John Kerry - The Superhero (Rude Pundit Blast from the Past)

[beachmom]

There's nothing like tooling around the internet and coming across a gem like this one. This is a post from the Rude Pundit from 10/14/04, and given that most incredible speech that JK wrote and delivered at Brown yesterday, I would say -- oh, hell, just read the fucking thing:

http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2004/10/john-kerry-superhero-in-vicious-end-of_27.html

Here's the deal - what's been missing from the entire Kerry campaign is just how tough a motherfucker John Kerry really, actually is, and it's got jackshit to do with hunting geese and killing the Vietcong. Kerry is a superhero, the kind of valiant son of a bitch who doesn't give a rat's ass about his own life in order to make the lives of others better. It's his post-Vietnam life that makes him a superhero. You don't know how much a superhero the man in the cape is by his origins. You know a superhero by his deeds. And if Kerry loses, it'll be because his campaign refused to acknowledge just how kick-ass Kerry has been since his final purple heart (and if Kerry loses, adviser Bob Shrum, who, in essence, said the public was too stupid to understand Kerry's accomplishments, should be strung up by his balls and batted around like a pinata by the Democratic party leadership until he bursts open and showers everyone with his innards).

Yeah, yeah, this is gonna be a down-on-the-knees-Kerry-supportin-hummer of an entry, but the Rude Pundit keeps talking to people who sigh and say, "I guess I'm gonna vote for Bush" because they can't bring themselves to vote for Kerry. They see him as weak. They see him as a flip-flopper. In other words, they see him as the projection of self that Bush has imposed on Kerry. In other words, these voters are too blinded by the glow that emits from the crown on Bush's head to believe that they own the democracy.

Then, he goes on to detail the three great battles Kerry waged against power: Kerry vs. Nixon (Vietnam War), Kerry vs. Reagan (Iran-Contra), and Kerry vs. Bush I (BCCI). God, it would be great if we could take the U.S. Senate in '06, because then a new battle could be waged: Kerry vs. Bush II (Corruption). Yes, I know there's a lot to go after in W's administration, but I think the corruption of both Bush and the Republican Congress is the worst of it all. Then, the Rude Pundit continues:

Listen closely and tell anyone you know who is still thinking about voting for Bush: has Bush ever, personally, faced down anyone other than with a chant of "Drink, drink, drink"? Has he ever gone against someone who was really, truly powerful in order to place the good of the people above his own good? No. Heroes do that - they don't care what's in their way - they will face down evil, no matter how powerful. And they don't bother with those who are too weak to fight. It's why the latest news from Iraq fanned the fire: those in charge have screwed us over again, and Kerry's ready to bring the superhero costume out. Call him "the Winter Soldier."

Kerry's done a fuck of a lot more than pull a guy out of a river. And the fact that America doesn't know that says a great deal about how we negotiate our desolate political landscape.

Damn, what a rant our rude pundit delivered, and it resonates even more now, because almost everyone (save the blind die-hard Bush supporters) has seen how weak a man and president Bush really is. Do you think a superhero like Kerry would let a bitch hurricane like Katrina destroy him? No way. Had he been president, there is no doubt in my mind that he would have been kicking ass before the storm, during the storm, and after the storm, throwing everything he could for the people of New Orleans, Lousiana, and Mississippi, taking charge and working WITH the mayor of NO and the governors of Louisiana and Mississippi, and not letting us down, because THAT is what superheroes do.

[TayTay]

1. Wow! That is great

And I hate to pile-on Schrum, but RudePundit was right, they didn't know how to market what they had.

Sigh! Lesson learned, if the speech at Brown is any indication.

[whometense]

2. Thanks for posting this!

I felt a little funny about my Rude Pundit post of a few days ago because I neglected to add that the Rude Pundit was a staunch Kerry supporter, and so had earned the right to tease him a bit about his public speaking style. But you've made up for my lapse. :-)

I just came across this comment at my friend Shaun's blog Upper Left, which I thought was so wonderful I wanted to share it with you all. I was wondering how to present it, but you've just done me another favor by opening up the subject of blog comment. :-) :-)

Here's Brad's idea for a Kerry 2008 campaign slogan:

"Gonna make the same mistake twice, dipshits?"

What do you think? I'm dreaming of the bumper stickers already.

And here's a great comment, also at Upper Left:

Kerry will run in '08. He won't face an incumbent. He won't face a war that Americans are still divided on. He won't face anyone in either party who has better national security credentials. There's nothing left for the press to pick at. He knows how to campaign. He knows how to raise money. And he was right. About everything from gas prices to Iraq to accountability to repealing the tax cuts for the rich.

Kerry will run again in '08. And whether Hillary accepts his invitation to be VP or not, he will win.
The Phantom | Email | Homepage | 09.18.05 - 10:41 am

Gotta love it.

[whometense]

3. And for you insatiable types

I also came across this comment at No More Apples (The italicized portion quotes Frank Rich's column from last Sunday):

What comes next? Having turned the page on Mr. Bush, the country hungers for a vision that is something other than either liberal boilerplate or Rovian stagecraft. At this point, merely plain old competence, integrity and heart might do.

I wonder if John Kerry just might stand a chance in 2008. Up till recently I didn't think it was a possibility. But perhaps now the country would be ready to admit it made a mistake in 2004. His "skeletons" have been pretty well exploited to their maximum potential by the Rethugs and put to rest, while other Dems would just be fresh meat. Just a thought.

[karynnj]

4. It would be great if people like Rich saw Kerry in those terms

I really don't see most of the other possibilities fitting the latter 2 of those qualities. I get disheartened when I see the coverage of the Brown speech. Again, only very small snippets are used to give untrue implications. In GD-P there is a Howard Kurtz column that says that Edwards provides alternative solutions and says Kerry is in 2004 mode attacking Bush. Most people will only see the little snippets.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2104565

[whometense]

5. Rich can put together

a hell of a column, but I'm afraid they're a lot of pretty but empty words.

Words without deeds?? Rich appeared many times on Imus last year to mock Kerry, to laugh along with Imus on whatever stupid thing they were picking on that day. Maureen Dowd was equally guilty of insider snark. When it counted neither one of them put their status on the line to stand up for what they knew very well was right. I can never forgive either of them for that. I read their columns. I appreciate their skill. But every time I read them I'm thinking - yeah, but where were you last year?

Krugman is the only one I can think of who consistently put his ethics ahead of his desire to be a kewl kid. Come to think of it, Krugman is an economist - and so by definition a geek. He ought to be very proud of that.

[politicasista]

6. Would it be better if Kerry did both?

Offering alternative solutions and slamming Bush at the same time? I agree that most people will only see the little snippets of that article. :shrug:

[karynnj]

7. He did both, but the article implies he simply bashed Bush

The positive, optimistic vision of the alternatives is very important because it could be part of what the Democrats run on. I just wish people heard or read more of the speech on tv or in the newspapers. But 800 Brown students who heard it and were enthusiastic probably emailed accounts to a vast number of people. (As a 55 yr old, I'm amazed at how my college student kids keep in touch with so many of their hs friends. )

[beachmom]

8. You're right. It's not enough to just rip Bush apart.

The thing is is that Bush is history come January 2009. So it's important to set out a vision. And I think Kerry has hit on a theme of community, which I just love!!!! The line about not saying "what's in it for me", but instead saying, "what's in it for all of us". Shared sacrifice. But it doesn't mean that you will get nothing, and, say, give it all away to the poor. It means EVERYONE will benefit. It definitely is very Kennedyesque, which is not so surprising since he is JK's idol. Now the important work Kerry has is to flesh out this general theme into concrete specifics.