Kerry needs more "Soul" in his campaign

[Sweetpea]

I went to a Kerry fundraiser in NY tonight. One of his problems is that he appeals to suits especially white suits. I was looking around at the crowd,wondering where are the blacks, latinos, and people of color. The ones that I did see looked like they were investment banker types. Moby was the entertainment as well as Nile Rogers.
I have a hard time believing the war vote is the only thing that is keeping more people from being attracted to his campaign. But something is Definitely missing.........................

[Andy_Stephenson]

1. Kerry is an Elitist.

no soul available for him.

[DuctapeFatwa]

2. Low income and "minority" voters have been so effectively marginalized

that it is really not necessary for the candidates to scurry around collecting "visible brown faces" and "trophy ethnics."

None of the candidates currently being courted by AIPAC has anything to offer that will make a significant difference in the lives of anyone outside the affluent voting classes, who tend to have a stronger belief in the voting process anyway.

[Sweetpea]

3. Yeh, but to not make more of an effort, doesn't look Democratic.

It is not so much collecting faces. It is more about convincing people that you are on their side. Many people I know are cynical but my thoughts on that are...it is bad enough to be 20 ft in the hole...why accept 200 ft in the hole.

[JI7]

4. go to non fundraiser events

his open events attract more. fundraisers will usually have "suits". although some are more diverse. also, you should tell people about him also. he has a great record on civil rights and the environment.

[Andy_Stephenson]

5. He can tap dance and sing Tejano and blues all he wants...

He is still for the Rich White population and minorities know it.

Kerry could give a shit less what affects them...look at his vote for mininukes, patriot act and war. The minorities are not fooled by him like some here at DU are.

[blm]

15. Baloney...he speaks out more against mininukes

than ANY other lawmaker and has for over a year.

He promotes small business over large corporations and was one of the first to sound the alarm long ago on environmental racism.

Why do you distort his record to that degree?

Marian Wright Edelman endorsed him, and Kweisi Mfume said he''d love to see Kerry as the nominee. They know he's actually done the real work needed.

[Andy_Stephenson]

24. "he speaks out more against mininukes"

True...But I want to see action. Actions speak louder than words. He missed the vote blm...GE is gonna make the mini nukes...Kerry has stock...I see where his loyalty lies. It certainly is not with me or we.

[Fabio]

32. Youre funny.

I mean, you sound like the Unabomber...that's the ironic thing

[blm]

42. Dean has stock in GE...

but, you never seem to feel the need to point out anything about Dean that you hold against Kerry, do you?

[Andy_Stephenson]

43. Dean is not the one missing crucial votes

or voting for misguided legislation.

[blm]

45. Gbnc and his free passes for Dean.

As usual. Mr. Centrist is NEVER held accountable for exactly who he is and how his EVERY record and words point only to Dean voting with the majority on ALL the issues that concern you.

[Fabio]

25. dude. he voted against mininukes.

[KaraokeKarlton]

46. No he didn't, he didn't vote at all

He was too busy chasing money to hop onto a plane and go vote. Of course, he had all the time in the world to be present to collect the cash. He needs to get his priorties straight.

[Andy_Stephenson]

47. AMEN!

n/t

[DuctapeFatwa]

6. OK, I see, you mean cosmetics to appeal to more white affluent voters

It has become fashionable, and there is a certain segment of the voting class that likes to feel that they are "embracing diversity" etc but it would be more efficient if all the candidates could just channel their resources into something else, because frankly, the last couple of years have not really made that small slice of low income/minority people who do vote more inclined to respond to shiny eyeliner...

[Sweetpea]

8. I don't get what you are trying to say.

[DuctapeFatwa]

16. OK, Here it is in very plain language

No candidate who is getting AIPAC/Other big PAC money has anything to offer low income or minority people.

Most of the voting class are affluent whites anyway.

There is no reason for any of the money candidates to spend resources trying to "attract" non-white affluent support except to appeal to certain affluent whites who like to see brown faces at political functions for psychological reasons.

While there is a segment of the affluent voting class who devoutly believe that their vote counts, this faith tradition is less prevalent among low income/minority people.

The last couple of years have not increased the number of low income/minority people who share this faith tradition.

[Sweetpea]

17. But there is a cool factor that Dean has that appeals to those affluent

whites you mentioned that Kerry is missing.

[blm]

19. Kerry has the intellect and qualities that are important

to what the world needs today and can provide progressive solutions. That's attractive to ALOT of people and to the world at large.

[JI7]

20. a great record on civil rights also

civil rights for minorities, gays, women, and a great environmental record.

[oasis]

36. So Dean is "cool"?

[Octafish]

39. Dean is fake cool. Check out The Nation: A Dean-a-Palooza...

Dean does whatever Trippi tells him to do. The guy rolls up his sleaves for the speech, then rolls them down once he's done and back on the bus. Otherwise, he'd appear to be what he is — a spoiled rich kid who gets what he wants or he starts to cry.


Dean-a-Palooza

A Front-Runner Takes to the Skies

by Matt Taibbi

It is the second day of Howard Dean's nine-city "Sleepless Summer Tour," and I'm standing on the tarmac at the airport in Portland, Oregon. I'm at the back of a long line of reporters to get onto the Dean campaign plane, nauseatingly dubbed the "Grassroots Express" by the candidate's staff. Waiting for me in my seat in the plane is a tuft of plastic grass; Dean's two bubbly communications aides, Patricia Enright and Courtney O'Donnell, thusly decorated the press section before the start of the trip.

It has been a long day already. The Dean rally at Portland State University earlier that afternoon drew about 5,000 people, an enormous number for a presidential campaign at this stage. Everywhere Howard Dean goes these days, he draws huge crowds. In Milwaukee the night before, nearly 1,000 people showed up at an airplane hangar late at night during a Packers game just to hear the candidate give a fifteen-minute speech. One local reporter in the crowd commented that Jesus Christ probably would have drawn 850. Everywhere you go, the buzz is unmistakable: Dean is the new liberal Elvis.

But right now, I'm not thinking about Elvis. I'm thinking about Crazy Eddie. That's because Dean at this very moment is standing apart from the crowd of reporters in front of the nose of the plane, doing what appeared to be his best impersonation of the famously manic New York home-electronics salesman. He's posing in front of campaign photographer John Pettitt, making a series of grotesque contortions--pointing variously at the camera and off to the side, making a rapid-fire series of painful-looking grins, puffing out his chest, giving an energetic dual thumbs-up.

"Check that out," I say to the other reporters in line. "I don't want to sell anything--I'm just CRAZZEEE!"

CONTINUED...

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20031006&s=taibbi

[oasis]

41. Thanks. Good article.

[CMT]

7. we all do

Dean, Kerry, Edwards, ect all need to be working ethnic neighborhoods and working to get out this vote.

[Cha]

9. Yeah! Man!

[Sweetpea]

10. Yes...I was making an observation from going to a fundraiser tonight.

[blm]

11. I was at the announcement in SC and there were equal numbers

of blacks and whites and some Hispanics. Of course, there were alot of veterans and the longshoremen who will be endorsing Kerry here. It was a GREAT crowd.

[JI7]

14. same in los angeles

with antonio villaraigosa endorsing him.

[quinnox]

12. I think Edwards

has the most potential in the black community, he seems to connect with them like Clinton did. Ok, maybe not as well as Clinton (who does) but it was impressive how many blacks were there speaking for him at his announcement. Now if Edwards can start making some inroads in the white folks! heh

[Sweetpea]

13. LOL

I think Clark/Edwards would be an appealing ticket.

[CMT]

21. on this I agree with you

for one thing Southern democrats like Carter, Clinton, Gore, and potentially Edwards seem to do very well with African-Americans perhaps they have an affinity with them from living in states which have large percentages of people of color.

[angee_is_mad]

18. no black vote, no presidency. Don't forget!!

[Octafish]

22. Hey, Sweetpea! In Detroit, Kerry's attracted a LOT of people.

Including Americans of all heritages. Here's a shot from the August Meet-Up in Motown:

[Sweetpea]

23. This weekend Al Franken and Whoopi Goldberg are participating

in a fundraiser for Dean adding to the cool factor. When i said Soul, I wasn't just talking about low income minorities.

[Fabio]

27. So what are you saying?

It's not surprising, nor a negative reflection on John Kerry, that a fundraiser on a thursday night on Manhattan's west side attracted "affluent banker types" Would you expect to go to a JK event in Georgia and hear more than one Boston accent?

If you want diversity, I suggest a free event in a more mixed socioeconomic neighborhood. I can assure you there was a lot more Soul there than at a Dean fundraiser in Rutlant, Vermont.

As for Al Franken, whom I think is funny and bright, he is working to promote all the candidates who ask him. He's not endorsing Dean, but rather he's being a good democrat.

[Sweetpea]

30. New York is a melting pot of many types of people....I don't think the

outreach for the campaign in Manhattan has been extensive enough going by the turnout at this fundraiser. I am almost tempted to go to Dean's Saturday and see the types of people who show up.
I am a Kerry supporter and I think it is important to examine how more types of people can get involved in his campaign than the ones I have been seeing at the meetups etc....

[Fabio]

31. New York City is a melting pot.

but the types of people who can afford to plop down $100 for a fundraiser are decidely more homogenous.

[blm]

29. Franken and Goldberg are doing fundraisers for ANY Dem.

Most celebrities will, and they contribute to more than one candidate.

[Octafish]

35. Sadly, that's the picture many have of Detroit.

Certainly, the city's economic fortunes aren't what they were when the Big Three automakers controlled 99-percent of the marketshare. That said, the problems now facing America parallel those in Motown. John Kerry would be wise to listen to these people for direction (and soul).

And you're right when you say the Kerry Campaign seems to be missing its essential soul. For a working title, I propose:

"Kerry's the man with the plan."

While it doesn't have the original ring needed, it does sum up what a Kerry presidencyh would mean for our nation's future. Thanks for the inspiration!

[OrdinaryTa]

26. Kerry Should Withdraw for the Good of the Party

Kerry is tin-eared. He thought his vote in favor of the Iraq War Resolution would make him more electable, but it ended up pissing off the anti-war left more than it gained support from the center. He isn't a clever enough politician to recover from a gaffe like that.

He has other liabilities as well. He's not personable and he's physically unattractive. The only thing he has going is a somewhat liberal track record up until recent years. Then he turned into a Face in the Crowd. There's no reason to vote for him. He should withdraw for the good of the party.

[Octafish]

33. Kerry voted to protect America.

That's what you want in a good Commander-in-Chief — not some draft dodging mogul jumper.

[Fabio]

49. At least you are consistent.

Are you in love with his wife or something?

[Mari333]

28. He does have a stiff upper lip look

Im afraid that Kerry cant actually boogie.

[WilliamPitt]

34. There were as many African Americans as whites

at Kerry's Boston campaign announcement in Fanueil Hall. In Boston, that is a pretty rare sight under any circumstance.

[Starpass]

37. If we assume Kerry has that kind of "trouble"

then we have to assume that so does Dean. So if we are talking about white elite then we have a problem with Dean, also. However, I think that Kerry's voting record gives him a tremendous platform to reach out to blacks. I think it's the same type of platform that makes blacks attracted to Ted Kennedy or Bill Clinton. They know these guys have a proven track record of voting for their issues. What would bother them is someone who cannot produce a track record and says "trust me". This is a problem all the white candidates face and, again, I say, it will come down to who has a record of voting for their issues.

[TheDonkey]

38. Most fundraisers, Dean, Kerry, shrub, Liberman, etc have more whites than

people of color.

I think all the canidates need to mobilize their actions in african american community more but I'm sure they are waiting until the nomination process is in full swing.

[Name removed]

40. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[blm]

44. More info, please.

All ears here.

[Sweetpea]

48. I didn't go to the James Taylor event...but attended the Moby/Nile

function. Suggestion maybe? Would the crowd have been tripled if the tickets were $30 a piece? It was large but could have been larger. It was diverse but could have been more diversified.
I think it is time for him to step it up a knotch.

[Fabio]

50. Well, I was pleased there was

a $35 dollar ticket for students.
80 kids from Columbia showed up.

[Sweetpea]

51. Exactly....Columbia Students....

I was talking to 2 white writers, one from New York magazine and one from USA today. They approached me about an article one of them was writing about Kerry,because they were curios why I was there, considering the lack of people of color.

[Chovexani]

52. Columbia students, LOL

Like they're hurting for cash.

Now if CUNY students showed up, I'd be impressed. My best friend and I (both CUNY students) refer to our student IDs as poverty cards.

Want to reach out to low-income, minorities, etc? How about a free event explaining where the person stands on the issues etc, offering some REAL concrete solutions to REAL problems affecting said people, and if you really wanted money then asking for a donation at the end. I don't have 35 dollars to blow like Columbia students, but I could go for something like that.

BTW this criticism is not directed just at Kerry but all the Dems. Seems like nobody wants to f'ing listen to or even look at you unless you have bucket loads of cash to throw at them.