Entries tagged with “John Kerry” from Reality Window

with the gratuitous Kerry bashing.

I just read one more off-the-cuff putdown of John Kerry from a lefty blogger and I've had it with those who mouth the criticisms without bothering to find out what the truth of the matter is.

Senator Kerry been very eloquent on Obama's behalf.  His appearance on MTP on 11-2-2008 pulled no punches.  He was extremely clear.   His early and enthusiastic endorsement of Obama in South Carolina brought him much grief from supporters of other candidates. He did what he thought was right.

His speech at the DNC Convention was one of the 3 best given there.  From my blog:

Josh Marshall called it The Golden Speechand said "in its own way I think the speech I just saw John Kerry give is the best one I've heard at this convention.  And I do not have any doubt that it's the best I've ever heard from him."  Emphasis is his.  

It got rave reviews at/by Daily Kos, Steve Benen, Andrew Sullivan,  Ta-Nahisi Coates, BalloonJuice, The Jed Report, Al Giordano, Karen Tumulty, Jack & Jill Politics, OpenLeft, mydd, Huffington Post,  Crooks and Liars, Rod Dreher, Daily Intel, Reason Online, MalContends, and Democratic Underground.  This list coud be 5 times as long but you get the idea.  

Here's the video if you haven't seen it yet.  It's worth your time.

JK did what those of us who follow him closely know he can do and has done before.  Just watch his Dissent speech.  And as he has before, JK gave us a masterfully delivered speech yesterday.  It's hard for me to pick out my favorite excerpts.  I'd end up excerpting most of it so go see the full transcript of his remarks as delivered below the fold, courtesy of Lynn Sweet at the Sun Times, if you can't watch the video.  

A little more background: he also did a session for the New American Foundation in the morning which got rave reviews from publius.  

He didn't mince any words the other day when he said we should ignore the Republicans and do what we think we'll work in the stimulus package.

He was on Meet The Press Sunday morning pushing for the stimulus package.  

He declared climate change a central foreign policy focus and pulled Al Gore in to testify in his first full session as SFRC chair. From The Vine at TNR:

Right now, C-SPAN is showing Al Gore testify on climate change before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Significantly, committee chair John Kerry just declared that "climate change will be increasingly central to our foreign policy," citing warnings from top U.S. military leaders that a warming planet will put pressure on the earth's resources and lead to more conflicts and more security risks around the world.

Nor has he forgotten items like Blackwater and its criminal culpability in Iraq. Or items like high-speed rail which are so important to our public transportation network.  

As I said above, enough with the gratuitous Kerry-bashing. He's out there speaking out and doing it well. Just because a lefty blogger didn't happen to notice it doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Senator Obama told us on a conference call the other night that we're on the five yard line, and we need to bring it into the end zone. He told us that he's proud of the work we're doing, and that we have to work hard for just a little bit longer -- that we have to keep going until the polls close on Tuesday night. If you're a volunteer, you know he's right, and as tired as we all are, this is not the time to slow down. If you're not a volunteer, you can still be part of this historic election. Do it now. It's not too late.

The ugliness of the McCain campaign has been discouraging to all of us. They've cheapened the political process, divided Americans, and damaged their own party. In the battleground states, misleading ads and mailers are flooding our airwaves and mailboxes. Republicans have thrown not just the kitchen sink at us, but a fake plumber, too.

So, our work is not done. We need to fight back against the smears and lies, and continue to let voters know how much better off we'll all be with a President who will bring all sides to the table to resolve our difficulties together.

Senator Kerry was out doing his part again yesterday morning on Meet the Press, recapping the reasons why Barack Obama is the right choice for the country.

If you're a volunteer, just hang in there a little longer. We need to get out the vote, and if we do, we're going to win this election.

We're on the five yard line. Our goal is in sight. If we keep going, we'll all be able to celebrate this victory together.


Cross-posted from KerryVision.net

It's a GOTV kind of day. Here's a little inspiration for you.

Time to get up and go.

The nattering nabobs at MSNBC blew it last night. CNN caught on part way through. And hurrah for C-SPAN and PBS, the only tv channels to have the good sense to allow viewers to watch all of the convention speakers. John Kerry stepped up to the podium after Bill Clinton had raised the energy level in the hall, and knocked one out of the park.

Josh Marshall called it The Golden Speech and said "in its own way I think the speech I just saw John Kerry give is the best one I've heard at this convention. And I do not have any doubt that it's the best I've ever heard from him." Emphasis is his.

It got rave reviews at/by Daily Kos, Steve Benen, Andrew Sullivan, Ta-Nahisi Coates, BalloonJuice, The Jed Report, Al Giordano, Karen Tumulty, Jack & Jill Politics, OpenLeft, mydd, Huffington Post, Crooks and Liars, Rod Dreher, Daily Intel, Reason Online, MalContends, and Democratic Underground. This list coud be 5 times as long but you get the idea.

Here's the video if you haven't seen it yet. It's worth your time.

JK did what those of us who follow him closely know he can do and has done before. Just watch his Dissent speech. And as he has before, JK gave us a masterfully delivered speech yesterday. It's hard for me to pick out my favorite excerpts. I'd end up excerpting most of it so go see the full transcript of his remarks as delivered below the fold, courtesy of Lynn Sweet at the Sun Times, if you can't watch the video.

A little more background: he also did a session for the New American Foundation in the morning which got rave reviews from publius.
 

On Face the Nation yesterday, Senators John Kerry and Lindsey Graham made an appearance, as surrogates for the Obama and McCain campaigns, respectively. And I have to say, the debate wasn't even close. Read the transcript and see what I mean. Graham was reduced to sputtering out tired talking points (yeah, for the umpteenth time we know Obama hasn't attended a dog and pony show in Iraq for two years) while Kerry gave a lesson on the long and complex histories of the Middle East, Iraq, Iran, and ... John McCain. Although the media is working over time carrying water for their favorite "maverick", Kerry's clear spoken language on what is going on with the Republicans is exactly the right message not only for Barack Obama, but for our Congressional candidates as well.

Cross-posted at KerryVision

OK, there are a couple of them. First, the cost of home heating oil is projected to increase 36% this coming winter. That's 36% more than what folks couldn't afford to pay last year when they saw a 30% increase over the previous winter. So, people who can't pay to heat their homes and businesses won't be able to, and many small businesses who supply fuel to consumers will go into debt or go under. And the scary thing is that unless someone does something, that's what's going to happen in the northeast this winter.

"Winter is months away -- and we New Englanders know the cold times it will bring with it -- but we need to act now to make sure that this winter no one has to choose between food or fuel."

It is pretty clear now that Barack Obama is going to deploy John Kerry as an attack dog. There are a variety of reasons why this is a good idea: John Kerry is considered an elder statesman of the Democratic party, especially on matters of foreign policy, the environment, and energy policy, so McCain's charges on the Obama campaign of inexperience ring hollow with JK as a surrogate. I am sure Obama views Kerry as a loyal soldier who endorsed him way back in January after Hillary won New Hampshire, not to mention that Kerry chose to pluck Obama out of relative obscurity to be the keynote speaker at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

But the most compelling reason to deploy Sen. Kerry as attack dog, is that he clearly pushes McCain's buttons. John Kerry drives McCain completely up the wall. After all, the only time this entire election season where we have seen McCain giving us a glimpse of his famed temper was when John Kerry's name came up. Given this reality (whether you love or hate Kerry), I am serving this diary up with a comprehensive history of why Kerry can attack McCain with abandon, and to set the record straight from the selective amnesia of right wingers and the traditional media.