Posted on 06/08/2004 7:29:51 PM PDT by xm177e2
Quite a few FReepers have attacked John Kerry for visiting Reagan's coffin and paying his respects to the man. I think this is wrong.
If he hadn't paid his respects, the same people would be throwing a fit.
John Kerry did not wait in line: Neither did other dignitaries (aka "important people who are not celebrities"). Neither did Arnold Schwarzenegger. Do you think George W. Bush should wait in line? Please. That's pathetic. John Kerry is, by virtue of being the presidential candidate for a major political party, more important than the rest of us. Just like George W. Bush was more important than the rest of us while he was running for president in 2000. Get over it.
Kerry gave a "thumbs up" in his limo: someone cheered for him, so he responded with a thumbs up. It's a pretty sedate response. Get over it.
Kerry bragged about opposing Reagan's policies in the past: Well, yeah. John Kerry is a left-wing Democrat and Former President Reagan was a right-wing Republican. We live in a democracy and people are allowed to disagree about this sort of thing. Whether or not Kerry was right to disagree with Reagan (I don't think he was), we should still begrudge Kerry the right to disagree.
I just think it's wrong to attack Kerry now, during this time when it seems like everyone on FR is on the edge of their seats looking out for instances of people disrespecting Reagan. This is not the time for attacks. John Kerry has not done anything recently to merit a personal attack on him.
I think the best way to respect Reagan's passing is to be positive and optimistic and constructive. I hope nobody here takes this post as a personal attack on their response to Reagan's death.
Next week, we can start asking Kerry the tough questions ("How exactly do you think George W. Bush is different from Ronald Reagan? Be specific."... "Why did you support the Communists in Nicaragua?"... "Do you think Reagan's expansion of defense spending helped to bring down the Soviet Union, and why were you against it?"... etc.). But let's wait for them to put Reagan into the ground. Right now, our only focus should be honoring his memory.
This ain't Zot material. It's a well thought out article that people may or may not flame you over. Zot? Naw.
Wrong. The "same people" would have been relieved. Kerry is not fit to shine Reagan's shoes. Hell, he's not even fit to look at them.
I think people were bashing Kerry because he kept people waiting for 20 minutes while he attacked President Bush. Hardly a decent way of paying his respects to the dead.
If Kerry's intention was to 'pay respect' to Reagan, he would not need a photographer to memorialize the event. End of discussion.
At least they kept Clinton and Hinckley out.
What a waste of time.
Does somebody need to lighten up just a teensy-weensy bit? This is a site where people post their opinions - you've posted yours, they've posted theirs. Nobody got hurt, and so what if there's a little bashing going on. (Been to DU lately and heard what they're saying about President Reagan?)
Think about this - it has been reported that the events set up for Kerry fundraisers didn't sell tickets like they expected to anyway. Not sure if it's true, but it sounds plausible.
Could it possibly be that Mr. I-voted-for-it-before-I-voted-against-it-and-BTW-I-served-in-Vietnam has another agenda instead of honoring a man he has bashed repeatedly in the past?
I actually thought the jokes about Kerry cutting in line were funny, especially after his supposed way of cutting into lines saying "Don't you know who I am?"
"If Kerry's intention was to 'pay respect' to Reagan, he would not need a photographer to memorialize the event. End of discussion."
Really, that says it all.
And Reagan was not a "right-wing" Republican. Maybe to you and to the New York Times editorial staff he was, but he was a conservative with old-fashioned American ideals and values.
And Kerry had no business being there. He opposed Reagan's defense policies.
And just think we be replying to it
Kerry does seem to be showing more class than Canada and much of the left-wing press, not that that's saying much.
Kerry could have shown respect just like his elected collegues in Congress tomorrow, but decided to try to win the race between him and clinton in the race to the bottom of crassness.
It certainly makes sense to post this as a vanity instead of on a thread where the criticism occurred.......
Paying his respects? It was more like "cashing in on the hype."
If Kerry's intention was to 'pay respect' to Reagan, he would not need a photographer to memorialize the event. End of discussion.
is a pretty good response.
Why are you sticking up for a POS scumbag like Kerry? Kerry doesn't care about Reagan.
Which other US Senator has come to "pay his respects"
complete with his own cameraman?
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm?
NOT ONE.
This was a cheap photo op,
completely contrived by Kerry,
for his own political gain.
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