Posted on 07/18/2004 3:00:43 PM PDT by Leroy S. Mort
WASHINGTON (AP) - Despite his public dislike for coal, John Kerry can win West Virginia's five important electoral votes by going there and getting ``that dirty dust on his hands and on his face,'' the state's senior senator said Sunday.
Also, said Sen. Robert Byrd, history's second longest-serving senator behind the late Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, ``Always, always remember that sovereignty rests, John Kerry, sovereignty rests with the people of this country.''
Appearing on NBC's ``Meet the Press,'' Byrd was asked whether a reference to coal as ``a dirty energy source'' on the Democratic presidential aspirant's campaign Web site makes West Virginia unwinnable for Kerry. In the 2000 election, Democrat Al Gore lost the state to Republican George W. Bush by 6 percentage points.
``I'm the son of a coal miner. I married a coal miner's daughter. I know a lot about coal,'' said the 86-year-old Byrd, whose Senate career began in 1959, the year before John F. Kennedy's evocation of the plight of the West Virginia coal miner helped him win the presidency.
``Yes, coal is a dirty energy source, but that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to clean it up. I've appropriated money over the years for coal research to make it cleaner,'' Byrd said.
``Yes, he can carry West Virginia. He will carry West Virginia if he continues to stand up for the liberties of the people,'' Byrd said.
``I've talked with him. I've told him he should go to West Virginia. He should shake hands with the people. He should be at their level and get a little coal dust on his hands. Get some of that dirty dust on his hands and on his face and live in spirit with the working people of this country, the coal miners. And always, always remember that sovereignty rests, John Kerry, sovereignty rests with the people of this country.''
The Kerry campaign reaffirmed the candidate's commitment to the state's miners.
``John Kerry saw firsthand the work of the miners of West Virginia when he went down in a mine in the spring, and he received the endorsement of Cecil Roberts and the UMW (United Mine Workers). His commitment to these workers is personal,'' said campaign spokesman David Wade.
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is urging delegates to next week's Democratic National Convention not to be deterred by picket lines by city police officers unhappy about working without a labor contract.
In the letter sent over the weekend, Menino said the pickets are informational and not an official strike line.
Police have promised to picket next Sunday at each of the 29 delegation welcome parties, as well as at other events Menino attends for the July 26-29 convention.
``It's a right they have, but it shouldn't stop anyone from coming to the convention and having a good time, especially at the delegation parties,'' Menino said in an interview Sunday.
Menino, the official host of each of the welcome parties, sent his letter a week after the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association sent delegates a missive of their own. The union's letter asked delegates to respect their picket lines and to boycott the parties, along with the mayor's address to the convention at the FleetCenter.
``It's very shortsighted by anybody to take that letter they got from the patrolmen's association at face value,'' Menino said Sunday. ``It was a self-serving letter.''
Union officials derided Menino's attempt to depict their effort as something less than an official picket line.
``This is a picket line - it's an economic picket line,'' said Jim Barry, the association's legislative agent. ``What does Menino know about a picket line anyway? He's never walked one.''
The 1,400-member police union has been without a contract for just over two years. The union is demanding a 17 percent pay increase over four years, while Menino has offered 11.9 percent.
Police picket lines temporarily halted construction at the convention site last month and deterred hometown son and Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry from addressing the U.S. Mayors Conference in Boston, which Menino hosted.
Leaders of at least six state delegations have said they will not cross picket lines to attend the official welcome parties. Menino says that will only harm the small businesses hired to put on the parties.
"Former Grand Kleagle says Kerry should don Blackface"
KKK Byrd: "Crossburnings and lynchings were the keys to my success."
Hee hee. Kudos for that one, Leroy.
Kerry with coal dust on his face would make him look as patently phoney as he does when he shoots a gun.
Nobody is buying that crap.
He doesn't have the type of character to carry that kind of campaign.
Dean or maybe Gephardt could do something like that and make it look genuine.
Not Kerry though. He just keeps stepping into gopher holes trying to make himself look blue-collar.
Perfect!
Like another kerry "ash wednesday" photo opp.
I watched a bit of that arrogant, self-aggrandizing horror on MTP this AM, but I had to turn it off. I was also afraid that Tim Russert was going to start to tout his father and his book again.
The John 2 Metrosexuals can't win over blue-collar Democrats. No wonder Robert Byrd's teed's off. Even his contribution to this year's glut of Bush-bashing books hasn't helped those guys.
"Despite his public dislike for coal, John Kerry can win West Virginia's five important electoral votes by going there and getting ``that dirty dust on his hands and on his face,'' the state's senior senator said Sunday. "
BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!....that'll be a funnier photo op than the the Dukakas Tank photo.
we have a winner!
Thread closed.
Yeah, that'll fool 'em, buncha stupid hicks. Line that photo up with all of his other "regular Joe" shots, like when he kite surfs or shooshes thru Aspen in his daisy-zipper ski suit.
"Live in spirit" with the working people? That's about as close as JFK will ever come to it, for sure.
Offhand, I think he'd look a good deal like Michael Dukakis in that tank turret. [Very uncomfortable and not knowing what he's doing.]
These people are living in tin shacks and working their asses off and Kerry has 5 homes, but a little coal dust on his face will convince them he is one of them? Well if it does they deserve to be duped
Yeah, like when he didn't know how to eat a hoagie sandwich. BWAHAHAHAHA!!!
Or maybe he should just wear his bedsheets, like Byrd himself did.
WWWWRRRROOOOONNNNGGGGG, Or WRONG
West Va is a must win. Sure its a small state, but its demographics are quite similar to key bellwether districts in the neighboring states of PA and OH. I have a feeling whoever wins West Va will also PA and OH.
WRONG!
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