Posted on 02/06/2005 6:41:41 AM PST by johnny7
Because the junior senator from Massachusetts, John Kerry, wasn't able to deliver a State of the Union speech last week, his state's senior senator gave one instead last month at the National Press Club.
Sen. Edward Kennedy outlined the state of disunion in the Democratic Party, vowing, nonetheless, to remain confident and hopeful: ''So I look forward to this year and the years ahead with full awareness of the great challenges facing our country, but with full confidence as well in our ability to renew our Democratic Party to successfully meet them and persuade America that we are right.''
Just how the Democrats got to the point where they need to persuade America that they are right may have been best demonstrated by Kerry himself, early in his campaign, when he made his often-mocked remark, ''I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it,'' talking about an early appropriation bill for Iraq. Kerry voted for the bill when rescinded tax cuts paid for it; against it when that provision was pulled. All voters aren't immune to subtlety and paradox, but at least 52 percent just don't want it displayed in public by their leaders. Even George W. Bush has had to backtrack from his few remarks that require too much thought, such as the one about Iraq being a ''catastrophic success,'' and his rapidly withdrawn observation that the war on terror can't ever really be won.
Many voters who grew up in the Vietnam period -- a good chunk of them baby boomers -- have been forced to dwell on the paradoxes they were so constantly exposed to during those years: having to destroy the village in order to save it, and so forth. But the Vietnam War wasn't alone in spawning such contradictions. The 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz that has just passed, and the numerous reports and documentaries it prompted, showed World War II was the primary source of much of the generational ambivalence. Many anti-war figures of the Vietnam War era had been influenced by the concentration camp films they had watched in their youth. More than a few were not eager to repeat the actions depicted by the dutiful Germans. One of Hitler's horrors, I thought back then, was that he gave war a good name.
A big chunk of Kerry's generation absorbed the major contradictions of those events: Hitler needing to be stopped and annihilated, side by side with the need not to obey orders and commit atrocities. And Vietnam seemed to be one atrocity after the other, many committed by our side: the My Lai massacre, napalming villages, licensing free-fire zones, etc. Our military seemed to be merely propping up an unpopular government and keeping the Vietnamese from uniting their country, winning all along no hearts and fewer minds. It took more than 12 years to extract ourselves from that quagmire. Kerry was steeped in those contradictions, but he attempted to shake himself free of them when he ran in 2004, an error that many now acknowledge might have contributed to his defeat. At the very least it led to such gaffes as his ''I voted for it . . . before I voted against it'' remark. If Kerry had made his hard-won knowledge of complexity the center of his campaign from the start, it wouldn't have served as campaign fodder for Republican attacks.
The invasion of Iraq has brought back vividly all those wartime contradictions. Kerry's back-and-forth on Iraq was turned against him. Indeed, even his service in Vietnam was held against him, whereas Bush's stateside, youthful escapades were not. Kerry lived the contradictions; Bush enjoyed his simplicities. And Republicans bludgeoned Kerry with his own ambivalence and understanding, because he, at the convention and beyond, downplayed his complicated experience.
President Bush prefers absolutes, fundamentalist-based universals, a world of dead or alive. Unfortunately, the Democratic challenge is to rid itself of complexity, or from broadcasting notions with inherent contradictions. Bush and his people have sworn allegiance to directness, and it often makes them ignore truth -- and reality, as well -- in pursuit of their objectives.
The 2004 election showed that, contrary to the hopes of Kerry and Kennedy, a slight majority of Americans simply would rather be led than be forced to entertain contradictory and troubling thoughts.
Wrong right out of the chute- JF-in'K has been delivering State of the Union speeches every week for 10 months.
The vast majority committed by the other.
You're right, not much "journalism" here.
Actually, ALL of George W. Bush's thoughts are apparently too complex for the "smart" Bush-bashers to grasp. Most of them can't even get beyond "Bush went into Iraq for the oil".
You are right, it's pretty poor. And as for this "Sen. Edward Kennedy outlined the state of disunion in the Democratic Party..." I don't think they are dis-united at all. They are all together now, over on the swampy left, and from there they will NEVER be able to "persuade" Americas that they are "right".
Nobody.....nobody ....wanted to dredge up those bitter memories!
His mistake saved America from a man who most assuredly would have made many similar mistakes of judgement for four agonizing years.
No, this isn't journalism -- it's commentary. BAD commentary.
On a slightly different note, he conquered a dozen countries and gassed six million jews.
Hitler was stopped by force. He wasn't even slowed down by nuance.
Astounding. This guy just can't bring himself to admit that sometimes war is necessary and its outcome can be good. Hundreds of millions of people are free today because of the United States military. But it took Hitler to give it all a good name.
LOL!
The fact is that many people thought the Dims were complex, once upon a time. Thinking that they had deep rooted convictions, and truly were the party of and for the people.
Now the secret is out for all to see.
The Democrat Party is hardly complex. Disjointed perhaps, but never complex.
Any post mentioning the senior senator should be accompanied by the mandatory "Ted In Neck Brace" photo.
Another rancid little nugget from the halls of academia. (Notre Dame)
You mean something along the lines of "I would do things better and smarter because I served in VietNam"? WHY DIDN'T KERRY THINK OF THAT? My God! You are absolutely right! The ONLY reason Kerry is not president today is that he failed to explain to the stupid voters why he is so much smarter and more complex than they are.
"The 2004 election showed that, contrary to the hopes of Kerry and Kennedy, a slight majority of Americans simply would rather be led than be forced to entertain contradictory and troubling thoughts."
What? I have absolutely no problem seeing The Big Picture, and the other 50,999,999 voters that voted for Bush right along with me don't seem to have that problem either.
Contradictory and troubling thoughts are not the problem. A lack of Democratic ideas and solutions to the problems we face today are the problem.
After this statement,which is such a farce that it is hard to comprehend,he says that we don't want to accept reality.
It continues to be proven that those refusing to accept reality are the libs who are so convinced of their brilliance that they can`t see people laughing at their colossal stupidity.
For crying out loud. WHAT "Complexity"?
"Bush is evil"
"Bush is stupid"
"We hate Bush"
"Bush lied"
Oh yeah. REAL bunch of Einsteins they got running that party.
Kerry served in Viet Nam?
Mr. O'Rourke just pee'd on your leg Diana... mine too.
I'm not 'led' by ANYBODY. Each time I vote, I'm looking for the candidate who would best uphold the nations defense, Constitution and moral character.
He must hold the nation to the concept my ancestors fought and died for... and not be swayed by the hollow promises of a 'bad peace'.
On November 2, 2004 there was only ONE candidate who 'measured up' to that task... and he sits in the White House!
Apparently there was some sort of conflict in Southeast Asia like 40 years ago.
It's too bad Kerry didn't mention it. There's nothing the electorate eats up more than an old guy lecturing them about their war experiences.
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