Say you landed a personal interview with JK. What would you ask him?

[Klimmer]

This is only hypothetical (?). Imagine you can ask him anything within reason. What would you ask?

Let's not overlap our efforts here. Your question should be unique from all the others on the list that we generate. The questions can be serious or fun.

I'll let other fellow DUers ask and come-up with the most important questions --- the serious political questions and concerns (I've been thinking politics now for too long, my head hurts, and I need a rest). I want to know more about the Senator’s true personality, his love of sports, and his love and concern for the environment (well, O.K. I guess that last one is a serious question). I admire the man for his ability to work hard in the world of politics, and then on his time-off, on vacation, on a well deserved rest --- he plays just as hard. He doesn't waste time hitting a damn ball on a putting green (sorry, didn’t mean to offend any golfers out there). In other words, he really goes for it! I find that inspiring.

So here are the interview questions I want to ask while sitting in a bar in Georgetown over a beer or two with the Senator (a Boston lager of course):

1) Why does the Senator actively participate in so many outdoor adventure sports, pursuits that people often refer to as "Extreme Sports"? Over the years I have formulated my own answers from my own perspective and to these same questions, just for those times when I’m asked. I too share with the Senator the same enthusiasm for the outdoors and adventure sport. However, I want to hear the Senator's apologist arguments. And how is it that he does these sports, amazingly, at very competent levels. I think these are important questions to answer to really get into his psyche, since the public often has the misperception that anyone participating in these "extreme sports" is nuts, or worse --- suicidal --- and that just isn't the reality. In fact, I would argue that it is just the opposite.

In an interview for the Boston Globe Senator Kerry stated, “I hope America is ready for somebody who honestly appreciates doing the things that he or she does, Extreme sports are things I love to do and have done . . . Obviously, if I were to be president, it would be harder to go out and do those things, I understand that."

Senator, I really do appreciate that you do what I do. Well, since you are not in the White House you have four more years to play really hard when you are not working at saving our nation or the world. Don’t waste this time. When you are in the White House it will be harder to do for sure. But hey, Secret Service agents love to do these sorts of things --- don’t they? And just look what Senior President **** has been able to do after the Presidency --- he jumps out of perfectly good airplanes with Secret Service in tow! God, they got to love that. And you can’t let **** senior show you up. So no, you will have to continue. You will have to keep going "extreme." NGU.

Here is a list of sports/outdoor activities that Senator John Kerry has been known to participate in
and/or continues to participate in. This list is by no means exhaustive. Some would be placed on the list "extreme" and some wouldn’t:

General Aviation, Hang Gliding, Paragliding, Alpine Skiing, Snow Boarding, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse, Soccer, Fencing, Sailing, Motor Boating, Hunting, Motorcycling, Surfing, Wind-Surfing, Kite Boarding, likes playing catch with a football and baseball, Cycling . . .

Questions: Senator, so why do you do "Extreme Sports"? Is "Extreme" really an appropriate description for these activities; isn’t the term over-used? Doesn’t the term put a negative connotation in some peoples’ minds? Why not instead use a more positive expression such as outdoor adventure sports?

2) Also, I highly suspect that the Senator’s pursuit of outdoor adventure sport is intimately connected in some meaningful way with his proud record on protecting the environment. When you have emotional personal experiences with the natural Earth, I believe you can’t help but appreciate it, care for it, and then fight hard to protect it. Many well known conservationists, such as John Muir and David Brower, would do incredible adventures of "peril" only to come back from these ventures to fight that much harder to save the environment.

Q: I want to understand more about the connection between your pursuit of outdoor sport, being in the environment, and your congressional environmental record. Senator, are these three synchronized for you in some meaningful way?

3) For background here are the Senator's accomplishments within General Aviation (GA) and free-flight:

In an interview with the Boston Globe the Senator stated, "Like most pilots, I’ll fly anything I can
get my hands on that I’m licensed to or allowed to."

Status: Active. All ratings and medical are current. Licensed private pilot since 1966, Single-
engine and Multi-engine rating, Instrument rating, Commercial rating, Seaplane rating, and Glider
Rating.

Within free-flight: Glider rating (sailplanes), Hang Gliding Pilot Rating: Advanced (H4) since
5/8/1990. Senator Kerry has gone tandem paragliding and has taken lessons in Ketchum/Sun Valley, ID. "At one time, US Senator John Kerry, who has a home near Ketchum, trained to become a paragliding pilot. Smith said Kerry's Senate schedule prevented him from having enough time to complete training." The Senator’s USHGA membership expired 7/31/04. Probably have to excuse the Senator for this lapse since, I believe, he was just a little bit preoccupied in July of 2004.

Questions: Senator what are your most memorable moments while soaring a glider (sailplane), hang glider, and paraglider? When was the last time you flew your hang glider? Do the skills of flying in ridge lift, thermals, convergence, magic-lift, glass-off, and waves, and the intimate knowledge of micro-meteorology that is necessary to do so pay-off in some way by making you a more skilled and safer GA pilot? Do you have dreams of flight? Does anyone in your immediate family, besides your father have the same desire and love of flying? So far, what has been your favorite aircraft to fly? What advice do have for someone who wants to get into free-flying or GA? Are you going to renew your annual USHGA membership?

4) Q: The following is a list of outdoor adventure sports/recreation that I’m not sure about, but would like to know if you have ever participated in:

Have you ever participated in Back-Country Skiing or Back-Country Snow Boarding, Climbing (Rock, Ice, Snow, or General Mountaineering), Snorkeling or SCUBA Diving, Fishing (ocean, freshwater, or fly fishing), Sky Diving, Skateboarding or Mountain Boarding, or Mountain Biking? Any others I’ve left out?

5) Q: Can I get an invite along with my family, my skiis, and my paraglider to Ketchum/Sun Valley, ID, sometime to do a powder run with you and to share a warm thermal free-flying?
:toast:

O.K, so what would you ask the Senator?

[elshiva]

1. LOL, Klimmer.

As a very proud bi woman and not a sports fan, I would ask the Senator some questions about what most concerns me: gay rights.
"In the SOTU, Bush said he would again try to pass a gay marriage ban. Would you again, vote this measure down, as you did with FMA? Why or why not?"
"Now that gay civil unions are legal and your state, what do you see as the next step for gays in Mass?"
Must think up more specific ones based on votes. Only know that he is a great champion for gay rights. The HRC gives him a 100% rating.

[Klimmer]

15. Are you sure you're not a sports fan?

"As a very proud bi woman and not a sports fan, . . ."

The images that pop into my head suggest if you double the pleasure, suggests you have to be twice as fit, which means working out, which means sports, and the actual "activity" I would say can be very athletic at times. Sounds like your a sports fan if you catch my meaning ;-)
(I mean nothing more than respect and good humor in this post)

[ginnyinWI]

2. I think you left out

hunting: he has been a hunter since he was 12.

What would I like to discuss? Well, as I was an English major, I'd like to talk to him about his poetry and some of his favorite poets, and how they have influenced/inspired him. And also what works of literature he has read and loved, and why.
He does write poetry, and he has committed some poems of others to memory. So I'd be most curious about that.

But then if I were actually in that situation, being a shy type, I'd most likely I'd be saying no more than "uh...uh...uh....!"

[elshiva]

4. Yeh, I'd be like err.. um..hi... and run and hide.

If I was really brave I'd ask him:
"Senator you said in your concession that you wanted to embrace your supporters. I voted for you. Can I please hug you?"
I've always wanted to hug him. Just hug him mind you! I'm not Mrs. Kerry!

[TayTay]

3. Ahm, the Globe thing

What in Gawd's name happened between you and the Boston Globe? I mean really, the inside scoop, I really, really want to know.

Alternative question: What really happened on the Iraq War vote? I have heard that you were talked into that vote by Jim Jordan for purely political reasons. Is that true? (It's okay, I still loves ya, but I want to know, was it Jordan's evil influence or what?)

[Firespirit]

5. Several questions.

These aren't the most profound in the universe, but hey, at least I'm being honest.... ;)

1. How do you do it? What's your secret for staying calm, keeping your cool, yet delivering unrecoverable knockout punches?

Like many passionate liberals, I have a tendency to get angry, lose my temper, and say or do things that probably don't help. There are others who take it farther than I do and what's worse, seem to expect you and others in Washington to act in the same way. What's the secret? Is it just public pressure?


2. I know what you must say in public and I understand why you say it, but do you really honestly think that this was a legitimate election?

If so, on what facts do you base that belief? What was your explanation for X and Y and Z (assorted unexplained bizarre "voting" patterns) ? What information do you have to justify a dismissal of the informed allegations that voting and vote-counting machines in two or possibly three states were rigged for your opponent?

And if you don't think this was legit, well, revert to question 1, with extra emphasis...


3. You are running again, right?


Like I said, not very profound. :evilgrin: But then, there's not too much in his record that I have a complaint with. When his votes didn't please me, his explanations for them at least made sense (e.g., Iraq war vote) and I could understand where he was coming from.

[elshiva]

6. Question 1 is really good.

We liberals can get pretty emotional.

[ginnyinWI]

7. I like your question #2

I'd really like to know, too. I'd believe his answer, whichever way he went. If Kerry doesn't know, then nobody knows!

My guess as to his answer to #1 is that he would say: you don't take it personally. And that once you've been shot at, nothing else seems as scary. And that if you know who you are, it doesn't matter what other people say about you. And that he's been taking this crap all of his life and if he couldn't deal with it, he'd have been out of politics a long time ago. And that it's worth it to be able to do the work he does. :)

[JohnKleeb]

8. How do we go about getting rid of the goddamn New York Yankees?

ha, he actually joked in an ESPN interview if he were commissioner of baseball he'd do this.

[elshiva]

12. Yeah, hey maybe he missed his calling.

Red Sox and Orioles fans' dream is to get rid of Yankees.
So, Kerry in 2008 For Commissioner of Baseball.

[JohnKleeb]

14. Its my dream too

I hate those bastards.

[saracat]

9. Well, having actually interviewed hin during the election,

I would ask him now, If he didn't really believe that there was some signifigant election fraud and , what was the status of the pending case regarding the evidence in Ohio? How bad a problem does he think we have with vote counting in this nation? And what is he going to participate in doing to reform our election process!

[TayTay]

10. I love that question Saracat

What publication were you working for during the campaign?

BTW, Conyers and Tubbs-Jones have filed legislation again to correct election problems. I hope that the newly invigorated Dems sign on to it.

[saracat]

11. A Democratic Sponsored Television Show.

It is called Politically Speaking. We interview everybody of note when they come to town.
I think he knows that there was tampering. I find McAuliffe putting the $500K into investigating Ohio now interesting. Why now?
And K/E did file to preserve the evidence and to get access to it, which is exactly was Terry is referencing. I wonder why?

[TheDonkey]

13. I'd like to ask him some personal questions

1) Why are you a Democrat? What do you think this party has to bring America?

2) What would one word advice you could pass on to younger Americans.

3) What is a memory you will always cherish?

4) What are your opinions on the mainstream media? In particular how they portrayed you in the 04 campaign?

5) Would you punch Bush in the face is no one would ever know??? Can I punch Bush in the face?!?

6) What are some of your ideas to modernize America for the 21st century, including: modern energy, communication and transportation

[Klimmer]

16. Some political questions I have to ask . . .

1) Will you nail the "SBV of Lies" to the wall for all of their untruths and expose them to the public for who and what they really are?

2) Will you make the public more aware of all that you have done while in the Senate, such as investigating and exposing the Reagan/Bush admin. involvement in Iran/Contra/CIA/Drug ordeal. The public needs to know that the CIA in a in-house document years later admitted to what you had discovered, verifying your investigation. The public needs to know this. I would like to see that CIA document that admits to this also.

3) Will you make the public more aware of your investigations into and the taking down of BCCI "the terrorists bank of choice" and how the Bush Crime Family was involved with this bank financially?

Senator you have done so much and everyone needs to know this in a very big way. Some of this I didn't learn about until just after the election, and I've been reading everything I can get my hands on. All of your accomplishments (let's not forget what you have done for the MIA/POW issue, and normalizing relations with Vietnam) need to be front and center in the public's mind. The Repugs arguing that you hadn't accomplished anything while in the Senate, what utter crap!