I know Bob Kerrey isn't the favorite of everyone here at DailyKos, but bear with me. I hope this diary may cause some of you to warm up to him, and his prospects for winning.
I actually think he'd be an asset in the Senate. Not that we can expect him to always follow the President's agenda, and yes he would probably vote with the republicans from time to time. But his first vote would be for Harry Reid. And he will support the President more often than not. There is also a range of issues where he is quite progressive, even though some of his statements on social security will not cause any love on the left.
Even though he is running in deep red and conservative Nebraska, he vocally supports gay marriage. He is also against the notion that tax cuts fix any problem. This video form 1993 on President Clintons tax hike illustrates it well:
He is principled, for better or worse. That means he will sometimes not vote with the democrats, but it also means that he will vote his conscience, and not tactically. The biggest problems with democrats elected to blue districts haven't been that they have been too conservative, but that they haven’t had much of a backbone. That won't be a problem with Kerrey, and I would rather have politicians like, that than turncoats.
He is pro healthcare and campaigns to keep Obamacare. As he states on his webpage, he has always been in need of help ever since he returned from Vietnam one leg short.
Kerrey campaigns actively against the Ryan budget. Especially his cuts on Medicare and Medicaid. He is strong on social issues and especially women's issues. He is pro-choice and not ashamed of it.
He is vocally for gay marriage and has been campaigning on being for it since the early 80s (!). As he says: "Who in their right mind would choose to be gay in Nebraska?".
He is also feverishly against war with Iran.
Can he win?
Yes, he can. The momentum is in his direction. He has gained 15 points from the March poll to the September poll. He won all three recent debates, and we have all learned lately how important that can be.
The best thing for him is his opponent, Deb Fischer, who is a lousy candidate. She beat the two establishment candidates in a three way primary, being supported only by Sarah Palin (and Todd Palin, whupdidu!). She is still quite unknown in Nebraska, so for some it's Kerrey (D) vs. Generic (R). But she is much worse than a generic republican, and as more people find out, Kerrey gets more votes. At least Fischer gets fewer. As we get closer to the election, more people will see that she is just not fit to serve in the senate.
There has only been one poll of the race after the summer, which saw Kerrey lagging by 10 points. He is running ahead of Obama and has a lead by 3 points in NE-02. If he can drive up turnout in Omaha, he has a shot.
Kerrey gets positive reviews form the newspapers and will probably get their endorsement. He also has some strong ads out. The best one is Steve Martins endorsement and home craft skills:
Most important of all is the fact that Kerrey is running a passionate and energized campaign. He holds several events a day and if you follow him on Facebook you see that he gets around. As Steve Martin says: "He is sane and his ideas are workable." By being that, he is winning this race a handshake at the time. His campaign even created this webpage:
www.wedidthistogether.com
Most of all he is a formidable candidate. Former governor and senator. Former Navy SEAL and Vietnam veteran. Lost his foot in Vietnam, received The Medal of Honor, and campaigned against the war for the rest of the war. Then returned to Nebraska, started some businesses and then dedicated his life to public service. After a 10 year stint in New York, he is back to keep Nebraska in the blue column (or getting it back, if you don’t consider Ben Nelson especially blue).
Here are some of his commercials (remember he's running in Nebraska):
You also have to watch this, from his victory party in 1988:
As the race is getting closer, I ask you to give him some more momentum at a crucial time.
Bob Kerreys ActBlue page.
Follow him on Facebook and Twitter
Also visit: www.bobkerrey.com