Cody
Williams
My Views
Kerry 2008?
John Kerry came out swinging last week for the first time since his November 2nd electoral defeat. He urged Democrats not to “retreat and accommodate extremists on critical principles.”
This display of cojones and political adroitness is not new for Senator Kerry who, unlike many recent presidential also-rans, has a real job to return to in January as his rival, the empowered President Bush takes his second oath of office -- to the chagrin of many reasonably thinking Americans and the sheer fear of much of the rest of the world. Mr. Kerry has four more years in Washington to serve out his senatorial term. When Al Core, Mike Dukakis and Jimmy Carter where defeated by their republican rivals they quickly joined the ranks of the unemployed and slunk out of the national spotlight and any real roll in opposition leadership. Buoyed by a fickle press quick to permanently tag a loser label on any nationally defeated presidential wannabe, these men for what ever reason chose to accept benign college professorships, book deals, occasional lecture circuit engagements and being the butt of late night TV comedian jokes and Saturday Night Live gags.
Too many seem to forget one important lesson taught to us by Richard Nixon’s 1968 defeat of Hubert (who?) Humphrey: being knocked down does not always have to mean being knocked out.
Nixon was Dwight Eisenhower’s vice president who lost to a narrow John F. Kennedy 1960 presidential victory. His loss and even his own edict, “You won’t have Dick Nixon to kick around anymore,” proved
short lived. Nixon even came back of sorts politically, after skating impeachment, to be a senior foreign policy statesman in spite of being the only president in US history to resign from office in disgrace.
John Kerry’s defeat does not necessarily mean the right side won the election. We also forget that Hitler and his National Socialist German Workers Party were elected to power in 1934 in a landslide and
with the strong endorsement from some in the religious community and fierce German nationalism, not unlike the nationalism that has engulfed this country following 9/11 terrorist attacks.
While 51 percent of the voting public chose Bush over Kerry, according to most polls an even more decisive majority at the time felt the nation was heading in the wrong direction. Yet, Bush has interpreted his narrow victory as a business as usual mandate. He appears much more cocky in public these days than he did days leading up to the election when he sheepishly begged crowds to vote for him, and “drag your neighbors to the polls with you," he pleaded.
America voted for Bush, giving him four more years to fix the world mess his administration has presided over. Having voted for him, his war has become our war. In the words of Colin Powell, we bought it therefore we own it — each of us. So, we too have a say in how it is enacted, even those of us who opposed it.
Political opposition is a legitimate role, if not an essential one. The Democratic Party has become entrenched as the opposition in each of our branches of government. Any opposition party needs a strong leader to be effective. While the press may tout the melodrama of a Hilary Clinton headed democratic ticket in 2008, (much as it once touted the unrealistic fantasy of the Republicans running Colin Powell) John Kerry can easily emerge again as the democratic standard barer. He just needs to prove that he has learned the lessons of 2004.
Kerry proved himself to be more than presidential standing next to Bush in the debates. The lesson: Americans have several different definitions of what presidential means. Yes, Kerry has a clear grasp of domestic and international issues and he speaks foreign languages fluently. But, he should have learned that it takes John Edwards’ ‘One America’ to win a national election, much more than just the ‘middle class’ Kerry claimed to be fighting for. Rich, poor and working class Americans vote too, and sometimes against their own logical self interests.
Kerry should have learned to speak the language of religion. It has, for centuries, proven to be a powerful motivator. One phrase, repeated over and over again, could have virtually assured the senator a victory over republican fear mongering. That phrase: Paul’s decree, “God did not give us a spirit of fear,” would have given many Christians what we look for in times of peril -- grounding. Bush seemed to promise that with his steady, consistent and somewhat erroneous, “we are safer now.” (The war on Iraq has created more anti-American sentiment in the world for any of us to delude ourselves into truly feeling safe)
Instead of Kerry’s more complicated rationalizations, historically favor has more easily been won with a simple phrase – “There is nothing to fear but fear itself,” (Roosevelt) “I like Ike,” (Eisenhower) “Ask not what you can do…” (Kennedy) “I still believe in a place called Hope” (Clinton).
John Kerry should come out fighting, cautiously and judicially. He should weigh his battles carefully. Don’t take on the church. Work with us. Incorporate us. The Bible supports far more liberal concerns than it does conservative self interests. Martin Luther King led our nation through its most socially conscious changes quoting scriptures and waving the Good Book.
And Kerry must not let the media forget more Americans voted for him than any other presidential candidate in history, save for George W. Bush, who by law, barring a constitution amendment, can’t run again for office in 2008.
© Cody Williams 2004
Send Feedback
Send Feedback