

[karynnj]

103. And who covered for him in the 3 debates?

That person was great and so were his huge rallies covered only on C-SPAN. Must have been really hard finding someone who looked and talked like Kerry.

[wisteria]

27. Great words of truth from Senator Kerry.

He has done more recently to boost our party then any other Dem. He is focused on 2006 and realizes how crucial winning then will be.

[JanusAscending]

35. YOU GO GIRL!!!!!

All of these "Kerry naysayers" will eat their words come '08!! He is "DESTINED TO BECOME PRESIDENT"!!! In the meantime he's working for a Dem. comeback in'06. He wants to make sure we have a better shot at a Dem majority in both houses of govmt., or at least a level playing field. I trust a man who "holds his cards close to his vest" and not a loudmouth blowhard!! Some people wouldn't know a TRUE GENTLEMAN if they were bitten in the ass!! Trust me , he's watching our backs as he promised.:applause:

[SlowDownFast]

97. ahhh, delusions...

"the road to hell is paved...."

[leftchick]

52. I would argue Conyers and Dean have done more

much more. This speech is not "hard hitting" IMO. He is still being way too cautious for me. Start using real terms like "lying treasonous bastards"!

[politicasista]

76. And look like a fool for doing so

[leftchick]

77. mustn't ruffle any feathers

that always is a great strategy. It worked so well for Kerry in 2004. :eyes:

[paulk]

34. another positive Kerry thread

filled with the usual Kerry bashing...

Just another day here at Trash Democrats Underground.

[Justyce]

61. It's very discouraging, but you

can bet the repubs love it when we fight amongst ourselves rather than staying focused on who the real "enemies" are.... :(

[MaineDem]

38. Say what you will about Kerry

But it's imperative we get Democratic Legislatures in all our states.

Kerry - and John Edwards - giving assistance to the states will do a great deal toward getting Democrats elected. If you're concerned about voter fraud and the like it will be these state Legislators that pass the laws protecting voter rights. So this is major!

[BlueIris]

43. Once again, Senator: MAKE OUT WITH ME.

Kisses,

Iris

[sunnystarr]

45. Why do I never see John Edwards mentioned?

He's a progressive candidate who espouses everyone's ideals for governance. He's been traveling the country with such dedication with little fanfare. He's the one "real" candidate that every American can relate to.

[MaineDem]

47. I mentioned him (nt)

[sunnystarr]

51. Cool! Good to know that everyone hasn't forgotten him. (nt)

[BlueIris]

59. HEY. I haven't forgotten him either.

John and Mrs. E are still in my thoughts at least once a week.

[Piscis Austrinus]

48. At least he gets up and talks. Go John!

Bottom line is that we have got to be loud and unavoidable, folks. People do know who Kerry is... he's one of the few recognizable spokespeople we have. He's survived the Great GOP Dogshit Smearing Machine. They've got no more bullets to fire at this guy, or they'd have used them already.
I know many of you were disappointed with Kerry, but I have to think that pretty much anyone from our side was doomed in this election. Kerry at least recognizes that until the states are freed from Republican infiltration, we have no guarantee that we won't be facing thrown elections for the foreseeable future. He's got the right idea, and he's going about it the right way. In 2000 it was Florida; in 2004 it was Ohio. In each case an evenly divided America was won by one state....both of which happened to have well-placed Republicans in election-controlling offices. Gee, wonder why they won both times?
We have to take back state offices - not just governorships, but also secretary of state, labor commissioner, insurance commissioner, etc. - if we're going to root out the corruption that the Republicans have inflicted. And I recommend that in every state where that's accomplished, that a referendum be balloted in every state to ban all corporate contributions to federal and state elections.

Until we free our government from outside money, we will have outside government!

- PsA

[Helga Scow Stern]

55. Right on, and welcome to DU, Piscis!

[BiggJawn]

57. "Blisters"? What, he raised his voice?

Sorry, Kerry, but in my eyes, you got Feet of Shit.
Did the secret "Bonesman Roll-over" or whatever they call it.

[MH1]

82. Well if you read the article, he got at least one standing o.

For the "we need some intelligent design in Iraq policy" comment.

[TheCowsCameHome]

58. John,John,John. Leave it alone. You lost. No fire when you needed it.

Too late, John. Too late.

Thanks for the effort, but forget it. No one is listening to you anymore.

[stepnw1f]

63. So Do Nothing Now?

According to your reply, it's a lose lose senario then. I'd rather see encouragement not discouragement coming from our side. It's much more constructive.

[MH1]

83. Of course do nothing!

If he does something then we might have to get over being mad at him for not ridding us of Bush!

:sarcasm:

[zippy890]

91. WTF

:wtf:

[hopein08]

64. Seems to be copying Edwards to a degree...

Edwards' new thing, aside from poverty of course, is the "Raise the States" thing that funds state level Democratic candidates and Edwards campaigns for them. Gee, maybe they should team up again and double their power. Actually, I think that would be a good idea.

[dansolo]

65. So now he is interested in the states?

Once again, Kerry is following long behind the trail that Dean has already forged. Dean has been talking about working on the state level, and not just the national level, for years now. Kerry is just trying to get on the good side of the same people that unanimously voted for Dean for the head of the DNC.

[LaurenG]

69. Well Dean didn't make it through the primaries

And you can belittle Kerry all you want, he is speaking out. Name me any other democratic candidates who ran in 04 who are saying anything. I think it's great that Kerry is backing Dean here. Do you hear Biden or Clinton speaking up for DEAN? Sometimes I think we just complain out of frustration. Kerry was "character assassinated" and didn't fight back in time. OK now he is. Thanks Kerry, every little bit helps. I am all for anyone who wants to tell the truth about the illegitimate administration in the white house.

edit clarification

[Robert Oak]

66. Kerry Bashing

I just do not understand how a whole group can get behind someone then
abandon him when he loses and not by that much.

If you want them to fight for you, how about giving some support when
they are basically doing the right things?

I'm sorry but he makes way more sense than most Democrats and he also
didn't vote for the BANKRUPTCY BILL.

Is anyone paying attention to how these cats vote? That is where the judgement should lie, in their voting record and getting anything done.

Kerry is looking better now than before the election on that score.

[txindy]

72. I've got to say it

:yourock:

[BlueIris]

73. Aw, a helpful comment. Excellent.

Thanks, man!

[katsy]

86. Great point!

People should check Kerry's voting record on issues (vote-smart.org).

His voting record speaks volumes... most of it great!

[IndianaGreen]

68. Kerry should run for the nomination again!

Why? Because we need as many people to run for the nomination as possible in order to provide the voters with a wide choice from among the candidates.

Sure, the swift boat "lies" squad will be out again if Kerry runs, but there is always going to be rightwing cockroaches coming out of the woodwork to smear any Democrat that dares challenge the GOP.

[klyon]

87. Gore /Kerry in '08

I like to see it happen

KL

[YvonneCa]

89. Me, too ! ! ! n/t

[Autonomy]

105. Wow, yes! n/t

[Media_Lies_Daily]

88. Has he figured out a way to take over the electronic voting machines yet?

[karynnj]

104. Has anyone?

[WildEyedLiberal]

90. Thanks for posting this

Too bad most of the boo-fucking-hoo crybabies found the thread too. Kerry's done more this year for our agenda than just about anyone save maybe Reid (and his voting record is far from perfect) or Conyers, and yet people here hate him. I have my theories for that, and all of them involve pouty, spoiled whiners indulging in sour grapes. It'd be nice if DU could grow the fuck up.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

94. I wonder how many are actually Du'ers

instead of trolls

[SlowDownFast]

99. It'd be even better

if our so-called 'elected' leaders and candidates had some fucking spine.

Gawd love him, I do, that John Kerry...had me hopes pinned right on him.

But the evidence showed (ala John Conyers for starters) that the election was stolen.

See, John knew it would happen, hence his promise to "count every vote".

Did John really make sure that "every" vote was counted???

Hmmm???

Or, like so many have in their sigs (about fuckface): DID HE KNOW???

[WildEyedLiberal]

101. Hey, if there's evidence the election was stolen, please get it to a court

I'm sure the lawsuits currently going on in Ohio would LOVE to have irrefutable evidence of fraud that you could prove in a court of law. How else do you think anything's going to get done? And yes, there are still lawsuits in Ohio. See, votes stolen by a machine for which there is no paper trail are pretty hard to prove, aren't they?

I know it's more fun for you to posture about "giving up" and "Skull and Bones" and whatever the fuck else, but logic does intrude, unfortunately, on your fantasies. "Spine" don't get you too far in the face of no concrete evidence, does it? What is "spine", anyway, pray tell? Screaming? Hunger strikes? Taking an Uzi to Ken Blackwell's office? Again, if you can conjure up this solid proof, please do so, and please report it to the lawyers handling the Ohio lawsuits, because I'm sure they'd love to know about it.

[lateo]

100. Anyone have a link to his speech?

I would love to read it.

TIA