The Nation on 'The New Kerry'
Ari Berman has written an excellent piece for The Nation called 'The New Kerry,' in which he explores changes that have taken place in the Massachusetts Senator since the 2004 presidential campaign. It's a great read focusing on a crisper, more-forceful Kerry, who appears to be through giving the Bush administration a free pass on anything.
An excerpt:
"Pollster Frank Luntz recently showed a focus group of Democratic primary voters in Iowa and New Hampshire footage of Kerry over the past few months. 'Where the hell
was this John Kerry?' Luntz says the voters asked him. 'Why didn't he have this passion, this specificity, when we needed him to?' If Kerry had run in 2004 using his 2006 language, Luntz argues, he might be President now."Kerry has internalized much of this criticism. 'You get kicked on your ass, you get knocked flat, you dust yourself off and say, OK, What did I learn from that?' Kerry tells me. 'I think I learned a lot.' His endless modifiers have been replaced by short, punchy phrases: 'Tell the truth, fire the incompetents, get out of Iraq, have healthcare for all Americans.' He shocked Chris Matthews in a recent interview by answering some questions with just a yes or a no. His new mantra, says Kerry, is 'clarity and brevity.'"
Please go read the rest of Berman's article at The Nation.
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Kerry!
This is a great article. And I like Kerry. If he was the nominee I would cheerily vote for him and send my $2K- or whatever the level is now.
But just because he's crisper- or whatever- is not enough to nominate him again. He had twenty months to articulate a national message that could get him the necessary electoral votes- so I'd like to see someone else get the opportunity.
I just sense 2008 is going to be hard. Any sort of even marginal Dem victory in 2006, coupled with fact that Bush will not be on the ballot, will leech a lot of the anti-Bush energy out there among the marginal Dem voter. Hillary Clinton, Gore or Kerry on the national ticket immediate infuses the GOP rank-and-file with energy & purpose they seem to lack right now.
2008 is simply going to be a different campaign in 2004 (for example Kerry's Vietnam service was important in an campaign casting deserved brickbats at BushMonkey's policies)- and I am not sure the 2004 candidate is no longer the best person.
We must have a better candidate
than Kerry, Gore, or Hillary. I don't know who it will be, but those three won't go anywhere with undecided voters. We HAVE to have the VERY BEST CANDIDATE possible to offset the radical fundies and the crooked corporate honchos who have this country by the throat and are squeezing the life out of our democracy.
It is especially important that we get SOMEONE WHO WILL DEMAND A FAIR VOTING PROCESS:
No disinfranchisement of blacks and other minorities.
No voting machines that don't give a record of your vote.
No absentee votes lost in the Everglades or dumped in the river near Cleveland.
No packs of corporate honchos and rich Repug thugs disrupting recounts!
And, for GOD'S SAKE, no more BUSHES!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE DON'T NEED A ROYAL FAMILY, ESPECIALLY THAT BUNCH!
We Certainly do not need
We Certainly do not need another bush, never again.
one more thing..
You do a great job Bob. I like your blog the best.
Bird Flu = No Election
Watch closely kids, they're going to go one *better* than stealing the election: just AVOID IT by having a trumped-up disaster.
They've got the people in place to seed every water system in America with virulent strains of just plain-old flu. If you make 60% of the population hideously sick two weeks before the election, there won't BE an election AND the police will HELP by KEEPING YOU INDOORS.
Keep your eyes open for strange vehicles near your water-treatment plants. Take photos. Tell friends. Ask questions.
It'll be worse than a "flu strain".
Look for a massive "terrorist" attack involving the public infrastructure of this country.
I wouldn't put anything past this gang of ROBBER BARONS!!!!!!!!! They intend to stay in power BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY!
California
Bush's terrorist attack will be in California where it's more likely the victims will be Democrats. This season's 24 on Fox has a similar scenario, so the plot is already laid-out for Bush.