Come join the fun!
Posted : September 2, 2004 at 6:30 pm [America/Los_Angeles]
[via Comments on Senator Kerry’s blog]
If you’re an American, have acceess to the internet, consider that this election is “important” for you and your family, then come join the “fun”! It’s really empowering. Don’t just sit around and listen to what “others” have to say. Write. Let your voice be heard!
For example, this gentleman at 6:33 PM EST on Sep. 2nd 2004, decided to “do” something about what he perceived as an election slipping away from Senator John Kerry .
Dear Senator John F. Kerry:
How has your vacation been? We saw you windsurfing in Nantucket.
Fabulous. We wish you were here. Let me tell you what’s happened since
you were away.Many hands are wringing in Democratic circles. Panic is setting in.
You’ve slipped in the polls. You lost the “bounce.” Momentum has
shifted to George Bush, and many are saying it looks like another four
years.Is this overreaction?
While normally I’d say your average Democrat tends to freak a bit too easily
and early, this time I have to say …Senator Kerry, you’re on the wrong track.
I didn’t want to be the one to tell you this, but someone needed to
light a little fire under your ass. I’m going to do this. I am just a
common citizen, but I have the matches and the fuel, and you need to
feel the heat. Our nation depends on it. It depends on you.First, it has become apparent to us common citizens out here that
you are under some misperceptions. Let me disabuse you of them quickly
before it is too late.1. This campaign is NOT about issues.
Do not expect the media to explain the issues, do not think the
American people will sift through positions, do not hope the
Republicans will engage in a debate over policy. They won’t. I know
this disappoints you, but let it go.2. This campaign is NOT about who is smarter or more eloquent.
The press will not gauge the intellect of the candidates, the people
will not hold George Bush’s malapropisms against him, and the
Republicans will use George Bush’s verbal stumblings and jibberish as
evidence of his folksy wit. I’m sure you wish that intelligence and
eloquence were prerequisites for public service. They aren’t. Let it go.3. This campaign is NOT nice.
The pundits will not laud you for staying above the fray, the public
will not care if politicians go negative, and Republicans will not be
nice. If the month of August didn’t teach you this, welcome back to
school. “Nice” is not part of the campaign lexicon. Let it go.Now that you have a keen grasp of the obvious, let’s make sure your reach exceeds it.
There is only one thing this campaign is about: Character.
That’s it. If you think it is about anything else, you will lose.
Since I don’t want you to lose, I’m going to let you in on a little
known secret: As far as character goes, you have tons of it; George
Bush has none.What’s that? You think I’m being extreme? Does this run counter to
your intellect and sense of fair play?Well, what did I tell you about being intelligent and playing nice? Right. Let it go.
So, Senator Kerry, let’s start playing dumb and being mean. I know
this will be hard for you, so I am giving you a template — a rough
draft of a speech if you will. You are free to use it, edit it, improve
upon it. But you cannot ignore it.After this Labor Day, I suggest you call a press conference and say a little
something like this:My fellow Americans:
Over a month ago at my party’s convention, I invited George W. Bush
and the Republican Party to engage in a positive campaign on the issues
that matter most to people: jobs, health care, the war, and national
security.This invitation was refused. They didn’t even RSVP. Instead, they
threw their own month-long party — a party of lies, innuendo, and
half-truths. A party in which they decided to make character, not
issues, the focus of the campaign. My character.Well, I’ve got news for them. Their campaign against my character
revealed more about the character of that party and their leader than
it could ever reveal about me.Last month, this character attack began as a group smeared my war
record with flat out lies that did a disservice to all soldiers who’ve
fought for this nation. This group was led by a former Nixon operative
with a 30-year vendetta against me and was funded, staffed, and
counseled by members of George Bush’s own re-election team.And what did George Bush do when asked — by members of his own
party no less — to condemn these smears and lies? He let this group
keep fighting for him and refused to accept responsibility. This tells
me something about character.Capping off a month of attacks on my war record, George Bush and his
team threw a convention, where hatred against me and misrepresentations
about my character exploded with an extremism and fervor not worthy of
America’s values. A convention filled with lies about my devotion to
the security of this country, distortions of my voting record, and
disparagement of my patriotism.What did George Bush do when he heard these lies and distortions? He
let them flow unabated, without voicing an objection. As before, he let
other people fight for him and avoided being dirtied by their
mud-slinging. This tells me something about character.Then, in a most vulgar display of hate, George Bush’s surrogate
fighters took it a disgusting and unthinkable step further, handing out
novelty “purple-heart bandages” at their own convention to mock the
medals our true soldiers who’ve served and bled for this nation so
honorably deserve.Again, what did George Bush do when he saw this hideous public
display? He waited silently while those operatives fought for him and
then rode in above the fray, never being held to account for what took
place on his behalf and for his benefit. This tells me something about
character.My fellow Americans, these attacks tell me something about character
because I know deep in my soul what true character is. Character means
standing up for oneself, fighting one’s own battles, and taking
responsibility for the outcome whatever it may be. I know this because,
no matter what George Bush and the Republicans say or suggest, I lived
it.I volunteered to fight for this country in Vietnam when others fled
and dodged. I watched my friends fight and die for this country. And
yes, I bled for this country and I killed for this country. I didn’t
have anyone fight for me. I didn’t hide. And I accepted responsibility
for my actions.In fact, I felt so accountable for my actions that when I came home,
I fought against that war because I thought it was being mishandled by
the men in power. And for that, I was put on an “Enemies List” by the
very men in power I once served and fought for. But I didn’t have
anyone fight for me. I didn’t hide. And I accept, to this day,
responsibility for my efforts to end a misguided war and bring my
fellow veterans home.Then, as a prosecutor, I fought against criminals and drug dealers,
and I worked to make the streets safer in my home state. I didn’t hide
behind anyone, wait for others to go and fight these criminals, or duck
responsibility for my actions. I stood up and took action myself.For many years as a senator, I fought for my fellow veterans — for
their health care, their pay, their recognition. I fought against
financial criminals, drug cartels, and narcoterrorists. I stood up and
fought. I didn’t ask others to do my dirty work. I didn’t have people
pull strings. And when I screwed up, I took responsibility.Now I fight a new fight, for the American people who have lost jobs
and health care, and who have seen their standard of living decline. I
fight for the environment. And most importantly, I fight for the safety
of the American people and for the troops in battle who need a
president who will not hide behind others, blame others, and let others
fight for him.That is what character is all about. Personally taking on the fight,
doing it yourself, and being held accountable for the results of that
fight.So, my fellow Americans, in a strange way, George Bush and his
surrogate fighters are right. This campaign is about character. My
opponent has revealed his character in the past month, a character that
has been consistent throughout his whole life. He is a man who has
repeatedly hid behind others, stayed out of the ring while others slung
mud for him, and blamed others when things went wrong.Simply put, my opponent is a man who lets others fight for him.
Well, I am here today to put an end to this. To end the surrogate
attacks, the long-distance mud-slinging, and the lack of
accountability. I am here today to call George Bush into the ring, to
hold him accountable, and to take him on mano a mano.As I have stated before, I challenge George Bush to a series of debates.
Honest and open, unscripted debates, on the issues.Issues like job loss, corporate cronyism, and the health care
crisis, to which I offer real solutions. Issues like homeland security
and the war on al Qaeda, which I have real ways of addressing and
winning. And issues like the war in Iraq. So many years ago after my
own service, I learned the disastrous consequences of a mishandled war,
and, like then, I will fight now to finish the job, end the war, and
bring our soldiers home.I will hold Bush accountable for his failings, shortcomings, and
miscalculations on these issues. I invite George Bush to defend
himself, by himself, without any surrogate fighters. I hope this time
he accepts my invitation.I will be here, ready to fight for America, as an individual able to
produce real results and willing to take responsibility for my own
actions. I have done just that all my life. I am here to do it again.It is time for George Bush to do the same.
Thank you and God bless America.”
There. That’s it. Sound too harsh? Too personal? Too … mean? Yes it is.
But it is harsh, personal, and mean for a reason: to defend your
character and expose George Bush’s utter lack of one. George Bush is a
man who has let others fight for him, thoughout his whole adult life
(and probably as a child as well, but we have even fewer records of
that period). And then, when things have gone wrong, he has been a man
who has let others take the blame.You, Senator Kerry, are not such a man. You’ve fought your own
battles and took responsibility for the outcome of those fights. Go on.
Admit it. You know it’s true.What’s that? Now you like it? Good.
Lesson learned.
Sincerely,
A Common Citizen
- Anand
Category: United (or not) State of American Politics 2004