JK in L.A. and a Trivia Contest on the Dem Daily

[kerrygoddess]

I'll have a post up later on JK in L.A. today and pics. In the meantime I have 2 signed copies of Paul Reickhoff's book Chasing Ghosts, to give away and Donnie started a trivia contest - check it out here: http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=4591

[TayTay]

1. I saw from a post at the Kerry blog that this event was packed

and there was an overflow crowd. Wow! That's great news.

Did you have fun?

[kerrygoddess]

2. It was packed!

He was running late and couldn't get into the overflow. I've got so many pic to edit and still working on my post. It was great to see JK and marvelous Marvin, and Ted who I met when we went to DC in Aug for my daughter's educational trip.

Great day. Saw YvonneCa too!

[JI7]

4. i was going to pm you about this event but didn't plan on attending

until much later.

can't wait to see the pics. i loved the clothes JK was wearing. more laid back type suit than business.i notice he does that a lot when he comes to places like California or Florida.

[zann725]

7. I would've loved to be there. Got the invite, but no longer live in L.A...(sigh).

Just my luck!

Bet it was fun. I thought about it today, and wished I was there. I look forward to the pics.

[JI7]

3. i was unable to see him because of this

and i got there wayyy early also. part of the reason may have been because a lot of the students at the college decided to get in line for the event when they heard JK would be there. i heard some refer to it as a JK thing. but it was pretty much selling out even before today because his website said the event had changed into a rally format rather than the planned town hall because of so many responses.

the security people were complaining about also. hahha.

i did get to see the event in the overflow room where they put up a screen to let us view the event live. one of his best jokes was to dress up as a special prosecutor on Halloween and scare the Republicans.

everyone else was great. i did get to see Barbara Boxer in person though not meet her which was nice. she praised the campaign JK ran and said he is one o fthe leading voices on what is going on in Iraq. Antonio Villaraigosa said working in JKs presidential campaign was one of his proudest things.

our shitty media woudln't report any of this so it was nice to see this.

[kerrygoddess]

5. I wish I had known you were there!

I'm still confused about what happened with the overflow - I was in the press area mostly so I only heard that there was an overflow room. I met Barbara Boxer before the event - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=4596.

Next time email me and let me know - even if it's last minute, so we can meet.

[kerrygoddess]

6. All Star Rally Gives Phil Angelides A Boost

http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=4598

I'm working on another post for tomorrow - this includes some quips from local news that really was great about JK.

[Mass]

8. Drudge (and a DUer at least) are on the attack on the sentence

concerning Iraq. Says it belittles the military.

[beachmom]

9. Drudge links aren't working -- supposedly he has a video

but when I click it, nothing happens. That remark was really a throwback to Vietnam. It kinda doesn't work because we have an all volunteer army. I suppose it implies that there will be a draft. It wasn't offensive though.

[Mass]

10. The video is just a clip showing him saying this sentence.

The clip starts and ends exactly on this sentence, so I imagine there were more before and after.

Anyway, what he meant seemed clear to me. Some people who cannot go to higher education or find a job sometimes do not have another option than the military. These people do not stay by choice, they stay because they do not have any other opportunity.

Of course, it will be distorted as much as they can, but what gets to me is when so-called liberals follow Drudge there.

[beachmom]

13. Well, since I'm in a military town, I'll say this:

Everyone I know in the military are there by choice. I know somebody who has put their 20 years in and can retire, and start a new career, but he re-enlisted, knowing full well he'll be sent to dangerous places, because this is what he wants to do. So this is where the offense is. I think it's a delicate balance, because what you're saying is true, too -- that some people join the military so that they can go to college or if there are no good jobs in their area. However, for others they would not want to be anywhere else. They will view that remark as a put down.

[wisteria]

15. Well then they should understand that Kerry doesn't want these fine men

and women to risk their lives for a mistake and a mismanaged war. Don't our soldiers deserve better?
I am not a military person, but I just don't "get" the news in this.
I did however, pick up on the same idea you did- a draft. There have been new calls for many more additional troops in Iraq.

[Mass]

16. The pb is that the rw has distorted what this statement means from

"study hard and you will have a choice of what you will do" to "only uneducated people choose the military".

Obviously, the second one is clearly offensive, but this is not what Kerry has said, and the "stuck in Iraq" makes it clear that he is not talking about people who are there because they want to be there, but of these kids that are enlisted because they do not have other options.

This said, I am the mother of 2 teenagers and I certainly tell them things like what Kerry said to these kids. Study and you will have choices.

[wisteria]

18. Exactly.

Also,the Republicans are the ones who dishonor our troops by placing them in harms way without the proper protection and allowing them to continue to risk their lives for a war in which there is no clear plan for success.

[karynnj]

11. Many people have enlisted

in the voluteer army either to get educational benefits or because they can't get jobs. The economic disparity may be every bit as great now as in Vietnam or possibly greater. Middle class kids DID go to Vietnam. You needed to be upper class (or at least upper middle class) to avoid it.

It would probably have been better not to say it - but it is true. Congressman Rangel and others have made the point that the fact that most people do not have family members or people they know involved. The burden of this war has very unfairly fallen primarily on the lower class. (There are exceptions - like Tillman or the Brown alumni whose funeral Kerry went to; there were exceptions to the rich not going - we know some names: Kerry, both Thorne brothers etc - but we also know a huge list of privildged people who avoided it.)

[Mass]

12. It did not sound like a joke on the video. He seemed very serious.

Of course, we will need the complete context to be sure, and they cropped the clip so that we do not have it.

[karynnj]

14. That makes more sense and sounds much more like the Senator

I'll edit my comment her and in DU

[karynnj]

17. Looking now - this is a change for DU

NO one - other than the OP - is biting on this at all. There are NO votes for great page and few negative Kerry comments. The problem is that the DUers want edgy comments - but that will lead to some comments that will go over the edge.

[beachmom]

19. Someone on Kerry blog is attacking Kerry on that remark

http://blog.johnkerry.com/2006/10/all_out_down_the_final_stretch.html#more

I think what we need is context to hit back. If anyone has that, please respond.