The Buzzwords of John Kerry - How he spins the issues. (Quite Funny!)

SLATE ^ | 7/1/03

[areafiftyone]

Slate is running several series of short features explaining who the 2004 presidential candidates are, what they're saying, and where they propose to take the country. The first series summarized their personal and professional backgrounds. This series analyzes their pet phrases, candidate by candidate. Today's subject is John Kerry.

When I came back from Vietnam
Example: "I have been a leader in the environment since I first came back from Vietnam and became a part of Earth Day 1970" (EMILY's List forum, May 20, 2003).
What it means: On the environment, I'm a war hero. On campaign reform, I'm a war hero. On affirmative action, I'm a war hero.
What it hides: What does Vietnam have to do with any of these issues?
Subtext: Did I mention I'm a war hero?

Why not?
Example: "Why not have an economy where equal opportunity is a fact? Where people who work hard and do the right thing can not only make ends meet but can actually reach higher and hope for more? … Why not have public schools where children set out on a lifetime of learning and possibility? … Why not preserve our environment so our great-grandchildren can breathe clean air, drink clean water, and know that they too live in a land that can be called 'America the beautiful'?" (speech to the California Democratic State Convention, March 14, 2003).
What it means: I'm a visionary.
What it hides: Nobody's against these things. The debate is about how to achieve them.
Subtext: Did you notice my initials are JFK?

A politics that/the politics of
Examples: "I want us to get back to a politics that dares to ask, 'Why not?' again" (answering questions after a speech at the Kennedy Library, Feb. 9, 2003).
What it means: Nothing.
What it hides: I'm saying nothing.
Subtext: Although I appear not to have a coherent set of principles, in fact, I do.

GOTV
Example: "GOTV doesn't stand for 'go on TV' " (standard stump speech).
What it means: Get out the vote.
What it hides: I became the Democratic presidential front-runner by leaping at every opportunity to go on TV.
Subtext: I'm from Massachusetts. Go find me some Iowans.

Go to the moon right here on Earth
Example: "We need to now go to the moon here on Earth by setting America on the course to energy independence" (speech to the City Club of Cleveland, Dec. 3, 2002).
What it means: Do something really big.
What it hides: Not only is it logically impossible to go to the moon on Earth, but what I'm about to say has nothing to do with either.
Previous buzzword reviews: Carol Moseley Braun, Howard Dean, John Edwards, Dick Gephardt, Bob Graham. Next: Dennis Kucinich.

[Scenic Sounds]

Prospective Democratic nominee ping.

[areafiftyone]

Apparently the links to the other candidates didn't work. Here are the correct links:

Carol Moseley Braun, Howard Dean, John Edwards, Dick Gephardt, and Bob Graham.

[rs79bm]

I'm from Massachusetts. Go find me some Iowans.

I'm from Massachusetts. Go find me some Iowans voters from Masssachusetts who will vote for me. You are out there, aren't you?

[areafiftyone]

I think they were still voting for JFK in 2000 weren't they?

[Pan_Yans Wife]

"Go to the moon right here on Earth"

Reminiscent of Daschle's quote when he said, "It's not rocket science" when he truly was speaking about rocket science. LOL

[Phantom Lord]

I believe the rocket science gaff was Algore's.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Those hoping to scuttle ballistic missile defense (BMD) have claimed that "Star Wars" is a high-flying hallucination.

"This isn't rocket science here," Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D., South Dakota) told reporters on June 8. "Yes, it is rocket science, now that I think about it." Daschle thought about it a bit longer, but apparently not too deeply. "Every aspect of the debate and the consideration given this whole program is troubling to me," he added. "To commit the billions, the tens of billions of dollars, to deployment, to a system that we don't know works, just seems to be backward to most of us."

From the following link:

http://www.nationalreview.com/murdock/murdock080201.shtml

[Phantom Lord]

Thats a new one to me. I remember Algore making a "its not rocket science" comment when speaking to a group at NASA.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Oh, I am sure he has made the same mistake. The man who invented the internet has never totally utilized the wealth on information on the net.

[sweetliberty]

Examples: "I want us to get back to a politics that dares to ask, 'Why not?' again" (answering questions after a speech at the Kennedy Library, Feb. 9, 2003).
What it means: Nothing.
What it hides: I'm saying nothing.
Subtext: Although I appear not to have a coherent set of principles, in fact, I do.

ROTFL!!!!!!