John Kerry's Calculation Paralysis

The image of a detached John Kerry standing idly by while the Florida student was arrested and tasered last week illuminated the consistent picture of who John Kerry really is. While the very concept of democracy has been blasted away by a Republican agenda, John Kerry as a United States Senator, has consistently shown a lack of leadership and an inability to respond without calculating his own political image and/or his own political ambitions.

This obsession with political self interest was clearly demonstrated by Senator Kerry’s vote to authorize military action in Iraq and has continued through last month’s lack of participation and interest on the extremely important Foreign Intelligence and Surveillance Act vote. Even the delayed response to the Swift Boat Veterans attacks can be traced to calculation obsession. Although John Kerry may vote the right way on a particular issue, it is consistently the result of considering what is best for John Kerry.

In many ways, John Kerry epitomizes what is wrong in Washington. He is detached from ordinary people and excessively consumed with political self interest. Senator Kerry’s explanation the following day for his actions/inactions in Florida was convoluted and calculated. His reaction to the defeat of the marriage equality amendment was strikingly similar (I am a firm supporter of marriage equality and Senator Kerry is not).

Last June, John Kerry held a forum in Natick, Massachusetts and the result of that forum came close to the result in Florida. In Natick, it was apparent from the beginning that people were not happy with John Kerry for many reasons. Some of the concerns were John Kerry’s lack of standing with convictions during the 2004 Presidential election, the walking away from Ohio with $15m left of our money in his campaign fund (half of which he has taken and put into the 2008 Massachusetts Senate race) when there was a team of lawyers on the ground to contest the election, and for his vote to authorize military action in Iraq.

As people lined the two aisles waiting to speak in the Natick auditorium, the tone consistently contained disappointment and outrage. After several questions, it was clear that John Kerry was not comfortable answering any more questions and he went on one long diatribe after another in order to fill up the time and avoid having to answer any more questions.

Senator Kerry’s mini filibuster at the Natick forum resulted in extreme frustration and controlled chaos. As the comments grew more intense and the crowd more anxious, I carefully watched the Natick Police Sergeant standing in the back of the auditorium. As a criminal defense attorney for over 25 years, I was tuned in to how he was reacting. Although it was clear that his awareness was very heightened and that he was ready to move if a crime was committed, he stayed back and out of the way of the verbal volleys. This police sergeant demonstrated tremendous professionalism. Nonetheless, most people left the forum exasperated.

Since the Natick forum, John Kerry will only appear in Massachusetts when he is in control of the dialogue. I have been to approximately 35 Democratic events during the last several months where open dialogue was the norm. John Kerry has appeared at none of these occasions.

Senator Kerry, despite having a month off from the Senate, has declined many invitations by local Democratic Committees to appear with me to discuss the War in Iraq, Health Care, Education, Special Interests, the Environment and Renewable Energy.

The people of Massachusetts want Senator Kerry to debate these issues. Unfortunately, after careful calculation, Senator Kerry has come to the conclusion that although debate and dialogue may be in the best interest of the people of Massachusetts, it is not in John Kerry’s best political interest. Isn’t that what politics as usual is all about?

I invite you to visit my website to see where I stand on the issues and thank you in advance for doing so [Ed O'Reilly http://www.edoreilly.com]

If you would like to help end politics as usual please click on [Act Blue http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/18072]. Since John Kerry started with over $7m of our campaign contributions left from the Presidential Election of 2004, your help is extremely important and greatly appreciated.

Ed O'Reilly
www.edoreilly.com