Kerry-related blog posts

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Digby
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2006_02_01_digbysblog_archive.html#114115978757329593

The Democrats have long been complaining about Bush's laissez faire attitude toward homeland security, Hillary being at the forefront. That isn't running to Bush's "right" which makes very little sense when it comes to the war on terrorism. (To really run to his right a Democrat would have to endorse a pre-emptive nuclear strike on Finland.) It's criticizing a very real flaw in Bush's national security strategy. In Hillary's case, if it's politics, it the old adage "all politics is local." She represents New York and there are ample pragmatic reasons for her to take on Bush's lackadaisical approach to homeland security. In fact, I suspect that her constituents demand it, and for good reason. It already happened to them once. She has been talking quite sepcifically about port security for some time --- as was John Kerry, who the media also ridiculed as being a hilarious, flip-flopping opportunist.

Perhaps if they would take their eyes off their mirrors for a minute or two, the elite media could entertain the thought that these Democrats are not talking out of their asses. This is a legitimate issue. The worst terrorist attack in American history took place on the Republicans' watch and they've fucked up everything they've touched since then. Perhaps codpieces and trash talk aren't adequate to the task at hand.

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1. Chimes at Midnight

http://chimesatmidnight.blogspot.com/2006/02/in-other-countries.html

Meanwhile, in operational terms, 34% is also license for the usual shit-heels to jump ugly on John Kerry. "He couldn't beat a Texas scumbag with a 34% approval rating" or so Joanie Vennochi will be screeching sometime this week.
Joanie has been monotonously beating up on the democrats this week, so no doubt we are about due for a dose of her poisonous hatred for our Junior Senator.
Alas, that is all 34% means.

[Mass]

3. Correct link

http://chimesatmidnight.blogspot.com/2006/02/in-other-countries.html

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5. Fixed.

Thanks, Mass. You'd think I'd remember that his links always do that...:eyes:

[karynnj]

9. She probably will - maybe LTTE when she and others do

pointing out that he had a high 40s/ low 50s approval rating for all of 2004 , as the media covered for him while questioning everything Kerry had done or said in his entire life.

On the Lesley Stahl thread, I posted this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=273x73309#73629

I really think that as he said, we will see more people blaming Kerry, rather than looking at their own role. The fact is even if you made the very untrue assumption that Kerry was the rudest, most arrogant, unlikable person in the world, he would still have been a better President - because he was right on everything and they didn't cover his plans or message. Even under this assumption, they could have concentrated their coverage on what he thought and wanted to do and published lots of nice pictures of him with his family, kids, animals etc. After all they made a nasty mean spirited Bush into someone you shouil like.

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2. tristero

at Hullaballoo

As I've said before, it has become very hard to be an American. The assault from the extreme right on American values has been relentless and highly organized since (at least) the second Clinton term. Nearly as bad, the Democrats have, as a party, failed miserably to stand behind its finest members - people like Kerry, Murtha, and Dean - or its modern principles, which are based in liberalism. The fact that being an American is very hard work these days also is no excuse. Please accept the apology and I'll try to make up for it with more posts on the right of all Americans to safe, legal medical care. That care is dangerously undermined whenever the access to abortion on demand is challenged. The dangers of illegal abortion primarily fall on poor women (and honest, competent doctors who provide abortions despite the potential for imprisonment), but the dangers of making access to medical procedures contingent on religious correctness are dangers for everyone, including those who, for personal/religious reasons, will carry all viable pregnancies to term.

[karynnj]

6. Very nice comment.

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4. Jane Hamsher

at firedoglake
http://firedoglake.blogspot.com/2006_02_26_firedoglake_archive.html#114115134436074178

Via Atrios, we find that Media Matters is documenting the new GOP meme over the UAE ports fiasco: Democrats are "moving to the right" of Republicans on national security. As if the GOP are somehow the true banner carriers here.

As this whole mess unravels they are trying to digest their own history of spin and quite frankly choking on it. Democrats (like John Kerry) have long known that the corrupt GOP machine was all about consolidating its own power with fear mongering and using 9/11 as a means to get its hand on all the war and national security profiteering it could eat. They never cared about real national security in the form of actually securing our porous ports, probably the biggest gap in fighting the true terrorism threat (as opposed to the simple unremitting hatred of brown people that is now blowing back uncontrollably in BushCo.'s collective face) so it's both ironic and appropriate that their undoing should come in the form of the Dubai Ports World deal.

[karynnj]

7. If it weren't for 2008 positioning, EVERY Democrat would

be reminding people that Kerry in almost every speech in 2004 (and in the debates), spoke of port security. It's funny that I am hearing everyone quoting that 95% of containers aren't inspected by Republicans and Democrats. I wonder if there is any memory on the part of most Americans that Kerry said this enough all of us - if asked too - could pretty much state verbatim the words he used.

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8. Absolutely true.

That and what he said about health care being a right of all citizens are the two points that were repeated so often that I can hear his voice saying them in my head.

[karynnj]

10. and don't forget "outsourcing to Afghan warlords ......."

Or "wrong war, ....."

What's most annoying is that some of the self satisfied self proclaimed experts who say that Kerry just couldn't commicate (including a recent thread with JE's email on the waiver of royalties for oil companies had one person suggesting that Kerry(who had responded with a short statement that he would propose legislation) needed to learn oratory from JE) ignore the fact that these statements if repeated on TV were great.

The Bin Laden one was great-
sharp, crisp and easily understood - Bush trusted people who there was good reason not to trust. Everyone could see the reason it was wrong and what was likely right. As a clue how good it was is that the media has since picked up using the word "outsource" for this - when it clearly was a non-obvious clever use of the word.

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11. Joseph at Cannonfire

http://cannonfire.blogspot.com/2006/02/of-leaks-and-ports-and-national.html

Most of you already get this, but this issue with Dubai Ports World is just more evidence of how little the Bush administration really cares about national security and their dirty little war on terror (cf., Kerry made secured ports a campaign issue), except as propaganda sound-bites. The Bush/Rove focus is on PR, creating an image, manipulating opinions of US citizens (well, everyone, really), propaganda, all directed toward getting and staying in power. If a piece of information could conceivably help their image or agenda in some way, they will not hesitate to use it however they see fit. The most heinous case in point is of course the exposure of a counterspy in Pakistan during the 2004 Presidential election campaign in order to prove to the world (of voters) that they were actually DOING something to protect us.

And this one as well:

I think it's possible for Dems to eschew their natural tendency toward self-flagellation without lapsing into conservative bombast and arrogance. A middle ground does exist; a healthy soul learns how to question himself without attacking himself.

And that's why, if the party fails to recapture one or both Houses in 2006, I will not blame Kerry or Gore or Dean or any of the others on Milbank's "precriminalization" list. I will recognise whatever faults our spokesmen may have, but I will not fixate on those failings. If we lose, I will blame the brainwashed Jesusmaniacs. I will blame the conservative media machine. I will blame digitized vote-burglars. I will blame the long-predicted staged "terrorist" strike on our soil.

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12. And now for some snark

Brad R. at Sadly No: The U.S. Troops Are Loser-Defeatists, Too
http://www.sadlyno.com/archives/002400.html

72% of the troops think the U.S. should leave within a year? That sounds dangerously close to setting a timetable for withdrawal! That's the most loser-defeatist position ever! You might as well support John Kerry's plan to make everyone in the Army get gay married! Hey assholes, why don't you just change America's motto from "In God We Trust" to "Sacré! More brie, please!" and be done with it!

Well that does it! We clearly need a different brand of soldier in the military, one who won't question the President's pledge to stay the course and remain in Iraq until 2150! If any recruiters out there need help in locating such upstanding young patriots, I can recommend more than a few who post over at this site: (insert pictures of chickenhawk youths of choice)