Diary of a JK Fan voting in the Virginia Primary

[beachmom]

Yesterday I went to the polls with my two small children to vote in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor. However, I live in an extremely red precinct, and the Republican primary was on the same day, so the Republicans were out in force, and there was only one Democrat there. Funny thing is that when you have kids with you, everything is lighter and not so dramatic. Plus I needed to keep my kids busy while I voted! So I enthusiastically accepted "stickers" for all the Republican candidates AND they gave me candy, pamphlets, and a magnet. I was also greeted by the Republican candidate for Delegate of my District (he is on the ballot in Nov.), who was very good looking and nice, of course. So I go in and vote, showing my 4 year old how it works -- it's a punch card system (groan, groan as you have no clue if you voted the right way once you pull it out -- you should have seen how many times I stabbed that hole for JK last November!). The poll workers gave us three "I Voted" stickers, making me think that this was an above average outing for the kids who have really cleaned up in the sticker department! Then as I am leaving the Republican Delegate candidate sees us walking away and gives a nice wave goodbye. I'm thinking -- gosh, I love this political culture where people are forced into being really nice to you so you'll vote for him. Of course, I didn't have the heart to tell him that I'm not only a Dem, but a liberal one!

The politics: I voted in this minor primary because a) I've become more interested in politics and had never voted in a primary before, and vowed I would from now on and b) Kerry got his start as Lieutenant Governor, showing how important it is to vote even for lesser state offices. I ended up voting for a more conservative Democrat, Chap Petersen, because overall, I thought he was the best candidate, and had some interesting ideas. He had some kooky abortion votes, but this state is a bit kookier on social issues, so it is rather smart to just take the social issues off the table, and deal with more important issues like education, the budget, transportation, etc (for you Mass. folks, this is like Bill Weld, who was pro-choice so he could have a chance in your state). However, he lost to the most liberal candidate in the pack, Leslie Byrne, whom I will have no problem voting for in the fall, but was the chairman for Howard Dean's presidential campaign, a real liability in this state. With such a low turnout, the more extreme candidates won on both sides of the aisle which is a shame. I want to win in Virginia, even if it means some compromises on social issues for which we will lose anyway. As Rumsfeld would say, "You run in the state you have, not in a state you wish you had"!

One last tidbit: when I got home I read over the pamphlet about the cute Repub Delegate candidate to discover that he is a Regent Law graduate -- yup that's Pat Robertson's univ. here -- so the guy is, of course, so sadly, a wingnut. Guess that goes to show the dichotomy of politics -- that these politicians have a friendly face, but you need to read the small print to know what you're getting yourself into when you vote for them. The Dem Delegate candidate will get my vote in November -- sorry cutie pie.

[TayTay]

1. Thank you for posting this!

I love to see posts from people in other parts of the country. It keeps us talking to each other and keeps us aware of the differences and similarities that we have. (And we do. MA has it's share of very conservative voters. That's why we have had Repub Govs since 1990.)

Have you heard or felt any difference in attitude since Nov? Sometimes the liberal blogs are echo chambers and we all hear what we want to hear. Have you felt and change in attitude toward * or the Iraq War?

[Island Blue]

2. Pat Robertson has always scared me.

His "Law School" is churning out right-wing lawyers in hopes of packing the courts with right-wingnuts as well as producing right-wing candidates with some semblance of credibility because of their law degrees.

Tay Tay's question about have attitudes changed in the Va. Beach / Norfolk area is a good one since there are so many military bases in the area. Have you noticed a difference in attitudes? I don't watch the Norfolk news often enough to pick up on these things. I would imagine that outwardly any way, there is still a lot of support for Shrub's War.

[LittleClarkie]

12. I grew up watching that demented leprechan in Virginia

Hee Haw, the 700 Club and the Jim and Tammy Faye Baker kids show.

It's a wonder I'm normal (twitch).

[JohnKleeb]

13. Hey leprechans are cool and irish, take that back

[LittleClarkie]

15. I meant no disrespect to the wee folk

Pat Robertson is a very strange man.

[JohnKleeb]

16. Yes he is

[JohnKleeb]

3. If I was a month or so older, I would been voting too

I was really confllicted on who I wanted to be the Lt Governor candidate honestly, I probably agree with Leslie Byrne on most issues but I really liked Petersen's plan for the rails, and was hoping it would include the southwest part of the state since I will have many friends going to college there next fall. Anyhow, I think its gonna lean towards Bolling's favor in the race for Lt Governor but the republicans made a mistake in my opinion by not having Sean Counnington as their nominee, Counnington is from Prince William County, hes social conservative like most Virginia Republicans but he's not like his opponent Bill Bolling in that he will refuse all tax increases. I think the race between Byrne and Bolling will be a toss up, because Leslie will do good here in the election but if she will do good in the more western and more southern part of the state, thats up for question IMO. I didnt know she did work on the Dean campaign, apparently Don Beyer our candidate for Governor before Warner did too.

[beachmom]

4. Some answers

Yeah, Tay Tay, I know about the conservatives in Massachusetts because one of my family's good friends is a total Republican and actively works for the party, and she lives in western Mass.. Funny thing is, was that when her family was having some problems and needed help from the government, it was good old Ted Kennedy who came through for them.

The mood here. Well, I have talked to two * voters who both basically oppose the Iraq War (one was a military pilot and opposed the war from the beginning and the other was for the war, but wants the troops home NOW). However, they HATED Kerry (why, I haven't a clue -- all they do is name calling when talking about him), and I guess they liked others aspects of *. Oh yeah, and one of these * voters is a Boston transplant, and almost his whole family back in Boston hates Kerry. I just don't get why there is so much animosity against Kerry. His actions haven't led to the death of thousands like *'s. My other Republican friend's husband spent some time in Iraq which was quite nerve wracking on the family. He said it was the worst insurgency he's ever seen (he's seen action all over the world), but insists that most of them are foreigners (I think he's got this wrong). Some funny stories about how her care packages she sent to her husband were shared with the Iraqis they were training. Then the Iraqis would bring food from their families and share with the Americans. I assume she still loves *, and she listens to all the right wing talk radio she has time for (which is odd, since she is one of the nicest people I know). She's from New England, too.

This area is just extremely Republican so the debate is always over WHICH Republican, and Democrats barely exist (although the mayor of Virginia Beach and the governor of the state are Democrats). But to be honest, most people don't really talk about it much one way or the other. So the only people here I talk politics with are Republicans, so I totally moderate my tone and language. I save words like wingnuts and religious wackos for this forum, since almost everyone I know goes to church and/or is very conservative. Sometimes, it gets exhausting editing yourself all the time, but it's better than starting a fight.

[TayTay]

5. I am so glad you posted this

Massachusetts has a great diversity of opinion. It's not a monolithic state with a monolithic voting block. Whatever Kennedy & Kerry get, they earned it.

There are lots of reasons why any pol is both pupular and unpopular. It's a long and complicated story on Kerry (though, since he is in his 4th term, more popular than not.) Let me ruminate and see if can be told (beyond, we just hates him, precious, cuz he wants the ruling ring. MA Rethugs are Gollum-wannabees.)

[beachmom]

6. Pie Eater Defeated

One last anecdote. A month ago I talked about attending a strawberry festival, and one of the Republican candidates for lt. gov., Sean Cannaughton, participated in a pie eating contest. At the time, I was thinking -- gosh, look at all the stupid things politicians must do just to get elected! But I gave him points for being a good sport. Well, it ends up he was a bit more moderate on taxes in Virginia, and believes in funding education, roads, etc. He was actually a more reasonable Republican. So, of course, he was defeated by the nutball Bolling. Sigh. All that pie he had to eat. And for nothing! My first primary and I'm already becoming disillusioned -- maybe the smoke filled backrooms weren't such a bad idea after all!

(At the time I was wondering what JK had to do running for Lt. Gov. There were some funny moments in that Political Tourist movie by Pelosi's daughter. Like when that women was singing really badly, and Kerry was sitting there with his game face on, and he looked so cute and dorky at the same time. And the other part when he was trying to serve people chili in vain. But I digress)

[TayTay]

7. Let me see what I have

1981, Boston Globe Pre-race hype:

But most candidates simply came to see and be seen - even the reluctant candidates. John F. Kerry, the former Middlesex County assistant district attorney, would like to run for attorney general, but will not run against Bellotti. So he is running for lieutenant governor. "What can I do?" he shrugged.

As he said that, a woman from the North Shore rushed to greet him and promised to help him regardless of the office he sought. Kerry reached for a paper and pencil. "I never let a name go by," he explained with a smile.

And this early, early, early story, pre-race 9/20/81

CAMPAIGN '82 KERRY'LL CALL IN THE IOUS
BOSTON GLOBE, FIRST, Sec. FOCUS 09-20-1981
By David Farrell

John Forbes Kerry, the much decorated Vietnam War veteran who became one of the outspoken foes of the Southeast Asian conflict has decided to run for lieutenant governor next year.

The recent decision of Middlesex County Dist. Atty. John J. Droney to retire after more than two decades of distinguished service as county prosecutor, had prompted some of Kerry's supporters to urge him to enter that race in 1982. But Kerry, who served as first assistant district attorney of Middlesex under Droney, will enter the growing field of Democrats seeking the party's lieutenant governor nomination. Those hoping to succeed Lt. Gov. Thomas P. O'Neill 3d include Evelyn Murphy, former secretary of environmental affairs; former state rep Lois Pines of Newton; and William Geary, former top aide to ex-Gov. Michael S. Dukakis. Several other politicians, including Rep. Louis Nickinello of Natick and Chelsea Mayor Joel Pressman, are considering entering the contest.

Although he has already received commitments from many leading Democrats across the state, Kerry's candidacy is not without problems. Ever since he ran and lost a close contest for Congress in 1972, the Yale graduate often has been unfairly viewed as a perennial candidate for office.

For a few days in 1980, he considered running for former Rep. Robert Drinan's seat in Congress, but he stepped aside to support Drinan's successor, Barney Frank. The latter is expected to reciprocate in the upcoming lieutenant governor battle.Stepped aside for Droney in '78

In 1978, Kerry, though he would have liked to have run himself, stood by his boss Droney in that tough Middlesex DA fight against Scott Harshbarger. During his stewardship as Droney's top assistant, Kerry created a white-collar crime unit to combat political corruption and a priority prosecution unit for quick action against violent crimes. He personally supervised the grand jury investigation of the Somerville pinball machine case which resulted in the conviction and incarceration of organized crime figure Howie Winter.

Kerry's rape counseling division and several other programs he launched to combat and deal with child abuse have served as prototypes for similar bureaus in other counties.

But his heroics as a young naval officer during the Vietnam War earned him the national respect still accorded him. The same moral and physical courage which won him the Silver Star, Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts during action in the Mekong Delta, also influenced him to go before Congress in 1971 and lead the mounting charge against our continued involvement in the war.

Kerry's Silver Star citation, from the President via former Chief of Naval Operations Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr., tells it all:

"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepedity in action while serving as an officer in charge of U.S.N. Patrol Craft Fast 94," the citation reads, "while transiting the Bay Hap River along the Dong Cung River on Feb. 28, 1969, P.C. Fast 23, 43 and 94 came under heavy enemy small arms fire from the river banks. Lt. Kerry directed his units to turn to the beach and charge the Viet Cong positions . . . later upstream, Kerry's craft received a B-40 rocket close aboard. Once again Kerry ordered his units to charge the enemy positions . . . then he beached in the center of the enemy positions. Lt. Kerry led an assault party and conducted a sweep of the area. After the enemy was completely routed, Kerry's units again came under a hail of fire, this time from the opposite bank. Lt. Kerry suppressed the enemy fire. Later, after disembarking personnel while exiting the Bay Hap River, P.C. Fast again came under fire and Lt. Kerry maneuvered his craft through several strafing runs which completely silenced the enemy . . . Kerry's devotion to duty, courage under fire, outstanding leadership and exemplary professionalism directly contributed to the success of this operation and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the US Naval Service."Won gains for Vietnam veterans

Kerry was awarded the Bronze Star for "his great personal courage under fire" rescuing a comrade while he himself was wounded and under fire from the Viet Cong on March 13, 1969.

After he was discharged from the Navy, his antiwar crusade, combined with his efforts on behalf of Vietnam veterans, helped produce many of the major gains won by the veterans of the unpopular conflict. These include the extension of the GI Bill, the recognition of the post-Vietnam syndrome as a VA-treatable disorder, and the outreach and psychological rehabilitation programs which became crusades of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War.

His work for the Democratic Party over the years has earned him the right to call in his many political IOUs for his lieutenant governor campaign. His party endeavors include extensive campaigning in several congressional and two national presidential campaigns.

Kerry feels that his background as a prosecutor and his experience in national and state affairs during the past decade make him the best qualified candidate now seeking the lieutenant governorship. He concedes that the position of lieutenant governor does not have a great deal of the muscle so necssary for keeping Massachusetts economically competitive with other high technology and industrial states.

But there are some tools in the office which, he says, can be utilized to those ends. He also feels that the commonwealth is not doing enough to deal with the sharp increase in crime reported here and around the nation and says he will have some specific proposals to deal with that problem when he formally announces his candidacy.

As an undergraduate at Yale in the mid-'60s, Kerry was president of the Yale Political Union and treasurer of the Young Democrats. He won prizes for oratory and debating as well as several varsity letters. He delivered his class commencement address at graduation in 1966. He then entered the Navy and served as an officer on a guided missle frigate in the Gulf of Tonkin prior to his assignment to a command post over patrol boats in the Mekong Delta.

He thinks his greatest achievement as first assistant district attorney of Middlesex was reducing the backlog of pending cases from 12,000 in 1977 to 228 by the summer of 1979. In a 12-month period, he also secured more than $4 million in federal grants for the DA's office, more than any other prosecutorial office ever received in such a short span.

[whometense]

8. hmmmmmm......

Ever since he ran and lost a close contest for Congress in 1972, the Yale graduate often has been unfairly viewed as a perennial candidate for office.

I'd like to see this quote tattooed on the Globe's collective forehead. Duh.

[rox63]

9. I wonder how things might have been different

If Kerry had become Mass AG instead of Lt Gov? I think he would have been a tremendous AG.

[beachmom]

10. Thanks for the article, Tay Tay!

I like the part where the woman ran up to him and said she would help him in any way she could. Do we have any heroes left anymore? I mean at that Strawberry Fest, I saw my congresswoman, the pie eater, and the crazy radical right wing Attorney General candidate, and I didn't even go up to any of them. Why? Because I didn't have anything nice to say, and was too shy to go up to a complete stranger and blast them on their views or votes. But if it were Kerry there, I would have gone up to him, overcoming shyness, to at least smile and say "thanks for fighting for us in the Senate". The only national officeholder who represents me that I could do that to would be Senator Warner -- thanks for killing the nuclear option! Oh yeah, to answer my question, we actually HAD a hero of sorts in my district -- David Ashe who ran for Congress last year as a Democrat. He had SERVED in Iraq as a Marine lawyer, actually setting up courts in a town in Iraq, and he even tried to save somebody's life during the campaign (a veteran had collapsed of a heart attack and Ashe rushed to administer CPR keeping him alive for the ambulance, although he died later). But the * coattails were too hard to overcome . . . stupid idiots in this town just voted straight (R) without even thinking. Had he won, he would have been the only Iraq War veteran in Congress.

Agreed, Kerry would have been an excellent Attorney General for Mass., but I think everything worked out for the best, since the Senate seat opened up in 1984. Plus, it sounds like he made the most of the lt. gov. job.

[TayTay]

11. You are most welcome

I denied my snarky inner bits and did not ask Whome where she was the night this took place: I like the part where the woman ran up to him and said she would help him in any way she could. (Just kidding sweetie!)

Kerry was an excellent Lt. Gov. He specialized in working on the environment and took on the job of working to reduce acid rain. (His work in MA was considered a model for efforts that were started up in other states.) Things have a way of working out for the best. I'm glad he didn't serve in the House. There is just something about Mr. Kerry that belongs in the Senate. (Unless he gets that promotion, I'll be okay with that.)

EDIT: That's 3 articles today from the way back machine. That's a lot. Do people mind this stuff? I am a history geek, so I love this stuff, but I don't want to bog down the group.

[beachmom]

14. Keep the history coming!

I love it when you and others post old articles about Kerry. The more I learn about him, the more I am amazed by him, about how he has a core of principles he never betrays, how he works hard, how he has always been decent to all the people he comes into contact with in his years of politics. I'm not saying he's perfect or that he always does the right thing, but he always has had the people, as in us, in mind when he made decisions in the Senate, as lt. gov. and as a prosecutor. All of these little nuggets create a profile that is quite to the contrary of how he was portrayed last year. Keep feeding it to us! :9

[MH1]

17. I agree with beachmom!

This is great stuff. Not being from Mass and not being very tuned into politics until the last few years, I really didn't know anything about Kerry until last year. And most of that was through the media filter; except for the bits I just had to go and check out for myself, like the anti-war activity. So I really enjoy seeing the history. Like beachmom said, it helps create a different picture than what we saw last year. Although I think the picture last year wasn't that bad, for anybody who was looking at it critically and rationally. After all, I came away thinking JK was a good guy that I wanted to see elected, and I was probably not much more informed than the average voter (except I don't listen to Rush Limbaugh). I think the picture just didn't tell the whole story, didn't give him all the credit that it should have. It's really too bad - in any comparison whatsoever, JK just dwarfs *, and the magnitude of the difference just wasn't made clear.

Anyway, like she said - keep it coming!