Funny Kerry quote from NY Times interview today

[DJcairo]

"I mean, Edwards talks about being the son of a millworker, Lieberman talks about whatever, and Gephardt talks about his father," Mr. Kerry said. "I talk about my life."

[blm]

1. What was the reporter's question?

.

[DJcairo]

4. Here's the entire bit about Kerry from the NY Times

Mr. Kerry invariably mentions his Vietnam service; he talks less regularly about growing up as the son of a foreign service officer.

In an interview, Mr. Kerry suggested that his experience in Vietnam was more relevant to voters than the circumstances of his upbringing. "I don't think that's why people elect you," he said. Vietnam, he said, "is part of who I am.

"I mean, Edwards talks about being the son of a millworker, Lieberman talks about whatever, and Gephardt talks about his father," Mr. Kerry said. "I talk about my life."

[blm]

7. That's much better....

It sounded a bit odd on its own.

[virtualobserver]

22. sounds condescending.....

that will hurt him.

[DJcairo]

25. He's trying to explain that his bio effects his policies

where as the other's use their bio only to get public sympathy.

[virtualobserver]

34. I understand, but making that kind of comparison......

sounds condescending.

He needs to find a different way of getting that across.

[AP]

2. I like Kerry, but I notice his life starts after Yale, and

doesn't mention the Swiss boarding school and the islands his mother owns.

[blm]

3. His mom didn't inherit those

until after Kerry was grown. They grew up in wealthy surroundings but their houses were borrowed from other family members, as his father was in public service and moved throughout Europe and the states.

[Nicholas_J]

11. And Kerry also

Has been totally broke as a senator. Sorry, thids priviledged shit they are trying to throw up against Kerry is crap.

Thats why Kerry ended up in Vietnam, and Dean on the ski slopes after faking medical records to get out of the draft.

[sandnsea]

5. Ha ha!

You don't know alot about Kerry's young life. Fascinating. He was born in a military hospital in Denver, his father was in the Army Air Corps. He spent much of his childhood in Germany after the war. You have to piece it all together by happening upon articles and interviews because he really doesn't talk alot about it. And even going to Yale, he worked summers because his parents weren't exceedingly wealthy, according to a classmate. Or maybe it's something he chose to do, I don't know. He eventually inherited wealth, his mother may have had her own wealth, but it appears it wasn't something they flaunted or perhaps they lived on his father's salary alone. Again, I don't know. There's alot more to him then people realize, he does seem to be a private person.

Still, I'd sure rather see that quote in context because I'm not a fan of snide remarks (by candidates, not ME! lol). It's disparaging to the people who haven't had the benefits he's had and he should have known better than to say it.

[RogueTrooper]

6. Prolier than thou

Nice to see Team Edwards are on message.

[AP]

9. Oh, please don't tell me that Yale, privilege and wealth brings Deanies

to Kerry's defense!

That's a riot. Don't you guys hate Kerry?

That is just great. This is what it took. Man, that's funny.

[RogueTrooper]

10. AP!

Good Lord, No! Just enjoying the fireworks.

[AP]

8. Like I said, I like Kerry, but...

...that man grew up with privilege.

How many army brats go to Swiss boarding schools?

One thing about inheriting wealth, is that when you're inheriting as much wealth as Kerry's mother inherited, it's not like you're worried about ever making ends meet.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

15. It seems to me the main thing Kerry inherited

is a genuine concern for helping the little guy and pursuing liberal ideals in general- much like the senior Senator from Massachusetts.

[JohnKleeb]

16. the senior senator who also is the brother of

one of the most beloved presidents and best president there never was. I am a Kucinich supporter but I do like Kerry and Kennedy, and while I do admire self made people rich people who use their wealth to help people by standing up for causes who do so is fine by me, see Franklin D Roosevelt for reference.

[JI7]

18. yes, warren buffet also

warren buffet , bill gates senior, and other rich people who oppose tax cuts for the wealthy and corporate welfare are nothing like cheney, ken lay, bush etc. these people understand they did not make it up on their own. and that's why they see paying taxes as giving back to what helped them make the money in the first place. people like bush and cheney are the biggest supporters of corporate welfare, yet they think the money they make (mostly through corrupt means) was made on their own .they view taxes as stealing by the government and those who don't work when in reality it's them who steal money from the working people and don't really work.

[JohnKleeb]

19. the original rich but good friend of the poor

Franklin D Roosevelt :) how I admire that man
It is great to see rich people who think for us all not just people like them. FDR was interesting though a rich man appealed to the people not his fellow rich, I read that in 1936 people were polled and Alf Landon won in a landslide according to the poll but it was done by phone and many of FDR's supporters didnt have phones, and that year he won big time in fact 1936 was FDR's greatest victory in a presidential race, he had countless victories after that.

[George_Bonanza]

26. I'm reading a book on JFK right now

It's a fair book, by a guy named Reeves. JFK sounds like a real jackass who duped the country with his good looks and family muscle power and money. I mean, the guy kept on vacationing with his friend in some European country while his wife nearly died because of a caesarian section! And he knew about it! Not to mention the endless fornication with women. And not only to that, he basically does to Cuba what Bush is doing to Iraq, and fails to provide the rebel Cubans with air support at the Bay of Pigs. And I haven't read what caused him to divulge into the Vietnam War.

[JohnKleeb]

29. I dont know

I think you are wrong about Jack. You know he and his cabinet were superb in the Cuban Missle Crisis. BTW although Bay of Pigs was Eisenhower's fault he took the blame for it. I dunno.

[sandnsea]

30. Interesting case building

Slander his personal life and then use that as a basis for attacking his actions as President. Take a truth to justify untruths. Weird.

No, what Kennedy did in Cuba is fail to back a CIA lie. Pretty simple. And Vietnam was to show the hawks that Democrats can be tough on defense. Now that sounds a bit like Iraq. He had no intention to let it develop into the mess it became. We were already in there, through Eisenhower, against Kennedy's opinion at the time.

Maybe you want to consider a different book. It sounds like you may as well have read 'Treason' as what you're reading. It's 'cool' to bash Kennedy's these days and every writer wants to sell books, no matter how much prestige they're supposed to have.

[George_Bonanza]

37. Untruths?

That's a pretty bad accusation. As a president, I don't really care about JFK's sex life. I just pointed that out because his image was so contradictory to his real life persona. America was sold an image at the elections, and they gleefully bought it. And still, JFK only won by what, 100k votes? Even after all the ambassador's money and gang influence blitzed through the country. JFK wasn't that personally liberal. His father was a conservative, I believe. And they were family friends with Joe McCarthy, and JFK got a lot of flak from Mrs. Roosevelt for not being more outspoken against McCarthy at his trials. Harry Truman hated JFK, and especially RFK, who was like a miniature version of his father at campaign time, bullying everybody to voting Kennedy.

But this book is obviously showing one point of view. And I've only read one book so far, so I know this is not enough for a better understanding of the guy. However, I do believe that Kennedy was all about image, and I hate that.

[dsc]

12. and this would be an example

of his only attacking candidates on issues?

[blm]

13. No...according to the context

he's telling the interviewer that talking about his experiences on the campaign trail IS his hook INSTEAD of what the others use as a hook. It's an honest answer.

[dsc]

14. Funny

when Dean honestly said he wouldn't cry at the debate unless someone kicked him in the shins (and DIDN'T mention Kerry BTW) you said that was an attack on Kerry. But of course that is different.

[blm]

17. You have me confused with someone else.

Yet again.

In fact, I never even saw what Dean said about crying, so never commented at all.

[dsc]

20. I abjectly apologize

I did mess up here sorry. You are wrong on again though but I was dead wrong this time.

[DrFunkenstein]

21. Here's A Pretty Good Look At Kerry's Upbringing

http://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/061503.shtml

<>

Diana, John, and Peggy

[deutsey]

23. Growing up poor in the working class myself

my respect for Edwards was enhanced when I heard him talk about his millworker dad. He went from that background to law school to the US Congress? As the first to go to college in my family, I can tell you that's no easy accomplishment.

I respect Kerry's military service, but the quote makes it sound as though that's the only litmus test for the presidency.

[DJcairo]

24. Hmm...military service might just be a litmus test this year

[deutsey]

31. I think it's important, perhaps, but not the defining aspect

.

[JohnKleeb]

28. I am a descedant of people like that

I admire it. I respect all who grew up like that and remember it. BTW I think that could be said about my mom, she was the daughter of a bricklayer and his wife a secretary at Ft Bevoir and waitressed she was like lower middle class. She went to George Mason and of my mom and my dad she has the higher paying job. I respect both of em but my dad and he will tell you this actually went down but those two are great people. I admire people like you deutsey and the other self made canditates who made themselves where they where through hard work. I dont use it as a litmus test but I do respect those who get to where they got by hard work more so than those who were rich.

[deutsey]

32. For a variety of reasons, my mom dropped out of high school

and worked as a waitress for a large part of my life, struggling to keep me, my sister and her together as a family.

She eventually got her GED and worked as a lab assistant at an environmental lab until recently getting laid off.

I've learned more from her about life and being a decent person than I ever learned in college classrooms.

[JohnKleeb]

35. thats just great deutsey and I agree

You experience life generally not through class rooms. BTW you should be proud of your mom, I am sorry to hear she was laid off. My mom and dad both met as servers, she was putting herself through college. My dad honestly could had gone to college, he was like how I am but he says he is glad because then he wouldnt had met my mom. BTW they are still successes look who they raised :). Sorry for the ego I was joking but both excellent people.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

27. "Lieberman talks about whatever"

Ha ha

[RogueTrooper]

33. And Howard Dean

talks about how is going to defeat George W. Bush.

[DJcairo]

36. He does?

I thought he just railed at the right - that isn't a valid stragedy for beating an incumbant Prez and we all know it.