Ezra Klein: John Kerry brutalizes McCain

[marmar]

from the American Prospect:



JOHN KERRY.

The message of Kerry's speech could be summed up like this: "From one flip-flopper who would say anything to get elected to another, Mr. McCain." Kerry was brutal.

"I have known and been friends with Senator John McCain for almost 22 years," said John Kerry. "But every day now I learn something new about candidate McCain. To those who still believe in the myth of the maverick instead of the reality of the politician, I say, let's compare Senator McCain to candidate McCain."

"Candidate McCain now supports the wartime tax cuts that Senator McCain once denounced as immoral. Candidate McCain criticizes Senator McCain's own climate change bill. Candidate McCain says he would not vote against the immigration bill John McCain wrote. Are you kidding? Talk about being for it before being against it! Before he ever debates Barack Obama, John McCain should finish the debate with himself."

The Democratic Party has a tendency to write its losers off. For years after he failed to attain the presidency, Gore was discarded by the very party that nominated him. After Kerry lost to Bush, he was similarly derided: It became impossible, in retrospect, for anyone to explain why Democrats trusted in a wooden windsurfer.

Achieving the presidential nomination is not easy, though, and tonight Kerry reminded the convention center of how he did it. Kerry wasn't exactly courageous as a foreign policy voice in 2004, but he was nominated because he had the potential to be one. There was a gravity to him, and a somberness that came of experiencing both war and its manifold betrayals. Hemmed in by a sense of political caution that reacted poorly to an adverse political environment, he never quite rose to the occasion. Tonight, however, he did. He delivered arguably the greatest speech of his career. "When democracy rolled out of Russia," he asked, "and the tanks rolled into Georgia, we saw John McCain respond immediately with the outdated thinking of the Cold War." "When we called for a timetable to make Iraqis stand up for Iraq and bring our heroes home, John McCain called it 'cut and run.' But today, even President Bush has seen the light. He and Prime Minister Maliki agree on -- guess what? -- a timetable."

Kerry was also nominated at a moment when liberals were embattled -- not electorally, but fundamentally. The mental chaos of the country in 2003 is hard to recall, but liberals weren't simply losing elections, they were being written off a forthrightly anti-American. Kerry was nominated, in part, as a hedge against that. He was a war hero, a senator, a member of the establishment and a liberal who could act as ambassador to the mainstream. But soon enough, his patriotism and character were called into question too. Tonight he spoke with the contained fury of a man who has watched his country calm, but still remembers how it felt to face down its irrationality.

"Four years ago I said, and I say it again tonight, that the flag doesn't belong to any ideology. It doesn't belong to any political party. It is an enduring symbol of our nation, and it belongs to all the American people. After all, patriotism is not love of power or some cheap trick to win votes; patriotism is love of country." Tonight, that meant doing what was best for his country. And that meant breaking with his old friend John Kerry, and being honest about what candidate McCain has become. Plenty of other politicians this week have had the same charge, but put their own careers or comfort ahead of the task. Kerry did not. He'll be attacked for it, of course. But he's used to it.

Posted by Ezra Klein on August 27, 2008 9:54 PM

[Frances]

1. There's another thread on DU

where Redstate.com shows pix of American flags in a trashcan, supposedly at the Dem convention

I believe that this photo is staged to counter Kerry's honest feelings about respecting the flag and saying it belongs to everyone

Once again Dems believe in hope and the future; Repubs believe in dividing people and in fear

[blm]

2. Ezra is UNINFORMED - Kerry took on Bush's foreign policy when most every other Dem would NOT

shortly after 9-11. He tried to get people to realize what happened at ToraBora and no bigname Dems would back him up - instead they publicly backed Bush.

Ezra shows his own lack of preparedness and comprehension in this article, even though it means to applaud the obvious effect of last night's smackdown.

What so many ASSHAT PUNDITS like Klein don't seem to get is that what they really attack Kerry for in 2004 is that he had no Kerry-calibre of an attacker doing for him what he has been doing for Obama since 2006. NOT ONE of the wellknown Dems would stick their necks out to oppose Bush and Rove on foreign policy - Clinton and Lieberman sided with Bush's position over Kerry's and did so regularly on TV throughout 2003-4.

Try writing that article again, Ezra, and this time aim for ACCURACY.

[Hidden Stillness]

3. A Great Kerry Speech Last Night

This was a really fabulous speech, at the Convention last night. I even taped it, which I never do for Kerry. Kerry was direct, to the point, sharply critical, even funny (the line about knowing what it is to be for it before I was against it etc., throwing that finally back at Republicans--it got a huge, knowing laugh), and Kerry's great, clearly explained comments about how McCain has changed, and become something strange and unrecognizable, and how this shows character, etc., were really good; moving. Why didn't Kerry give a hard-hitting speech like last night's, four years ago, instead of that flabby, "centrist," "I will not criticize" bizarre display that did not answer anything? This speech was great--and every sentence didn't wander all over the place until you go into a coma! Wow!

[malaise]

4. His best speech ever n/t

[Cassandra]

5. You're ok, malaise?

I was worried you blew away; someone said you and the storm are in Jamaica. Or did he mean Queens? ;-)

[malaise]

6. It hasn't reached Kingston yet

We'll be fine - mostly rain.

[northernlights]

7. I almost missed this speech

because I forgot how great he could be. 4 years ago I gave up my lifelong independent (but left leaning) standing and switched to registered democrat in order to support him. For the first time since my high school days, I volunteered and spent beautiful Saturday afternoons in an office manning phones. And then was so disappointed in his inability to effectively strike back at the swiftboaters.

He was nothing short of spectacular. The best of the night, I felt, even better than Bill, even better than Joe. The kind of outpouring that could only come from someone who'd been rightfully simmering for years. It must have felt wonderful for him, too, to finally throw their shit back in their faces.

[blm]

9. He DID strike back at swifts and Bush in a hardball speech on Aug19, 2004 that corpmedia refused to

broadcast once they received the prepared remarks that brutalized Bush.

EVERY SINGLE NETWORK refused to air it and few even reported that it happened, though it was in front of the FIREFIGHTERS CONVENTION - Firefighters who had endorsed Kerry.

[Blue_In_AK]

8. I only caught part of Kerry's speech last night,

but he was awesome. His comparison of Senator McCain and Candidate McCain was devastating. I loved the line that before he debates Obama, McCain will have to settle the debate with himself. Priceless.