Where Are You With Kerry?

[liberalpragmatist]

Specifically, how far have you come? Do you think that you've grown to like him more, like him less? Does he wear well (I certainly think so)? What kind of President do you realistically expect him to be? And are you excited at the prospect of "President Kerry" or still just excited about kicking Bush's ass?

[jjmalonejr]

1. Strong Kerry supporter

Have been since the primaries, still that way today. Working hard as a volunteer for the campaign.

Love the choice of Edwards.

Love the way his campaign is running right now.

Looking forward to the convention and the debates.

Feeling very confident that he will kick Bush's ass.

Excited about 8 years of Kerry and hopeful for 8 more of Edwards.

[olddem43]

8. My feelings exactly - Nuff said.

[GainesT1958]

2. I really do think John Kerry can become a great president...

And, of course, that opportunity will be even more "burnished" by the fact that he's succeeding a moron like Dub.

I just hope--and yes, pray--that, if and when he does get that opportunity, John Kerry never gets a case of "cold feet" when confronted with a difficult decision.

B-)

[JI7]

3. i was an early supporter of Kerry

i supported him in the primary. i loved when he wrapped up the primary nomination. i like him more everytime i learn more about him. kicking bush's ass is something i would always enjoy. but i look even more forward to seeing the things kerry will do in office.


i love watching his appearances on tv. i love the way he did his vp announcement also.

[PoliticsSportsMusic]

4. I just want Bush out....I like what I hear from Kerry

but I liked what I heard from Clinton too, but he ending up being Repug-lite. Lets get liberal,FOR REAL.

[NV1962]

5. I've actually come to *like* him

I was very apprehensive about him. I sensed the charisma of a dead fish.

Two relatively recent things have "turned" me over the top, after weeks of perusing his site: his unequivocal and stern warning that this time, vote fraud won't be tolerated (that was one of the things I like about Wes Clark - he also barked that message out on a core democratic issue) which showed me a guy with willingness to be tough where it matters. And the other is reading a very long article / profile of him in the New Yorker (link)

I had an instinctive sense that he's a good guy, but wasn't sure he "has it," not just for the job, but also to inspire confidence and more than anything else: hope and trust.

It took me a while, but now I do.

We have a winner, baby!

(Ahem, forgot the link...)

[IndianaGreen]

6. Better than Bush

I am really a big fan of Teresa Heinz. I think she will make a big impact in the atmosphere and class of the White House, a throwback to the days of Camelot with one major difference: Teresa Heinz has earned her reputation as the head and actual manager (instead of a figure head) of the Heinz Philanthropies.

The Kerry White House will be very high class. I can't wait to see Kerry welcome Chirac in French.

Eat your hearts out, Francophobes!

[MoonRiver]

7. Always liked him, and still like him. He'll be a super president!!

GOOOOOOOOOOOO KERRY/EDWARDS!!!!!

:kick::bounce::toast::bounce::kick:

[Tosca]

9. I'm with him in the White House!

Ooh er! Er, no hankypanky with this Pres...gorunteed! T. would kill him.

[Still_Loves_John]

10. Love 'em

He's my hero.

[no name no slogan]

11. I liked him better in 1991, but he's okay

When he stood up to the first Bush and opposed the Gulf War, UN resolution or no.

I'm warming up to him a bit more. I'll support him all the way to November 2. Come November 3, I'll be one of many who will be pressuring him to get our troops out of Iraq ASAP, not establish permanent military bases in the middle east, enact a single-payer universal healthcare plan, cut the waste at the Pentagon and redirect the money toward fixing our crumbling infrastructure.

This isn't 1992 again. The progressives learned their lesson from Clinton. And this time, there won't be a honeymoon.

[rwheeler31]

13. Rational, thoughtfull vs irrational and

phoney hmm what a choice. I have always liked Kerry and the Irish Catholic wing of the party.

[eridani]

14. My sediments exactly n/t

[Pastiche423]

12. Was curious about him in early 2002

Thought I should keep my eye on him as a possible candidate until...

October 11, 2002.

It's been downhill since.

Will not vote for him.

[jjmalonejr]

17. Do you plan to vote for Bush or Nader?

Not that it matters one way or the other.

Or are you staying home?

[Pastiche423]

21. No, I am voting for neither whistle ass, nor Nader

Yes, I will be staying at home. I always stay home when I vote. After I write-in my choice, I will drop my paper ballot off at my local library as I have done the past four years I've lived in Oregon.

No worries - it's only one vote.

[jjmalonejr]

51. It's only one vote, but it's your vote

I was just curious how you intended to use it. I take it that you intend to vote absentee and write-in your choice. You're obviously entitled not to share who you're voting for with me, since it's really none of my business.

I'm not worried. I believe that the majority of voters will do what I believe is the right thing. But that's just my opinion.

[Pastiche423]

54. Every voter in Oregon

votes by mail/drop off, not "absentee".

In November, I will be doing the right thing for me.

[mike1963]

15. I started out with Clark but Kerry suits me just fine.

(I'm in OK which is the only state Wes won)...but we have Kerry now and recently he has begun to exude the "nice personality" that many people have claimed he lacked. Yes, he may be a bit stentorian, but he's the polar opposite of the criminal, incompetent SOB sitting in the WH now.
Kerry may not be perfect, but he's 10000 percent better than Chimpy.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[SW FL Dem]

18. I am excited and working hard to get Kerry/Edwards elected

Kerry wasn't my first choice, Edwards was until Wes entered the race. The more I see the more I like. I am doing my best to see it happen.

[DrFunkenstein]

19. When Was The Last Time We Had A President So Liberal?

With a shot at appointing so many Supreme Court Justices?

You may have disagreed with his vote, like I did, but few here could take issue with the position he put forward were he President at the time. Same with the Patriot Act. I doubt he's going to ask Ashcroft back.

Beyond those - albeit painful to think about - votes, Kerry's record is very, very impressive. If you check out Public Citizen's scorecard for Kerry's voting record, let alone the scorecards of major environmental groups, unions, and gay rights and women's rights groups, you'll be impressed, too.

[kiahzero]

20. Didn't you get the memo?

If Jesus Christ himself voted for the IWR, he would be forever attacked by some DUers. If a demon voted against it, with a nice speech, everything else would be pardoned with a "But he fought so well against IWR!"

We should have nominated Ron Paul from Texas. Sure, he's a libertarian, but he voted against NAFTA, USA PATRIOT, and IWR! He's the perfect candidate for the Democrats!

:eyes:

[JohnKleeb]

25. dude you remembered my research!

:thumbsup: I love people using my research. Paul is a republican but is in reality a libertarian. Yes, lets nominate the man whose probable favorite book is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand rather than the man whose favorite book is Flags of Our Fathers which btw is also one of my favorite books. Where am I with Kerry? Proudly supporting him, and optimistic because he's made some good choices, like Edwards for veep, giving people like Dick Durbin and Stephanie Tubbs-Jones key DNC spots, and having a good sense of humor about things, I think Kerry will be better than Clinton honestly. Paul is the only republican that I know of that opposes those 3 things, now theres a small handful that oppose the war, other than Paul we have John Hosteller of Indiana and if you really want proof that a vote against IWR doesnt make you a total saint, Mr. Hoesteller is the one sponsoring a bill in the house now to make court decisions on marriage not allowed, sorry that I am too dumb to explain what this means precisely, Hoesteller of Indiana, Paul of Texas, Houghton of New York who is good for a republican IMO, former rep Connie Morella who was very liberal for a republican but Kerry's record is still lots more liberal, and John Duncan of Tennesse, a small handful also oppose the patriot act like Paul, one of the mountain west states congressmen, and mad Clinton hater Bob Barr, and a lot of republicans did oppose NAFTA, NAFTA was actually supported by the republican leadership when Clinton pushed it and opposed by the dems led by Gephardt. I dont agree with Kerry's three votes but I dont hold it against him.

[democratreformed]

27. So did Vic Snyder

Just so you know - there were some good Democrats who voted against all these things.

[JohnKleeb]

28. Snyder voted against the patriot act?

had no idea, I know who he is, congressman from Arkansas and the most liberal of the bunch, seems like a good guy. There were a few dems who voted against all three of those. kiah's point is that those three votes alone dont make you good, take Paul hes a libertarian and had a comment about how 90% of all black males are in prison or something like that, that nearly got him beat by a conservative dem, now people like Synder by supporting other issues like civil rights, labor rights, etc make Synder a good dem. Kerry's record despite these three votes is one that fights for issues. Good for all dems who voted against those 3 bills but I dont damn those who didnt. Paul also favors abolishing the min wage and other far right things, now I agree with the ban on drugs and those other three but I dont like libertarians much.

[democratreformed]

29. I understand and,

although I am disappointed at having to vote for two who voted for IWR, I am okay with it. I can't help but be disappointed. But, then I have been disappointed in my children before, but that doesn't mean they're not good kids and that I don't love them.

It's just another silly dream down the tubes. Right after IWR, I had dreams of outing everyone who voted for it. Now, I will be voting for two people who voted for it and placing them in the highest offices in the land.

As far as what I expect - after my disappointment over the rightness or wrongness of our invasion and occupation of another country being taken off the table, I just hope for the best. I certainly expect things to get better under a Kerry administration - and I just hope I am not disappointed yet again. From the sincerity of some of his avid supporters, I don't think I will be.

[JohnKleeb]

30. nice analogy

Of course, I am disappointed as well but I dont hate Kerry and Edwards for it. I think Kerry is gonna surprise people for the good, he may play the role of a centrist but he's at heart a liberal democrat, hes not far far left but hes not a new democrat exactly either, yes hes a member of NDOL but his record is more like that of a progressive caucus member than that of a member of NDOL.

[democratreformed]

33. That's what I have read

(about Kerry being liberal). Based on that, I've also taken the attitude that he will surprise some people. I sure hope that's true.

On edit: Also, I very much admire Mrs. Kerry. I think she is going to be absolutely wonderful.

[JohnKleeb]

34. He actually had the most simliar record to Wellstone in the race

I hope its true too and I think it will be. He'll be more liberal than Clinton was, and IMO the most progressive pres since LBJ.

[democratreformed]

35. Hey! This conversation with you has actually

helped to lift my spirits. Thanks!

[JohnKleeb]

36. Sure thing

[CTLawGuy]

42. keep dreaming John,

If Kerry has to be a centrist to win NOW. He's going to have to remain a centrist in order to get reelected.

[JohnKleeb]

45. heh I am a dreamer thank you

But what if we get back congress.

[George_Bonanza]

46. Not if we can energize the Democratic/liberal constituents

The problem is that the ignorant Right are bound together by collective fear (of Bostonian intellectuals and people who have actually travelled abroad) and resent (of Bostonian intellectuals and people who have actually travelled abroad). If the liberals in America can put aside their differences and empower the Democratic Party with huge turnouts, big changes can happen. If true liberals (no Zell Millers or Joe Liebermans) can "hijack" the Democratic Party, and weaken the DLC, then it'd do way more for the cause than to give Nader 5% every election.

[democratreformed]

49. Have you not observed

the current idiot in chief toning down some of his more radical right tendencies as the election nears? He was full blown crazy about extremism, IMO for the first couple of years. But, as the election nears, he has toned it down quite a bit.

Kerry could do the same thing.

[JohnKleeb]

50. hah that would be sweet

[no name no slogan]

43. At this point, the IWR vote doesn't mean much

but what does is how soon will we end the occupation of Iraq? And when we do, will we continue to have permanent military bases in the middle east?

Don't forget, the reason OBL turned against the US was because we established permanent bases in Saudi after Desert Storm. As long as we keep a permanent presence in the ME, we'll give OBL a permanent recruiting tool.

Senator Mark Dayton (D-MN), a very early Kerry supporter, has proposed a plan that will get us out of Iraq is six months. He unveiled it at the state convention in May, and received a resounding standing ovation for it, too-- which is especially notable because 2/3 of the delegates were for Kerry.

Afterward, a few DK people met him to thank him for his stand. He singled them out and told them to "light a fire under Kerry", to keep the pressure on him to bring our troops home. Kerry needs to come out strongly against this war, as it only gets worse the longer it goes on.

[CTLawGuy]

41. I know

its called disagreeing with someone's vote, and its ok. Especially when that vote aids in the death of 1000's of people in an illegal war.

It's much better than the historical revisionism here all the time.

"Kerry wasn't voting for the war." "He didn't know Bush would actually go to war."

Give me a break.

George Orwell would be proud.

[JohnKleeb]

26. thats what Ive been trying to tell everyone

Of course he's not gonna ask Ashcroft back, I think he'll give Elliott Spitzer that job now that the only other logical candiate for AG is now his running mate. I dont know anyone else who could be AG though off hand, because I think you have to be a lawyer to do that job, and if Spitzer is indeed AG, I think thats the best AG we'll have since those of the 60's, RFK and Nicholas Katzenbach. Kerry's record is slightly more liberal than Kennedy's. Personally I think he'll surprise for the good, I was told recently that LBJ wasnt expected to be liberal and he turned out to be, of course I hope Kerry isnt a total LBJ, but domestically I think he'll be the most progressive since him.

[bklyncowgirl]

22. Best Democratic nominee of my political lifetime

I don't like his votes on the Iraq War resolution and the Patriot Act but all things considered he's about as good as we're going to get AND he has the personal knowledge and character to do a really good job once he gets in.

[union_maid]

23. That says it for me, too

Anyone who can't support him because he's not left enough for them is never, ever going to see a nominee that they can support and who has any shot at all of winning.

[New Dem]

24. more for kerry

In the beginning i was like...anyone but Bush, but i think Kerry has been campaigning better and he seems more confident. He also seems to be taking a page out of his wife's book by being open and honest with his answers instead of saying the "safe" thing...this is the feeling i got in his CBS interview with Dan Rather last night. I really have great hopes for President Kerry!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

31. Kerry's Not Bush

and that's more than enough for me.....

[NoPasaran]

32. Deaniac for Kerry

Doing everything I can to build support and enthusiasm here. Kerry may not carry Texas, but a big Democratic turnout will win back a couple of seats in the Legislature and elect other Democrats and set the stage for more progress in 2006. Let History record 2004 as the year the red tide started to recede here!

I expect that I will be happy with some of the things that President Kerry does and less happy about others. But whatever happens, I'm sure it will be better than living on the edge of dictatorship.

[Tweed]

37. As a Clark supporter, I've been on board since 2/18/04

I think he will make a great president.

[Name removed]

38. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LoZoccolo]

39. I don't know if you'd say I've /grown/ to like him more...

...so much as I've kind-of realized that there were really only two things I held against him, one of which I now feel was unfair on my part. He voted for the IWR, but you know what - back in October 2002, so would I have. I remember "supporting" it back then because I thought we needed that sort of brinkmanship because Saddam was looking uncooperative, and figuring we'd go through whatever process we needed to make this endeavor legitimate. The other thing is him criticizing the war and then apologizing for it, but he's made up for that quite a bit.

I was big on Dean, but I always had Kerry in mind behind Dean (and then Clark) as who I thought could win - I'm not one of these people that thought that his candidate was the be-all end-all and that we'd be totally fucked if we had him as the nominee (which you could say is a "nuanced" position). I also always knew he was actually more liberal than Dean, and I actually jumped ship to vote for him in our primary even though Dean was still on our ballot (Dean had stopped actively campaigning by the Illinois primary).

[cyclezealot]

40. Not impressed.

He will take us for granted...Under Kerry jobs will continue to go overseas. I read my union's review of his health care plan..It stinks. He makes me nasceous with his record on the Bush corruption in Iraq.
Unless, he changes to a more populist campaign; but I expect him to turn right- I will have to have a couple drinks in order to vote for him in November.

[George_Bonanza]

44. Weathered the Dean storm since the Summer of '03

For some reason, I could never get into Howard Dean. I guess I joined the race too late and I saw it as a massive herd mentality. I also felt for Kerry because he had such a good record in the Senate only to be trashed for one vote. I'm so glad I stuck with him and I am a huge Kerry supporter.

[JohnKleeb]

48. nah you werent alone

I wasnt too keen on the non washington candiates honest, Dean and Clark who were also the most popular here never really got my eye, now despite the fact I was a big opponent of the war, I like the washington candiates exempting Lieberman who I dont like at all, now Edwards grew late on me but when I realized that the man was great, I took a liking to him and was a supporter of his eventual pick being VP, and Dick Gephardt, lets say Gep I remember from being a young kid watching CSPAN with my grandma and I just liked the guy because his big issues were jobs, trade, and labor, and he was the candiate of a key political influence so when he dropped out I was sad to see him go.I didnt see what the big deal was either in Dean, no offense to anyone who supported him, I just didnt see the big deal, you all who stuck with Kerry should be proud of yourselves, was a lot of endurance and a lot of times when chances seemed dimmed, you all didnt give up, reminds me of one of my motto's "even in the darkest of circumances, theres always a thread of hope", and if Kerry can come back to beat Dean after being 30 points down in New Hampshire, he can landslide Bush. I considered Kerry early on after Gore dropped out then I leaned Dean then supported Kucinich, but that summer, fall, and winter I defended Kerry. Some say endorsements dont mean much, and maybe they dont but Kennedy's endorsement of him meant a lot to me, I just love to read about the guy in Brinkley's Tour of Duty, its like reading about the guys in Band of Brothers, he's very heroic and brave. I was also pleased to find that Kerry and I share favorite books, you know I wonder if Kerry being a part Czechoslovak like myself finds himself a favorite of those 6 flag raisers in flags of our fathers, the book I refered to as our fave, I wonder if his fave is my distant relative, that would be neat, I am sure he could well be, Mike Strank has the values Kerry and Edwards have been talking about, that of service to one's country, that of faith, Mike was a devout Catholic, and responsiblity, he was a responsible man.

[dennis4868]

47. I dont particularly like him....

he seems to care more about his own political self and not about the country. When he came back from Vietnam he asked congress, "how do you ask the last man to die for a mistake?" Well, the same can be said today and he does not ask that same question to Bush regarding Iraq. Why? Because he cares more about his political future than he does for american lives.

Having said that, there is a cancer in the White House today. It must be dealt with. To deal with this we have to redefeat Bush in November. Obviously, Kerry is our only hope for that to happen. So I will definitely vote for Kerry in November....we are in the middle of a constitutional crisis and it must end!

[sampsonblk]

52. Awful, but he's got my vote

I was a big Kerry fan years ago. But now, the best I can say is that he isn't Bush. I think some DLC bozos have put a lot of garbage electoral strategies in his head. This ain't the John Kerry of old.

[blm]

53. VERY EXCITED.

.

[LiberalManiacfromOC]

55. I didn't like him at first

but now he i think he will make a great president. Having Edwards on the ticket makes it even better.

[flaminbats]

56. The Kucinich endorsement is important to me

We all knew Kucinich would endorse Kerry, but with the platform already put together and convention events arranged weeks in advance..I think Kucinich felt that a pre-convention endorsement was the most effective way for him to bring his issues to the table. Now he can devote most of his convention speech to these issues without being viewed by delegates as a sore loser.

After Dean dropped out of the primaries, I first considered voting for Kerry. Instead Kucinich won my heart and mind on the issues, and gave me the comfort of knowing that I wouldn't be wasting my vote on another candidate who would dropout before the primaries were over. But after Iowa and New Hampshire I began to except the reality that Kerry, not Dean or Kucinich, would be the nominee. As a result, I decided to learn more about this Senator and Vietnam vet.

I was already familiar with Kerry's voting record and his campaign agenda. I agreed with most of his votes on the major issues, such as his votes supporting Clinton's budgets and opposing Bush's huge tax increases on children. But I did not agree with his votes for the Patriot Act and the Iraqi War resolution. To learn more about him personally I started by reading Douglas Brinkley's book, Tour of Duty. I also did some research of my own on Kerry. In an issue of Newsweek..February 14, 2000 I read that when Bush attacked McCain's war record in the primaries, three Democrats and four Republicans blasted Bush and Carl Rove on the Senate floor for attacking John McCain's service to his country. The four Republicans were Fred Thompson, John Kyl, Mike DeWine, and Chuck Hagel..the three Democrats included Max Cleland, Bob Kerrey, and John Kerry.

My opinion of John Kerry is far more favorable now than it was three months ago, and I think John Edwards is best man to join Kerry on the ticket. Picking his strongest rival is the best way for Kerry to unite the party before the convention, and to insure that Edwards continues to be an important voice in the future. My only disagreements with Kerry are on matters related to campaign strategy and how our party can be most effective in winning votes. But this is because I'm 100% behind a Kerry-Edwards victory.

[cyclezealot]

57. I advocate kinder gentler protests against Kerry

No, we need not be in Kerry's face the way we are Bush's...Kerry is only partially to blame for getting us into the Iraq mess...
But, I don't think we need Kerry think he can take the anti war vote for granted..There need be kinder, gentler demonstrations to show Kerry, when he comes to our town; anti-war forces have some backbone and we stick by our principals and facts.We expect recognition over our views, before we surrender our votes. To assist Kerry in getting some backbone and expose Bush's lies helps the general campaign..
I expect him to be either in denial or else in indignation over being lied to by Bush.
the pending Kerry / Bush debates..The excesses of the Patriot act need be discussed. Democrats are either civil libertarians or they aren't .

[IndianaGreen]

58. The proposed Democratic platform for 2004 supports PATRIOT Act

there is nothing civil libertarian about that political stand.

[cyclezealot]

61. Do you think this reflects rank and file Democrats.

I don't...I have only read reviews of the platform..Is it posted yet.?
Maybe I do not want to know.!

[IndianaGreen]

63. Here is the link...

http://www.democrats.org/platform/

[LWolf]

59. I've backed up a little.

In the beginning, Kerry was in the middle of the big pack for me. I didn't dislike him, I just liked others better.

I was disappointed in several things:

*over a year ago, I wrote the Kerry campaign asking for specifics on a couple of issues of import to me. I got an automatic response telling me that they'd get back to me. They never did. So I wrote again. Same response/non-response. I got the distinct feeling that Kerry wasn't listening.

*IWR/Patriot Act

*more hawkish that I'm comfortable with.

I still don't dislike him. I respect his long-term record of service. And I'm voting for him. I can't say I'm excited about a Kerry administration. I hope that will change once he takes office; I hope I'll see some major changes in the areas that affect me most. And if I do, I'll send him my personal thanks. Meanwhile, I'm ok with his nomination. Not excited, not devastated...I'm ok.

I am very excited about kicking *'s ass.

[Nashyra]

60. Very Strong

Got over the General not being picked for VP and put my working clothes back on! Setting up, working at and having 2 Kerry Parties at my house this week alone. Go Douglas County Nevada for Kerry.

[cyclezealot]

62. I am not 'comfortable ' with him.

I expect to be betrayed on many issues, and disagree with him on far too many..But , expect to vote for him anyway..
If we do not want to be betrayed to great excesses , I think it appropriate, we display our displeasure with him in private; so as to lessen his inclination to screw the American worker.

[genius]

64. Angry about the platform. I'll be after his resignation if he goes Repub

after the election.

[ThirdWheelLegend]

65. Kerry is better than Bush..

I am planning on voting Kerry.

But I am going to have to go into that booth and vote FOR the continuation of an illegal war. I am going to have to vote FOR the Patriot Act. I am going to have to vote FOR the WTO.

Sure I will be voting against Bush. But what will I be voting FOR?

Maybe I am just to progressive and need to learn to accept my new corporate masters :)!

TWL