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.

(more…)

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…)

I’m so pleased this week, to feature another in this series of musings on growing up in Pittsburgh and growing up with the Kerry campaign:

The Little House, Part 3: The Prayers From the Porch Swing
Rediscovering My Faith as a Call to Service

by Jessica Szabo

The first time I put on a Kerry campaign shirt, I reached into my jewelry box on a whim and grabbed a tiny gold necklace I’d been given years before, a pendant with Mary, the mother of Jesus, engraved in the center. The necklace was a high school graduation gift from my father. I wore it for a time when he gave it to me, but it had been hanging on a hook in my jewelry box since college, a time when I made several attempts to completely re-invent myself into something I never even wanted to be in an effort to fit in with one of the little cliques at the small school I attended.

At thirty-two I know I would have made more genuine friends if I had just been myself, but at nineteen and twenty I was lonely and a bit naïve. I never did anything truly dangerous, just plenty of silly things I would have been better off not doing. I’d spend all (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…)

We are fortunate to have a special Fourth of July salute to Teresa Heinz Kerry, another evocative Pittsburgh memory from Jessica Szabo:

The Little House Part 2: Little Touches of Pittsburgh

The little house 26 miles outside of Pittsburgh sits waiting for its copper pipes, re-claimed fixtures, and tankless water heater in what I can only imagine is a beautiful green Pennsylvania summer. I haven’t been home in a few years because of the cost of travel, and have had to rely on little touches of the Pittsburgh area to get me through: a few pounds of Nicholas coffee, some photos sent by relatives, the Post-Gazette online in the morning, (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…)

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.