Desiring Machine

This announcement by the NY Times that John Kerry is bowing out of the 2008 presidential race saddens me. I have been a Kerry fan from many years ago. I remember watching him in the senate in the mid 90’s thinking he would surely be our next president. A good year before the primaries I remember being in Iowa visiting with a friend. I was approached by an energetic Dean volunteer. I said Dean is great but I am for Kerry the whole way. And I wasn’t surprised to see him seal up the nomination. As much as Dean intrigued me it struck me mostly as hype. Kind of like the Obama hype we have today. Dean is in the perfect position as DLC Chairman, and I fully support his 50 state campaign ideas, but he never struck me as presidental material the way Kerry did, especially on matters of foreign affairs.

Yes, there was a lot of dithering on the war vote, yes Kerry was a master of rhetorically setting his foot in his mouth. But Kerry is and was the real deal. He would have made a fanstastic president and this country will be a lesser country without his service in the oval office.

At the end of the day I think Kerry’s problem is that he is a bit too gracious for the job. He doesn’t exude the dirty fighting characteristics that make presidents. But as the adage goes those that make great presidental campaigners make lousy presidents. And I think the inverse is true for Kerry. He would have made a good president, insightful and genuinely receptive of people’s input. But on the campaign trail he didn’t fight dirty enough. I was disappointed by the swift boat mess and had wished that he punched back at the assholes. But Kerry was a better man at the end of the day, and for that I respect him, even as painful it was to see him lose the general election.

I still have my faded Kerry for president sign taped up in my car, with the plan to proudly display it on his 2008 campaign. But alas it looks like I will not get that opportunity.

But I will say this, beware the fads, and the hype. Activists, and party faithful can be so fickle at times. I am disappointed in people who bad mouth Kerry because of the election results. I can understand how the idealistic can have their enthusiasm turned to cynicism by the lack luster performance of a candidate. I too was one of those folks who was deeply disillusioned by Al Gore in 2000 and was caught up with the Nader thing. Dean represented a similar eagerness to change the face of politics. And today Obama captivates the same spirit. People who want their president to be a superstar. And the Democratic party seems to have little tolerance for thoughtful polticians who lack the celebrity aura about then. I suppose this goes back to Kennedy who represented both winning and celebrity. Clinton achieved a piece of this when he played his saxophone on Arsenio Hall back in 92. But Clinton must also rememer Ross Perot. Kerry didn’t have the luxury of a broken and fractured Republican party (although it looks like Hillary just might get that opportunity again). A lot of people want to hang the misfortunes of 2004 on Kerry’s head. And while I think he could have been a tougher campaigner, to dismiss him is too shorted sighted. I think it misses out on some of the more interesting political dynamics at play in 2004. Also, I think many don’t take seriously enough just how tough of a campaign Bush and his team ran. At the end of the day Kerry ran in a difficult presidental race, and ran up against a very unified majority party. And he still had a good showing. 2004 was not a Mondale/Reagan blow out or Bush/Dukakis disaster. It was a tough and ultimately very close race. And Kerry conducted himself like a true statesman, who would have brought much to the oval office.

John Kerry we hardly knew ye! Keep up the good fight in the senate, and continue the effort to bring our troops home.