The Kerry/Clark "Country First" bus tour

Skwmom

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Sat Jun-19-04 05:13 PM
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The Kerry/Clark "Country First" bus tour

Edited on Sat Jun-19-04 05:23 PM by Skwmom

Together coming to a town near you (sometime in the near future). I hope :).

I read somewhere that upon selecting his VP, Kerry would commence a bus tour to introduce his VP and the ticket to the American public. When I think of a Kerry/Clark bus tour this is what I dream of:

The Kerry/Clark "Country First" bus tour

Kerry starts off discussing how bad partisanship has become in Washington (comparing it to his earlier days in the senate).

He then goes onto say Congress is breaking trust with the American people by not doing the job they were elected to do...... he has seen many vital pieces of legislation go into the Congressional black hole (never to be seen again) because politicians too often put partisan politics, strict adherence to a particular ideology, or loyalty to a particular special interest group or political backer, ahead of doing what is right for this country and the American people.

He explains why he went into public service in the first place (starting with his service in Vietnam).

Finally, he makes a plea for our elected officials to put their love of Country before partisan politics (because isn't love of country what propelled them to run for office and become public servants in the first place)?

Wes starts off by explaining why he went into the military (became a public servant) in the first place. During his long career, he could have made more money and kept better hours in the private sector but he elected to remain a public servant (and it certainly wasn't for the pay).

He goes on to explain that as a military career officer, because he worked with both Democratic and Republican administrations, he was required to be a non-partisan.

In casting his vote for president, he always voted for the person he believed would do the best job of protecting our country. He also believes in giving credit where credit is due and jokes about how he took a lot of heat for complimenting Bush and the soldiers for a job well done in Afghanistan - and he's glad to see that so many Democratic senators and congressman did the same.

He discusses the importance of accountability and how it played such a critical role in rebuilding the military after the Vietnam War (and in seeing this country through troubled times).

He makes a plea for the American public to put their love of country before blind allegiance to any one political party and explains why it is so critical that we hold Bush accountable (e.g., if we don't hold Bush accountable, what type of message is that sending to our children and future generations - that you can act w/out impunity?). And quite frankly, he says, I just don�t see how this country can withstand four more years of a George Bush Administration.

Finally, Clark explains why Iraq has been a foreign policy miscalculation of epic proportions and how we will be all be paying the price for this mistake for years to come. He reminds us that many lives would have been saved if the soldiers had the right equipment (but Bush wanted his 80 billion without proper oversight, calling anyone unpatriotic who didn't vote for it and accusing them of not supporting the troops). He tells us that he wouldn't have voted for it and he'd like to see George Bush accuse him of not supporting the troops and of being unpatriotic. The money Halliburton illegally billed for (time and time again) could have been used to buy the protective equipment and take care of the many pressing needs back at home.

Kerry then further expounds on why we must hold Bush accountable (to restore our good name, repair our foreign relationships that have been damaged�) and what we must hold Bush accountable for (and it's much more than just the Iraq debacle). The best years of this country are still ahead of us but we are only going to be able to realize that goal if we can come together as a nation for in the words of a wise president long ago, �a house (nation) divided against itself cannot stand.� He also emphasizes:

American values (education, health care, jobs). These are not just Democratic, Republican, or Independent values but American values.

When you do what you're supposed to do, you should be able to achieve the American Dream. That goes to the core of what this country has always stood for. Something has gone seriously wrong and we need to get back to that overriding core value and belief of what America stands for (If you work hard and play by the rules....) Today those who worked hard and play by the rules are hammered while those who break all the rules are rewarded.

George Bush would like you to believe that I want to "hold him accountable" simply because he is a Republican and this is nothing more than politics as usual. No, I want to hold George Bush accountable because of what he has done to this country.

Homeland Security - Bush has not done all he can to keep this country safe but they(Kerry/Clark) would (while protecting our freedoms).

Finally he discusses how for many the obstacles we face seem so insurmountable. However �together� as Americans (not as Republicans, Democrats and Independents) but as Americans, there is nothing that this country cannot achieve or overcome.

A KEY BENEFIT TO THIS APPROACH: By focusing on the themes of non-partisanship AND accountability, if the Republicans where to tap someone else for Bush's VP, it would be very difficult for them to counter this message. Even if they were to replace Cheney with a Republican non-partisan like McCain. Inherent in supporting Bush for re-election (by joining his ticket) is putting partisan politics and desire for political power ahead of doing what is right for this country.

The theme song should be "This land is your land (Republicans/independents), this land is my land...(Democrats)"

Clark does not overshadow Kerry. What Clark does is cast Kerry in a very favorable light. Picking a man like Clark really says something about John Kerry the man (and John Kerry the President).

Why Kerry picked Clark:

1) He's very qualified. We've already seen what having an unqualified person sitting in the oval office can do and this is one of Kerry's biggest concerns in selecting a running mate. Clark has not only foreign policy/national security credentials but also what is needed to tackle the domestic issues on the home front (very few people realize that as a Whitehouse fellow Clark wrote a WH budget from scratch, that he has a degree in economics, that he was responsible for ensuring that that the soldiers under his command received properhealth caree, education and job development and was loved by the soldiers for doing so).

2) Clark's love of country and dedication to public service.

3) His non partisanship.

4) He can bring a fresh point of view to the table.

Am I the only one who sees how inspiring (and POWERFUL) a Kerry/Clark ticket could be? I think I'd actually begin to have faith in our elected officials once again. I also think this would really rally the country together and could spark the desire in many to become public servants, working for the common good. And God knows its going to take a lot of dedicated people to turn this mess around.

I think John Kerry has reached a real fork in the road in his quest to become the next President of OUR United States. I pray he chooses wisely.