Kerry Stands Up and Fights

A lot of folks on this board have wondered why Kerry has suddenly fell silent, and are itching for the Dems to stand up to Bush.  Kerry just stepped up to the plate and is making a challenge to Bush and behalf of the 48%.

He's sending out a message to supporters this afternoon.  Here are two released excerpts:

(more in extended entry)

From Talking Points Memo:

"Regardless of the outcome of this election, once all the votes are counted -- and they will be counted -- we will continue to challenge this administration. This is not a time for Democrats to retreat and accommodate extremists on critical principles -- it is a time to stand firm.

I will fight for a national standard for federal elections that has both transparency and accountability in our voting system. It's unacceptable in the United States that people still don't have full confidence in the integrity of the voting process.

I ask you to join me in this cause."

And from Atrios:

And we must fight not only against George Bush's extreme policies -- we must also uphold our own values. This is why on the first day Congress is in session next year, I will introduce a bill to provide every child in America with health insurance. And, with your help, that legislation will be accompanied by the support of hundreds of thousands of Americans.

There are more than eight million uninsured children in our nation.

That's eight million reasons for us to stay together and fight for a new direction. It is a disgrace that in the wealthiest nation on earth, eight million children go without health insurance.

Normally, a member of the Senate will first approach other senators and ask them to co-sponsor a bill before it is introduced -- instead, I am turning to you. Imagine the power of a bill co-sponsored by hundreds of thousands of Americans being presented on the floor of the United States Senate. You can make it happen. Sign our "Every Child Protected" pledge today and forward it to your family, friends, and neighbors...

Kerry's finally doing what we want him to do--stand up and fight!

•  Well

  for some reason this statement of his is making me even sadder.  Wish I could trust him.  Really wish I could.  his concession just took the wind and courage out of my gut.  It will take a while to get it back.

  As I so often say to my now grown children, trust once abused is very slow to return.  And while I give to them my encouragement and love, my trust must be earned.  Not demanded.

  Let's see what he does once back in the Senate.

  by GrandmaJ on Fri Nov 19, 2004 at 11:58:11 AM PDT

  •  don't lose yer heart!

    i understand the caution in trusting kerry after what some people thought was an early concession.

    i liked kerry but i had issues with his campaign (poor in my opinion).  that aside, i would ask people not to blast kerry for it however & understand there were complications.

    given the 3 million votes & the 135K+ vote differential, it would have been immensely damaging to the Dems if Kerry did not conceed.

    i think we would lost legitimacy as well as perhaps the real issue of fair elections.

    whether you agree with the concession or not, please be aware of the political & future consideration & that they had to be considered.

    i think if kerry fights hard in the senate, then he deserves the applause.  if not, we'll find another champion.

    Bush, What Price Did You Pay?

    by krazypuppy on Fri Nov 19, 2004 at 12:09:38 PM PDT

  •  asdf

    It would have been a waste of political capital to hold up an election he lost by 3 million votes. The concession was the right thing to do. There are people working to uncover all the irregularities and making sure all the votes get counted. In the unlikely event that there is something uncovered that changes things, he can always un-concede.

    If he had been acting like a tin-foil hatted sore loser for the last few weeks, nobody would take his initiatives seriously. Now he can act with credibility.

    by fwiffo on Fri Nov 19, 2004 at 12:13:58 PM PDT

    •  Those three million votes...

      ...were manufactured.  They weren't cast.

      by Blue Shark on Fri Nov 19, 2004 at 12:53:23 PM PDT

•  I'll believe it...

  ...when I see it on ANY network newscast.

  by Blue Shark on Fri Nov 19, 2004 at 11:59:05 AM PDT

  •  Why would you wait to see it on a

    Republican-controlled network newscast?

    by upstate NY on Fri Nov 19, 2004 at 12:34:19 PM PDT

    •  Because...

      ...it means nothing if it goes no further than this blog.

      And just why the hell hasn't George Soros bought a network?  I'm Curious.

      by Blue Shark on Fri Nov 19, 2004 at 12:51:40 PM PDT

      •  It actually means a lot.

        We got Sinclair in hot water not through the major media, but on this blog. All the other major blogs have the kerry health care pitch as well. I pick one or two articles from this blog every few days and send them to about 50 non-blogging friends on a listserv. They'll pass it on to the listservs they belong to. There's a lot of duplication, and a lot of power in the grassroots. The whole idea is that we bypass the mainstream media. Also, do you have an idea of just how many people read Dailykos?

        by upstate NY on Fri Nov 19, 2004 at 01:13:49 PM PDT

•  Good to see this . . .

  Let's get behind both these initiatives. Our leaders are only as strong as we make them. We need to respond with our letters, calls, and bodies whenever any of our Democratic leaders -- Kerry, Dean, Edwards, Boxer et al. -- take on the Republican juggernaut.

  by Nancy in Berkeley on Fri Nov 19, 2004 at 12:10:24 PM PDT

  •  i posted this in another thread.

    please sign the petition that goes with kerry's message. it asks for state and zip code. that info can be used to help identify congressional districts. if enough people are from specific districts, it will be possible to go to members up for re-election in 2006 and point out to them that their constituents support the bill and their lack of support for it will be played back to the voters in 2006. it's a power to the people tactic. let's make it work.

    by yankeedoodler on Fri Nov 19, 2004 at 01:59:33 PM PDT