Since January, John Kerry has come out swinging. He came out for
filibustering Alito, made a "
slashing attack" on the Bush administration, and today had some
tough words to say on Meet the Press. Other recent examples are
here,
here,
here, and
here.
His words today on MTP were simple and strong:
Tell the truth, fire the incompetents, get out of Iraq.
All of this is great. Really. No doubt about it, it's fantastic to hear this stuff coming from our elected Democrats in Congress. There's only one problem...
We're still really mad at you, Senator Kerry.
I'm not saying it's fair, and of course I can't speak for everyone. And I don't think anyone is doubting your integrity, passion, sincerity, or competence. You have been a strong progressive voice for three decades, and believe me when I say the vast majority of the Leftosphere considers you to be a fine senator.
But you broke our hearts. November is still fresh in many minds, and the six or so months since then seems not too long a time. It certainly isn't enough time for many of us to get over the horrifying night when we saw the numbers come in. You see, I think most of us by that night had honestly expected you to win. The polls looked good, you had overcome the Dean juggernaut (although perhaps in questionable ways), the 527s were working hard, and new voices like Franken and Stewart were giving us a rallying cry. We were ready to take the government back from these people who were doing so much damage!
And you lost. Yeah, perhaps there were some voting shenanigans in Ohio, and the national margin was narrow, but you lost. At the time many of us kept wondering, where's the passion? Why isn't he making strong statements from the heart? Why isn't he doing a better job calling Bush to task? But we trusted you, and that trust was not validated.
And here's the rub: when we see you make these clear, articulated, punchy attacks on BushCo lately, we can't help but wonder, where was this Kerry in 2004? Knowing that you could have campaigned this way, well, it brings up a lot of anger.
The good news is that these wounds will continue to heal. I think you will have to give us a bit more time, though, if you expect the majority of us to get behind you again. And believe me when I say that going forward, you will need us. The Left blogosphere is certainly not all powerful, but we are rapidly becoming a force that is unignorable. I just hope that you don't ask too much too soon, otherwise the response will not be a pleasant one.
Until then, keep pounding away, Senator! Your recent critiques and stances have been great. America needs a person like you in Congress, and even if the White House never becomes your residency, you can live your life knowing that you have been a great American.