I briefly met Kerry shortly after he was discharged, shortly after I was discharged as well. I don't believe there was anything unusual about the way he was discharged or when he was discharged. But if you had any memory of what was going on back than, simply put, everything was all fxcked up. They were very sad days for everyone!
At the time, I was working with a veterans organization; so was he. Problem then was everywhere he went he took all of the media with him, and this sorta canceled out the efforts everyone else involved in the movement. In essence, oftentimes what was meant and organized to become a group-led experience in effect became a one-man-Kerry-show. Thus, many were frustrated with what was perceived as grandstanding.
However, Kerry back then made some memorable speeches and he definitely made a much-needed influence on middle America, whether in small-town gatherings or fund raisers. This much I know about him: He's a politician who groomed himself and regardless to what anything anyone ever says about him--he did make it to The Big Show. Unfortunately, the substance of meaningful change got lost along the way as, too much, he conformed to what was required to make it to The Big Show.
Frankly, I can wait long enough for the candidate to come around who transcends party lines, who defies established ways, who arouses the people into meaningful and effective change and who can actually win the presidency.
I truly wonder what our society would be like--what with oil and the environment, with health care, advances in science and the status of jobs in this country--had Reagan not hung on for two terms, followed by the elder Bush.
I wonder what it'd be like today had one of the progressive candidates like McGovern or Brown, or even if Carter had won a second term. After all, Carter was ready during a second term to move away from oil--but Reagan brought us right back into it. The Soviet Union was never going to attack us and we could have used all of the resources and energy combating that and applied into making life better not only for Americans but for people all over the world. Not that Kerry would have done all of this, but he'd certainly have been a better president than has been Bush. And, retrospectively, Gore too! |
