Last night I was privileged to participate in a conference call with Senator Kerry meant for Massachusetts bloggers who wanted to hear about his campaign for reelection to the Senate later this year. And I realized, listening to him, that the theory I’ve been nurturing lately is absolutely true: John Kerry has never stopped being the grassroots activist he was before he began his political career.

We’ve all been involved in some grassroots effort and we know how it works: it’s a matter of vision, goals, organization and sheer grit. You’re fighting some form of City Hall, usually, and the only way to fight an institution that has all the power you lack is — every which way you can think of! That means demonstrations, door to door work, phone calls, flyering, rallies, letters to the editor, blog entries, media attention if you can get it. It means getting the truth out past the machine that is trying to shut you down. It requires ingenuity and relentless determination. Lots of the time you have to lose and get right back up again and keep going ’til you finally get to victory.

I knew John Kerry had done all those things when he was a young veteran, just returned from Vietnam, first working to make a safe, healthy environment, helping to organize the very first Earth Day in 1970, and then speaking out on college campuses and on the Dick Cavett Show and in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, speaking out to defend his brothers in arms, those still dying overseas, and those who had returned home scarred in body, mind and spirit. He was an organizer and an activist in those movements, and a highly effective one whose success worried the Nixon White House into a personal attack campaign against him.

Since that day in November 2004 when he bravely conceded a narrow defeat in his fight for the presidency and I watched him get back up and start working again toward his goals for Massachusetts and the nation, I’ve been realizing that everything he does is still in that grassroots activist mold. He is still fighting City Hall to get the truth out to the American people and he still uses every means open to him. That means filibustering Alito and being one of the earliest and strongest voices to tell us the smart way to be successful in Iraq and Afghanistan without continuing to put our brave troops’ lives in harm’s way. That means speeches on the Senate floor, but also blogging and the print (more…)

It’s not another edition of Tales from the Kerryverse this time, but rather a guest post by mbk, a supporter of JK’s whom I especially honor for her own excellence. She is a keen observer of the political scene and a wonderful writer. I thank her for the opportunity to post this essay here:

HONORING EXCELLENCE, by mbk

Near the end of July, my son and I saw the delightful new film, “Ratatouille.” But that is not my story. My story is about my mental journey from “Ratatouille” to John Kerry and the troubled state of our democracy. With fresh memories of our afternoon at the movies, I read David Denby’s review of “Ratatouille” in the July 23, 2007 issue of The New Yorker with special attention.

Discussing Brad Bird, the creator of both “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille”, Denby concluded:

At a time when many Americans have so misunderstood the ethos of democracy that they hate being outclassed by anyone, when science is disdained as dangerous and expertise as elitism, this animation artist has made two brilliant movies that unequivocally champion excellence.

I thought: BINGO. In one sentence, Denby captured the core of what’ s gone wrong with our democracy today: the tragic outcomes (or “outcomes”, as I view those outcomes as fraudulent) of the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, and the tragically misbegotten administration of George W. Bush that came to us as our booby prize; the astonishing irresponsibly shallow political reporting (or “reporting”) of the mainstream media, especially from 2000 onwards; and the substitution of yelling, game-playing, buck-passing, and finger-pointing for intelligent, thoughtful political discourse in our society generally. I thought: Denby nailed us.

Denby’s sentence also offers for me a resolution to a paradox that causes me daily frustration, bafflement, and pain. In 2004, we had right under our noses, the best (that is , the most thoughtful, most deeply and broadly qualified, full of ideas to save the environment and extricate us from Iraq, a war hero and patriot who, for decades, has regularly put his country’s interests ahead of his own, a man of sterling character) presidential candidate I’ve seen in my adult life, the best, in fact, I’m likely ever to see. But instead we elected (or “elected”), for a second time, even after experiencing four years of his incompetence and dishonesty, the worst president (or “president”) in United States history. WHY? OK, in my opinion, John Kerry actually won, the election was stolen from him, and someday we’ll learn all the ways the votes were stolen. But the vote was still close. My question: how could the vote even have been close? How could anyone except the most incurably right-wing segment of the electorate not vote for John Kerry?

Since 2004, John Kerry has continued to fight for our country, stronger and bolder and more courageous than ever. He is a model of integrity, deeply patriotic, a man of conscience and action, everything that a politician should be. He has a sense of humor, and intelligence, and a wonderful, accomplished family that loves him, to boot. And he has not only his Band of Brothers, but a band of fiercely loyal political supporters from 2004 and beyond. And he has thoroughly earned that support. He is a man who doesn’t just talk the talk: he walks the walk. Isn’t this the kind of man we say we want? And yet there are members of the press, closed-minded bloggers of the right and left, and self-interested members of his own party who continue to describe John Kerry with petty carping, and with outright lies*.

My question is: Why do these people refuse to see this man? Why do they seem so threatened by this man? What is wrong out there?

Well, Denby again has the answer: as a country we have become afraid to appreciate, and perhaps have forgotten even how to recognize, excellence. How long has it been since I’ve heard that word in connection with American politics? Decades.

Here’s the thing: John Kerry is an excellent man and an excellent senator, and he would have been an absolutely first-rate president. He is absolutely serious about taking our country back, to get us out of Iraq, to move us forward on the environment. He is thoughtful, compassionate, and he has grit and guts.

As of now, it looks like we can’t have him as president. But if we can’t have him as president, we need at least to recognize the excellence of this man, and our good fortune that he continues to fight for our country, in the Senate and elsewhere.

Various people have speculated about how future historians will view the presidency of George W. Bush. Personally, I think the answer is a no-brainer. But I believe that the real questions of this presidency, and the ones likely to puzzle those historians as much as they have me, are these: how could the American people have let this happen to their country, to our country? Why did they elect (or “elect”) this man twice, or even tolerate him for 5 minutes, especially with two deeply qualified alternatives? Why did the press aid and abet the Bush administration for so long, and why does it continue to kow-tow to the rich, the established, and the powerful?

This is what I think: no matter who our next president will be, our country remains in danger if our citizens and our press cannot see, or refuse to see, excellence, integrity, and real leadership when it’s right there in front of them. Want to see excellence and integrity in action? Want to see real leadership? See this man. See this leader. Be grateful that Sen. Kerry is still out there, fighting for us and for our country.

If you doubt my words, or would like to know more, check out the stories here, the videos, audiotapes, speech transcripts, and blog posts at johnkerry.com, and kerry.senate.gov, and at several other non-official web sites (http://www.kerryvision.net, among others) focused on Sen. Kerry’s commitment to returning our country to its highest self.

I hope that readers and bloggers will offer here their own favorite stories and quotes, among Sen. Kerry’s speeches, initiatives and his many good deeds. But for starters, I recommend a few favorites of mine: (a) at http://www.johnkerry.com/multimedia/video, see Sen. Kerry’s highly personal Oct. 29, 2006 speech, on his cancer (around 10 minutes in), and that of his father (around 8 or 9 minutes in) and his former wife, linking his personal experiences to larger issues of health care, family values, and social responsibility. (b) At the non-official “KerryVision” blog, see the commentary and YouTube video at http://www.kerryvision.net/2007/08/jk_the_fire_fighters.html, on Sen. Kerry’s help to firefighters and their families after the disastrous 1999 Worcester, MA fire.

In the Massachusetts tourist town where I work for much of the summer, I was startled to realize one early August afternoon the number of cars who still have “Kerry for president” and “Kerry/Edwards” stickers on their cars. My count of parked cars on my 1-block Friday afternoon stroll : John Kerry stickers (3: 2 from MA, 1 from Connecticut); Kerry/Edwards (4: 3 from MA, 1 from North Carolina). Some of these were a little faded, but none had been damaged. In all but one case, the Kerry or Kerry/Edwards sticker was the only bumper sticker on the car, and they clearly were quite deliberately preserved. I saw no stickers that afternoon for 08 candidates, no stickers for Bush. So here’s my question: did stickers persist this long after earlier elections? Do those persistent stickers mean that at least some people out there know exactly what we lost? I hope the answer is yes.

A week or so later, I passed a man in a Kerry/Edwards shirt, walking his dog, on a residential street in the same summer town. We nodded at each other, in mutual understanding.

mbk

(*For latest example, consider cyberspace blather on the “taser incident”. Factual antidotes to internet misinformation are available at http://www.johnkerry.com/2007/9/19/update-and-info-on-the-uf-incident and http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/18/student.tasered/)

I’ve been away for the month of September, once again busy with parental care. I’ve kept up with Senator Kerry’s activities as much as possible and, as always, I’m impressed with his attention to a broad spectrum of issues, among them:

• finding a diplomatic and political solution in Iraq so that we can begin to bring our troops home safely while still pursuing an outcome of peace and stability in the region
• taking a realistic approach to the global threat of terrorism (listen to the teleconference at the link for JK’s remarks)
• mounting a spirited campaign to preserve American children’s access to health care (I noticed that President Bush was unwilling to set benchmarks for Iraqi politicians but QUITE happy to set benchmarks for SCHIP which would mean that children would have to be uninsured for a whole year of their young lives…)
• real action on climate change (support for the UN conference of world leaders this last week and a pointed challenge to the President to truly lead on this issue, which he ultimately failed to do…again) Again, audio at the first link.
• leadership on making the internet accessible and affordable for all Americans, not just those who can afford it, especially small businesses who need access in order to compete and keep our economy diverse, creative and vital

September was also the month in which another phony attack (see the Swift Boat Liars, see the “botched joke”) was mounted against Senator Kerry when a student at a University of Florida town hall meeting where he was the featured speaker was tasered by university police.

This incident, in which JK behaved with courtesy and respect to a young man bent on disrupting the event, was inflated by (more…)

Is anybody there?
Does anybody care?
Does anybody see what I see?

They want to me to quit; they say
John, give up the fight
Still to England I say
Good night, forever, good night!
For I have crossed the Rubicon
Let the bridge be burned behind me
Come what may, come what may

Commitment!

Listening to William Daniels’ stirring performance of John Adams’ song from the Sherman Edwards musical 1776 in this clip, you can hear the fireworks and clanging bells of freedom in the music. He’s singing to an empty chamber, but soon and forever, his vision of independence from tyranny will be heard by millions.

Those of us who have scanned the airwaves for any and every appearance by John Kerry over the last few years (even during the election, you had to keep a weather eye on the (more…)

This week, we received two wonderful stories from two excellent young writers, good enough to warrant their own entries.

First, in honor of Independence Day (and you have to admit Iowans are known for being independent-minded!), newgeneration offers us this memory:

“Thank You, Iowa”

I wanted to make sure the first vote I cast in the Iowa caucus was a smart one, so when I started college in the fall of 2003, I went to see every presidential candidate I could. As the candidates continued to clarify their positions, I switched allegiances more times than I can count. By about four days before the caucuses, I finally had it narrowed down to two; the final deciding factor in Kerry’s favor was that his standing in the polls had suddenly taken a significant upswing, while the numbers for my other favorite candidate, Dick Gephardt, were slowly but steadily dropping. So, on caucus day, (more…)

Today is the beginning of a new Wednesday feature here at John Kerry is My Hero.  Any stories or anecdotes or essays that you care to share about how John Kerry has affected your life will be published in the next Wednesday installment of Tales From the Kerryverse.  Whether it’s an account of a personal meeting or discussion you had with the Senator, what the campaign and his vision for America have meant to you, any story, large or small, funny or serious, as long as it’s positive, will be posted here (Kerry-related personal photos welcome, too!)  Leave your story as a comment on any post here, let me know it’s intended for Tales From the Kerryverse and how you want to be credited and then watch for it the very next Wednesday!

One of my favorite aspects of having learned more about John Kerry and his life and career is the enormous variety of people who have been inspired by him.  I would love to see stories from and about your families, friends, and kids and their adventures in the Kerryverse, too.  

For our first compilation, we have two wonderful stories.

Diane tells us about a chance meeting with the Senator:

I feel like I’ve told this story a million times, but it’s my favorite one.

Years ago – I’d say it must have been in about the late ’80’s – my family and I were strolling around Beacon Hill on a beautiful fall Sunday. We were walking down Beacon Street right near the Bull & Finch Pub, when out of the corner of my eye I noticed a tall man passing who seemed familiar. I did a double take as I realized it was Senator Kerry. At the same time he looked around and smiled at me and said hi. I said hi and smiled back, and that was it. He came across as a little shy, but very friendly.

That tiny incident had a disproportionate effect on me. It taught me that all the garbage I’d read about him in the Globe and Herald was – well – garbage. It taught me not to believe everything I read in the papers. I knew that the kind of person I wanted representing me in the Senate was a man who would walk around and take the time to notice and interact with people on the street, one on one. The meetings I’ve had with him since have only reinforced that initial impression.

and Jessica has sent us this beautiful account of how work on the 2004 campaign and JK and THK’s environmental philosophy had a very tangible effect on her life:

The Little House by Jessica Szabo

The little house 26 miles outside of Pittsburgh was built as the garage to a row house, became a one bedroom home that housed my mother, her sister, and her parents, and years later, my parents and me. (more…)

Do you think he’s a good guy, do you like his politics, have you had a good conversation with him? Please comment here with your (positive!) stories about meeting and/or being inspired by John Kerry (Teresa Heinz Kerry, too!) or send them to the email contact address in my profile. I will collect and publish them here with any credit you like (or anonymously, if you prefer that — please include your wish in your comment or email.)

I’ll see what’s turned up by next Wednesday morning and then publish whatever’s come in.

John Kerry is a great dad. I know this because I have a great dad. My dad is not
perfect and neither am I, but I love him and I know he loves me. Who wants
perfection when you can have that?

That’s the feeling I get every time I see John Kerry with his daughters. Their
lives have not been idealized or airbrushed, but they have triumphed over any
difficulty through love. They tease each other, they laugh together, they are
there in the hard times to support each other. They have a genuine bond, the kind
of connection that it is just not possible to fake and that shows in every smile
or hug.

We see them mostly in public situations, but their love and pride in each other is
plain to see, even in the camera’s glare. These two smart, beautiful, decent women, (more…)

Thanks to Noisy Democrat, who brought this to my attention, I find I’m not the first to have blogged about John Kerry’s superpowers!  The Rude Pundit extolled them just before the 2004 election, far more concretely and pungently than I, in a post that has me cheering and wishing I’d known about it in those tense days so I could have shown it to everyone I know.

OK, just kidding.  But it’s true, in a way.  Before the Democratic National Convention in July, 2004, I saw myself as a true-blue liberal, a “cradle Democrat” — I voted the straight Democratic ticket, I turned up my nose at fundamentalists of all stripes, I supported labor and the underdog, I scoffed at the military, at religion, at career politicians.  Like most people, I’d inherited my beliefs and values from my parents and friends, from books I’d read, from popular culture. 

I was pretty darn ignorant and I liked it that way.

I sat out the 2004 primaries because I was just too heartsick over the debacle of 2000 to risk adding to my despair.  But I knew when the Democratic candidate was chosen, I would work for him.  So when John Kerry became the nominee, I sighed and gritted my teeth and got ready to join the team to get rid of George W. Bush.  I volunteered at the campaign office downtown, donated what money I could, made countless phone calls, sent e-mails and distributed literature. I drove up with friends and canvassed in New Hampshire and as I went door to door and the people of that savvy state asked me hard questions about the candidate, I realized I had to find out a lot more about him if I were going to be an effective campaigner.

I read the Boston Globe biography  and the George Butler photo book first.  Hey, this guy wasn’t “just a politician”, he was a real person, with an amazing history and a really cool family!  I wanted to find out more. (more…)