Posted on 02/27/2004 5:16:30 PM PST by Kaslin
Believe it or not, some say current Democratic presidential frontrunner Sen. John Kerry wasn't a very good liberal while attending Yale University.
Well, that's not quite true. In terms of liberal thinking, he was aces. In terms of liberal leadership, however, he was as many consider him today lackluster at best.
According to Boris Volodarsky, writing in the Yale Daily News this week, from the moment he arrived on campus Kerry became a member of the Yale Political Union and was telling people he was "going to be president someday."
"He clearly had nothing better to think about, such as de-bunking his bed or freshman English," wrote Volodarsky. "Okay, fine, we all did some pretty silly stuff when we arrived at Yale. Kerry's problem was that he apparently never got better during his years at Yale."
Volodarsky is a member of the Yale Liberal Party, a campus group he says Kerry used to chair. And he adds that, from what he can dig up, Kerry "was generally disliked" while there.
The YLP "passes on many unpleasant stories about him," writes Volodarsky. "According to Liberal Party lore, Kerry was among the worst chairs in its history."
Volodarsky says Jorge Dominguez, currently a Harvard professor and a former member of Kerry's Liberal Party executive board, "reports that under Kerry's leadership the party went on YPU probation" an action that means "the party's leader could not get enough of the party's members to sign a YPU attendance roster."
"Although getting people to sign-in turns out to be a surprisingly arduous job, very few chairmen fail to do it in the end. Not getting enough signatures suggest one of two things: either the chairman faced some unfortunate circumstances or he has some personality problems. According to Dominguez, Kerry's leadership caused his probation," Volodarsky said.
To get back at Kerry, Liberal Party members formed a group they called the Dixwell Society. Though largely defunct now, it still meets officially during Liberal Party reunions, "and its story gets retold for everyone wishing to hear," Volodarsky said.
What was the purpose of the society? To "include every former chairmen except one who most people disliked. You can guess who." And due to its conflicts with Kerry, a portion of the Liberal Party even split off and formed the Party of the Left.
Though Kerry was also elected leader of the YPU, that doesn't prove much, says Volodarsky.
"First of all, the YPU presidency is a hard and often thankless job that very few people actually want. A person usually becomes political union president through some mixture of personal desire and Tammany Hall-like backroom deals. In my experience, very few political union officers get elected because they are liked or respected," he said.
"Personally," he adds, "I would not let Kerry circa 1966 run a public toilet, let alone a country." But has time his Vietnam experience, his post-Vietnam experience, his life and political experiences changed Kerry?
Says Volodarsky: "Recently Kerry mentioned that George Bush remains the same guy he was in college. If Bush didn't change, why would Kerry?
"Edwards anyone?"
And, personally, I don't want him running his mouth in 2004, let alone this country.
We don't much care for him in N.C. either.
That would sure cause one to believe that his "performance" in Vietnam was choreographed -- including his "exit stage left" with three Purple Hearts, as soon as possible..
Kerry should release his Military records - including medical to "put this doubt to rest"....
Semper Fi

Why doesn't anybody like me?
...no matter who he has to marry
Kerry is Known for nothing known as Flip-Flop Kerry
Some things in this world haven't changed much since 1966.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.