Weighing defeat, Kerry sees lessons to guide future

[Freddie Stubbs]

February 6, 2005

The following interview was conducted by Peter S. Canellos, Nina J. Easton, Michael Kranish, and Susan Milligan of the Globe staff. The article was written by Canellos.

WASHINGTON -- Pained but not bowed, Senator John F. Kerry promised in an interview with the Globe last week to apply the lessons of a presidential campaign that he portrayed as ''so much bigger and more complex than people think" to bolster a Democratic Party that he indicated he might seek to lead again.

''I'm not going to sit around, you know. I'm going to learn a lot of good lessons," he said.

Sitting in a wing chair in his Senate office, opposite a historical print of Nantucket Harbor, Kerry offered a wide-ranging assessment of an election he lost by about 3 million popular votes and 35 electoral votes. He said he was determined to play a leading role in his party's efforts to integrate values and religion into its message, especially as directed at his fellow Catholics.

He also said he'd be eager to work at improving the party's grass-roots organizations alongside his former rival Howard Dean, now in line to head the Democratic National Committee, a man he said won his respect by campaigning tirelessly for the Kerry-Edwards ticket.

more: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/02/06/weighing_defeat_kerry_sees_lessons_to_guide_future?mode=PF

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Sydnie]

3. I disagree completely.

I do agree with not counting him out in 2008.

[ladjf]

4. The beauty of this board is that we still have the right to voice

our opinions. At least we're united in the desire to get the Pubs out of office before it too late.

[blm]

8. Did you base your opinion in fact or no facts? Do you realize that almost

ecerything we know about the BushInc today was UNCOVERED by Kerry's work to investigate and expose them on IranContra, BCCI, and their illegal wars in Central America?

Can you name ONE other lawmaker in the last 40 years who has exposed more government corruption than John Kerry?

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

12. basing an opinion of Kerry on things learned through the media

was your first mistake. I think you have some learning to do.

[ladjf]

17. Where did you obtain your information about Kerry?

Other than first hand acquaintance with the Senator, or from reading
Internet articles (which are also media), where else can a poor
uninformed soul such as myself go to become a political "guru" ?

Right up front the fact that Kerry and Bush are members of the same small but corrupt fraternity is enough to at least make on suspicious.

When Kerry was asked,"knowing what you now know, that there were no WMD and that the President lied about the situation in Iraq, how would you have voted"? He still maintained that he would vote again for the war.

When Hugo Chavez made some very positive statements about Kerry's candidacy, Kerry accused him of being a ruthless dictator that was a threat to Democracy.

You don't have to warn me about the inaccuracies that are rampant in the mainstream media. I rarely watch a TV newscast anymore. However, some items, such as verbatim quotes do contain information worth knowing.

I'm rather amazed that with all the wide variation of opinions being made on DU about all sorts of political views, my simple comment that I thought Kerry was possibly shilling for the Pubs has drawn some very strong and personally insulting comments. The comments, rather that defending Kerry, have made assumptions of my ignorance of political matters.

[Sydnie]

22. The quote you cite

was from a question asked at his Grand Canyon photo-op. Kerry has stated that he misheard the question as it was windy that day and he has some hearing loss (due to his tour in Vietnam). He misheard the question and answered the question that he thought he heard.

That aside, Kerry didn't vote to go to war as a first option. Bush distored his vote and did what he wanted to do anyway.

Have your read the speech that Kerry made on the Senate floor before he cast that vote? If you have, then you have also distorted his vote and his intention when making that vote. Giving support to a President was the right thing to do, as he would want them to give support to him should he be in the same position. The fact that Bush had no intentions of waiting for the UN or any other country to validate his claims is not Kerry's fault.

Kerry was also quoted as saying they were the most corrupt administration ever. Funny how that didn't seem to enter your database of quotes though.

[CTLawGuy]

28. That's Kerry's excuse now?

"was from a question asked at his Grand Canyon photo-op. Kerry has stated that he misheard the question as it was windy that day and he has some hearing loss (due to his tour in Vietnam). "

What, pray tell, question did he think he was answering? And why didn't he clarify publicly when he realized he misunderstood the question, which should have been quickly, considering the presence of staff and handlers.


I don't care what Kerry's INTENT was in voting for IWR, I care that he voted to allow Bush to make war whenever he wanted.

[ladjf]

30. Darboy: Thanks for backing me up.

I have been attacked by a flock of geniuses that say that they don't derive their political information from the media but fail to tell me where to are obtaining their infallible insights.

[CTLawGuy]

31. YW

that excuse from Kerry is pretty lame if you ask me. When did this bit of information come out (that he thought he had misunderstood the question)?

Did it come out after the election, while Kerry was voting against Condi and finally speaking out publicly about voting irregularities?

[ladjf]

32. Which question? I've lost the continuity.

[CTLawGuy]

34. In Post 22

the person claimed that Kerry had misunderstood the question "Knowing what you know now, would you have voted for the Authorization of Force resolution?" because it was windy and his hearing wasnt so good.

[ladjf]

37. That's total bull. He reiterated dozens of times why he voted

for that and it most definitely was not a case of misunderstanding a questionl.

[ladjf]

29. The quote I cited about the Kennedy plan to withdraw troops

was from MTP, jan. 30th'

MR. RUSSERT: Specifically, do you agree with Senator Kennedy that 12,000 American troops should leave at once?

SEN. KERRY: No.

MR. RUSSERT: Do you believe there should be a specific timetable of withdrawal of American troops?

SEN. KERRY: No.

***********************************

Regarding the vote on the Iraq war: I ought to know what Kerry said, including his rationale. I've heard him say it 20 times during the campaign. He voted to give Bush the authority to do what he saw fit based upon intelligence and subsequent U.N. actions.

My opinion is that was a terrible mistake. One that, more than anything else, cost him the election and rightly so. The Senate should have asserted it's Constitional rights and stopped Bush in his tracks. If you disagree, that's OK with me. But, please stop telling me that my opinion is erroneous while yours is valid.

In 2008, I hope that the Democrats select their candidate rather than having him presented to us by the media, assisted by the weak knee-ed
primary voters in Iowa.

[Capn Sunshine]

36. I'm throwing a flag here

For illegal statement of fact without backup.

Have a link for this ridiculous (to me) assertion?

[blm]

33. Try the National Security Archives or the congressional record. Kerry's

fight to investigate and expose IranContra, BCCI, and the illegal wars in Central America are significant chapters in this nation's history. His efforts to end the war in Vietnam weren't anything to sneeze at, either.

The fact that you don't seem to find these the exact OPPOSITE of shilling for Republicans is the mystery. Not to mention your reliance on the current media to characterize Kerry.

[blm]

15. You said he was a SHILL. Put up the proof. You use TODAY'S MEDIA

to define who Kerry Is?

TODAY'S MEDIA who are the REAL SHILLS for BushInc? THEY inform your opinion?

[cestpaspossible]

25. Yes, you can voice your opinion even if unfounded in reality.

[txaslftist]

18. I'd like to see a more civil primary season...

...instead of the cutthroat business we saw leading up to the 2004 nomination.

Of course, I'd like to win Lotto, too.

[Roxy66]

7. John Edwards all the way....He inspires me

[pstans]

2. If Kerry becomes a strong voice and leader in the Senate...

If Kerry becomes a strong voice and leader in the Senate, I would not count him out in 2008. Kerry grilled Condiliar right along with Boxer and voted no on her. With more principle based votes and if he could encourage more Democrats to vote the same, Kerry might be in position to run in 2008.

[sendero]

5. Not this..

.... shit again.

No way will I vote for the shrinking violet, crying in his teacup, afraid to attack the pukes, working behind the scenes in Ohio man again.

[sundancekid]

6. too little. too late. JIMO-first of all, he needs to RELEARN how to speak

[HereSince1628]

9. I'd like my democratic values free of religion, thanks...

I have nothing against democrats being religious.

But like condiments, religious choices should be made by the individual consumer and not by the cook.

[KoKo]

10. I wonder if he now has doubts about the Voting machines.....this statement

Contrary to some reports, Kerry said, he knew about exit polls predicting his victory but didn't allow himself to believe he had won. He wouldn't even let excited aides call him ''Mr. President."

''We were coming down, going out of the house, and somebody reported that AP confirmation that Florida had 52-48 or something , and somebody said, 'If that's true, I may be able to call you Mr. President,' or something like that. And I was dead silent. I said, 'No, let's wait and see.' There was no jubilation, there was no nothing, and I was very, very careful."

Kerry pointed out that about two-thirds of Bush's popular-vote margin came from Texas and Oklahoma, and that the Kerry-Edwards campaign had made no effort to run up the popular vote in Democratic strongholds of New York and California. The Democrats' campaign had focused on a core group of battleground states, and, Kerry said, ''We won the popular vote in the battleground states," but fell short of the big prizes of Ohio and Florida.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

13. a perfect example why Kerry would be a great prsesident

he doesn't let his emotions cloud his judgement, he doesn't even readily express them.
This is the main reason I have always backed Kerry, he lets his intellect define who he is.

[sendero]

24. And Bush** does nothing...

... but express emotions, and look who is in the White House.

Sorry, a passionless functionary is never going to win a presidential election.

[Freddie Stubbs]

20. If he does, he is certainly keeping them to himself

[Walt Starr]

14. Tainted as a loser, a Kerry nomination would be an admission of defeat

Sorry, but he'd never be able to shake loose the taint of being a loser. Voting for Kerry in 2008 would be just as effective as voting third party.

[CWebster]

16. Better direction:

http://www.themilwaukeechannel.com/news/4165791/detail.html

[IrateCitizen]

19. Sadly, I don't think Kerry really learned much at all from his run.

What put Bush over the top was the distinct difference in the way their campaigns were run. For Bush, it was all about defining his candidacy in simple terms that could be directly associated with him. Character. Decisive. Steadfast. Determined.

For Kerry, it was all about trying to define his candidacy in terms of issue stances.

The problem was that Bush's campaign was on a more emotional level, directed at an electorate that lives in the modern TV culture. Furthermore, every term that was attributed to Bush by his campaign -- the OPPOSITE was then attributed to Kerry.

Finally, Kerry completely neutered himself on the question of the Iraq War. From his vote for the IWR, to his explanation of "I voted for the $87B before I voted against it," to his Vietnam fetish of "reporting for duty" to his refusal to call for a withdrawl of troops and only promising to prosecute the war on Iraq "better" -- his strategy on this end was a complete and utter disaster.

Sadly, I think he would follow a similar path in the future. And he would go down in flames even WORSE than this time. By all means, he should remain in the Senate -- but he has just about ZERO chance of even getting the nomination in 2008, let alone having a snowball's chance in the general.

[KittyWampus]

23. Wrong. FRAUD Put Jr. Over The Top. Too Bad Some DU'ers Need

to trash Democrats supercedes the need to hold the GOP accountable for Election Fraud.

[Freddie Stubbs]

35. Does Kerry even believe that that he really won?

I've never heard him say so or even insinuate it.

[grace0418]

38. Thank you!

That took far too long for someone to point out. I am amazed how many people forget or refuse to believe what part fraud played in who "won" the election.

[Azathoth]

21. One good thing could come out of this

If Kerry really intends to run again in 2008, he's going to be in campaign mode for the next four years, which means he'll hopefully play a more aggressive and outspoken role in the Senate. If his performance during the Condi confirmation hearings was any indication, I'd say he's on the right track.

[karynnj]

26. It's a win/win situation

Either way he'll use his Senate position to help the Democratic Party and the country as much as possible. From his concession speech and subsequent interviews, he seemed genuinely committed to lobbying for his campaign goals and seems very sensitive to having let people down by losing. He actually seems very focused on so many issues since the elections.

By 2007, it will be clear if he fits the time. If he's suceeded in better positioning the democratic party, he has more of a chance than if he doesn't. Also, even if he does a fantastic job, there still may be someone(s) who is a better candidate. In which case, it may be that Kerry will, like Ted Kennedy, be a powerful Democrat who did a lot but didn't become President.

[robbedvoter]

27. A winner embracing the loser mantra! How infuriating!

And to think some swoon over it - and not all of them are Bushies! My head explodes!
John dear,
There are no lessons to be learned from lies.