Being John Kerry

If I were Kerry's brain

Instead of saying this:
“The large presence of American troops in Iraq gives credence to the notion of occupation and in fact delays the willingness and ability of Iraqi troops to stand up," Kerry said on NBC's "Today" show.

I would say this:
“Because we are seen as occupiers, no one really wants to lift a finger to help us get out of Iraq.”

And instead of saying this:
"Until the president really acknowledges that that large presence is part of the problem, and begins to set a benchmark process for transferring responsibility to the Iraqis, we're going to continue with more of the same," he said.

I would say this:
“From the beginning the President has either been unwilling or unable to define specific American goals in this war, and until he does our troops will continue to suffer.”

John F. Kerry...giving nuance a bad name, one public utterance at time.

It is not as if the subject of Kerry and his speaking abilities have not been rehashed here and elsewhere

:sarcasm:

and by the way, apparently he's going to be on Face the Nation Sunday morning. (I think for the whole show.)

So that's going to be a half hour worth of nuanced utterances that the dumbed down amurikan JOe Blow Six pack will have to decipher.

When you have someone like the Moron occupying the WH now, dumbing down public perception, dumbing down english, the vocabulary juxtaposed against Kerry's uber intellect - good lawd, it's enough to make his best friends tear their hair out. (that was actually stated by one of his close friends and advisors). Kerry's friend went on to say (paraphrasing)'one of Kerry's problems is that when a one statement response is needed, he thinks of twentyfive different reasonable answers'.

The answer, stupid kerry who gave bush the authority to go to war, is to get THE HELL OUT OF IRAQ.

Wow. What a powerful dude.

So did our Minority Leader, but for some reason it isn't brought up every time he opens HIS mouth. Never understood that.

Kerry is only responsible for *his* actions.
the subject of this thread was Kerry, right? That is why i mentioned him.

"Kerry, who gave Bush the authority to go to war" struck me oddly, as if

But I still don't get why you never hear "Reid, who gave Bush the authority to go to war." Don't get me wroing, I love Harry. I'm just using him as an example. Of all the folks who voted for the IWR, you only hear about a couple of them all the time. It seems some have been forgiven, while others never will be. The point that they voted for the IWR will be mentioned again and again, as if we were all Drew Barrymore on one of our 50 first dates.

Yeah. We got it. He voted for it. He said he was sorry. He coughed up a mea culpa. He offered a plan for getting out by the end of next year. Sort of lighting himself on fire in effegy, I'm not sure what else he can do.

is that Kerry runs to a camera every time Bush opens his mouth. Which would be fine, if Kerry were able to articulate a message as clearly as the original poster suggested.

I called upon Kerry supporters to ask him to change that awful tie he used throughout the entire campaign last year and in every single television appearance since the election.

Apparently he took that advice, wish he would listen to more substantive input that effect matters of life and death.

Did you comment on Senator Reid's tie? - I don't even remember it's color, but I do remember his and Kerry's comments. Kerry wore more than one tie last year - as he does now.

Although he always looks impeccably dressed, my guess is that clothes are not a major interest area for him.

I don't think any of his opponents dressed better than him overall - so I doubt anyone voted against hem because they wanted him to wear a blue tie.

use of language. It is so refreshing after listening to Bush and the media's drive to repeat the same thing over and over in all situations.

actually speak, but it's definately a big fault for Kerry. MOST Americans view that kind of talk as being "the elite North Easterner" stuff, and it makes him appear to be an "I'm better than you" candidate!

I realize that's partly John Kerry, but I CAN'T believe he talks like that when he's just talking to his family or friends! People just don't talk like that! If he wants to have a chance at running for Pres again, he better change, and fast!

When someone listening can't understand first time through what he thinks, it contributes to the notion that HE doesn't know what he thinks.

Yet I can't say I disagree with what you are saying

Succinct and to the point would serve him better.

after hearing what the person on television said?

Listening to Kerry speak makes me think that his mind never shuts off, he's intelligent and has something to say (something we may want to listen to), he tries to get his idea out and is already working on the next issue/problem/question.

I'm sure we'd all do better than John Kerry given the chance, that's why we're here typing away at our keyboards and he's in Washington as a U.S. Senator. :eyes:

However, John Kerry is a public official who has been doing this for 30 years.

As someone who can ramble along when they are extremely interested in something I can empathize with how difficult it can be to be brief. However, I have noticed in myself that this has a strong tendency to turn people off to what your saying no matter how important and relevant it might be.

Seriously - the notion of occupation? That doesn't roll off the tongue.

If he wants to be President again, or if he wants to continue to have an impact he should be aware of the fact that whenever he appears on television he is speaking for and to all Americans and someone aware of that should be prepared to maximize the impact of his words.

Consider: Why is the Gettysburg Address one of the most important and remembered speaches made in American History. Probably the number one reason wsa that it was short and to the point. Lincoln came out after the previous speaker had spoken for a very long time and gave this short and directly to the point speach that floored the audience. Had he followed up with something as long winded as the previous speaker it is doubtful people would have remembered it as well.

That is just reality. I think John is a great guy and an important figure in the future of American. But sometimes he needs to just tell it like it is a little more directly, that;'s all.

Sorry for the long and hopefully not too rambling post. :-)

Okay, I'm being an ass.

I don't know that speaking in sound-bites is a learned behavior, it may just be a natural gift that some have (Kerry not being one of them).

I believe Kerry speaks in the only way he knows how, and reasons his answers through as he is speaking them. Hence the long, thought out responses.

I also think we all give a better speech sitting where we are, or standing in front of a mirror. Public speaking is HARD and SCARY. 30 years of doing it doesn't mean a thing when each audience is new and each crowd is different.

I'd never be able to do what he does. That's all I'm saying.

When I first posted I was actually thinking of a story Ben Franklin told about brevity in regards to a hat seller friend and the sign he was putting on his door. I think that is in Strunk and White, a book about writing. I thought it was too long a story to post.

I think there is a limit to brevity to. Our current President is a master at saying something short and to absolutely no point. But being brief doesn't mean being limited to just sound bites either.

Those who are most successful are able to master when to do both. I think Kerry could do both with a little more awareness to this fact.

That doesn't mean I don't respect him for everything he has done and I admire him tremendously. The past election gave me more hope in America and the American ideal then I've felt in a long time even though he did not win. Thanks for your post.

I gotta wonder if any Iraqis have had that notion.

Nah.

words he said over 30 years ago repeated today and that's Kerry.

I'd also learn to say:

"Bush lied us all into war. He's still lying to you today."

Enough of the "misleading" weasel words!

Tesha

Lie presupposes he knows Bush's intent and knowledge, which he doesn't.

The point that Bush wasn't honest is gradually being accepted. For people, who still believed Bush, using the word liar was less likely to change their opinion than making a rational case that he intentionally cherry picked the intelligence and mislead us into war. Convincing people whose dislike of Bush predates 2000 wasn't the issue.

He's saying the notion of occupation delays the willingness and ability of Iraqi troops to stand up.

He's not saying nobody wants to lift a finger to help us get out of Iraq, because that undercuts the message that the Iraqis want us out of Iraq.

He's saying the President is ignoring that our presence is part of the problem, which is why he hasn't implemented a benchmark process for transferring responsibility to Iraq.

Bush has defined goals in Iraq, he just hasn't done anything right in getting to those goals.

Kerry says exactly what he means and means what he says. If people just listened to his words instead of interpreting them, we'd be alot further ahead. His words are always clear, when people don't put their own spin on them.

accurate at all. Did you actually read Kerry's replies? Frankly, I find it rather refreshing and enlightening that he actually verbalizes in such an articulate and precise manner as to suggest that he is assuredly a well educated and intelligent man.
Or, in other words, he speaks in complete and intelligent sentences- so sue him if you don't like it.

Oversimplifations for the masses.

"verbalizes in such an articulate and precise manner as to suggest that he is assuredly a well educated and intelligent man."

You're starting to sound just like him!

:rofl:

That could be summed up as "Senator Kerry speaks well."

Where's the educated, intelligent and precise part?

reside in a supporting position vis a vis the Senator are becoming similar in our way of expressing ourselves.

Translation:
Whatcho talkin' 'bout, girl?

Eh, so he was Dr. David Banner yesterday. Whatchagonna do. He still got press and people like Ed Schultz were able to pull out soundbites. In fact, Big Eddie said he thought Kerry had the soundbite of the day with the strawman comment yesterday.

And he also got further press on the Today Show this morning. So the objective of getting our Dems on the telly to talk about the war was accomplished (btw, where IS Dr. Fate, anyway?)

I do prefer it when he "hulks out" but you don't get that just every day. We've seen the green guy before, we'll see him again.

Maybe an aide should be dispatched with a cattle prod to piss him off every once in a while. He's so much more pithy when he's fired up.

No one will say things the same. I would probably word things differently too.

So maybe somebody should follow him with a cattle prod. He's good when he's pissed.

Liking the sound of your own voice a little too much.

his speaking style has more to do with his schooling and college debating skills than anything close to what you suggest. I think this speaking style of Kerry's is what makes him unique and sets him apart from others. I find it incredible that someone can be so maligned for speaking intelligently.

It bothers the white trash that I live with. Rural Alabama loves that "Yee haw" speech that Bush uses. They don't give a damn that he is unintelligent and incomptent. Just as long as he wears a cowboy hat. . .

Arkansas's Clinton most to CT's Bush

but as far as a blowout... you'd have to go back to 1976 and Georgia's Jimmy Carter.

This subject, such as it is--which is to say, largely invalid and a waste of DU bandwidth--has been "discussed" on this website to death. I don't know why any of the haters persist with these threads, considering that none of them have anything new to add on the topic of whether John Kerry's opinions and statements about the war are absolutely perfect in every way or not. Don't you have anything better to do? Laundry? Bills? Cuticle removal?

It was classier and clearer and it actually sounded like him. He doesn't need to sound like a phony version of himself. That wouldn't work.

If only you could intercept and reword what he says. He does a terrible job of presenting good ideas. His sentence formation is anathema to good form. He talks like he's dictating his memoirs.

Now that Kerry's ended his one-year media moratorium, he's been getting frequent soundbites even in the M$M. How's that happening if he's so hard to understand?

He has moments of clarity, but he can't answer a question directly.

I re-watched the rebuttal to *'s speech, and I thought that he answered the questions quite articulately, for the most part. Does he occasionally get too wordy? Of course - but then so do most people when they have thought deeply about many aspects of a question.

Also he and Jesse Jackson Jr gave a presser after the signing of the bill for Rosa Parks' statue. I felt bad for Jesse (and to a lesser extent both of them) because all the press corpse wanted to do was ask Kerry questions about Iraq - totally ignoring what the occasion actually was for (of course I am sure there is a thread on DU blaming Kerry for what questions the reporters insisted on asking).

Anyway, again I thought his answers quite understandable.

So, it sounds rather like you are just desperate to prove - no scratch that, you are desperate to convince people emotionally - that Kerry isn't articulate. As to your reasons for that, ??? :shrug: (but I can think of a few possibilities)


(edited for typo)

Also, sometimes the wordiness is to qualify a strong point to keep it 100% defensible. In terms of the ACTUAL charges made, Kerry has made far more statements calling Bush on things he has done than any other Democrat (because he was the candidate and covered almost 24/7) - without having them boomarang as has happened frequently with others.

When they have gone after him - the complete sentence or paragraph shows that his point was not out of bounds.

That's not quite clear. If Bush comes out tomorrow and says he will train the Iraqis by the end of 2007 and withdraw troops by 2010, the troops continue to suffer (die) until then; the casualties wouldn't end tomorrow.


What JK said is until Bush acknowledges the problem ...we're going to continue with more of the same (policy---staying the course).

I've listened to Kerry's speeches and statements all the way back to when he returned from Viet Nam up to the present and he is exacting and intelligent in his intentions to explain complicated issues and ideas.

He doesn't yell like a banshee or cuss like a sailor..at least not when he is making public statements. If you can't keep up with his intellect, that's just too bad.

Calling layered expression of complicated ideas as some kneejerk copout accusation of "nuance" is more an indication that the person making that interpretation is too lazy or knuckleheaded to understand.

More educational than some folks are interested in most days.

ACTUALLY TALK to the American people, stolen election theories aside, this is a major reason there was no victory in 04.

Attorney General?

Sec of State?

Please?

his words down to a few, choice, easily understandable, idiotic phrases. I'll take JK's nuance anytime.

And his wording is fine with me. I understand him. And I'm not an English native speaker. Listening to Kerry even helps me to ameliorate my English language skills. What's wrong with America that you people don't like intelligent politicians who know how to express themselves? I listen to politicians here in Europe every day and their language isn't different from Kerry's. But people here never stop laughing when they have to listen to Bush.

I doubt many Bush voters would trust a doctor who used Bush type sentences. I want a President who can inspire us when needed - Kerry has that ability.

One thing that some people miss when they criticise Kerry's long sentences is that if you remove any clause, you change the meaning at least slightly. Speaking less precisely opens doors to misinterpretation.

being so concerned about speaking style and worried more about intelligence and leadership qualities, we wouldn't be in the mess we're in, here in the US and abroad.

talking points.

:kick: