Bush & Kerry are "two rich men of privilege." How so?

[devilgrrl]

I don't know much about Kerry's upbringing - was his family that rich compared to the Bush Crime Family? How is it that Kerry was born with a silver spoon in his mouth? Because it seems to me that he was a bright kid and got to where he is on his own merits.

Am I missing something?

Thank you in advance for educating me about this.

[aden_nak]

1. Neither exactly grew up in the ghetto.

But Kerry, at least, went places on his own steam. His accomplishments were his own, not his daddy's. And he certainly never had to be bailed out by the Saudi royal family.

[rogerashton]

2. It's not what you know --

and it's not who you know. It's who your grandfather married.

[Dogmudgeon]

3. Kerry was born rich, but not THAT rich

He is a scion of the Forbes family, through his Mother's family. The Kerry family had a little money. He was a bright lad, and his maternal Grandmother (a Forbes) sent him to the expensive schools that his father couldn't quite afford.

I'ms sure there's more information out there about it on Google or one of the other search engines.

--bkl

[JI7]

6. kerry says it was more about being priviledged than wealth

he was priviledged to get many of the opportunities he had such as the good schools. but he wasn't wealthy in that he was able to get anything he wanted whenever he wanted.

[Dogmudgeon]

20. Kerry has a sense of perspective

Bush's perspective, on the other hand, places Bush first.

Al Gore had a similar upbringing. His rich family was nearly bankrupted by the Depression; for several years, his father depended on other family members.

My own grandmother was in a similar situation. She came from money, but all of it disappeared in the course of a single week in 1929. She always tried to keep up the "refinements" of wealth, even in stark poverty. Never got over it, really.

--bkl

[Lavender Brown]

4. I think his mother's family was pretty wealthy, his father's much less so

The wealth wasn't all in Kerry's immediate family. According to his profile in Time, an aunt paid for him to go to prep school and Yale. I don't think they were anywhere near as rich as the Bushes, although they traveled in the same social circles.

[JI7]

5. Kerry's family on his mother's side had money but not his dad

his aunt paid for his education.

his dad was a government worker. a foreign service official so kerry grew up moving around wherever his dad was stationed. but he was priviledged than most americans in that his aunt paid for his education. but kerry didn't take it for granted of course. he studied hard, did his work etc. and of course his military service said a lot about him.

[IrateCitizen]

7. His father was a rather high official in the US diplomatic corps, IIRC

He was born into a pretty decent amount of money (and more importantly, privilege), there's no sense in us trying to deny it.

However, what is more telling is what both of these men did with their privilege. Kerry sought to do some positive things with his. Bush, OTOH, spent the overwhelming majority of his life coasting on his name, and then becoming a politician apparently to further the "noblesse" without remembering the "oblige".

As Garry Trudeau said, describing the Bush family philosophy, "First you go to the most prestigious schools, then you use your connections to go out and make your fortune, and then you accumulate power." I think GW fits this to a "T".

[JI7]

8. yeah, Kerry knew he was lucky to have things many didn't

he knew it wasn't because he earned it all and others who didn't have it didn't earn it. he knew it had to do with him being lucky that he was born into the family he was. and i'm sure that was a big part of his military service. wanting to give back.

bush on the other hand then and now thinks he earned everything he has. and those who don't have what he has is because they don't work hard enough. he is a total prick.

[one_true_leroy]

9. class war....

It bugs me when people try to call Kerry on that. Like FDR and JFK (the 1st one ;) ), he is someone aware that wealth and privilage is not universal, and he has not taken for granted or ignored those who are needing. Bush has yet to demonstrate his vaunted 'compassion.'

[DrRock]

10. ^

People often compare the two, and say that they're both rich white guys. That's true, but can anyone name a president that wasn't a rich white guy? Yes, they may have had similar upbringings, but the thing to look at is the choices that each of them has made in their lives. Take into consideration that they both had about the same advantages all the way up to college. What happened after their college years is what's important.

After college, Kerry volunteered for active duty in Vietnam, served in-country, and received numerous medals.

Bush, on the other hand, used his family's wealth and influence to avoid active duty by getting into the Air National Guard, and then didn't even complete that.

After their military service, Kerry returned to his country and spoke out against the horrors of war, and the atrocities that were being committed against humanity, even though he knew it would be unpopular to do so.

George Bush continued to support the war, even though he had no first-hand experience of combat or the dangers involved.

After that, John Kerry went to law school and became a prosecutor to fight crime here in America. Following that, he ran for Senate, and has since continued to serve his country in that capacity.

George Bush went to business school, and proceeded to screw off for about the next 15 years.

I really don't think it's important that they both had privleges in life, rather what each has done with the opportunities those priveleges have afforded.

[one_true_leroy]

11. AMEN!!! n/t

[MattG]

14. Yeah

Yeah, Kerry's a heroic rich guy, just like Bat Man, only he's


DEMOCRAT MAN with his loyal sidekick SMILIN' THE BOY SENATOR (that's John Edwards) I should draw that. It would make a good political cartoon.

[Hello_Kitty]

15. Uhh Matt, I think you're late for your Klan meeting.

You know the Grand Wizard doesn't like to be kept waiting. Be off now. Toodles.

[MattG]

19. Hey CCBombs, wtf?

I thought we were all on the same side. The Bat Man joke was supposed to be well, a joke, and also a compliment to Kerry through comparing him to a popular hero. I really like Kerry a lot, but I still don't mind ribbing my own team every now and then just out of good humor.

[Hello_Kitty]

21. If it was meant in jest then I apologize

It just looked freeper-ish to me.

[Vickers]

17. Damn, you didn't make it until November 2nd!

:nopity:

[RaleighNCDUer]

12. Kerry was a bright kid who got where he is on his own merits --

who also happened to be born wealthy.

Inherited wealth and priviledge only spoils the weak minded.

Like *.

[mike_c]

16. lots of meritorious "bright kids" from the other side of the tracks...

...know that growing up wealthy certainly doesn't hurt, however.

[Hello_Kitty]

13. Decent, honorable, and responsible people can come from rich families

And spoiled, arrogant, lazy jerks can come from poor ones. And vice versa. It's obvious between Kerry and * who had the better upbringing. And you can see it in their daughters as well.

[noiretextatique]

18. own merits aside, privilege and/or wealth do open doors

that are closed to most people who have neither. no use trying to parse, bend, twist, bend, fold or mutilate that.
having said that, kerry and * aren't remotely similar in terms of abilitiies, character, brains, and accomplishments.