Kerry phone interview

[whometense]

http://www.thetranscript.com/Stories/0,1413,103~9049~2900467,00.html

In a telephone interview Wednesday, prior to a visit today to the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Kerry spoke with the Transcript about concerns of the commonwealth's citizens.

"I want to listen to people," Kerry said. "It's an opportunity to touch base."

The Democratic senator last was in North Adams the fall before his failed run in November for the presidency. Then, he met with Mayor John Barrett III, visited the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art and attended a fund-raising event put on by local entrepreneur William "Bo" Peabody.

"Health care, obviously, is critical, and the economy, which we could do a lot better on," said Kerry. "This is an irresponsible administration that is mortgaging the future generation, and we've got to get people to wake up to see what's happening."

He said he spoke with a group of senior citizens in New Bedford about the state of Social Security and the federal prescription drug plan.

" really an effort just to get around the state to people to answer questions and to talk about things that are happening," he said.

The predominate concern among Massachusetts' citizens appears to be health care, he said, adding that "It's enormously anxiety-creating with the bills, and you get a lot of bankruptcies."

People also are concerned about jobs going overseas and the lack of employment opportunities for "high value" jobs "that let you get ahead in life," said Kerry.

The war in Iraq also worries many throughout the state, he said. However, the war very much is in President Bush's hands, he said, adding that Bush is "not doing half of the things necessary" to help bring the troops home soon.

"And people are very concerned about the environment and the march backwards that the Bush administration is on," Kerry said. " going backwards on secondary and college education. The Pell grants have been cut somewhat -- well below where we need to be."

Other cuts in grant funding include those of the National Science Foundation and the Advanced Technology Program, he said. "They're really just inexplicable cuts that are going to have a profound effect on the future."

As for his political future, while there appears to be "a lot of warmth out there," Kerry said it was too soon for him to start making any definite plans. For now, he said he will work hard at being the best senator he can be...

[TayTay]

1. Off topic, but delicious

Howie Carr (disgusto extroardinaire) is pissed off again in the Herald. He is upset at seeing all these Kerry/Edwards stickers still on cars in the Bay State. Too friggin bad for him. (I hate Howie Carre. This bag-of-shit bastard blowhard who pretends that he is a 'man of the people' who spends most of his time trying to figure out how to ream his readers where it hurts can bite me.)

I think I will have to find some bumper stickers and re-apply them to my car. For Howie. (Who is a big time poser. What a fake.)

[vinessa4freedom]

4. but TayTay...

how do you really feel? I'm sorry, I had to say it. I love when you rant. Get a campaign going to e-mail him and mail him Kerry/Edwards stickers, photos buttons, everything. So many that he sees them in his sleep. Alot of work and energy, but I'm feeling a bit spiteful today. And besides, seeing those Kerry/Edwards bumpers on the road sometimes pulls me through the worst of days. The bastard deserves to get buried by them. Need help mailing? Call me.

[TayTay]

6. Better than that

This poser bastard makes his living showing that he is in solidarity with the 'working people' of Massachusetts. He loves to belittle the state's Democrats as out-of-touch elites who have no idea of what it's like to raise a family and try to keep their heads above financial waters.

I think we should put up pictures of what Howie drives vs. what his average listeners drive. I would love to find a picture of Howie Carr's huge, expensive house and put it up next to my average (needs repair) house. And most of all, I want to slap him for supporting bastards instead of the noble efforts of the Bay State Senators who got an amendment to the Supplemental Iraq Spending bill passed to fund veterans benefits and paid for it by closing the corporate tax loophole that allows comapnies to get breaks for outsourcing American jobs. Then Howie's buddies, his whorish corporate pals got the amendment pulled in conference committee. Howie the Whore should hang his head in shame. (If I was him, I would only go out of the house with a bag on my head, out of shame.)

I hate hypocrites and this lying, two-faced piece of fakery is one of the worst. (And he hates Kerry. Always has. He isn't fit to walk in broken glass in Kerry's shadow, he's a no-account jerk. Screw him and the horse he rode in on. I hope he friggin chokes on his own bile someday, twould be a fitting end for a vile lying hyprocrite pig.)

[vinessa4freedom]

7. I feel a great op ed in there...

Problem is, in order to feel shame you have to have a conscience. Doesn't seem to me that this guy is capable of shame.

[whometense]

5. I saw he'd written a screed on the

bumperstickers, but they charge for editorial content so I couldn't read it. Imagine paying money to read Howie Carr?? Not in this lifetime.

For myself, I can only say how pleased I am to be pissing him off.

See Jacoby's column today? So, Kerry's paranoid, huh? Yeah. If so, he's in excellent company.

[vinessa4freedom]

2. I'm glad he's still addressing environmental issues...

There is so much on his plate right now, and so many pressing immediate concerns besides environmental issues. I love that he's still working there too, and acknowledging concerns about it. One question--does he sleep? You lucky Massholes!

[paulk]

3. glad to see that Kerry agrees with me

;-)

"the war very much is in President Bush's hands"


I opined the other day in GD/P that it was Bush's job to figure out how to get us out of Iraq, not the Democrats.

Of course I was roundly abused for that remark by a certain poster (whose avatar is a welsh terrier), who found my remarks "sad" and my demeanor that of a "little boy". :mad:


It does seem that this has become Kerry (and most of the Democratic Senator's) position on Iraq - It's your war George, you wanted it, you got it, you deal with it.

Bush can still be attacked on the fake reasons and "fixing of intel" without endangering "support" for the war, and it looks like Kerry is ready to fire the first salvo...

[vinessa4freedom]

8. what's really sad

is the lives of well over 100,000 Iraqi civilians lost because of the occupation. We have a tyrant that lied to congress and the American people to occupy a country for the economic welfare of corporate America. Congress believed it had a vested interest in protecting us (WMD's) and we were in general fear of attack because of the administration's lowly and effective capitalization of 9/11. And the democrats are supposed to figure out how to salvage the situation? I'll admit that * won't find a way out, because he doesn't want out, but I'm tired of them making the mistakes, and us only being credible if we can clean them up.

By the way, I've read many of your posts (not in GD because I have extremely limited DU time and I usually restrict it to quality time with Kerrycrats), but I never thought your demeanor was that of a little boy. Your remarks aren't sad, they're dead on. Not that you needed me to tell you that, but sometimes I wonder what people are drinking for breakfast.

[paulk]

9. thanks for the compliment

:+


I think a lot of us have a real feeling of helplessness when it comes to the situation in Iraq. What I don't understand is how that gets transmuted into blame for the Democrats by so many members of this board.

The whole "He voted for the IWR", he's equally culpable" argument just sets my hair on fire. I was pretty unhappy with Kerry's vote but, you know, you got to trust somebody sometime - and I know I'm not up to filling his shoes...

[whometense]

10. I love your comment.

I wrote to Kerry before the IWR vote and asked him to vote against. I was unhappy with his vote.

On the other hand, I'm aware that he's a senator and I'm not. I'd trust him with my childrens' lives, so it's pretty stuppid to sit around second-guessing every move he makes.

If you believe in your reps' integrity I think you need to kick back and give them room to operate. They are the experts on how things work in DC. I know Kerry's priorities, and they are the same as mine.

[Dr Ron]

11. I disagree on the vote, but so what

I disagreed with the yes vote. But I also agreed with Kerry's floor statement and virtually everything else he said leading up to the war, including his call for regime change in Washington at the start of the war.

Disagreeing with a vote does not mean justification for mischaracterizing Kerry's position or regular Kerry bashing as we see so often. It is possible to disagree with a vote while still understanding what he did--especially in a case such as this where the vote was really a Rove trap, not a true vote of support for the war.

[whometense]

12. Absolutely.

But a lot of what people do here - as well as a massive amount of mischaracterization - is micromanage.

It's interesting to me how paying close attention can result in someone being as blind to reality as not paying attention at all. The lefty freepers have a problem with trust. I have one too, but once I trust someone I don't question everything they do.

There aren't, granted, a huge number of pols I do trust, but they are out there. And trust should not be confused with agreement, either. Voinovich, for example, seems to be a man of principle. Even if I don't agree with his positions I can still trust that he will stay true to them.

So, who do you trust? Kerry, Kennedy, Feingold are on my list. I also trust Boxer. Don't trust either of the Clintons, though.

[vinessa4freedom]

13. I don't like the way he voted

but I think he truly believed he was acting in the best interest of his constituents. He was anguished over it and made it clear that war was a last resort. The part I hate most about it is how badly it has bit him (and his supporters) right in the ass. If I hear the words f**p F**p again I swear I'll burst.