A few weeks ago, I posted my frustrations and how I wasn't sure I could blog anymore. Then over spring break I did not turn on a computer once (a 7 day fast from on line reading). So this week I was catching up on all the news and came across this post by Al Giordano which really articulated my evolved view on supporting John Kerry (although Al was speaking about Obama).
http://narcosphere.narconews.com/thefield/trust-i-do-not-trustMy view? I don’t trust any politician: not Obama, not Bush, not the most stellar progressives of the litter. There is not a single member of the US Congress that I “trust.” Not one. Electoral politics and “the whole truth” simply do not mix. They exist in separate universes. Any politician that told the whole truth - "hey everyone, God doesn't exist, or if he does he's a mean SOB! Vote for me!" - would be unseated at the next election, or sooner.
"Trust" is wrapped up in "truth." American society – as in every other society - and truth do not mix very well at all. Abbie Hoffman used to say that “the average American tells a lie 24 times a day… well, that was my first of the day and so I get 23 more.” In a world where almost everybody lies to their own selves (so how can they be “trusted” to tell the truth even to their friends) don’t tell me that I approve of or like something or someone because I “trust” it, or her, or him.
My yardstick for having some confidence (different than “trust”) that someone’s actions will work toward his and her stated goals has three main measurements: First, does that person accurately know what is in his and her self-interest? Second: Does my self-interest coincide with his and hers? And, third: do he and she demonstrate the competence to accomplish what is in our shared self-interest, or not?
The first and third measurements can only be taken by watching and studying an individual over time and how he or she have confronted past challenges and whether they generally developed tactics and strategies that won more than they lost. That’s what tells us whether the person knows what is in his and her self-interest, and whether he and she are competent in achieving it. On that measurement, Obama – throughout his presidential campaign and in his first months of governing – has stood head and shoulders above his critics of the right and the left, who have been wrong more often than right, and have lost more often than they’ve won even the cherry-picked battles they chose to take on presumably because they thought they could win them.
About a month ago, I posited that John Kerry was being insincere when he said due to his Catholic views or personal views he could not say he was for gay
marriage. I think he has been insincere on that score because all of his actions following his presidential campaign have been helping gays and lesbians secure their rights. The most blatant being the help he has offered to a married gay couple where the spouse is Brazilian and can't get a green card. I feel that Kerry has good reasons not to tell the truth, mostly due to his still being a member of the Catholic Church. And I mean that specifically in the state of Massachusetts, where he has not been denied communion for being pro-choice, but for which he still needs to tread very carefully. I just think this is a reality he faces, and therefore, we will never get that moment when he says the word. Privately, however, I can't imagine him having any problem whatsoever with gay
marriage.
In the bigger picture, I think the reason why I have supported Kerry over the years is because he has had similar views as I, implementing them has been in his self interest, and as Senator has been competent in getting them done (most markedly, the timetable for Iraq which has happened due to his leadership). However, now that he has gone more "local", his views and my own are beginning to diverge. I don't care that much about Mass. as it is not my state. I care about the nation. And I am concerned about the long term deficit. On foreign policy, I have overall agreed with him, even though sometimes his rhetoric has been cautious lately (which is the price we pay for being in power).
I think acknowledging that interests have changed is important. When Kerry first attracted my attention he was a national Democratic candidate running for President. Even after his defeat, he still held onto the option of running again. In that context his views and my own were most in line. However, his dreams of being a truly national Democrat seem to be over, when he didn't get the Secretary of State position. Now I have no doubt that he will still have some national status in addition to being Senator from Massachusetts; however, it will not be as intense as 2002 - 2008. He will be more blatantly fighting for his state's interests. And to be perfectly blunt, I just can't be there for him in those efforts, as it is not in line with what I support.
In the next year or so, we will see what Senator Kerry does. Right now, he hasn't been doing anything much to attract attention, except his trip to Gaza. Admittedly, I am disappointed so far with what he has been doing this year. But my thought is, he is going through a transition and until he is settled into his new role he is going to hang back some. Still, I dream of him achieving greatness again, like he did when he investigated Iran/Contra/BCCI or when he led in the Senate for Dems to back a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. Only time will tell if we see that Kerry magic again.
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