Paging the PR team

[politicasista]

http://www.baystatebanner.com/Letters-to-the-Editor56-2011-04-14

[beachmom]

1. The tell is the mention of Ed Schultz at the end.

We all know that Ed Schultz is a hack and a blowhard who will start bashing people on air simply because they haven't appeared on the show recently. Although I agree that Kerry should get his works out there in the MA press/media more, I certainly don't want to turn Ed Schultz into Rush Limbaugh where every time he cries fowl, everyone runs around catering to him.

Ugh, pretty discouraging reading liberals who are falling for talk radio drivel.

[politicasista]

4. Agree and it is discouraging n/t

[wisteria]

13. Senator Kerry has appeared several times in the past on Schultz's radio program.

Maybe being part of the budget committee meant he was too tied up with negotiations to take the time out to talk with Schultz. And, then to, he may not of wanted to jeopardize talks.

[karynnj]

17. Excellent points - for Kerry and any top Democrats involved

It can't help your negotiations if you bash the people you are negotiating with (and that was what Shultz wanted), say your position is firm at some unreachable point, or leak the status of the negotiations.

Shultz wants content for his show - the more fiery the better. Sometimes that does not make for good legislating. Shultz did seem to really respect the Senator - even when he was not on.

[politicasista]

20. Big Ed didn't do a good job modering this panel

It was almost laughable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_tlI0o0VBU




edit to add name

[karynnj]

2. Thanks - submitted a reply

Kerry was on MSNBC after they got a deal. He gave a Senate speech - and if Ed Shultze were less lazy, he could have had an intern compile snippets from top Democratic speeches. They were busy working on the compromise.

[politicasista]

3. Thanks. It's a popular AA newspaper in Boston and MA

Can't wait to read it (if you don't mind).

IMO, frustration is mounting. Not defending the writer, but it sounds like they really, really miss Kennedy and are angry at Kerry for not being there for them. Though they endorsed him in 08, I think he should do more interviews with this newspaper. Just a thought.

[karynnj]

5. Well, if they print it - you will be able to

One question is whether they actually bother to cover him. Did they cover his town hall in Waltham? Have they requested an interview? I seriously do not think a fifth term Senator is likely to have his people contact papers and ask them to interview him - especially when he is not running for re-election.

Kerry has written opeds that appear in small local MA papers and in the Baywindows. He is doing town halls.

[politicasista]

6. Good

They print an new paper every Tuesday/Wednesday. They didn't cover his town hall in Waltham (don't know what the minority population is there) or if they requested an interview. He isn't running for re-election now, but it would not hurt (would it?) to get an early start, especially if your own constituent is putting you on blast (even if you are doing the right thing). That's why I think that MA doesn't appreciate him in the same lines that they did Kennedy. (Hence what Patrick said).

He is doing more town halls, but should do more in communities where the strongest voting blocks are. They are the ones Obama is going to need next year, and Kerry will need for re-election (if he decides to do so). And given the media's infatuation with Brown, they are going to have to push back more offen (like they did with the Globe story) then ever.

[Mass]

10. Well, Northampton is certainly a very democratic place, and Waltham is one of the bellwethers of MA

He was in Dorchester not that long ago, as well, in a school.

I have been very critical of senator Kerry's PR team, but here, it seems to be somebody who is more busy criticizing than getting informed. There are people like that in every community. Ir is why it is so important not to jump the shark each time a criticism is made (BTW, the criticism is really mild here, IMHO).

BTW, you can read Karyn's answer by going to your link. It is posted.

[politicasista]

12. Thanks for that info

I saw and read about the visit to the Dorchester school. "Still I Rise" is one of my favorite pieces from Maya Angelou. He did a nice job reading it.

Read karynnj's response to that LTTE. It was excellent appreciate her for doing that (shy person here!). You all are right, there are people like that in every community, so why be unhappy over everything/anything. :shrug:

[karynnj]

15. I just wish I had edited it more carefully

It was the third town hall this year, not week. Also, the link I intended at the end is between paragraphs. But, at least anyone reading it would get the main point - Kerry has not been silent - and he has been in MA.

[politicasista]

18. You did fine

At least it sets the record straight in a good way. Vented the GDP thread, but on to the next day. :)

[karynnj]

11. You mean Patrick, who said that Kerry was an "uncommonly good man"

and who said the country would have been better had he become President?

I tried to find statistics on Kerry's approval in the black community. I looked at Survey USA's site because they do give results by that demographic. However, they don't in MA because blacks are 5% of the state's population, making the sample size too small to be meaningful. I have never seen a Democrat get less than 80% of the black vote - anywhere.

I think that Kerry should reach out to the black community and he has, but the size of the AA community is such that the minute possible difference between him and Kennedy - if there is one ends up being far less than a 1% difference in the final vote. (To get there, you would have to assume Kerry gets 80% of the black vote - unlikely as he got 81% of Boston's vote - and that Kennedy got 100%, losing none. This is .2 * .05 = 1%. Mathematically, if his only motive was to get a higher vote, he would spend very little time with this community.

I don't know MA well enough to comment on the communities chosen, but I would guess that he and his office are not just throwing darts at a dart board. At the risk of being completely wrong, here are the places he has gone. He had one in North Hampton, which I think is Western Massachusetts, liberal, but over feeling ignored. The next was on Cape Cod. From the articles on the last election, this is an area of relative Republican strength - though they lost the open seat, it seems like without Perry's ignoring the sexual abuse of a minor, they would have won. The third was in Waltham - which is 10 miles from downtown Boston according to wikepedia.

I would guess - and this is going from what I see in NJ, not MA - that likely needs the most attention by all Democrats, not just Kerry - are working class Whites. This is the group that Obama spoke of as "bitter". I know this group - I grew up in a lower middle class suburb of the steel mills. Back when I was young slightly less than half the class went to college and the guys in the other half got jobs in the steel mills. These are the people we need to keep or win back - across the country. We also need to work to keep our advantage with Hispanics.

Another group worth reaching out to - especially in MA - is the college kids. From my daughter's comments, there are many who are more libertarian than liberal. In 2008, they were all with Obama - but the alternative was the legacy of Bush. In addition, the college kids are the bulk of the activists.

[politicasista]

14. Agree with a lot

but will say later. :)

[ObamaKerryDem]

8. Absolutely! And frankly, the media should be coming to HIM..

There was a lot of local media at the Waltham town hall...but the big time outfits, like the Globe...didn't seem to be anywhere to be found. Whereas if it were Brown.. I mean they even made a headline on WBZ the night before the last SOTU, about who Brown's "bipartisan seating map date" was going to be. Gah..

It's just so frustrating because it's not as though JK's team doesn't try. Look at his website--they are constantly putting out press releases. It's just a matter of, like you said, them not bothering to cover it..

[karynnj]

16. Not only does he seem to have almost daily press releases,

the website now has lots of good video. I looked at some from the North Hampton town hall. The coverage was all - "this lady walked out" and people were mad about the wars, but one video has him speaking about Wisconsin and the history of unions and how it is unions we all owe many things we take for granted. (It may be me, but I haven't figured how to link to a specific video on the site since it was changed. The changes were very good.)

[ObamaKerryDem]

9. Exactly! n/t

[ObamaKerryDem]

7. See this is a PERFECT example of why it's so frustrating..

..that the media in general doesn't give him the credit and coverage he deserves--it breeds utter misconceptions like the one the author of this letter has! If more of what JK does was properly reported--and he does so much! The better question is "What's Brown's excuse?" --we very likely wouldn't be seeing letters like this from people who would otherwise probably be in JK's corner. It's just so, so frustrating. :banghead:

[politicasista]

19. Exactly

This person does sound like he is in Kerry's corner, but guess whatever he is doing is not good enough for him or some. Probably because he isn't doing things the way that Kennedy. It's like it's his fault that he didn't save Kennedy's seat and he wasn't the even candidate! :shrug:

Do agree with you also.

[TayTay]

21. Senator, where were you when *I* needed you

and, oh yah, my toilet backs up every now and then and I think I might have a mouse in my house and my neighbor doesn't cut his grass often enough. You coming ovah or what?

Seriously, this letter was par for the course. The letter writer mentions the good Senator by name and whines that Kerry hasn't become Sen. Kennedy yet and he hasn't shown up and used his superpowers yet to solve every problem.

Superpowers are like onions, they are best used sparingly. (Or they come in layers. It's one or the other, I forget which.)

I am very sure that Sen. Kerry is intent on solving world peace, rescuing the economy and fixing everyone's infrastructure problems. (That neighbor doesn't cut his lawn thing though is unsolvable. It's a matter of personal freedom.) It's just that there are these contrary beings out there in the universe called Republicans who have kryptonite and use it all the time. This political kryptonite makes things difficult for SuperHeroes. Sigh.

Honestly, I hear this stuff all the time. Yet, somehow, Sen. Kerry keeps getting re-elected and invited back to speak in MA and is taken seriously as a positive force in politics.

[politicasista]

22. Good one

:)

For the record, I will be staying out of MA news, MA politics because it has angered some good people here. Hope you are doing well. Peace. :hi:

[karynnj]

23. Here's a beautiful article that has comments that balance the complainers

The Lung Cancer Alliance - NE put out a statement hailing Senator Kerry for his steadfast support. Not every Senator gets what sounds to be a really heart felt thank you.

Today, Lung Cancer Alliance-New England (LCA-NE) thanked Senator John Kerry (D-MA) for being an original sponsor of the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act (S. 752), authorizing legislation that establishes a multi-agency, comprehensive research program addressing all aspects of lung cancer, and called on the entire delegation of Massachusetts to show their support for the lung cancer community.

"We thank you Senator Kerry for taking the lead with Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) to call for a compassionate and comprehensive research plan of action for lung cancer," said Priscilla Dewey Houghton, three time lung cancer survivor and LCA Board Member. "He has been a steadfast champion for all of those in Massachusetts who have been impacted by lung cancer. We are grateful for his continued compassion and commitment."
<snip>
"This is a wonderful development," said Deborah Morosini, M.D., LCA Board Member and sister of the late Dana Reeve who died of lung cancer in 2006. "Dana and her husband, Chris, were both great admirers and close friends of Senator Kerry. My family continues to be so appreciative of the support he has offered in helping us to combat this disease that has touched all of our lives so deeply."

"We must make a coordinated and comprehensive effort to reduce lung cancer deaths. In doing so, we will see a reduction in overall cancer mortality," said Diane Legg, lung cancer survivor and LCA-NE Co-chair. "The Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act does just that. We are confident that Senator Kerry's sponsorship will encourage other Senators to join this growing list of endorsers.

Steadfast champion, man of compassion and commitment and the inference that respect for Kerry will move other Senators. While the complaints will never - they usually don't specify what he failed to do or did wrong. This is a statement from several people, clearly from the heart - speaking of real things the Senator is doing and has done.

[politicasista]

24. Good perspective

After a day away from the blogs, sometimes it's best to step away for a while, especially everything MA because don't want to seem clueless, and things are not sitting well with anyone now.

Thanks for the statement (a nice one) and have a good weekend. Peace.