Kerry, in NH visit, sounds a lot like a candidate

[Twist_U_Up]

MANCHESTER — It sounded like the opening bars of a new campaign song, not an elegy to a lost election.

U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry last night delivered a rousing call to action to a room filled with hundreds of supporters at the Center of New Hampshire Radisson Hotel.

“Keep up the fight. Keep New Hampshire blue forever,” Kerry shouted, referring to the red/blue color code that television networks used to differentiate between states won by Republican President George W. Bush and those where Democrat Kerry was victorious.

http://www.theunionleader.com/articles_showfast.html?article=47936

[New Earth]

1. awesome

i love John Kerry :loveya:

[JoanneNH]

2. Thank you for posting that!

I wanted to start a new thread but wasn't able to. First, I want to say that I feel so fortunate to have been there last night. I wouldn't have wanted to miss it for the world!

My friend, Diane, and I were standing in the second row, right smack at the center of the podium when John Kerry spoke! Let me back-step here; when John Kerry entered the room, it was as if a rock star had walked in; EVERONE started screaming! We were all so thrilled to see John Kerry again! He had a huge smile on his face when he walked up onto the stage.

First of all John Kerry spoke about the fact that N.H. was the only red state that had turned blue on Election Day. I felt like he was speaking directly to me when he said that this campaign had brought out so many people who had never been involved in a campaign in their life. He said he received a lot of letters from volunteers who told him how this campaign had changed them forever. He told all of us to stay involved. He said he was going to be doing more on the internet to keep volunteers involved in their states and local precincts. He said he wishes he could send all of us to Ohio! When he said that, Diane and I both yelled out "We'll go" and we would if he asked us to! I literally had to fight back tears when Senator Kerry spoke of the military funeral he went to this week. He said that while he was at the one funeral, there was another soldier's funeral to his right, one to his left, and one up a hill from where he was. He said all you could hear was the sound of guns and Taps being played and the family of the soldier whose funeral he was attending could barely hear the words being spoken. Senator Kerry said at that moment he was hit hard with the realization that if he had been elected, things would have started to change in Iraq. Like I said, I almost lost it right then. Senator Kerry also said he'd be going to Iraq in January and that he hopes to win back some of the respect we've lost in the world

Towards the end of his speech, Senator Kerry spoke of what his volunteers and supporters mean to him. He said that we are not only volunteers and supporters, he considers us family. Gosh, I love that man! He said that when the election was over, he decided he wanted to personally thank his supporters in New Hampshire and Iowa because we mean so much to him. He said we got the momentum going and stuck with him through thick and thin. (If anyone who lives in Iowa reads this, keep your eyes and ears open. There were no invitations sent out for this event. My son stumbled on the information on the internet and it was passed on through word of mouth. Those of us who were there were really lucky!)

After his speech, Senator Kerry worked his way into the crowd. My son brought a book that John Kerry wrote with him and the Senator signed it! My friend Diane and I had our picture taken with John Kerry! ;-) My son got his picture taken with John Kerry also! My husband shook Kerry's hand and told him that he hopes he runs again in 2008. Senator Kerry said "Thank you so much for that"! I'm hoping and praying so hard that John Kerry does run again. I am such a believer in his message. Senator John Kerry most definitely is the man who should be our President. WHAT is wrong with the voters of this country that they do not understand who they voted back in? I still don't get it!

My friend Diane took quite a few pictures last night and she's supposed to e-mail them to me this afternoon. I'm not sure how to post pictures on this site but if someone will tell me how, I'll attempt to share a couple with you.

Once again, I feel sooooooooooooooo fortunate to have been there last night! There was absolutely no press allowed inside the room. The reporter from the Union Leader and several others stood in the foyer outside the party.

Sorry if this is too long but I'm still on a Kerry high!


:bounce:

[ahyums]

37. Thank you very much for posting that, it was very interesting.

It's great to have a first hand account. What I think is very significant about what you wrote, was the Kerry said he'd like to send you to Ohio. That to me is the clearest indication I've yet seen that he is fully behind the grassroots effort. Thanks again, and though I'm still pretty new here myself I'll do my first "Welcome to DU!"

[LittleClarkie]

43. And greetings to you too

Yes, I do love these first-hand accounts. Y'all are like little journalists, unfiltered by the corporate media.

[TayTay]

3. Visiting Iraq in Jan?

Wow! I will be looking forward to details on that. It is extremely important that Democrats not cede the war in Iraq to Bush. Bush has badly bungled every aspect of that war, from the plight of active duty personnel who can't seem to conclude a tour of duty to the hideous damage done to our good name and foreign policy because of this admin's loony views. I am glad that the Senator is going to be 'tucking it to' Bush on this and in a highly visable way. I look forward to other Dems following this lead. Way to go!

The paragraph about attending the military funeral is, of course, so very sad. I am glad that he talked about it. It seems, from your post that he managed to do so with skill and did not exploit the issue. We need to speak out on this. I sometimes fear that we are forgetting the fearful price we are paying for this war. The families of active duty personnel, the wounded and the dead know this cost and we need to be reminded of this.

As a snippy,gossipy aside, does anybody else get the feeling that Sen. Kerry really, really doesn't like Dubya on a personal level. I have followed a lot of elections and seen politicians who managed to get along pretty well after the campaign is over. I just sense that Kerry really dislikes *ush on a personal level. It seems to add something to his speeches.

[New Earth]

4. i think he sees past the politics

and knows Bush for the corrupt President that he is.

[JoanneNH]

26. An article about last night with an Iraq mention

From Foster's Sunday Citizen

Kerry returns to thank supporters

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Unsuccessful Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry returned to New Hampshire Saturday to thank supporters and congratulate state activists for local gains, including John Lynch’s election as governor.

Kerry spoke briefly with the media outside the event, which was closed to reporters.

"People were so wonderful," Kerry said on his way inside.

"I’m so proud of what the new governor has accomplished," Kerry added, referring to Lynch.

Kerry said he will outline his priorities in the next few days of what he plans to work on in the U.S. Senate, where he represents Massachusetts.

Kerry lost last month to George W. Bush. Some Kerry supporters said they found some consolation in the fact that New Hampshire’s electoral votes went to Kerry.

New Hampshire voted for Bush in 2000 and against him in 2004. Kerry won in New Hampshire by 9,274 votes.

Mike Lopez, a Manchester alderman, said the statewide effort for Kerry was the most impressive he had seen in his 27 years working for the state’s Democratic Party.

"For the first time since 1964 we got 50 percent for a Democrat," said state Sen. Lou D’Allesandro of Manchester. "That’s amazing."

D’Allesandro was among several supporters who said it is too early to decide who should be the party’s 2008 candidate for president.

He said the party must focus instead on 2006 elections. For D’Allesandro, the most critical issue for Kerry to address is the war in Iraq.

"The (Bush) administration took us to a war based on a false premise, they declared it over when it wasn’t over," he said.

He said Kerry should work toward holding the president and his administration accountable for the war.

Judy Reardon, a senior adviser to the Kerry campaign, said Kerry should seriously consider running again.

"He came darn well close to knocking out an incumbent," she said.

Reardon said Kerry had learned a lesson from observing Al Gores 2000 presidential campaign. The Gore effort had been minimal in New Hampshire, she said.

Among Kerry’s supporters at the event was Josh Basseches, 15, from Lexington, Mass., who made numerous phone calls to New Hampshire on Kerry’s behalf. Basseches was there with his father, Mike, whom he described as "much more liberal than he is."

"We feel happy that we made a difference," Basseches said.
© 2004 Geo. J. Foster Company
.
http://www.fosters.com/December_2004/12.05.04/news/apnh_12.05.04a.asp

[politicasista]

29. We know he came close, but

if he is thinking about 2008, he may not make it. He is already losing support for not fighting the recount in Ohio. Plus, I heard that the Dems want to nominate a southerner, somewhere in the Clinton mold.

[Wind Dancer]

5. What a shame he is not in Ohio NOW working for democracy n/t.

[ClassWarrior]

8. What a shame it is that coporate media whores would be filleting him...

...if he WERE.

NGU.

[Carolab]

31. TOO F'IN BAD

His sorry ass won't get my vote in 2008. He doesn't even have the fight to demand a recount in Ohio. What is he doing in New Hampshire? This is disgusting.

[Donailin]

40. It's hard to believe

that he's playing it cool and is going to jump in when the "time is right" -- or that he's keeping a step ahead of Rove. . . sometimes things are exactly as they seem; he's moved on.

<shrug> I dunno

[LittleClarkie]

41. I don't think his money would be in Washington and Louisiana

if he'd moved on.

He's not doing what some would like. But he is involved. He's not Victor Ukraine (I can't spell the man's last name, so sue me).

[New Earth]

42. Yuschenko

hehe.

[malatesta1137]

15. exactly

a damn shame. He's already campaigning for 2008, he must be mad.

[Wind Dancer]

34. He would have had all of the activists who worked so hard

on his campaign marching in the streets, an opportunity he ignored.

Can you imagine how different the atmosphere would be if we felt Kerry was really behind us? We would have protested, marched and supported him if he had only waited to concede and shown some spine. It makes me just sick to know what we could have accomplished with support from the Democratic Party.

[malatesta1137]

45. which supports my assertion

that today's lead Democrats are just as corrupt as Republicans.

[Patsy Stone]

6. That's what I'm talkin' about!

“It is a disgrace that we have partisanly run elections in states where people don’t have faith in the outcome. We need to make sure all votes are properly recorded.”

Referring to issues that are of continuing concern to him, Kerry said he senses “an energy” and “the same passion” across the country to continue those fights.

“We brought together millions of people on the Internet and we’re going to continue to grow this,” he said.

Kerry said he has hired John Giesser, an experienced Democratic strategist, to work on the national level to “get our energy together.”

[JoanneNH]

9. He did speak about voter confidence...

John Kerry said that we have to make sure that when a voter casts a vote, they will know without a doubt that his/her vote went to the candidate they chose. Let me assure you, Senator John Kerry is VERY aware of everything that's going on in Ohio. That was very obvious to me from some of his remarks. When he said he wished he could send all of us to Ohio, what he was saying rang loud and clear to me. He's one very smart man.

[politicasista]

10. I hope you are right.

[Patsy Stone]

13. I love him.

Very smart and aware. Here's hoping the whole evil lot of 'em go down.

[bleever]

20. Gotta love that reference to the internet. Definitely seems like

another wink to us fevered internet conspiracy theorists.

[Patsy Stone]

25. Honey

I've got the hat...and the bag and shoes to match! :)

[bleever]

27. Not every girl has what it takes

to accessorize properly with tin foil.

[MoonRiver]

7. All I can say is, unless he immediately contests and fights this election

(I know, dream on) he will NOT have my vote in 2008. Matter of fact it won't matter by then who anyone votes for, because our brand spanking new totalitarian state will have become firmly entrenched. :mad:

[understandinglife]

11. Got that right.

Peace.

"Did Bush Know?"

[MoonRiver]

17. "Did Bush Know?"

Does a bear shit in the woods? :D

[Senator]

12. This is exactly right.

Just as a purely political (strategy) matter.

Gore tested the waters and had to back out when he found out that the party base does not forget and will not tolerate quitters anymore.

Kerry needs to turn the boat into the enemy right now, or his future aspirations are finished.

By taking it to the mat, even if he "loses," he becomes the nominee. No questions asked. If he doesn't, he's toast.

[MoonRiver]

18. And damn, I wish Gore had taken the nomination this time.

Gore is a fighter.

[robbedvoter]

19. Wrong. Gore had an overwhelming majority in all polls BECAUSE

HE FAUGHT. He polled 60% while all the others were in single digits. That's when Kerry summoned the party machine - because it was his turn (Barney Frank said it publicly). They shoved Gore out of the race - not the voters.
Except for the handful of fans here, most people will not give Kerry another chance after his shameless folding. Nice try to rewrite history. Had Gore stayed in the race , a primary would have been moot. And the stolen election 2000 would have been the issue.


Famous last words
He is impatient with Democratic oratory about the "stolen" election.
"Stop crying in your teacups, It isn't going to
change. Get over it."

John Kerry, campaign July2003
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/connelly/129019_joel02.html

[Senator]

32. Sorry, but...

...you're mixing some things that have very little to do with each other.

First, media polls are a form of non-reality. Particularly that early in the cycle. Of course Gore was polling high early. No one else was known at all.

Second, Gore did not fight. First he conceded. Then he called no one into the streets. Then he stood on the steps of the (formerly) supreme court, read their fascist edict, and said "Oh, OK whatever you say." Finally, he personally gaveled down the real fighters, the CBC on Jan 6th 2001, as we saw in F-9/11.

Incidently, on Jan 7, 2001, two Dem Senators were asked by Russert why they didn't stand up with the CBC. Their answer, in unison, "Nobody asked us." Those Senators -- Joe Biden and (you guessed it) John Kerry.

Now the party machine -- the one you may be right was Kerry's to summon -- is not the real party base. The base are those people who are going to man the phones and walk the streets. They are connected laterally, through word of mouth/email/newsletter, not by media non-reality. And as I said, the base had no interest in Gore.

The base developed a strong interest in Dean -- a fairly conservative governor -- for the very reason that he was willing to say "stolen election." (Those are the people identified in the article you posted as "ideologues" and "liberals.") Gore saw this, and jumped on that bandwagon early - to his credit.

Here is where the party machine comes in. Whether Kerry called it or it made its call for Kerry, I don't know. But it was shoving Dean. Dean scared the beltway more than Gore or even the Clintons. They skillfully used their media power, and the "electablity" propaganda canard, to get their "safer" choice.

The stolen election of 2000 may well have been the issue had Dean prevailed. But he would have had to fight the DC Dems all the way. Remember, they were all complicit on Jan. 6th 2001, when they sat on their hand in dereliction of their constitutional duty.

This part is just speculation, but they may well have made it clear to Dean that they'd prefer more bushkid to being outed as the cowards they were. That might explain Dean's odd and hasty retreat.

[Wind Dancer]

35. I wish we had seen the John Kerry from 1971!

He doesn't exist anymore.

[Not_Without_A_Fight]

14. Respectfully

I think your opinion here is extreme. I think Kerry knows alot more about how to strategize this issue (given his current position) than we do -- and -- he is clearly not perfect and has made mistakes.

I understand your fear about the current threat of a totalitarian state. I feel similarly. However, I think progressives have slept through the Clintonian era -- while the extreme right has been working their behinds off. Now, we must wake up and get back in the fight --- and fight as tactically and strategically as the neo-cons have. Really, they have done an amazing job while we have sat on our "right makes might" behinds and they have cleaned our clock -- legally and illegally. I really do think they are the evil empire -- but it doesn't make me not sit in awe of their energy, consistency and commitment.

Voter fraud and voting process malfunction is a perfect issue for progressives to organize around and it is working! I live in the CA Bay Area and tomorrow I am going to the rally outside Nancy Pelosi's office in SF to demand that she support the investigate the vote issue. I haven't protested in years.

I agree that Kerry needs to get in this particular fight (for the White House) but, I really do think that there is a good reason that he has not done it just yet. And, I do think he is paying keen attention. I mean he has been after the First Job for 4 years and -- if there is even a slight chance that this election was stolen -- I am sure he is keeping well apprised of how he can prove that and get the job that is rightfully his. I do think he needs to take more of a leadership role in the 'investigate the vote' issue. I think for some good reason he is not choosing to personally do that right now -- but I would put money on him using some of the $14M he had left over to pay for other people to keep an eye on this and work this issue. I also agree that if he doesn't jump in soon -- he has no chance in 2008.

The voter fraud issue, media reform (including creation of a Progressive 'Fox' TV news program), massive federal funding for R&D on alternative energy and safeguarding our civil and constitutional liberties (i.e., The Pat. Act) are, to my mind, the most important issues we face today.

I'm sorry, but even abortion and gay marriage, are to me, important issues, but currently are distractions.

I urge you to stay as positive as you can and let your anger move to 'attack' the people who are the in fact the evil/dangerous ones.

Best regards,
Not_Without_A_Fight

[MoonRiver]

16. You said my position is extreme, but we seem to be in total agreement!

We worded the situation somewhat differently, but I think we're in the same place. :hug:

[Der Blaue Engel]

30. I know I'm sort of butting in here to something unrelated to the topic

But:

"I'm sorry, but even abortion and gay marriage, are to me, important issues, but currently are distractions."

I have to stridently disagree with you. Civil rights are not "distractions." You mention "safeguarding our civil and constitutional liberties" as being more important; my friend, they are one and the same.

[malatesta1137]

21. my feelings

EXACTLY

[Dark Secret]

22. NH Recount Results Really Screwed Our Cause n/t

[New Earth]

23. i don't think so

[ccarter84]

24. coulda turned out better, thats for sure

I guess we wait for the next states to recount...with maybe slightly more guaurded hopes

[ZRB]

28. Do you think he heard

the passionate please for him to report for duty at the rallies yesterday?

[seito]

33. Yes, I know he hears us

Kerry is doing everything he can do to fight for us. Everywhere you look he is giving us direction and leadership. He said that our efforts count now more than ever and look what we have accomplished.

As many have said, John Kerry knows a hell of a lot more about the current situation than most people here. Now, as the tin foil is shed, and our concerns have reached the halls of Congress, many can only complain about John Kerry's strategy. Are we so impatient that we need weekly, daily and hourly briefings in plain English to realize that John Kerry is on our side?

You don't assault an enemy position head on when you are out manned and out gunned. It is suicide for you and your troops. In situations like these, you must use strategy, and you must be patient.

[LittleClarkie]

36. I make no demands

I can see he's aware. I can see that he is willing to fight. I've heard more that I liked from him in the last month than from people like Bill Clinton, with his "Am I the only one who likes both of these men?" Yes, yes you are Bill.

I wish his position was as strong in this election as Gore's was in 2000. But it's not. We need Madsen to show us where the air votes should have gone. Without them, I fear he'd be tilting at windmills. I need him to be viable for the next 4 years, not an ineffectual joke with no teeth.

And maybe, just maybe the way he's talking is the way he feels. Maybe, just maybe he believes it. Why does everything out of his mouth have to be seen as a campaign ploy. Many never seem to consider that he might be serious about this stuff. Why the far left and the far right agree here, I'll never know. He's not just an empty suit trying to get elected at all costs. He means it.

Some of you will never get that. As I watched some refuse to sign his petition, saying "Too little, too late," I realized that some people wouldn't know a good idea if it bit them in the ass and said "I'm here."

I don't care if I'm the only one. I'll be there. I don't let go that easily. And I am not so ignorant to realize that there is much I don't know about what's going on out there.

Until you've been in the same position, I don't know how anyone can say what any man should or should not be doing. I believe in this man. I will wait and see what he does. If I'm given an opportunity to help on the grassroots level, I will be there. No question.

Erica

[seito]

39. LittleClarkie

There are a lot more of us than you might think.

[99Pancakes]

38. I agree with you

and have all along. Kerry seems like a man who is working covertly and IMHO, this is wise. This man would not move forward without strong evidence of FRAUD. Fraud is a heavy word, and he would get fried, roasted and toasted if he stepped forward with no proof. We all know how republican'ts are......the evil empire would spare no expense making an ass of Kerry in the press and hence, prevent him and his legal team from getting any investigative work done.

[Senator]

44. I hope he heard.

But that he would not necessarily act on the passion alone.

I'm willing to entertain the possibility that he is lying in wait. My post above was intended to say if he does nothing more about this, he's just Gore redux as a future contender.

I also think the window of opportunity is quickly closing. And that he risks more by jumping a bit too late than a bit too early.

But I also think that fraud is NOT required to make the principled stand. And that doing so, even if futile, is a moral imperative. (See - www.thedeanpeople.com for what I mean.)

We've still not fully recovered from the Gore failing. The touted "unity" that helped us prevail this time was more "marriage of convenience" (and a lot more money well-spent) than true party/movement unity; the kind that generates enthusiasm beyond the truly committed.

I'm doubtful that we can recover even this well if we're struck a second blow to the same unhealed wound.

[RaulVB]

46. Seems that Kerry still campaigning!

The election is not over, Kerry can't go out and scream fraud, well...NOT YET!