Kerry @ the Convention.....

[archive_Mickey]

I wanted to know more about this guy so I forced myself to watch some of the Convention tonight.

The funniest thing of the night was his daughter saying that he dove into a river to save their drowning hampster and gave it CPR. This was a little too cheesy http://anabolicfitness.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

As far as Kerry goes, I must say that I was actually impressed with him. He had a tough speech in front of his first huge audience and he did pretty well. He stumbled a couple of times in the beginning but I think that it had more to do with the crowd not shutting up and him trying to hurry up.

He said the usual things like he wants to improve heathcare and programs for kids etc. The things that I liked about what he said was about the stem cell research (which I support but Bush doesnt), increasing security for the ports and other targets like nuclear facilities, and him saying that he wants to adhere to the Constitution.

He said that he wants to increase the number of troops and increase the number of special forces to fight terrorism. He said that "help is on the way". He also noted that he wants to get rid of the loophole that allows them to call back the reserves and extend the duty for troops. I am not sure how he is going to do all of that without a draft and my young ass doesnt want to chase down anybody in a desert across the country.

Overall I have to say that I liked the ideas that he put out there tonight. They said he was going to appeal to the moderates and he did that with me. However is that who he really is? Is he going to change from liberal to moderate like Clinton did to appeal to more people? If he can do that then I would be inclined to vote for him. If he plans on being the most liberal president like he was the most liberal senator then I cant go with that. http://anabolicfitness.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

"Come on, get serious!" Arnold in Pumping Iron

[archive_Mr. Nobody]

I thought it was an excellent speech. He spoke to my heart and mind and looked the most presidential I have ever seen him. I was not too thrilled about him until yesterday, but now after that speech I am 100% behind him and will be honored to see him in the White House. It is refreshing to see a continuation of intelligence, manner and charisma in the White House (with the minor interuption of one time president Chimp). I for one am ready to forget the current Hick in charge and am looking forward to 8 years of "Clinton style" prosperity and Good Will.

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Disclaimer:
Mr. Nobody is presenting fictitious opinions and does in no way, shape or form encourage, use nor condone the use of any illegal substances or the use of legal substances in an illegal manner.
The information discussed is strictly for entertainment purposes only and shall not take the place of qualified medical advice.

[archive_Bjaarki]

I'm a lifelong Democrat and a "progressive" (today's equivalent of "liberal," a term that has been so demonized that hardly anyone but Howard Dean will sport it), so I can't pretend to objectivity about politics.

I do know this: John Kerry is an incredibly complicated man. You must read Douglas Brinkley's Tour of Duty to get a sense of just how complex he is.

After finishing at Yale, he had decidedly antiwar sentiments as did almost anyone with a brain by those days, yet he joined the Navy and requested assignment to Swift boats in Vietnam. One thing that isn't much mentioned now is that, at the time Kerry transferred to Swifts, those craft were used almost exclusively in coastal, not riverine duty, and contact with the enemy was unusual (while Kerry was training in Swifts in San Diego, Admiral Elmo Zumwalt instituted Operation SEALORDS [Southeast Asia Lake, Ocean, River, and Delta Strategy] and tranformed Swift duty into just about the most hazardous thing you could do in Vietnam). So Kerry was antiwar, yet he volunteered for duty in Vietnam. And once there, once he was (unexpectedly) doing duty on riverine and canal patrols as a "moving bullseye" under Operation SEALORDS, he was very aggressive. All the talk now is about how Kerry saved and protected the lives of his crewmen, and that is all true, but that wasn't what Swift boat skippers, or any other American soldier, sailor or airman, was sent over there to do. They weren't sent over there to save Americans. They were sent over there, and Kerry was over there, to kill Charlie. And he did that. Read his biography. Kerry received a Silver Star for, rather than running past an ambush point, instead beaching his boat by running head-on into the ambush point, jumping off the bow of his boat with an M16, and chasing into the bush an RPG-bearing VC who was just about to rocket his boat. Kerry caught up to the man and, in a face-to-face confrontation, shot him dead. Imagine bearing that in your head. I can't. Being antiwar in orientation to the Vietnam conflict, yet finding yourself somehow in the bush in the Mekong delta, killing a South Vietnamese insurgent by shooting him in the chest with a rifle at close range. I can't pretend to fathom that. Just to say: That is a long, long way from spending the war playing fratboy antics and defending Texas from Oklahoma by getting free training in flying jets. John Kerry, make no mistake, is a deep, deep man. I don't understand him (though I'll vote for him), and I think that is why the electorate has been slow to warm to him.

It will be interesting to see what the media, and the American public, make of him in the months ahead.

Bjaarki

... Then, do what you have to do.

[Stud Diesel]

The Repubs NEVER win my home state of Maryland. I doubt I’ll vote for Kerry, but we’ll see how it all pans out. I just read that The White House is projecting a record $445 billion deficit. That's a lot of red ink—the most in the nation's history. This is sure to become a hot campaign issue.

[macdaddy]

I took macmommy on a date last night so I missed the speach, I did read it in it's entirety this AM and found it enthusiatic and interesting. It was also rhetoric, we'll see how he does once he resides on Pennsylvania Ave.

A monkey with a note would do better than GW.

[archive_Ulter]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="**-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Stud Diesel:
I just read that The White House is projecting a record $445 billion deficit. That's a lot of red ink—the most in the nation's history. This is sure to become a hot campaign issue.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This is one of those spinner things I just shake my head at. The R's are saying Kerry would raise taxes and they won't. I guess their strategy is to just keep printing money we don't have. It doesn't matter how big the deficit is or how much the budget increases they have no plan to cut spending, at least they won't raise taxes. http://anabolicfitness.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school." -Albert Einstein

[macdaddy]

The complete lack of sense the current administration has and their disregard for the constitution has me very afraid for the very survival of our country.

Who was it that said a dictatorship is always preceded by the apathy of the people? We as a people have got to care and less than 50% of the people vote, I don't care who you vote for, write yourself in if need be (or better yet Bjaarki), but please care enough to get out and vote.