Say something nice.

[whometense]

As I go around the blogs, etc., sometimes I come across the loveliest comments about JK that don't appear to have come from any of us. I just found a beautiful one on the NY Times website here: http://empirezone.blogs.nytimes.com/2006/12/12/can-john-kerry-rebound/

#4.
December 13th,
2006
4:15 pm

I’m one of the few Liberals I know who thought Kerry would have made a great president back in 2004. I think the confusion comes in when people do not differentiate candidacy with leadership. The two are not synonymous. The fact that there are better politicians than him (including Bush), does not mean he is a less qualified leader. Because he is not the best at making himself look like the “every man” who you can meet at a barbeque, share a beer with and become the best of friends, does not make him the worse choice.

To those who say Kerry is an elisitst, all I can respond with is, yes, you are right. Kerry is smarter than most people. He is smarter than you and he is smarter than me. And I am telling you right now, we do not need a friend, we need a president. We need a leader who thinks, acts and behaves on his own accords. We need somebody who has the experience in superb leadership roles, somebody who gone against the grain, spoke truth to power, and somebody who is not afraid to do it all over again. Sometimes looking back on missed opportu(n)ities, can help us recapture them in the future.

— Posted by Brendan

I thought maybe we could keep this kicked by adding things we find here and about. Please feel free to add anything you like - only rule is, it has to be positive. It could make a nice gift for the Senator at some point, but it will also help keep our spirits up.

What do you say?

[mloutre]

1. well, maybe it's preaching to the choir here, but...

...it's never too late to learn from our mistakes. The only real error is in *not* learning from them. And I'm with the blogger you quote 100% on this one.

If I want a friend, I'll get a dog.If I want to hang out with somebody I can drink a beer with, I'll go bowling. But if I want a President I can actually respect and admire, I'll vote for John Kerry. Again.

[_dynamicdems]

2. Just added my two cents.

It was lengthy so they will probably edit it.

It really bugs me that they describe the "botched joke" as a huge error on Senator Kerry's part. I had to mention that Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton got free passes on their foot-in-the-mouth moments. Kerry left out one pronoun, but even without the pronoun the context within the speech was clearly that the joke was a barb intended at Bush and company, not an insult to our troops.

I also had to remind the writer that Kerry was able to generate more grassroots money than anyone for 2006 candidates and that most people have a positive opinion of the Senator that you do not hear about in the media. IMO, if a couple of money people do back off for stated reasons or for other reasons they probably do not want known, there will certainly be others to take their place, especially when they realize that there is still a huge amount of support for the senator.

Most of the people I know have a negative opinion of Hillary Clinton, like Obama but think he's too green to be President of the United States and feel Edwards is a lightweight who brought little to the 2004 campaign. They respect Kerry and think he'd make a good President with a good chance of winning if he could win the nomination. None of them have ever been polled.

[beachmom]

3. Just found a WONDERFUL comment on an old dKos diary

You guys will love this:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/12/20/125158/50

For president, we desperately need. . . (0 / 0)

A commander-in-chief
Experienced in combat, and war and peace
A world statesman
Wisdom, honesty, intelligence
Champion of the core values of the Democratic Party
A straight-talker who knows how to listen
Long experience and political savvy in working through
Congress
As close to the quality of the Founding Fathers and
the Constitution as we can get

Do you see anyone on the national scene who fits those criteria better than John Kerry?

by Tela Zasloff on Thu Dec 21, 2006 at 09:29:25 AM PST

[sandnsea]

4. Yeah, Tela

HUGE Kerry supporter, very involved in the Berkshire Dems. She's just a wonderful human being, always has something kind to say. She did a lot of letter writing, had lots of LTTE's published. Glad to see she's still on board.

http://www.berkshirebrigades.org/Whoweare.htm

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=tela+berkshire&btnG=Google+Search

[beachmom]

5. Wow, that's good to know. I have to say, I liked the part where

she compares JK to the founding fathers. I kind of felt the same way, but didn't know anyone else did.

[wisteria]

6. I too, caompare him to the founding fathers. That is what,IMO makes

him different and special.

[MBS]

7. I second beachmom and sandnsea! n/t

[karynnj]

8. Same here - which is why it'sbrilliant that he used Faneuil Hall

as the place to make those signature speeches.

[Tela Zasloff]

9. Thank you, from Tela

Thanks, all of you above, for reinforcing the arguments for Why Kerry. There's so much volatility out there now, on who would be our best president in '08, mostly because most Dems are thinking "Who would be our best CANDIDATE?". I'm hoping there are enough reasonable, sensible people, like us, who watch, wait, think, keep talking--and, most importantly, keep watching Kerry himself for cues on what's in his own mind.

[beachmom]

10. Hi Tela -- is a welcome to DU in order?

Please feel free to join in on all of the discussions here. Your comment on dKos was truly inspiring.

[JanusAscending]

11. Hey Tela !!

Reading your web page was like a trip down memory lane!! I lived in the Berkshires for 20 years, and know a few of those named in your list! Paul Desrosiers for one. Good to know we a "force" for Kerry up there too!! I go back and visit often! Do you remember the time that Teddy Kennedy marched in the Berkshire Foliage Festival Parade in North Adams? I was there!! That's going back a lot of years. It was a few years after we moved there from Ct. Back in Ct. now, but maybe I'll be back someday soon. I still have very close friends there. Go Kerry '08!!!! DC:hi: and welcome here to DU KF

[Tela Zasloff]

14. On Berkshire Brigades and misc. information

Berkshire Brigades is our county-wide Democratic Party organization, formed for the purpose of building the Party. We're superactive and superorganized, thanks to our chair, Sherwood Guernsey. Kerry came to our fundraiser in Sept., raised lots of money for our candidates in western MA, and wowed the audience.
Paul Desrosiers, like me and about 20 others, is on our BB Steering Committee and I like him a lot. I'll tell him (next week at a meeting)that I've heard from you--guess you'll have to give me your name, if you don't mind, unless he'd recognize KF immediately.

My whole family has been coming to Williamstown since 1971, every summer, but we are native Pennsylvanians. About 8 years ago we retired to Williamstown, and became MA voters.

sandnsea, it sounds as if I know you. Have we met?

[TayTay]

12. Welcome Tela!

It was a pleasure to see you in Boston recently. Please, please, please come in often to this group.

It is a little quiet in here now, but that's because of the lull before the new Congress takes power and because of the Holidays. I have a feeling things will start to pick up real soon.

Welcome :patriot:

[ProSense]

16. Thanks for that!

It's perfect, short and sweet.

Welcome Tela.

[JI7]

13. i have been thinking this is what we need to go with

if people think Kerry would make a great President they would vote for him. we don't need to get stuck on all these arguments about whether people like him or who is popular.

in the end we have something better on our side which is his record as a leader.

and of course we know he IS likable to many who see him. there is no way he would have won in Iowa where people got to see him and all the other candidates directly and personally for themselves and more went to him than others.

and of course it was the debates where people got to see Kerry themselves which resulted in poll numbers for him rising.

[whometense]

15. This comment from The Fix

is wonderful:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2007/01/kerry_gets_ready.html

I hope he does run. He will have my vote. His entry will take the race to a new level of leadership and ability. We now have a choice based on proven leadership and experience.He has integrity and is an honest politician. I don't care if he has run before and not won. He came close and since that time has more than proven he was the better candidate back in 2004. He has been correct on so much that was of concern in 2004 and he still is.
I believe he wants to become President for all the right reasons, and it is about time our country had a leader who is more interested in doing the right things rather than watching polls or playing politics as usual. The people of this country might just be more than ready for a real honest, 24/7 President.

Posted by: Mark Check | January 9, 2007 12:14 PM