As Kerry solidifies his lead as the Democratic frontrunner, I decided it was time I learned something about who he is. Everyone knows some of the more widely publicized facts of his life: that he was a Vietnam war hero who then became a leading anti-war activist, that his paternal grandparents were Czech Jews who converted to Catholicism and adopted Irish-sounding names, that his second wife, the widow of Republican Senator Heinz, is one of the richest women in the country, that he rides a motorcycle, and that he voted in support of giving Bush the authority to go to war in Iraq. But none of these things really give me a sense of what kind of a person he is, or what kind of a president (or Democratic presidential candidate) he might make.
Fortunately, there is an abundance of information on the web (see below for links). After slogging through a lot of it, I came away with the impression of a very ambitious man, who was something of a “maverick” in the Senate. At various points in his career he has been passionate about a few key issues: the Vietnam war, Nuclear Disarmament, the Iran-Contra affair and, most recently, the environment. But he is not someone with a larger message or “vision.”
A lot of discussion rests on his legislative record, in which he seems to have notoriously flip-flopped on a number of issues. His defenders say that his problem is that his policies are simply too “fine-tuned” to reduce to a clear either-or position. Like I said — he isn’t someone with a “message.”
That he doesn’t have a message is a mixed blessing. I personally feel that the Democrats need more of a message if they are going to swing this country away from GOP rule. On the other hand, that he is hard to pin down or caricature might make him more “electable.”
There are certainly some things I’ve found that I quite like about Kerry:
- He is against the death penalty. (At least within the criminal justice system, he’s qualified his position for “terrorists.”)
- His involvement in Iran-contra (and even his bills to reduce the budget of teh intelligence community) shows someone who is willing to take on the kind of shady-deal foreign policy which has gotten us into the mess we are in right now.
- He even took on a banking scandal that hurt fellow democrats. (Hence his reputation as a maverick.)
- Although he is not free of the hint of scandal himself (see the above link), he hasn’t done anything that seem like it would be too great a liability. He earned his money the old fashioned way — he married it. As did his dad — there is a reason why Kerry’s middle name is “Forbes.”
- He has a good record on the environment.
He has been endorsed by the UFW.
What I like less about Kerry:
- Even though he voted against the gay marriage bill he has come out against gay marriage.
- He has been quoted as saying “affirmative action has kept America thinking in racial terms” as well as attacking America’s “culture of dependency,.” Even if he was trying to sound like Clinton in the hopes of being picked as a running-mate, they aren’t the kind of things I like my candidates to be saying. I strongly believe the democrats need to redefine the debate on poverty, not pander to the right.
I don’t like his mixed voting record on the wars in Iraq. Again, it is the “vision” thing — he seems to lack the clarity of vision that makes a leader. But maybe his ability to compromise will enable him to work with a Republican congress if he is elected? Still, no matter how you spin it — I still hold it against him.
For the anyone but Bush camp, which I am in, Kerry seems to be as good a choice as any of the other Democratic frontrunners. Although I have researched Edwards less thoroughly, I like the fact that he is able to articulate a clear and powerful message in a way that Kerry cannot; but there is a lot to like about Kerry, and not too much baggage that might be used against him.
More on Kerry:
This Chicago Tribune story gives a nice brief overview of Kerry’s political career.
While this 7-part in depth report by the Boston Globe gives a tremendous amount of detail.
The Center for Public Integrity gives a good overview of his political financial dealings, as does opensecrets.org.
And both the New York Times and the (inappropriately named) Issues2002.org web sites have a good overview of where he stands on a wide variety of major issues. The latter link includes his voting record. And of course, there is his official site.
- He has been quoted as saying “affirmative action has kept America thinking in racial terms” as well as attacking America’s “culture of dependency,.” Even if he was trying to sound like Clinton in the hopes of being picked as a running-mate, they aren’t the kind of things I like my candidates to be saying. I strongly believe the democrats need to redefine the debate on poverty, not pander to the right.
- He has a good record on the environment.
- Although he is not free of the hint of scandal himself (see the above link), he hasn’t done anything that seem like it would be too great a liability. He earned his money the old fashioned way — he married it. As did his dad — there is a reason why Kerry’s middle name is “Forbes.”
- He even took on a banking scandal that hurt fellow democrats. (Hence his reputation as a maverick.)
- His involvement in Iran-contra (and even his bills to reduce the budget of teh intelligence community) shows someone who is willing to take on the kind of shady-deal foreign policy which has gotten us into the mess we are in right now.
