Kerry was in 'Nam four months, but has been a Senator for 19+ YEARS

[no name no slogan]

I guess we should have seen the whole SBVT thing coming after the DNC.

For some reason, the powers that ran the convention seemed to think that those four months Lt. J.G. Kerry spent in the Mekong Delta were somehow more important than his long, distinguished service in the the U.S. Senate.

Maybe it's because we're all "afraid" of looking "weak on defense" in these days of rainbow-flavored terra alerts, but basing so much of Kerry's appeal on a mere four months of his life was bound to backfire sooner or later.

Instead of focusing on Sen. Kerry's long list of accomplishments in the Senate, his handlers have chosen to run him as a better "war president", based on his actions of 35+ years ago, as a freshly-minted 23-year-old swift boat commander.

When this country was last truly at war (WWII), did we select our commander-in-chief based upon his actions during WWI, or upon his military service as a 23-year-old manchild?

Hardly! We chose a president who had experience as a statesman, who knew how to push legislation that would not only get the support of an overwhelming majority of Americans, but would rescue this country from assured economic collapse.

Senator Kerry, I and many other voting Americans really don't give a damn about what you did when you were 23 years old, or what kind of courage you showed way back then, or how many VC you killed, or whether or not you have a pound of VC lead in your arse. What we CARE about is what you've DONE for this country since then, as Lt. Governor and Senator, and what you WILL help US DO for OURSELVES when you're elected president.

Do you want to show us REAL courage?

Then STAND UP to corporatized medicine, who doesn't think Americans deserve affordable healthcare.

STAND UP to the Pentagon and the military-industrial complex, who have NEVER seen a bloated, useless weapons program they didn't like.

STAND UP for working people, who know that the WTO and NAFTA are tools of the corporate kleptocracy to export their jobs overseas.

STAND UP for ending this expensive, pointless and immoral Iraq war NOW, rather than in four years.

STAND UP for restoring our constitution, and getting rid of the misguided USA PATRIOT act.

STAND UP for taking back our media from its corporate owners, who decide what news is worth reporting (and what isn't).

STAND UP for HOPE. STAND UP for the TRUTH.

Show us your REAL COURAGE Senator-- not the courage from 35 years ago. Give us a REASON to BELIEVE in you, based on your LAST 20 years, not just on four months in 1969.

DO THAT, Senator, and you won't have to worry about ANY margin of error this November.

:thumbsup: :toast:

[bobbieinok]

1. 1 year on Navy ship and then transfer to swiftboat.....4 mon=RW junk

[Mick Knox]

2. Still; making it his main campaign issue was stupid

He should be running on his Senate Record; not "reporting for duty" and playing the Vietnam card so much. IMO.

[johncory]

9. Bush/GOP set the tone

Do not forget that Bush/GOP set the tone from 9/11 that they alone could save America by the sheer fact that they wer more patriotic, braver, and more than willing to go it alone. Democrats need to be portrayed as weak on war, weak on leadership, and when critical of the Iraq war - unpatriotic.

A man who has been to war needed to slap them in the face for their hypocrisy and manipulation of patriotism and tragedy. That was the needed first step.

Watch what follows very soon.

[TheRovingGourmet]

3. Well said.

[blm]

4. This is post 9-11 and it MATTERS who UNDERSTANDS war and peace issues.

Kerry does.

And, btw...shame on you for perpetuating the RNC image that Kerry has no record on all those other issues. During his years in office he has MORE progressive achievements and exposed more government corruption than most of the other candidates added together.

[TheRovingGourmet]

5. I think the poster's point was to challenge Kerry to stand up

and talk about these issues and what he has done about them over the years.

[Mick Knox]

7. Me too

Instead is Vietnam Vietnam Vietnam Vietnam Medals Medals Medals AWOL AWOL AWOL

NOONE talking about the issues. Kerry does every now and then Vietnam lay out stuff he thinks is being done wrong (even if he agrees with them in principle)... I'll be damned Vietnam if you dont have to dig into the depest darkest bowels of his website to MAYBE learn a plan on what he will do Vietnam about it.

Thats my take anyway.

Vietnam Vietnam Vietnam

[no name no slogan]

12. You nailed it. He's just playing the media's/Repug's games

Instead of even TRYING to dictate the terms of the debate, he's playing along with the smear campaign, and our forces are joining in the mudslinging. Thereby proving to most Americans that the Democrats are no better than the Repugs, and that BOTH parties are more interested in pissing on each other than actually ADDRESSING the issues Americans are worried about.

Most Americans favor a government-sponsored publicly-funded universal healthcare plan-- why don't Kerry or Bush?

Most Americans now think Iraq was a mistake-- why do Kerry and Bush want to continue the occupation, indefinately?

Most Americans also think that corporations have too much control of the country and the economy-- why do both Kerry and Bush favor corporate-friendly "free trade" agreements over fair trade?

Oh, that's right, Kerry was wounded three times in 'Nam 35 years ago. And Dubya was AWOL from the Texas Air Guard. Glad we cleared that up, for the umpfuckingteenth time. :eyes:

[blm]

10. He has and does. the media will only play up issues of war now.

It will only get worse after the GOP convention.

The war on terror and who can fight it will be almost all you hear about. Face it...the media is NOT on our side, so we outplay them on their own field. We have the candidate who can do it best. And will win.

[DoYouEverWonder]

6. Sure beats being a lazy drunk for 20+ years

At least Kerry had a job.

[Bongo Prophet]

8. Swifty BS was coming anyway.

If you don't think so, you don't know the enemy.

We saw it forming BEFORE the convention.
Two tours, not 4 months.
A setup to contrast and compare with W, and get the alpha male doubts of "wimpy liberl from Mass" out of the way, so that he COULD continue to focus on STANDING UP for the POSITIVE plans for health care, working people, etc. that is on your list.

He HAS real courage, and it is proven throughout his career.
In Vietnam.
After Vietnam, fighting Nixon.
As DA, going after corruption, rather than minor drug BS.
As Senator, investigating BCCI, Iran/contra, etc.
As Senator, getting benefits and recognition for Agent Orange victims, Gulf war syndrome, environmental issues.
He has saved lives in his service.

He won't do EVERYTHING I would wish for, but he is NOT "stupid"-- and we are grownups here, right?
Inform yourself a bit more, reflect on the fact that there is more to the picture than is on the surface, and prepare for a looong fight against these dark forces of night!

/rant over
The hydra headed beast takes much stealth and cunning to defeat.
:nuke:

[no name no slogan]

11. Then WHY doesn't he PLAY THIS UP?

Instead, he relies on his Vietnam service from 35+ freaking years ago!

WHO THE HELL CARES! I want to see him run on his (rather exemplary) SENATE RECORD. Who fucking cares what a bunch of Swift Boat liars says?!?!?!

Every time WE (and the Kerry campaign) feed into this shit, we just LEGITIMIZE the fact that we're letting the Repubs and their surrogates DICTATE the terms of this election.

Why don't we just ANSWER their baseless accusations, and THEN bring up the facts about Kerry's accomplishments from his Senate career, especially compared to the dismall Dubya record?

Instead, we're stuck playing "who's the bigger war hero", and then slander Bush, JUST LIKE THEY DID TO US, and thereby proving to Mr. & Mrs. American Voter that BOTH parties are slimeballs who have NOTHING better to do than slander each other about events from 35+ years ago, at the expense of talking about why their program is the better one?

Or could it be that, since both parties are stuck with such shitty platforms this year, that they're simply not worth talking about?

Once again, the real loser is America.