The Globe (or Glenn Johnson, not sure) decide to report on Kerry's support of gay marriage

[Mass]

by using the flip-flop and unpleasant meme.

http://www.boston.com/Boston/politicalintelligence/2011/07/kerry-acknowledges-gay-marriage-change/1BkSv0gFq3qIYzLyLp5gbL/index.html

Kerry acknowledges gay marriage change
...
Seven years after a presidential campaign in which he threaded the needle by explaining his support for the gay rights revolution taking place in his home state while not supporting gay marriage himself, US Senator John Kerry, a Democrat from Massachusetts, has a declaration.

He now supports gay marriage.

Kerry didn’t reveal his change of position during a news conference, like he called last week in Boston to air his views about the federal debt negotiations.

He didn’t do so in a speech on the floor of the US Senate, like he delivered with evident pride last month after Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup.

He came out, if you will, in a more inert fashion last March, when his staff answered a survey from a Globe reporter inquiring about whether members of the state’s congressional delegation favored gay marriage and the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act.
...
During an interview yesterday, Kerry acknowledged his change of heart but bristled at any suggestion he was tip-toeing into a political-180.

“What was the question? ‘Do you support gay marriage?’ What was the answer? ‘Yes,’” he said. “I mean, I can’t – I’m sorry the Globe didn’t write more about it or say something about it, but that’s not my doing. I said ‘yes.’ And then I voluntarily, spontaneously wrote an op-ed, because I thought it was important for people to understand the value of the journey that I took.”
...

Coming by the same man whoa few weeks ago relayed a Brown's paid poll showing him way with a 62 % of approval without a beat (he eventually had to add to the article that it was Brown's paid, but the first version did not say anything)... Grrr!!!!
And, BTW, if they were going to report on Kerry today, it seems that this would be the way to go: Kerry in disagreement with the WH, not this non-sense about gay marriage, that would not be a surprise if they covered senator Kerry, as he said so a few years ago in a town-hall meeting.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2011/07/22/debt_talks_raise_angst_with_democrats/

Senator John Kerry urged the White House, both publicly and privately, to drop plans for an immediate overarching compromise and proceed with a more basic deal that would allow the debt limit to be increased in return for some immediate budget cuts and pledges to soon reform the tax code.
“We’ve got to get off the dime here and get onto a single plan that we’re working on to get this done properly in the next few days,’’ the Massachusetts Democrat said. “The notion that you’re going to have some big thing that’s agreed upon between either the White House or some Republicans or whatever, and everybody’s going to say ‘OK that’s it,’ and it involves massive cuts . . . I have a problem with that.’’

[Luftmensch067]

1. My least favorite thing about Glen Johnson is

that he consistently refuses to quote JK without first squeezing his words into some insulting frame. What JK says in this excerpt is strong and clear, but Johnson has already characterized his manner as "bristling", minimized his attitude with "acknowledged" and suggested that with the quote that follows, he was "tip-toeing into a political-180." This prejudices the unwary reader and, to me, demonstrates Johnson's cowardice. He's afraid to let JK's firm, positive words stand on their own merits.

[karynnj]

2. My least favorate was his despicable behavior at the Kerry news conference announcing he had cancer

That will always be something I will never be able to get past. To call him a liar because Kerry a few weeks earlier avoided a rudely asked question when given the first question after Kerry said he was having surgery in the next day or two for the type of cancer his father died of shows a complete lack of any empathy.

I have seriously never heard of any other politician treated this way. I would suspect that even if Murdock were to have a news conference announcing he had cancer, he would be treated better. It is simply human nature to wish the person well hearing that - almost a reflex.

This article is asinine. If Glen so wants to write about flip flopping, why not write an article about the small business bill that failed to get pass a filibuster this May. After all, he did write an article that Brown was co-sponsoring it earlier this year. Yet, though NOTHING was added that Brown did not vote for or taken out, Brown in May joined the filibuster, likely because the Republicans were not allowed to add an amendment gutting the EPA or an amendment that would have rescinded all as yet unused stimulus money. That is a flip flop - and one that is grossly partisan.

Johnson's complaint about how Kerry indicated his changed position is asinine and ignores that his first step was to sign on as cosponsor on the bill repealing DOMA and to send out a press release. (You know JUST like Brown did on the bill he later filibustered.) Kerry happily and eloquently celebrating the Bruins' win was speaking for Massachusetts - and Brown followed him. It is standard that the two Senators from either state do this. It might be appropriate when (if) the Senate debates the new act repealing DOMA for Kerry to speak as he did in the op-ed, but to use the Senate floor to speak of this personal journey when that issue was not being debated would be odd and egocentric. Not to mention Johnson would be first in line to call Kerry out for wasting Senate time when he could be addressing the debt crisis or jobs or joining Howie Carr in calling him liveshot if had a press conference.

What I suspect is that Johnson dislikes that Kerry really has been credible and honest on this issue from the beginning, even if he moved slower than many would have wanted. He voted against DOMA and called it what it was. His 2004 position really did thread a needle, and it had to, but it also was a major step beyond any past nominee to call for equal federal rights for any state approved union - trying to turn the difference into one of semantics. The younger, not Catholic, Obama did not move any further and spoke less about the federal rights. I'm sure that Johnson knows that openly supporting gay marriage would have made Kerry's 2004 campaign DOA as soon as he stated that. One thing he always stayed true on was demanding they have equal rights.

I think the first statement in favor of gay marriage was in 2008 in a response to a question from our friend, Cambridge Paul, who many of us traded posts with on BlueMassGroup, at Tufts University. At that time, Kerry did not say it as simply or comfortably, but he did - and Noisy Democrat got it on tape! Since then, especially working to keep a Brazilian spouse in the US, Kerry's actions matched his words.

Just thinking - my guess is that the link between Johnson's reaction here and on the cancer story may be the same. He resents that he broke neither story. On gay marriage, it was his fault, he opted not to write a story - likely thinking it "not news" or bizarrely hoping that Kerry would be stuck with his positions frozen in time as others were allowed to evolve. (The media tried to do this on Iraq as well) On the cancer story, he likely does not see that this was a story that Kerry had all rights to control as he chose - as long as he did not try to keep it secret through the time that people needed to make decisions where they should know that.