John Kerry struck a real chord with me on Larry King last night

[ladym55]

There has been a nice, long thread on John and Theresa's interview on Larry King last night, but there was one moment that struck me last night more than all the rest. JK was talking about his concerns about our nation ... how we are falling by the wayside in the global community. He got ONE brief mention of what matters before the conversation returned to the very important Sarah Palin and John Edwards' sex life:

Our politics has become too celebrity oriented, too trivial, too superficial. ...

I know this isn't the topic for the night, but I just came back from a security conference in Germany, last weekend. And it was fascinating to listen to people from so many different parts of the world talking about the ways in which the world is changing and we're missing a lot of it. China is moving forward in its economy, India, Germany, Europe, different places. We're stuck.

We are very stuck right now. And I have huge empathy for the president's struggle to try to get over this partisanship and find a way for us to make real decisions that are just critical to our nation. And if we don't, we're sliding backwards at a time when every moment counts.

I don't get it. I look at all the talking heads in the MSM, the screaming hatred of Fox News, and non-stop, smug obstructionism of the Republicans ... What are we doing???? Sean Hannity was smirking that the East Coast snowstorms DISPROVE global warming (we'll make sure cap and trade doesn't pass and the US won't benefit from green jobs--they'll be in Asia) ... Glenn Beck nightly stirs up his viewers with racism (and these poor, frightened, angry get violent, and we pretend there's no connection)j... Sarah Palin tweets and the media faints ... and the Tea Party is somehow real because Fox News promotes it and funds it. Gee, thanks.

Our infrastructure is falling apart ... our schools are neglected ... our people don't have health care ... and all my buddies at CNN and NBC breathlessly invite Newt Gingrich, John BOehner, Mitch McConnell to spread their talking points and lies.

John Kerry of course is wooden, boring, uncharismatic ... WHATEVER. He's smart, compassionate, and we are blessed that he keeps on keeping on and keeps on trying.

I worry about our nation so much. We need to govern and work hard for our people. John Kerry wants to ... and Larry King wants to talk about Sarah Palin.

[YvonneCa]

1. Fantastic post. I agree with every word. We ARE stuck...

...and sometimes one just wants to SHAKE PEOPLE and get them to notice. It helps me to know leaders like Kerry know this...but what will it take to wake people up?

As we here have said for a while now...we are living through a critical moment. Sort of a 'fork in the road.' Our decisions matter. What we choose to do (or not, by default) affects our country's future.

Too many are asleep at the wheel. I worry it may take a catastrophe to change the trajectory...

[blm]

2. Error: You can't recommend threads from this forum

That was THE significant moment for me, too. And then asshat King goes and proves Kerry's point by bringing up celebrity stories like Palin and Edwards.

[MH1]

9. I didn't see it, but this is why I rarely watch those shows anymore

pretty soon comcast is going to cut my access anyway, and I'm not sure I'm going to pay more just to get stuff like this. I'll miss the NCIS reruns on USA, that's about all I'll miss!

(for a long time I thought I was getting more channels than I was supposed to. what, was I supposed to call them and ask?)

anyway back to the topic, this is the kind of vision and wisdom I saw in Kerry when I first started paying attention to him in the 2004 election cycle. And I despair that it seems to be so rare in the so-called leaders of our country. The part that stuck with me from Kerry's 1971 testimony - and I swear I remember it from 1971 even better than the 'mistake' quote: "where are the leaders of our country? Where is the leadership?" I feel that question still needs to be asked, maybe even more vehemently than ever. There is Kerry, and a few others. Not enough against the idiotsfrauds like Hannity and the gullible anti-intellectual people who follow them. sigh.

(oops. I dropped in to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day, and here I go on a rant. :) )

[karynnj]

3. Wonderful post, reading it again here, it frightens me more than when I first heard it

It is scary to think that when the country really faces challenges of a dimension unthought of for generations, we have our "circus" on TV to distract us, while serious issues are ignored or in the case of climate change mocked.

What really worries me is that Kerry has never been one to overstate problems, but what he is describing sounds like a warning that unless we make the right decisions now on many things, we could lose our position as the dominant superpower. Although it seems unthinkable, I assume that the USSR thought it would continue to be the second most powerful country up until its economy crashed. ( I realize that this goes further than what he said, but it seems the logical conclusion.)

The deficits are unsustainable and the answer of the Republicans is there answer to everything - tax cuts. It is mindboggling that they want to make permanent the Bush tax cuts, even though they went out only 10 years because they were not affordable beyond that in 2001 when we have a surplus. (They need to look at the 1960 marginal rates before using the JFK cuts as an example)

What I have had trouble understanding is, as there are smart staffers and advisors on both sides, how can the Republicans not see the gigantic need to invest in our infrastructure, education, and technology. The only thing I can now think is that it is personal greed. Looking at the Republican priorities, it looks like they really have abandoned the idea of the US having a large, economiclly secure middle class and are comfortable with an economic distribution more like a third world country. Under Bush/Clinton/Bush the trend has been that the top has consistently increased their share, while the bottom at least 70 percent have lost. Now, we are in no danger of becoming an actual third world country, but there is a huge difference from the time where most people could expect, even with just a high school education, that if they worked hard they could afford a fairly comfortable life.

The choices we make now are - whether to use money we don't have to give tax cuts disproportionately to the wealthy or to use that same borrowed money to fix infrastructure, expand healthcare, invest in the new energy jobs and to be the spender of last resort in an economy that is still afraid to invest. Now the Republicans are speaking of the JFK tax cuts, but they were not of the same magnitude and they cut extremely high rates to levels far above the current level. In addition, the saved money was almost all saved in US banks or invested mostly in the US. Now, that money will go wherever it is likely to make the most money -- maybe even to invest in China's (or another country's) green energy programs.

The cirdus may be there to keep people from seeing the real choices and realizing which policies would really help them. I would assume that the majority of angry tea partiers would be even angrier if they really understood the choices. It is amazing to me how powerful a promise of a tax cut for everyone is - if they don't see the cost in programs cut and money not invested - or in this case, the increased debt to give those tax cuts.

It was interesting that Kerry spoke, I think three times, against entertainment replacing real news. Maybe it was Kerry's politeness, but Larry King, one of the worst offenders, seemed oblivious as he spoke of the Edwards saga, Scott Brown and Sarah Palin.

[ladym55]

6. I think that's what got to me

Kerry is smart ... he's not an alarmist.

I see aging roads, schools without enough funding, reliance on energy sources that are not sustainable.

I keep wanting to jump up and down and scream, "Yoo hoo! We're all in this TOGETHER! Your money will only protect you so far!"

I think you are right. It has to be personal greed. Nothing else makes any kind of sense to me.

[YvonneCa]

7. Selfishness is the issue. When our leaders talk...

about something being a 'moral issue', they are right...but I think they need to go further. It's time to call out SELFISHNESS, whether it be media spin, political spin, bankers' greed, homeowners spending their home equity, politicians only worried about re-election instead of what the country needs... or whatever. It is all selfishness...and, IMHO, that is not an American value.

[MH1]

11. I agree that it's selfishness, but I sometimes wonder

how much selfishness is rooted in fear?

It amazes me how fearful someone can be, even if to other people it seems like they have great wealth and security.

[YvonneCa]

13. I think you've hit on something important...

...here. I hadn't thought about the connection between fear and INCREASED selfishness.

I'd guess some selfish behavior is just selfish behavior...no fear involved. But the senior afraid of losing Medicare may react selfishly. The incumbent politician, afraid of losing re-election, may make more selfish choices.

The question is, are they wrong to do so? I think they are wrong...human, but wrong.

[ObamaKerryDem]

4. Excellent post! I agree with you, 100%

:kick: :fistbump:

[wisteria]

5. You have said it all. I do not feel good about where our country is going.

Our focus is all on the wrong things, people don't consider who they are voting for beyond looks or sound bites,science and history are mocked and anything serious is given very little air time. I am reminded of Rome, no one thought Rome could fall, but it did.

[MH1]

12. I agree with you, and the original post

especially the part about Rome. :(

[wisteria]

8. CNN put together the clips from Biden and Kerry regarding Palin

and then had a panel discussion. :silly: But, Senator Kerry's comments on Palin are really priceless and riled one of the panelists.I know Karen mentioned this up thread, but I missed the nuances the first time around. The video is worth a look simply for Kerry's comments.

http://ow.ly/16zNF5

[karynnj]

10. Thanks for finding this as the video of Kerry saying it

is better than the transcript. Here, they cut off JK's concluding comment on that question which more generically returns to whet, other than preventative heath measures, was the theme JK returns constantly in that entire interview - that American politics and news is becoming increasingly entertainment at a time when there is a need for serious examination of issues. (The Roman circus or fiddling while Rome burns come to mind. As does the fact, that this is calling out the media, CNN, LK etc included publicly on their media. Something I never sa a politician do.)

Taking the latter part away does focus the comment more on LK's obsession. It is interesting that, like Michelle and Biden, he did not give the hight a usable soundbite, but his comment did infuriate at least one person meaning he did get his message through.

It is interesting that the panelist you mentioned had to bring up George Bush, as a bumbling idiot, to attack JK. (I assume she means he was characterized as such, but that is not what she said. The fact is Bush never was an idiot, nor did JK ever see him as such - and she completely ignored the comments made before her that 70 % of Americans reject her as fit to be President.

[wisteria]

14. I found this clip very telling on many fronts. It says a lot about our society right now. n/t