A wonderful speech!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DJcairo]

Kerry spoke this morning in SC to announce his candidacy. He defined his platform and distinguished himself from the other Dems on key issues including taxes and gun control.
"I'm a hunter, but I've never gone hunting with an AK-47."

All an all a very inspiring speech asking Americans to to look higher. Inspiring in us, as patriots, to take our ingenuity and free ourselves from Middle East oil, develop alternative fuel based cars and to go to the UN and around the world to show once again that as Americans we care about working with others around the world.

[molly]

1. He said a whole lot in a very short amount of time

it was hot and humid there.

[MnFats]

2. is this true? radio said...

....he spoke with an aircraft carrier as a backdrop?
....good!
....take that, bush, you phony whistle-ass!

[DJcairo]

3. Yes he did Patriots Point in SC

It was beautiful...he rocked and Cleland was awesome in his introduction.

[western mass]

4. disappointed again...

I've been trying to give Kerry the benefit of the doubt, thinking he was just biding his time before taking the gloves off...

Based on what I say of today's speech, it seems he's going to give Bush a pass on his criminal, impeachable campaign of lies and deception leading up to the war. Kerry seems more proud than ever of the war and his support for it.

I lost more respect for him with the "I've never gone hunting with an AK-47" crack. You want to attack Dean on gun control? You can probably score some good points, and I say more power to you. But none of the candidates I know of is AGAINST the assault weapons ban. To imply that they are is disingenuous and an insult to my intelligence.

[molly]

5. Did you guys have a plan of attack for Kerry's speech?

you sound SO MUCH LIKE:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=108&topic_id=31576

Did you get your signals crossed or is the plan of attack for the day?

[killbotfactory]

9. Automatic weapons like the AK47

have been banned since 1934.

the assault weapons ban just banned semi-auto's that look scary and a few features like extended clips and bayonet mounts.

[DJcairo]

21. Lots of assault weapons have not been banned

Kerry said to someone after the speech, you could hear it on cspan, that he really meant to say assault weapons, that was the point.
Alas, AK-47's are still far to easy to get in a country like ours that doesn not support much common sense gun control and still allows it's citizen to purchase multipple assault weapons.

[killbotfactory]

24. What's an assault weapon?

Is that like assault rifle, which would be an AK-47? The assault weapons ban only bans semi-auto's with certain forbidden cosmetic changes. You can still buy semi-auto rifles.

It's not easy to get an AK-47 legally, you have something like a year of paperwork ahead of you. I have no idea how easy it is to get them illegally. Needless to say, I've never head the NRA advocate repealing the 1934 law which basically bans automatic weapons.

[polpilot]

22. Kerry just simply thought AK47's were still in hunting use or he has one

and hasn't hunted with it lately.

Dean '04...

[DJcairo]

12. H ewasn't he was implying

that no Democrat should want to coddle with the NRA who has stood aginst every single measure of reasonable gun control.

[Ripley]

6. ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

He looks bored.

[molly]

8. Someone said something significant in this thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=108&topic_id=31495

[molly]

7. As he was speaking, I was envisioning a debate with

w and thinking that Kerry was debate champ at Yale and it's coming thru. I also envisioned Dean debating and knew he was no match.

[virtualobserver]

10. actually, Molly

I think that they would both kick W's butt.

[PAMod]

14. I had the exact opposite impression

John Kerry is a great American and would be a wonderful President, but I fear his inability to attract people to the process. The speech was well-written and factual; his vision for America was clearly extolled - but where was the fire, the passion?

We need to get people's attention! We need to "wake up" potential voters like never before! We need to get the 68% of Democratic voters that couldn't name a candidate last week to be ENERGIZED for the upcoming battle!

Maybe his Boston speech will go better.

[molly]

23. I'll tell you what - we should be intelligent - thinking - analyzing

ADULTS. THAT is what most attracks me to Kerry. He isn't a brain-washing - thumping cultist with a following of whining drones.

[George_Bonanza]

11. I didn't know when it was on

I hope to catch it later

[DrFunkenstein]

18. C-Span Is Going To Show It Again

I forgot the time, though. Check it out!

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

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

[Octafish]

15. Speech showcased Kerry's political philosophy.

He addressed what it means to be a Democrat and how he envisions America's future. And he did it without having to ride the coatails of any of the Democratic Party greats like Franklin Delano Roosevelt or John F. Kennedy or Robert F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King. Kerry has his own record and experiences to show us how he intends to do make our country better for ALL Americans. That's how you win elections, by stating how you intend to do stuff — not merely talking about the problems.

BTW: Kerry did mention two Republicans. One was George W Bush; and Kerry clearly pegged the Little Turd from Crawford. Kerry contrasted today's pretzeldunce with Teddy Roosevelt, who warned the country about the plutocrats.

[dean4america]

16. mixed reviews

Content was pretty good.

however, his delivery sucked insofar as being able to inspire and attract voters. the guy did not look happy to be there, did not look like he wanted to take the fight to bush, and the event was too stage produced. he's a good man, and would make a fine president, but this ain't gonna cut it.

as for him being debate champ, gore wiped the floor with dumbya and the spin was that bush won handily; we have to remember we're living in an alternate reality where up is down, black is white, etc.

the gun joke was dumb.

[George_Bonanza]

17. Kerry's style

He's sort of in a pickle. If he comes off as unnaturally over-enthusiastic, he'll be a pale Dean clone. If he's reserved and thoughtful, he's too aloof.

[DrFunkenstein]

19. Stage Produced?

I've seen high school stages more professional than that. It looked to me like an old-time rally stage. As opposed to the man of the streets (Dean grew up in this ritzy Upper West Side neighborhood with his tycoon dad).

<>

[clar]

20. yeah, but Kerry lives

in a rarified manner. I'm not knocking it. Georgetown, Beacon Hill and Nantucket are very nice places, kind of on a par with Belgrave Sq. (and if I'm not mistaken the Kerry's have a pied a terre not too far from there.)

Dean's lived in Vermont for 25 years. He doesn't own a vacation house. He lives in a pretty middle class way; take a look sometime a the Time picture of his kitchen. He doesn't hang out with high society. (There really isn't any here) He really is, despite his pedigree, a Vermonter. And really it's funny what a great leveler this place is. If you're a flatlander I think it has something to do with falling in love with a place with such a strong identity. I know people with amazingly lofty connections who live very funky down to earth lives. I didn't find out for years that a friend of mine's brother was a US Senator. I don't know if you saw the article in the NY Times Sunday Style Section about Vermont; it was both funny and more dead on about Vermont and Vermonters than anything else I've read.

P.S. I liked the Content of Kerry's speech. I thought he had some excellent things to say.

[molly]

25. The "gun joke" was NOT a joke