John Kerry: Good, bad, or both?

Other Chit-Chat
1

What is your opinion of John Kerry?

  1. What do you like about him?
  2. What don’t you like about him?
  3. What could he do to improve your opinion of him?
  4. WHat do you think of his ability as a public speaker?
  5. Do you agree with all, most, some, or none of his positions on key issues (i.e. the war in iraq, economics, etc)?
  6. Any other comments

Have fun with this thread; in other words, be polite to those who have different opinions than you do.

2
  1. I think he is a person that will associate with the american public. He seems pretty much down to earth and does what he likes. He also seems like he will be a hard worker and really try to improve upon everything.
  2. He has yet to really say about how he will go about things. And his relationship with John Edwards is getting kind of touchy…
  3. Just start saying how he will go about things and nothing really past that. I pretty much like him.
  4. Could definitely be improved upon, but wayyyyyyyy better then Bush. Clinton is just sooo much better at speaking then any other semi-current president.
  5. Ya-most of the stuff he stated in his address i was all for. Especially the stem cell research idea, i really think it would benefit the future Americans. Just his morals seem alot better then Bush too.
3

hopes this does not start a flame war

  1. I have met him a few times, and he does seem like a good person. I was a Dean man myself but right now its love who you are with.
  2. Nothing in-particular- he just does not excite me like Dean and Clinton do.
  3. Get more angry- he needs more visible passion
  4. He is not a great speaker but he does a fairly good job. I loved his Nomination acceptance speech.
  5. All accept gay marriage. I think the gay population should be able to marry, not just have a civil union.
  6. I think he will be a much better president than GWB

Lets keep this under control guys, I know threads like this in the past have gotten carried away (and I am guilty of helping it move in that direction along with others)

4
  1. What do you like about him? I really like his connection to people, it appeals to me. I like his connection to his family…it definitly makes me more comfortable having him as president if he’s not just in it alone.
  2. What don’t you like about him? He lacks details on some things, which is a bit uncomfortable for me.
  3. What could he do to improve your opinion of him? Public speaking mentioned, I think he just needs to be careful where he steps and be sure to take the highroad of the campaign. He doesn’t need to stoop to the level of petty insults (I don’t think he has yet but these things happen) to earn American respect.
  4. WHat do you think of his ability as a public speaker? Rather lacking in comparison to others, but it could be changed.
  5. Do you agree with all, most, some, or none of his positions on key issues (i.e. the war in iraq, economics, etc)? Gay marriage is definitly an issue for me since I am friends with many homosexual individuals, but I would be happy that he does support giving them more rights and possibly opening the road to more progress, rather than closing things down with a constitutional amendment.
  6. I’m not political guru, but I’m really interested in seeing where this election takes us.
5
  1. He has had a huge experience as a… person. He has been through so much, it must help him in doing President-y things.
  2. He has not shown any real conviction in any of his positions. He definitley seems to say whatever will get him elected
  3. Start saying some cold, hard things. (see above)
  4. I don’t really mind the boring-ness too much, guess cause that’s how I speak :slight_smile:
  5. Some. I do have some liberal views (Pro choice, need more gun control), but I do not agree on Iraq or the economy. Bush did right on those parts, if you ask me.
  6. If I could vote, I would not vote for him, simply because I believe, if he was president at the time, he would not have invaded Iraq.
6
  1. I think that Kerry is more down-to-earth than Bush was and does things more for the people than for himself.
  2. I can’t really answer this, but I would say that if I was voting then I wouldn’t really vote for Kerry, but against Bush. Also, because I don’t agree with most things that he did or even his brother (governor of Florida). I also don’t like how they (the Republicans) always attack people who are democrats and things that democrats do (like Clinton’s incident with Monika).
  3. I would like to hear him give more details about how he will do the things that he promises and be more specific. Yes someone can say “If I ampresident, I will do everything that everyone wants and make everyone happy”, but he only has four years (maybe eight) and might not have enough money and time to get all of it done.
  4. I don’t like to elect someone based on the surface, like how well they speak. However, I do think that being able to speak well to some extent is important as president. I think that he speaks well enough. I do not think that Bush speaks well enough.
  5. I agree with him in economics, since my family owns a small buisness that isn’t doing very well because of companies that move in right accross the street and can have lower prices than us since their products are made in other countries. I also don’t like buying non-American cars. I don’t think that he will be able to do much different in the way of Iraq, but I don’t know much about that.
  6. One thing that I don’t like is that whenever I talk to someone who is a republican and mention anything about politics, they attack me and make me feel stupid because I don’t support the president or I am a traitor. I agree with Kerry and Edwards that the country shouldn’t be seperated by republicans or democrats, I just think that some people should respect other people’s beliefs and understand that it is ok to not agree with the president. This is not a dictatorship! Same when you talk to repiblicans about that movie F. 9/11. I don’t see anything wrong with making a movie that does not support the president’s decisions or actions. Making movies like that and questioning what the president does helps us to improve.

Another issue that I have about that movie is the amazing number of people, generally republican, who criticize the movie and will fight to death that the movie is attacking the president and is not supporting him and shouldn’t have been made, when they have never seen the movie. Now, I haven’t seen it so I won’t say whether I think it attacks the president or not, but regardless, it is ok to attack the president’s actions, just as long as you don’t attack him personally.

Sorry if this is too off-topic.

7

Anybody but Bush.

8

OHHHHH NO! You didn’t follow the format for this thread :ahh: its all ruined!
*
just kidding*

9

Erin - comon now - you of all people should know that just saying that would start a flame war here on CD - and we are gonna try to avoid that…(like the god poll…)

Ok - now - My answers

  1. There isn’t much that I like about him…I will give credit for his blue eyes…? :smiley:
  2. His political views and the way he is claming about his 3 purple hearts - but on bills he has rejected - and testmony (if i’m not crossing CNN shows) of his battle group - he seems to be total tree-huggin hippie.
  3. Totaly change his views on the economy
  4. His speaking overall is good. I will give credit on this. Bush can’t speak worth squat.
  5. The economy - if you look at the trend - it’s always gone up and than back down. I am quite fine that the economy is the way it is. I say keep going towards the war. Nor do I put any blame what so ever on the 9/11 on Bush. Lets be realistic - for how many people that have to go through the terminals…it’s just insane…
  6. Yes - I am part arabic. I will be voting for Bush for another 4 years…
10

I like that he can speak well, in ways that connect to and with people, rather than divide them. I was very impressed with both his and his veep candidate’s speeches at the DNC. We need a representative of this nation who can not only speak well but speak to more than just their preferred portion of the voting public. And he does so this very well.

Well, to tell the truth, despite claims of him as a crazy Massachusetts$@#liberal, I don’t consider him liberal enough… there are a few issues I consider very important that I don’t think he takes a stand on enough, among them gay marriage.

I very much dislike the way this country is moving right now… economically, politically… even a moderate would be good right now. I consider George W. Bush neither compassionate nor conservative. John Kerry, in my view, is moderately liberal, if that makes any sense.

I think that he needs to do a better job.

Very good. Not only is he good at creating speeches (or at least his speechwriters are, if he has any at this point), he is very good at delivering them.

Most of 'em, although in many cases (see above) I don’t think he has expounded upon or taken enough of a stand on certain issues I consider very important.

Like Erin, although I wasn’t going to mention it, I am also for Anybody But Bush. As I’ve written in previous posts in other threads, I cannot with any conscience vote for George W. Bush, so Kerry it is, despite some of the issues he doesn’t address.

Endcap: I’m not trying to start a flame war here, just explaining what I think of him. He’s got my vote, at any rate.

11

1.) He isnt bush
2.) He is still a politician
3.) Like all politicians, be who they are, not who they think the public wants them to be.
4.) I was at his first stop after the convention, and I can honestly say I was impressed. (yay for Scranton, North East PA for life yo)
5.) I agree with him more than bush
6.) Personally, I dont like him, or bush, but I feel Kerry is capable of doing a better job.

I did not enter reasons for my views because they are mine. I feel that not enough people draw their own conclusions anymore. So I will keep mine to myself, unless personally asked for them.

12

He is VERY good, with the reasons being that he KNOWS how to make the economy grow larger and produce jobs for families that currently are poor or near it, struggling to get by. I mean, he’s a Democrat, just like Bill Clinton was, who created millions of new jobs and gave the American Economy a $1 TRILLION surplus, which BUSH wasted on an unneeded tax cut (NOT put here to cause a major debate, war, etc.) Using the money in that economy, he boosted the education, healthcare, and other systems in this nation, giving the people what they needed. John Kerry will most likely do the same, and with the new fronteir of terror to tackle, he’ll probably be better than Clinton was. I can say so much more, including his Vietnam and other events he shaped in his political career. But, that’s it.

For more information and ideas, goto Kerry or Bush and Why?

13

John Kerry appears to be a good guy. But I disagree with him on many issues.

  1. Likes: compared to other politicians, he relates to the people pretty well. He definitely could improve in this area, but he is better than Bush with regard to charisma.
  2. Dislikes: I disagree with the majority of his voting record. The money allocation / income generation / budget issues are different than what I would prefer. As a fellow Catholic, I disagree with his stance on abortion. I dislike the fact that he claims that he would defend our country well, but has seemed to vote against most defense budget items (he voted against many defense programs that we currently use).
  3. I would like and respect him more if he simply stuck to what he is. While I still disagree with his voting record, he seems to be trying to appear more moderate these days. This may earn votes, but his character suffers.
  4. I thought that his DNC speech was excellent. Sure, he rushed through many points, but he had to get it done. He was sweating, passionate, and clear. He laid out the issues and sold a good story. Up until that speech, I have not seen him give a good one. He hit a home run, I thought.
  5. I disagree with him for many of the issues. Lowering the taxes on middle class and small businesses is great, but where is the $$ coming from to fund a socialized healthcare industry? He would have to raise taxes greatly on the upper class (who already have a drastically higher tax bracket, btw), raise taxes on large corporations (you know… the companies that put many of us to work), and decrease spending in many areas. I agree with his plan to bring other countries to help with Iraq, but we don’t need to cow-tow to France and Germany to do this. I agree with his positions on early childhood development (Early Head Start, etc.).
  6. It is going to be an interesting campaign. Hopefully, the voter turnout will be high.

Andy B.

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  1. His down-to-earth nature. Besides Dean, he was definitely the next best candidate (not counting Sharpton - kidding). I like Dean’s excitement better, but Kerry seems more the “presidential type.” He’s strong in his convictions and isn’t afraid to say what he feels (plus his wife told a reporter to “shove it”).
  2. The fact that he tends to change his point of view. It isn’t as bad as the right likes to make it out to be, but still, it is a bit frustrating sometimes.
  3. Be more excited. Like I said before, I liked Dean’s energy a lot better. I must say, though, that at the DNC his speech was excellent.
  4. Excellent. Very convincing. There is something about him that makes him seem trustworthy. I had to take myself down a notch once or twice while watching the DNC because I found myself believing absolutely in everything he was saying (though I know most of it has either been said before without result or just said to gain votes).
  5. I agree with his positions. To respond to something someone said earlier, he is not ashamed of his voting record in the Senate - it’s no big secret that he came home from Vietnam and became and anti-war protester. And I respect him for that.
  6. I have no other comments for this post, but I would just like to say how surprised I am that everyone is being mature about this thread - considering that it’s one of the three things you shouldn’t discuss (the other two being religion and, of course, the Great Pumpkin).
15

When you really gotta go… :smiley:

http://www.davidckelly.com/howarddean/flush-the-johns.jpg

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Lets keep it clean- that is just a low blow

17

C’mon David…no need for that toilet humor! :smiley:

(sorry, couldn’t resist)

18

  1. What do you like about him?
    He’s the best hope of getting Bush out of office. He’s not running a negative campaign.

  2. What don’t you like about him?
    He tends to flip flop with whatever the media is saying.

  3. What could he do to improve your opinion of him?
    Impress me as a public speaker—the man lacks charisma in comparison to his running mate.

  4. WHat do you think of his ability as a public speaker?’
    Not impressed. Edwards showed him, and everybody else, up at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, in my opinion.

  5. Do you agree with all, most, some, or none of his positions on key issues (i.e. the war in iraq, economics, etc)?
    For the most part, yes.

  6. Any other comments.
    I’d rather see an Independent candidate in office, but if everybody doesn’t suck it up and vote Democratic this year, we’ll have Bush back in office, which isn’t good for anybody. Err, well, not the lower 99% of people, anyways.

To sum it up: Kerry may not be much more of a solid candidate than Bush, but Bush has proven his inability to run the United States of America already—Kerry is yet to do so.

19

Nothing

  1. What don’t you like about him?

Everything

  1. What could he do to improve your opinion of him?

Publically admit that he is a sycophant and is seeking help.

  1. WHat do you think of his ability as a public speaker?

Very good, but irrelevant: I am only interested in policies supported by a candidate, not how well he can “charm” people into voting for him.

  1. Do you agree with all, most, some, or none of his positions on key issues (i.e. the war in iraq, economics, etc)?

None

  1. Any other comments

Don’t vote for him. Instead, check out the great variety of third parties available, like the Reform Pary (my favorite).

Regards.

20

And “Anyone but Bush” isn’t? Please. :rolleyes: I’ve read a few statements in this thread I would considering low blows as well - but oh man, when someone posts an image… that’s when it gets SERIOUS. :ahh:

/ends rant