Okay, half-wonky question.

[TayTay]

I might see Sen. Kerry this weekend and get to talk to him (for my alloted 30 seconds or so.)

Anything in particular that you good people want me to say? Thank you for the filibuster attempt on Alito? Ahm, Keep us the fight (which sounds lame, but what do I know?) Ahm, hey Senator, nice pants.

Anything? And, seeing as this is going to be covered on C-Span and such, do you guys want a write-up from the JK Group people who are going and pics or is the C-Span coverage enough?

I kind of like that 'nice pants' remark. I could be persuaded to ask him about his ties though. so let me know.

[GRLMGC]

1. How exciting

I wouldn't know what to say. I'm only posting here to remark as to how exciting that is,haha

[FreedomAngel82]

2. Simple

to run in 2008! Oh and I hope you have fun. :D Lucky!

[Island Blue]

3. Please tell him "hello" from his crew here on DU.

Nice pants, nice tie - whatever feels right at the time. I think I would go with the tie though. (Although I would definitely at some point during the evening, check out the pants. :evilgrin: ) And OF COURSE we want a complete report from the JK Group people. You guys know the fine details we want to hear - C-Span doesn't! (Is this going to be live on C-Span or taped and shown at some unknown time? Anyone know?)

You also might want to thank him again for the beer. Let him know how much that experience meant to all of us.

Most importantly, have a blast!

[TayTay]

5. Live on C-Span.

It will probably be cut down and reshown later on. I love the live C-Span shows. They show the candidate or elected official interacting with the crowd at length. I am guessing that this will be the case on Sat. Sen. Kerry is due at the event at 5:30 for a private reception, then there are cocktails at 6:00 then the dinner starts at 6:30 then at 7:00 C-Span will start to televise the event. There will be local speakers, no doubt, and then, around 7:30 or so, Sen. Kerry will probably speak. Then the camera will follow him around as he 'works the room.' (I can't imagine that he will just speak and leave. None of the other folks at New Hampshire events are ever able to speak and leave. They have to go around and talk to people. That's sort of my favorite part. It's just so one-on-one and human.)

Ahm, I have a political rally in Boston at Faneuil Hall at 12:00 pm. Then we have to get back home and maybe change. (It's supposed to be near 60 degrees up here in the Frozen North on Sat. Spring Fever will hit and I will be dreamy and wistful all day.) hmmm, spring. I just mailed away for my seeds for the garden. Hmmm, spring. Where was I? Oh yeah, then we have to go to Nashua, which will take about 15 minutes and find this place that my husband believes he's been to before but you can never be too sure, so he will make me leave early and we will get there around 5:30 even though we probably won't be able to go in until 6:00. Sigh! My husband has a 100% chance of seeing someone there who he remembers and I don't and it will then bug me all evening that I can't remember this person's name and my husband won't tell me cuz he thinks it's funny that I can't remember names. Sigh!

Ahm, we then need to find the other DUers and get a good table that has optimum camera angles so I can futz around with my camera and try not to get either blue pictures or black and white pictures, but nice pics without red eye in them. (Hmmm, not to self, bring extra batteries.) Ahm, I will then lean over to talk to someone and miss the exact moment that Sen. Kerry walks by the table cuz that's what always happens, I miss moments cuz I'm too busy gabbing with someone or smelling the flowers or thinking about wonky things and don't notice what is right in front of me. (Sigh! Happened at Faneuil Hall last April. Missed a great shot of a Senator on crutches because at that particular moment, I was engaged in a hot discussion with someone over how cool it was to turn New Hampshire blue in '04.)

Is that 'not wonky' enough for ya? Or is this a mixing of the worlds?

[MH1]

8. I second the motion...

on thanking him for the beer and telling him how much the experience meant to us.

For me personally (as if you will have time!), it would be great if you could pass on my thanks for a) supporting Joe Sestak (btw see the article I just posted about that), and b) emphasizing "good governance" issues like with the line-item veto and the comments he made about Don Young's backdoor amendment on the Coast Guard funding bill.

A couple points on the good government stuff - this is really really important to me and it is so great to see JK on exactly the same page. I was only half joking on WEL's "too wonky" thread because I really did light up like a Christams tree when I saw the first post about JK's line item veto bill. As in I did get all warm and fuzzy inside! (am I hopeless or what?) Anyway not only that, but on JK's most recent dkos post, I posted this comment where I said (referring to his comment about Don Young's amendment), "EXACTLY!!! More like this please!!! It isn't about the Cape Wind project (thorny issue there) it is about the PROCESS of government and how moves like this undermine it. Seriously, please can we get Democrats to come out more vocally about good governance generally?" So, while I don't think for a second that my post influenced anything - * gave JK too good a set up, regardless of anything else - the LIV move is still almost like a direct positive response to my post! How cool is that? (now if only we could get Reid et al on board. Ah well, can't have everything.)

So anyway, (it is getting late and I am rambling) if you can work in that at least a few of us really really appreciate the good governance stuff, that would be really cool.

[TayTay]

9. Will do, if I get the chance.

Ah, you never know, they do get to meet people and 'work the room.' I might get to, I might not. Maybe if not me, then the other JK forum folks will. But it's nice to think about it in advance a little.

I totally agree on the good government stance. The LIV i a good idea. It makes the Congress do it's actual job of debating and thinking about where the money goes and makes those awful Omnibus bills harder to pass. (They really are atrocious bills and a complete abrogation of what the Congress is supposed to do.) Sen. Kerry really is a goo-goo at heart, so I am not surprised he offered support and improvements on the LIV.

[MH1]

10. Thanks...I bring that one up especially, because

it seems that many people don't really "get it" about stuff like that. Witness the kind of garbage posted in GD and also that many Dems (like Reid) won't back him on it. So I think he is standing up for principle, and that takes courage and heart, and I hope he knows that some of us do understand and appreciate it!

But, I know you may or may not get to say much, or anything at all. I think probably the most important thing for someone to impart, would be like IB said, how much our meeting him in December meant to all of us. The wonk stuff comes somewhere after that.

[sandnsea]

4. Run from Hillary

Just RUN AWAY.

[frogmarch]

6. A write-up

and pix, PLEASE! C-Span coverage will be great but it won't be enough Kerry for me.

"Nice pants" would be good to say, or maybe "Nice fly," but also please let him know how much we appreciate all the great things he's done and continues to do.

Mmmm-wah! We love you, John Kerry!

[YvonneCa]

7. Let him know...

...how much his work gives us all GREAT HOPE for our country. He is appreciated by a lot of people for what he has been doing.:patriot:

[JI7]

11. tell him he needs to get his accomplishments

out to the people. not just his loyal supporters , but those who don't pay too much attention to politics or depend on our horrible media for information.

i'm not sure how. but just let him know that he does so many great things but many people don't know because our media does not inform them.

[wisteria]

12. Well, the tie question is always safe. I would however like to

get his opinion on the current state of the Dem party. Some of what I have heard recently has me wondering if we are having an internal tug-of-war for control of the message and direction. Also, I would like to know what he feels will happen in Iran. Things have really heated up the last couple of days over there and now Russia seems to be backing away slightly from the US sanctions suggestions on this.

Or you can just thank him for me for all his hard work on our behalf.

[JI7]

13. other people's perceptions about him

one thing i would want to talk to him about is what his thoughts are on the way others view him. the conservative leaning, red state type Dems view him as a liberal they need to distant themselves from. but certain so called liberals are always bashing him.

i already know about his reluctance to use labels. but it would be interesting to see what his opinion is on why people are like the above.

also mention that he has many loyal supportings ranging from close family and friends to people like us who love what he does for us and would do anything for him.

[politicasista]

14. Simple

Let him know to continue to stay involved in issues that affect minorities, (maybe work more with the CBC), and like JI7 said, find a way to get his message out to "Average Americans."

There are a lot of people out here that are misinformed because the media ignores the work and speeches that he gives.




Good luck and have fun. :patriot:

[beachmom]

15. I've got two questions/comments for him

a. Iraq -- things have changed dramatically on the ground (from a Sunni insurgency only to now increasing sectarian violence from Sunnis AND Shiites), and that he needs to update how he talks about Iraq. Surely, he knows all of this but tell him about the fact that there are Iraqi bloggers, and even the most pro-American ones are increasingly pessimistic. Time to go? Stay longer? What is his take?

b. Webb for Senate in Virginia. If he wins the primary, should Virginian Kerrycrats vote for him? I want to see him look you in the eye, and say, yes, vote for him. If so, I will do it, although I am voting for Harris Miller in the primary, and hoping he wins.

I think that goes over 30 seconds, Tay, but maybe the Webb question is quicker and I REALLY am curious what he thinks. Arghh -- but douse the C-SPAN cameras for his answer in case it's politically incorrect!! Okay, maybe that question will have to be asked privately at a later date.

Anyway, have a great time, and give us a report back, complete with details that no normal reporter would care about but that Kerrycrats would love to know!!

[TayTay]

16. Will do Beachmom.

Excellent questions. I doubt he will know about Webb yet, as that is a primary. I wouldn't be surprised to see money going to Miller, but not an endorsement, as with Tim Kaine.

My own question is: How many St. Patrick's Day events are you doing this year and who is writing the material. (And I want to know if he is wearing his green tie in Nashua, cuz it's so close to St. Patrick's Day. Hey, sue me, I love this stuff. There are dozens of these events in Mass and NH and I want to know what newspapers to check for the coverage of the events. Sigh, it's just one of those things that scream 'home' to me.)

Yeah, now you know why I asked other people for questions. Ahm, seriously, I really look forward to these things and Sen. Kerry took last year off and he needs to come out and mix with the Irish and have some fun and really let loose with some zingers. (I want a poem, I really like those poems.) I am not expecting this in Nashua, it being on C-Span and all, but I would like to know what events he is going to: Holyoke Parade, the Beverly, Lowell, Lawrence, Worcester, Dracut, etc events and parades or what. I love this stuff. (Okay, Salem? New Bedford? Pittsfield? Springfield? They start this weekend, btw and go on for the next 10-12 days. Usually, the Senator attends a few of them.)

[Island Blue]

17. How about asking JK when his new book is coming out.

Wasn't that supposed to be sometime this spring, or am I disremembering?

[jenndar]

18. And if he could please promote it on the West Coast! n/t

[globalvillage]

19. We want every detail.

Words, pics, expressions, impressions, eye contact moments, everything.

If I were you, though, my goal would be to get one of these

:hug:

*Sigh*.

You're so lucky. Have a great time.