Kerry's Ads Prove He's Out of Touch

could he take a picture with Saddam and Osama?

Published on May 21, 2004 By Gene Nash In Politics

Even if a leader marches to the beat of his own drum, he should still have his finger on the pulse of the people. After all, if one is to lead, you must know where the people are before you can take them to where you want them. Then why are John Kerry's current trumpet blowing ads so out of touch with what Americans value and believe?

In a current ad, Kerry lays out what he thinks will convince people he is qualified for the presidency. (In another version, a narrator speaks, though most the same points are covered.)

Kerry speaks of being born in a military hospital and how his father proudly served and his mother was a "community activist," though what that activism entailed isn't stated. Question: Do you see "community activists" (a.k.a. "do gooders") as a positive thing? Unless you happen to be one, or close to one, many people speak of "do gooders" derisively. Do you really want to identify yourself as coming from a long line of them, Mr. Kerry? Besides, having accomplished ancestors does not mean you are anything special.

Kerry goes on to speak of why he joined the military, saying, "...if you had a lot of privileges as I had had-- to go to a great university like Yale...." Stop tape. Do you really want to remind the average, struggling American just how special and privileged you are, Mr. Kerry? You know how they just love the rich folk, right? An Ivy League man yet? It's a wonder you haven't been crowned King already!

Bring on Mr. Kerry's war photos, please. Add a couple of vets to tell us what a hero John was. Yes, at this point it's good to remind people of Mr. Kerry's roll in America's most popular war. People will eat that up.

Okay, he's praising himself too much. Bring on his daughter to point out some of her dad's other accomplishments, like being a prosecutor. That'll be great! People love lawyers! Have her remind people he's a senator, too. People love politicians even more than they love lawyers.

Bring down Mrs. Kerry-- sorry, Ms. Heinz Kerry. Finally another activist First Lady in the mold of Hillary Rodham Clinton. Good. Good. The ubber-rich wife with the foreign accent. Americans love that. It's so Dynasty. Remind us again how privileged you are. You married into massive wealth, Mr. Kerry! How surprising your WASP guilt didn't cause you to enlist in another war to compensate for that. Oh, did they close the French Foreign Legion?

Yes Mr. Kerry has done an excellent job of identifying all the things people love and placing himself smack in the center of them. Way to go, John!

[Click here to see a version of this ad.]

Comments (Page 2)

kingbee

on May 23, 2004

Is a veteran honorable who acts insincerely in the hopes of gaining power?

youre thinking kerry pulled strings to get stationed in prime potentially heroic deed locations and arranged for the river to be mined all as part of a plan to eventually run for president?

one so rarely sees that sort of determination and ambition anymore (a less motivated potential candidate would probably had his dad do the string pulling).

Draginol

on May 23, 2004

It's pretty sad to doubt official documents heralding one's heroic acts.

. Of course, it's okay to accuse Bush of going AWOL even though his official documents show he was honorably discharged.

kingbee

on May 23, 2004

it's okay to accuse Bush of going AWOL

in any other context but election year party politics--say at a neighborhood barbeque or in an office environment--i cant imagine anyone being anything but impressed by a service record like kerry's. i've only known one person (of no fewer than 100 vietnam vets with whom ive socialized enough to discuss their military experiences) who could match it.. i've also known about 25 vietnam-era vets--guys who were in the service but never left the states or who were stationed in europe. in the situations i described in the first sentence, i have an even more difficult time imagining someone with a record like bush's opening himself to ridicule by suggesting there was any basis for comparison.

messybuu

on May 23, 2004

youre thinking kerry pulled strings to get stationed in prime potentially heroic deed locations and arranged for the river to be mined all as part of a plan to eventually run for president?

one so rarely sees that sort of determination and ambition anymore (a less motivated potential candidate would probably had his dad do the string pulling).

No, I'm talking about after the Vietnam War (i.e. during his protesting years in which he was so insincere that he used fake medals when everybody else used real ones). He might be a hero, but he still has skeletons in his closet, and those skeletons are significant.

kingbee

on May 23, 2004

he used fake medals when everybody else used real ones). He might be a hero, but he still has skeletons in his closet, and those skeletons are significant.

now im even more confused. he was awarded real medals in recognition of his actions in combat. im guessing youre referring to kerry participating in a symbolic protest against the vietnam conflict during which he discarded the ribbons from his real medals. if so, your original conclusion ( acts insincerely in the hopes of gaining power ) is predicated on the belief he did that as part of a long-range plan to be elected president? i have no idea what's in his closet (except i guess no medal ribbons) but their absence is hardly a skeleton much less one of any significance.

if he hadnt been acted heroically, he would not have been awarded medals.

forefather1

on May 23, 2004

Speaking of heroic actions, did anyone mention our president, George W. Bush. We all have the priviledge to sit around and second guess his every move, and that's great; but he is the man leading the country in this struggle we find ourselves in. He, thank God, takes his vow to defend the people of this great nation seriously. He takes council with the leaders of the various agencies and departments formed for our defence, and it falls on him to call the shots. Does anyone think it a small thing to send men and women into battle? The war being waged in Iraq is a just war. We did not have the time to figure out every angle of such an endeavour, but something had to be done. Something courageous and bold was and is the order for the day. President Bush was right in ignoring the hesitancies of less motivated leaders. We were mercilessly attacked by wicked and hateful men who are looking for worse ways to hurt us. That's motivation. We would be the country that would be carrying the most part of the burden no matter when the time came, and acting when and how he did was in the belief that American lives would be saved. Motivation, no? The man is a current, tried and tested genuine hero in my book. He is our president, and we need to get behind him as the commander and chief of our armed forces. Pray that God bless him with the wisdom needed for these perilous times. Neither John Kerry nor any of his party's leadership can take W's place. Democrats and Independants, now is the time to come on board with the Grand Old Party, the Republicans, and give a loud and clear message to our enemies that we are one people you do not want to mess with. Pray for peace.

russellmz2

on May 23, 2004

"Speaking of heroic actions, did anyone mention our president, George W. Bush. "

no, except in a negative light.

"He takes council with the leaders of the various agencies and departments formed for our defence, and it falls on him to call the shots. "

he ignored a lot of agencies and departments about iraq's capabilities and warnings that iraq would not be an easy place to occupy. he placed a bit too much confidence in the iraqi dissadents. given the number of screwups after the war was won, there just didn't seem to be that much planning for the occupation. he had to make decisions but i get the feeling he should have cast a wider net for differing opinions.

"Does anyone think it a small thing to send men and women into battle? "

nope.

"The war being waged in Iraq is a just war. "

while sadaam was a pos, he was pretty much "bottled up" as cheney said. i thought it was a just war going in but there weren't massive piles of wmds like i expected. no nukes. liberating the iraqi people was a secondary benefit, not the main reason we went to war.

cheney says sadaam "bottled up": http://www.whitehouse.gov/vicepresident/news-speeches/speeches/vp20010916.html

"We did not have the time to figure out every angle of such an endeavour, but something had to be done. Something courageous and bold was and is the order for the day. President Bush was right in ignoring the hesitancies of less motivated leaders. "

we kicked out sadaam but were wrong on wmd (other than 2 sarin shells that were found, we were expecting dumps and truckloads). now we have to make sure iraq doesn't collapse into a haven for terrorists (or an even bigger one). i would preferred he had not been so hasty. at the least he could have spent more time on possible outcomes other than 'iraqis will toss flowers at us.'

"We were mercilessly attacked by wicked and hateful men who are looking for worse ways to hurt us. That's motivation. "

please tell me if there are any iraqi links to the terrorist attacks on the us prior to the war. i am pretty sure there aren't. spec ops guys hunting for osama were pulled off so they could look for sadaam.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-03-28-troop-shifts_x.htm

"We would be the country that would be carrying the most part of the burden no matter when the time came, and acting when and how he did was in the belief that American lives would be saved. "

he really really wanted to attack iraq and seemed to want an excuse. there are lots of news stories about how after 9/11 he and wolfowitz wanted to to hit iraq..

"He is our president, and we need to get behind him as the commander and chief of our armed forces. Pray that God bless him with the wisdom needed for these perilous times."

he's our president and we need to support him when he makes the right decisions to make sure our troops and armed forces are used wisely.

"Neither John Kerry nor any of his party's leadership can take W's place. Democrats and Independants, now is the time to come on board with the Grand Old Party, the Republicans, and give a loud and clear message to our enemies that we are one people you do not want to mess with. Pray for peace. "

i do pray for peace on earth every night. and my main action in november to make it so is to vote democrat.

stevendedalus

on May 24, 2004

Bush surely is AWOL when it comes to Afghanistan.

Emoticon Man

on Jul 03, 2004

"Question: Do you see "community activists" (a.k.a. "do gooders") as a positive thing?"

Google "community activist". Read the links. Find me one, just one, that uses "community activist" as a derogatory term, as you seem to think it is.

"Besides, having accomplished ancestors does not mean you are anything special."

Does he claim it does? (I can't get the video to work due to internet settings, so I'll have to rely on someone telling me whether he does or not). But if he didn't mention his family, I can just see someone commenting that that must mean he's ashamed of them. Furthermore, it's not like mentioning one's upbringing in a political advertisment is atypical.

"Do you really want to remind the average, struggling American just how special and privileged you are, Mr. Kerry?"

Ah, but Mr. Kerry's point seems to be that despite his being born (and he hardly had a choice in the matter, so why you find fault with this I can't imagine) in a wealthy family, he doesn't feel "special and priveledged". He could have taken the easy way out, such as using his family's influence to join the National Guard (and notice I'm not against people joining the National Guard, but rather the use of one's family's influence to do so), but chose not to.

"Yes, at this point it's good to remind people of Mr. Kerry's roll [sic] in America's most popular war."

A war he happened to protest against, so it doesn't seem too popular with Mr. Kerry either.

" People love lawyers! Have her remind people he's a senator, too. People love politicians even more than they love lawyers."

jeblackstar already covered the prosecuter angle. But if smartaz is correct about how people view politicians, then Bush better not mention that's he's the president (*gasp* a POLITICIAN!) in any of his ads or he too must be out of touch with the American people- at least according to smartaz.

"Bring down Mrs. Kerry...."

What? Is he supposed to be ashamed of her? (Here, honey- hide in the closet until after the election if you would please)

"Finally another activist First Lady in the mold of Hillary Rodham Clinton."

Who is so hated by New Yorkers that they elected her senator (ooh, what vile punishment- they must have done that so they could hate her even more, seeing as how reviled politicians are).

"The ubber [sic]-rich wife with the foreign accent."

Maybe he feels that she has qualities that more than make up for this, such as her being highly-educated and caring.

"You married into massive wealth, Mr. Kerry!"

If you have some special means beyond the abilities of us poor mortals to determine the reasons why he married Ms Heinz Kerry, then it might just be possible that he did so out of his love for her.

"How surprising your WASP guilt didn't cause you to enlist in another war to compensate for that."

Are you basing your diagnosis of Mr. Kerry's "WASP guilt" on some sort of professional psychological analysis or is this just your opinion? And even if he does have "WASP guilt" wouldn't this be cause to oppose war, rather than support it?

Basically, the argument seems to be that Mr. Kerry is out of touch with America for having a campaign ad that has elements that could be found in similiar ads from perhaps 99% of the people running for office. Over all, a nice ad hominem piece there, smartaz- might we stick with the issues next time?

stevendedalus

on Jul 03, 2004

Many presidents have sprung from the privileged class, including the current one. Washington and Jefferson were not paupers, you know.

bakerstreet

on Jul 04, 2004

Blah. If Kerry thinks people can relate to him they are nuts, even if they share political philosphies.

He can't stand up there and talk about the layabouts in Washington, he is one. He can't talk about being a tool of lobbyists, because he has been part of the system for decades. He can't blast the state of the US, because frankly he's been in there being responsible for it. He can't lambast the wealthy, he's wealthy.

So he has to fall back on everything else, which, as smartaz points out, ain't much. This isn't who I would have ran against Bush. I would have picked someone like Clinton, that grew up ina trailor and would provide a contrast to the status quo. Kerry IS the status quo, for heaven's sake. Running someone like that under the guise of "change" is insipid...

kingbee

on Jul 04, 2004

Jefferson were not paupers

one of the many reasons i like jefferson was his consistent, concerted effort to spend himself down to our level.

Emoticon Man

on Jul 04, 2004

" Kerry IS the status quo, for heaven's sake. Running someone like that under the guise of "change" is insipid... "

Really? With Kerry, I don't see us invading Iraq... or the return to a huge deficit that the war brought... or the damage to the economy this has wrought... or the Patriot Act

bakerstreet

on Jul 04, 2004

LMAO...

Kerry voted FOR the Patriot act, AUTHORED the money laundering sections of it, and has gone on record saying parts of it should be strengthened

Iraq is already "invaded", and Kerry is not gonna bring the troops out any faster than Bush. Kerry will start spending more money than Bush immdeiately, he's already proposed program after program, and being the political beast he is he won't raise enough taxes to pay for it.

People really need to know who they are voting for. Take a few minutes of your day and go back and look at your candidates voting record. This isn't someone you have to wonder about, you have years and years of track record to mull over.

Don Bemont

on Jul 04, 2004

He is our president, and we need to get behind him as the commander and chief of our armed forces.

Kerry voted FOR the Patriot act

Does anyone other than myself see the absurdity here? Any Democrat who objected to Bush's plans would be unpatriotic. Yet anyone who supported the President's plans at the time is unqualified to criticize later.

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