JK weighs in on national and state elections -- I've been waiting for this!

[Luftmensch067]

"I think it’s good to sound the warning alarms," Kerry said. "I think it’s good for people to realize that they’ve got to go out and fight like crazy. I think it’s a little early and premature to start making final judgments. But clearly it’s a very challenging climate, it’s a very challenging atmosphere, and people are going to have to work exceedingly hard to win, to hold onto it. I do think a lot of races will be decided more on the kind of local concerns and politics."

"The races will become more, I think as the next few months play out, more personal to each district than they will be generic to the national mood. And that’s harder to predict. So I would not tell you today the House can’t be won. I think it could be, but I think it’s difficult. Is it an uphill battle? Yes."

Asked how Obama would have to recalibrate his agenda if either or both houses of Congress flipped, Kerry replied, "It really depends on who gets elected. I mean, what kind of party are you dealing with? Is it a Tea Party? Is it a Republican Party? Is it a ‘just say no’ party? What is it?"

Interview by a Gatehouse Media reporter. Find the rest here: http://www.dailynewstranscript.com/news/x412948865/Kerry-sees-very-challenging-climate-for-national-Democrats-hits-Baker

[Luftmensch067]

1. Also VERY glad to see this, from same interview!

Kerry said he plans a busy, national campaigning schedule for other Senate candidates around the country and to work “significantly” for Massachusetts Democrats.

[Mass]

2. Happy to see him go after Big Dig Baker also. The idea that he and the GOP have never

been part of the MA mess is ludicrous (same thing for Cahill).

As well as campaigning for national candidates, of course.

[Luftmensch067]

3. I love it when he just calls someone out

for lying. He gets so disgusted! Rightly so, of course, but it makes me laugh. I always feel like he's saying "What's wrong with you people?!" :-)

But with the GOP lying their faces off, calling them out is exactly what's needed!

[ObamaKerryDem]

12. Me too! :) I'll never forget how, after the whole "botched joke", GOP/Rove/media created controvers

y, how he gave a really great speech in response to all that, calling out the "despicable Republicans" who were behind it, how he said
"We're not going to stand for this!" I love when JK is in a fighting mode and calls out the folks who DESERVE to be called out! :)

I really enjoyed reading this article. I always love to get JK's insights on these things; very few are more experienced and know more what they are talking about than him when it comes to all this! I look forward to seeing him out on the trail, as I take it he will be, from what he said in this! Yay! :)

[ProSense]

4. Excellent, and this is great point

"The races will become more, I think as the next few months play out, more personal to each district than they will be generic to the national mood."

[MBS]

5. He's absolutely right and I think the national mood will also

change by November. I think that the Nov elections will turn out better than the current gloomy forecasts. (Not that I'm not scared as hell, but still.)

[Inuca]

6. My feeling too

But I am not sure whether it's a gut feeling or a wishful feeling. Scared as hell definitely applies :-(

[karynnj]

8. My feeling too - and partially because the forecast have been so

ominous.

My feeling that much of the media ha been repeating Republican lines a large part of the time, suggests to me that now that the local campaigns are really in full swing, you will have people seeing the representative they voted for for years and will hear him in advertisements and debates. I hope the response is - what are they speaking of - I like what Barbara Boxer (substitute at will) is saying. Many will see the reasons they supported their representative in the past and the familiarity will be comforting.

[beachmom]

9. The problem is the people who have voted for that rep for years may not

show up in the great numbers that the mad as hell tea party types will.

I think the dire predictions are spot on. I also think it is easy for Kerry to talk about it all philosophically when he is not up for re-election. If he were, he would probably be in trouble just like everyone else.

To be clear: I live in tea party central and that may be coloring my perception. To me it's not that the majority of the people want the GOP back in. It's that the majority of people who are actually going to show up to vote do. It is the epitome of nihilism to think the GOP are going to come in and fix what is broken.

Best line was when Kerry wonders who is being voted in. I don't think it is the Republican party. It's the irresponsible crazies claiming to be reformers who had meanwhile sat on their hands while Bush was wrecking this country.

[wisteria]

13. I live in Tea Party Western PA and it isn't easy to remain upbeat.

But, today, I had a complete stranger pull up beside me while we were stopped at a stop sign and tell me I made her day-she loved my bumper sticker. The sticker read, "Tea Parties are for little girls with imaginary friends". And, actually, it made my day too.

[Luftmensch067]

14. LOL! n/t

[ObamaKerryDem]

11. I agree. Though it's probably inevitable that this will be a tougher cycle than '08, I don't think

it will be quite as bad as most of the punditry (who we all know loves a horse race, especially when it goes against Dems) is predicting. I think as long as we GOTV, we will do decently...that's what it all comes down to! I still think there are more of us than there are them..

I think the GOP has peaked too soon, though and are getting far too happy and measuring the proverbial curtains far too soon. But I fully admit I won't stop biting my fingernails until the day after! :)

[Luftmensch067]

7. Something that seems to support what JK says here

The part about local races. A friend in Iowa told me yesterday that this woman Roxanne Conlin is running against Grassley in Iowa. No one is talking about that race in the national media -- I'd never heard of her! Just looked at her website: http://roxanneforiowa.com/

No idea what chance she's got, but clearly this is something people in Iowa are far more aware of than I am. I wonder if the national media will start to cover more specific state races, even as they stick to their gloom and despair for the Democrats narrative.

I'm too superstitious to be actually hopeful, but I sure hope the Dems follow JK's advice here and fight like hell for this one!

[Blaukraut]

10. Smart man, that John Kerry

Except this quote:

Asked how Obama would have to recalibrate his agenda if either or both houses of Congress flipped, Kerry replied, "It really depends on who gets elected. I mean, what kind of party are you dealing with? Is it a Tea Party? Is it a Republican Party? Is it a ‘just say no’ party? What is it?"

Both tea baggers and republicans will be the 'say no' party. That is a given, because they have '12 and a retaking of the presidency in mind. We've been given plenty of evidence that they do not care about the people AT ALL.

The media have been pissing me off more than usual these days. They've been so eager digging the Democtrats' graves and burying them, that they've been shoveling dirt back into the hole before the coffin was in it. Ironically, this is working to our advantage. All this pundit/republican crowing and boasting is serving to wake up and motivate gun shy Dems in office and apathetic voters at home.