A Kucinich supporter ponders Kerry.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

I supported Kucinich (via campaign contributions) and voted for him. I was hoping he would pick up more of the liberal vote than he did...looks like that went, early on, to Dean, and then to other folks after Dean dropped.

Still, Kucinich was closest to my core (idealistic?) poltiical beliefs, being a left-liberal ethnic populist, with alot of European-style social-democratic concepts, too.

In any case its pretty obvious that Kucinch isn't going to win many more delegates and Kerry has the nomination sowed up.

So, its time to look at Kerry.

I wasn't too enthused about Kerry (Edwards was my "second choice" after Kucinich), but I do see he has a fairly liberal voting record, which is OK. I'm no too happy with ihs stand on gay marriage, but thats realpolitik. And I don't have any illusions Kerry will be able to do much in regard to domestic policy if he wins in November as the GOP controsl Congress (in that case no Democrat winning in Novemeber would be able to do much).

Be that as it may, Kerry will be the nominee & as a loyal Democrat I will vote for him. I live in a "battleground state" (Ohio), so my vote is important. I could vote for a third party, but i think thats just throwing your vote away, especially given how close this election may be.

So, Good Luck to John Kerry! I support him as the Democratic nominee for 2004.

[lams712]

1. I feel basically the same way...

...I was enthusiastically behind Kucinich, but now I'm getting geared up for Kerry. Kerry was my third choice behind DK and Dean, so it isn't too much of a stretch for me. I think Kerry, despite all of his flaws, is a great candidate who has the potential to be a excellent FDR-type president. I look forward to helping him win in November.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

2. after K, it was Edwards, Clark, Kerry/Dean

....Kerry is looking alot more energized than he did ealier in the season.

We had some great candidates this year, so its tough to rank-order them.

[lams712]

3. Yes, I feel this was one of the BEST primary fields we had...

....in a VERY LONG TIME, so it's kind of hard to rank them all.

[mac2]

5. I'm worried about REV. Sharpton still in the race...

I'm not happy about a clergy running for any public office. Especially since the Black religious vote in GA against gay rights.

I've been concerned about candidates going to churches to speak to Blacks. Yes..their Churches are the center of some communities. They should know that religion doesn't belong in politics. Hold the meetings at a local public facility.

They may think their religion is OK but what if some other group say...Moonies got into their legislative body and forced their belief about an important Black issue?

To preserve rights and freedom of religion we should all be diligent.

[wuushew]

6. Non issue

Rev. Sharpton's position on gay marriage is quite good. Secondly it is dead in the Senate and not going anyware, how are a bunch of enraged Georgians going to change that?

Do you object to Jessie Jackson having run for the Presidency?

[redqueen]

21. Interesting point

I don't really care where these people meet, be it a buddhist temple or a baptist convention... but I must say I tend to agree that clergy shouldn't run for public office.

It's one thing for a lay person to ignore dogma in favor of the law. It seems to me to be quite another thing altogether to expect someone from the clergy to stray from dogma in order to uphold / defend the law.

If they want to run / hold office, I think that they first should disavow allegiance to any church's dogma.

[JohnKleeb]

7. Kerry and Kucinich have always been my faves

Kucinich I truly admire and like the most of all teh candiates we had but Kerry is up there and he has the potential I agree to be a great pres.

[mac2]

4. Dean talked liberal but wasn't....

That's why people won't vote for him. His record did not match his mouth. And then there was the closed records and changed opinion about the war.

He had a group of young people who fought very hard for liberal concepts. I hope, they continue to figth for them.

[Zhade]

8. Yeah, it's pretty sobering.

I'm a DK guy through-and-through, and I do not like or trust Kerry at all. Is he b*sh? Not in my mind. Does he represent real change for America? Not in my mind.

So, what to do? Third-party's not an option for me - I also don't trust Nader (2000 election has nothing to do with why, though). Staying home isn't an option - I consider it my duty as a citizen to vote.

I loathe b*sh and the entire BFEE. I also loathe Kerry's waffling, pro-corporate stance. I fear he will reintroduce the draft, and that this country will continue to bleed jobs. I also fear he will do nothing about Peak Oil.

I'd love to be wrong. I really would. If I am, I promise to say so. But I just don't think I'm wrong about this.

I'm in California, and something tells me that this is going to be a bloody state come the GE, with ScwarzeNazi promising to deliver California for b*sh. I'm pretty much going to have to vote for Kerry, which makes me very uncomfortable.

At this point, it's too late to change the nomination process. People still aren't hearing what needs to be heard about Kerry. Fine. They may have to learn what we're saying the hard way, which is why I'm preparing to fight Kerry for progressive causes, should he make it to the White House.

Of course, let's not forget that the BFEE is not going to give up power willingly, election or no election. We're going to have to pry them out of there. And if they steal this one, prepare for rioting in the streets.

[George_Bonanza]

9. Kerry is a great man, and is completely worth campaigning for

Just like how the media latched on the the "angry" label for Dean, they latched on the "aloof/elitist" label for Kerry. They're typical nametags the candidates are burdened with. So please, unless you've actually seen Kerry often and at his best, do not dismiss him as boring just because he doesn't hop around the stage. I'm not saying you think like that, I'm just saying this in case this is a reason why you have reservations about Kerry.

I sort of find your preferences confusing. You do not like Kerry's stance on gay marriage, yet that's the same position of all the candidates. For the record, Kerry is obviously against the FMA and would only consider a Mass. state ban on gay marriage if it assured civil unions and all the irreligious aspects of marriage for gays. Seeing as how Dean could have opted for marriage but instead settled for civil unions shows that he would also come well short of supporting gay marriage. And all that talk about state rights is just a messy "solution". Unless enforced on a federal level, the mass majority of states would ban gay marriage anyway, and only places like Vermont, Massachusetts, and California would have them, so it's basically the status quo, not some grand progressive vision.

Since Edwards is your second choice, IWR cannot be too high on your priorities list. So I'm just wondering what it is about Kerry that you do not find that pleasing. And I beg you not so say, "He's not exciting," because that's way too subjective, because I was never ever excited by say, Dean.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

10. Whats IWR?

I must confess I'm not a totally rational voter. Personality and "image" do affect my choices, as well as resume and policy stands. So, yes, subjective. Kerry did, early on, seem like Gephardt...sort of an "old warhorse" and a bit dull.

I liked Edwards becuase of his charisma, enthusiasm. and his populist message (which was akin to Kucinich, a bit). I do realize that on policy he was close to Kerry and that "populist" thing was a bit of an act. I liked Clark too.

As I said I hoped Kerry would have taken a stand for gay marriage, but I recognize thats risky (and may not be Kerrys real beliefs, either). He did vote against DOMA, tho, which is a plus for me.

Dean, well, I never was caught-up in the Dean enthusiasm. He was a new face and I guess an OK governor, but he wasn't that impressive (for me) for some reason. I saw him in interviews & on debates, and he wasn't that articulate.

[JohnKleeb]

11. the war resolution

is what IWR is. The reasons you like Edwards are the reasons I like him too. I am glad DK took a stand for gay marriage. I was never got up in the Dean ethiusm either. My preference to Kerry and what had him high was a strong environmental record and a quite liberal stance on the death penalty, not totally against it like Kucinich but pretty much.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

13. IWR is old news

That wouldn't have affected who I voted for.

I was looking more to the future, not to punish someone for a vote.

[JohnKleeb]

16. well good for you

on edit: you already voted sorry
btw good on you. Despite IWR, I really liked Kerry and Edwards.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

18. One quibble

the poster is a DK supporter, and DK is in complete support of same-sex marriage.

Why don't I call it gay marriage?

Because of these guys:

[tomorrowsashes]

12. I was dissapointed that

I was dissapointed that he wouldn't say that he regreted voting for the war in Iraq, and other controversial votes he's been asked about, as well as his position on gay mairrage. He says that there was a right way and a wrong way to go to war, but the truth is, there is no right way to go to war, and even if there was, he would have to be stupid to think Bush would take it. He might have had integrity 20 years ago, but, as almost every other politician ever, he's lost it. The system cannot be reformed; we need radical change.

[newyawker99]

19. Hi tomorrowsashes!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[WitchWay]

14. Before you support Kerry

Kucinich has not dropped out of the race, you might as well support him as long as possible, in order that he have some sway over the party that is trying to keep him to the sidelines. ;-)

Don't let "realpolitik" be something politicians use to convince us to give into corporate domination. Realpolitik is what politicians use so that they can serve corporate, and not the people's, interests.

If you have a moment, take a look at this "Progressive Internationalism: A Democratic National Security Strategy" -- it's sort of like "compassionate" imperialism. This explains a lot why Kucinich has been shut out of this campaign and alot of what Kerry's platform is based on. Where do motivations lie?

Please look into this link -- pretty close to Kerry's platform.

There is also an extended report in PDF on this webpage:
http://www.mafhoum.com/press6/168P4.htm

"Too many on the left seem incapable of taking America's side in international disputes, reflexively oppose the use of force, and begrudge the resources required to keep our military strong. Viewing multilateralism as an end in itself, they lose sight of goals, such as fighting terrorism or ending gross human rights abuses, which sometimes require us to act -- if need be outside a sometimes ineffectual United Nations.
And too many adopt an anti-globalization posture that would not only erode our own prosperity but also consign billions of the world's neediest people to grinding poverty. However troubling the Bush record, the pacifist and protectionist left offers no credible alternative."

Of course, I don't see how our improving our "own prosperity" helps those poeople in "grinding poverty"...maybe some corporation can come in and set up factories and use up their resources so that they can live in a monetized factory town, instead.

[eridani]

15. I'll support Kerry when he has enough delegates to get the nomination

Not until. If you want to hold the Dems' feet to the fire on the war, universal health care, and jobs, you have to support Kucinich until then.

[corporatewhore]

17. im going to vote DK tues but in Nov Green cuz i live in tx and cant

stomach voting for kerry

[SEAburb]

23. what if Texas is in play?

Will you still vote Green? You shouldn't assume Bush has TX wrapped up.

[diamondsoul]

20. I hope that you'll

keep contributing to the remainder of the Kucinich campaign regardless. Sign up to make calls or write letters to upcoming Primary voters. Help Kucinich pick up more delegates now and until the Convention, THEN throw all your weight behind Kerry.

Even without securing the nomination Kucinich's platform is vital to the Democratic Party if we want to hold it together beyond this election cycle, even if the Party hasn't grasped that yet.

[goodhue]

22. nice sentiment

but please consider continued support of Kucinich until Kerry is nominated this summer and/or Kucinich stops campaigning. The next two weeks in particular have some very large states (FL, TX, IL) for which DK could readily exceed 15% and get delegates. The campaign in these states in going forward and needs the support of Kucinich volunteers across the country. Phone calls, e-mails, letters, the whole works. The Kucinich campaign in about changing the party from the ground up and the work has just begun.

http://www.kucinich.us/VolunteerAction/