I was a big Kerry supporter. I'm not so sure now. He pissed me off yesterday. So I wrote a letter and I'm posting it here in the hopes that he hears about it somehow.
(More below the fold.)
Dear Senator Kerry,
I saw this on Daily Kos yesterday and I hoped it was an elaborate Republican hoax to separate you from your base.
U.S. Sen. John Kerry, visiting Louisiana for a forum on children's health care, criticized the Massachusetts Democratic Party for its expected approval of a statement in the party platform in support of same-sex marriage.
"I think it's a mistake," Kerry said. "I think it's the wrong thing, and I'm not sure it reflects the broad view of the Democratic Party in our state."
Say it ain't so, John! I am so mad at you, I could spit! Supporting same-sex marriage is the right thing to do, regardless of the "broad view" of Democrats, Republicans or the country in general. And I am very dubious about the idea that you even need to pander to bigotry and ignorance in the first place. What works for the Republicans is not going to work for Democrats because Democratic voters are a lot more open-minded and intelligent.
It was a bone-headed thing to say, Senator Kerry. A perfect example of the asshattery that has dogged your actions for over a year. You do and say many brave and necessary things, and your supporters, like myself, get all fired up and hope starts to develop in the breast of the Kerry people, and then you fuck up. And, make no mistake, Senator Kerry, this is a big fuck-up. It may have cost you any hope you might have had for the 2008 election. I'll explain why.
I became a big fan at the time of the attacks of the Swift Boat Veterans for Troof. I had been supporting Clark, and I had rather lukewarm feelings toward you as a candidate, but the attacks of the Swift Boat Liars were transparent bullshit and I started studying your past career a little more closely. I learned about your time in the military, your principled actions in the protest movement against a war you knew first hand, and your subsequent political career, especially your role in the Iran/Contra scandal and the BCCI imgroglio. I liked what I saw.
I tend to vote Green. I voted for Nader in 2000 (even though I liked Gore) but you made me enthusiastic about the Democratic Party for a change. I have never been so enthusiastic about a candidate in my life. My friends know me for my cynicism and my skeptical nature, and they were surprised that I could like a candidate so much. It surprised me as well, to be honest. I wrote about you on my blog, often ending my posts "Kerry rocks" and "Kerry is awesome."
I have been defending you in no uncertain terms for months. I have been defending you since the Democratic Convention, and I had no problem saying that, yeah, there were a few mistakes, but I defended you anyway, saying that it would be hard for anybody, Dean, Edwards, Clark, to know how to react to Repug bullshit and the constant and merciless scrutiny of the Lying Conservative Media. I defended you against Repugs and Democrats alike.
I believed in you, Senator Kerry. But your recent statements on gay marriage made me feel like an asshole. I don't like feeling like an asshole. And I am not alone.
It's not just over this issue of civil unions vs. gay marriage, but over the idiotic advisement you are getting that would encourage such asshattery. YOU ARE NOT EVER GOING TO GAIN A SINGLE VOTE BY DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN CIVIL UNIONS AND GAY MARRIAGE! The homophobes are not going to flock to your banner in droves, hailing you as a visionary because you support civil unions but don't support same-sex marriage. And you are pissing off your most ardent supporters (like myself) by being such an ass hat.
I am not alone among Kerry supporters who, until today, were defending you energetically and hopefully. Now, those of us who were supporting you with fervor will now be a little lukewarm ... or gone entirely. You may have just finished yourself off for 2008 completely, because you will have very few staunch admirers left. Many of the people who have been singing your praises and believing in you will not be so energetic in the future.
Senator Kerry, you need to just do the right thing, fuck any concern over 2008. JUST DO THE RIGHT THING, KERRY! Now is the time to say fuck the polls, fuck the CW, this country that we love needs a different kind of politics. You need to stop being such a calculating, poll-enthralled hack. Be a maverick, go your own way, stop treating politics like a very boring science and treat it like an adventure. And above all, DO THE RIGHT THING! EVERY TIME! The first thing to do is make a very public statement IN FULL SUPPORT OF GAY MARRIAGE and admit you made a mistake. The Repugs will call you a flip-flopper but they will say some stupid, inane bullshit no matter what you do.
I am part of a group of Los Angeles-area Daily Kossacks that meet once a month. Senator Kerry, you should get away from the fucking ass-hat advisors who FUCKED UP YOUR CAMPAIGN and talk to real fucking Americans, real fucking Democrats, informed Dems like the people at Kos. The May Encino 7 meet-up would be a great place to start. So come and join us in the lovely San Fernando Valley on Memorial Day. If you can't make it then, come to our June meeting.
Sorry if I sound really crazy this morning, but I invested a lot of political faith in you, more than I have ever placed in anyone, and you fucking pissed me off yesterday. FOR NO POLITICAL GAIN WHATSOEVER! Stupid, stupid, stupid!
Was the John Kerry I believed in for real? Or just a construct of my own desperate hopes for the restoration of the American experiment?
I really want to write "Kerry rocks" on my blog again. Don't let me down, Senator Kerry!
Tony Seybert
Hollywood, CA