Last week someone said Kerry should have gone to black churches

Well, I was going through some old newspapers today and found this article in the NYT

I'm using a link to a message board that posted the article and the visit to a black church by Kerry and Jackson that precipitated it.

I'm just saying:
1. he DID go to black churches
2. AND got blasted for it

I swear you can't win with the left wing sometimes.

http://www.southorangevillage.com/discus/messages/26018/48544.html?1097532007

NEW YORK TIMES:

October 13, 2004

Kerry Is Criticized for Church Drive
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK

Liberal religious groups criticized Senator John Kerry yesterday as politicizing religion by campaigning in African-American churches.

A spokesman for Americans United for Separation of Church and State said the group would file a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service against the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Miami, where Mr. Kerry spoke Sunday along with the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Tax laws restrict churches and tax-exempt charities from supporting political candidates. "It was all Democratic speakers, and a pastor got up and endorsed Kerry from the pulpit," the spokesman, Joe Conn, said. "It was over the line."

For a brief period last week, the Democratic National Committee Web site asked pastors to distribute campaign materials, but the request was removed amid complaints.

(more)

I posted a opinion thread here a while back called "To pander or not to pander" because on MLK day, Tavis Smiley was laughing and semi-blasting Kerry for choosing MLK day to talk about voter disenfrancisment instead of doing so during the campaign. He was also critical of Kerry for not having a strong rapport with the African-American community in a way that Clinton did. (Tavis is a Clinton person). He felt that was "severely lacking" in Kerry. He also criticized Kerry's DNC acceptance speech saying that it was "ungrateful" cause it didn't address the important work of MLK, Fannie Lou Hamer, and voting rights.

How this relates to the black church is that Kerry, Smiley believes, pandered to black churches for votes instead of doing so on the stump. He said that he needed their votes, but "took them for granted" by conceding too soon. Jesse, who joined late in the campaingn because "Kerry couldn't connect with black voters" said the same thing, saying that the concession "betrayed the trust of the voters." Smiley later said this is a message to Kerry and other Democrats, "Don't come pandering to us or our churches everytime you need our votes." Anyway, it's just all upsetting sometimes cause I am a person of color, and if things turned out differently, we all would be singing another tune. I appreciate him showing support for our churches.

I don't want to interfere with anyones right to be heard, but our side seems so scattered sometimes. Everyone thinks their issue is most important. PETA, anti-war, this separation of church and state group, minorities groups etc. So many seem to take potshots at our candidates. Has there ever been a Dem candidate in recent memory that this DIDN'T happen to?

One of the back-issue articles that someone posted a link to here a while back talked about John Kerry going to Roxbury (MA) in 1992, after the verdict came out in the Rodney King case. There was great anger in the AA community because of the perceived injustice of the trial and the innocent verdict against the 4 police officers.

Kerry went to an AA church because he wanted to be with his constituents in a time of trouble and see if he could listen and learn. (At least that's what I remember from the article.) The Minister saw Kerry (there was only one other non-minority person in attendance at the service) and asked if he wished to speak. Kerry declined several times (listening tour, remember) and then agreed to speak. He spoke for ten minutes, without prepared remarks, about what was going on and made frequent scriptural references. (As I would expect from someone with that many years of religious school training. I think even Yale, in those days, had Chapel as a requirement.) No big deal, doing what a Senator should do, being with his constituents. (Preventing a worthy teacher from being deported is another 'no big deal.' It would be a dismal and idiotic thing if the DHomelandS was allowed to deport a good man for what amounts to a tiny error.)

The greater sorrow on this is that some of the best things Kerry (and other Dems like Kennedy and others) have done for minority communities is the support for the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). But that doesn't fit in a soundbite. Too bad. This is the act that makes banks explain their lending practices and makes banks put some money back into communities in which they do business. (It is a good thing to make banks put money into minority and low-income areas. It fosters home-ownership, small business development and employment.)

Dems have to figure out a way to tell minorities and low-income people that the CRA has been a target of Rethugs for years and that they are on the vergbe o gutting it in this 109th (weasel) Congress. This is stuff that makes a real difference in people's lives. Kerry knows this and that's why he's been a voice of support for the program. He has walked the walk. Perhaps talking the talk will come next.

I went to another forum and there were some people asking if Kerry had been to a black church since he coneceded. I didn't read the thread cause I didn't want to be sad all over again.

go to black churches, and that's what Kerry should have done.

Will Rogers was right. We aren't an organized party. At all.

People on GD have all these gripes about Kerry's campaign--he didn't do this or that, or say this or that, or be forceful enough, or whatever! I've got some of his rallies on tape, and he was damned forceful, if you ask me! He did everything but challenge * to a duel. Now they've got him all rewritten as some panty-waisted coward. :grr:

They act like he was worse than Dukakis.

as a rollover, or at least seemed to.

He actually did better in some places than Clinton, Gore, or Kerry. Places that sigh are becoming lost as the new deal generation dies out or moves to the right. That sucks, Kerry aint a bad guy.

It's a shame but now it's the sad truth that people will say again and again that they don't like negative campaigning but it's been proven to work every time.

As a people Americans really do get the government they deserve. If you reward lying, cheating, smearing, and cowardice then you will end up governed by a... well, a bush.

(Side note - whoo hoo out of the 700 club!)

He was a good guy and candidate.

I wasn't mistaken. Dukakis apparently laid down also in her eyes. I wanted to make sure, since that's quite the accusation.

From Jan 9th:

"He made a bonesman deal to take out Dean, Kucinich, Clark, Graham and Sharpton. In return he laid down and died for his pal in the great Dukakis tradition.

My only child now has permanent residence in a VA Cemetery thanks to the Bonesman.

I will do everything I can to remove Kerry from office for flanting his pink tutu, and that also goes for Bilderberger Edwards too. Edwards took orders from his Bilderberger masters to go along and throw the election to Bush. Screw both of them for sending my only child to die for nothing.

Today, the Goodwill truck came and took all of his stuff away. I now have an empty room here that I'm sitting in with my computer. I'm thinking of 19 years that went down the toilet thanks to Jesus and the Pink Tutu Democrats. Whatever faith I had in this country is gone forever.

I'm going to leave the Democrats and now I will concentrate full time on working to secede California from Jesusland and the TEX ASSES who killed my only child and who now come for YOUR children. Jesusland has to be stopped."

It's sad. But it's also scary. Very scary.

Kucinich I love the man but he had no chance as did Sharpton. Graham hahaha, I love how the far left likes the guy even though he was once the senate leader of the big bad DLC and second of all he dropped out before a single primary happened. I am sorry about her kid but damn thats just wrong. It is sad but scary, youre right. God I hate how these people treat good democrats then have double standards for their heroes.

and I say "if" because it is extremely easy to lie on the internet--then why isn't she content to hate Bush, the real cause of the invasion? It doesn't add up. If she is that devasted why is she able to post semi-coherently? I'd be curled up in a ball somewhere. Well, if she is for real, I'll call it temporary insanity.

edit, one further point: if my child died at 19, I would NEVER say that it was 19 years down the drain!!! I would value those 19 years with all of my heart.

I agree with you ginny, Value the years.

and I'm more confused now.

In 2004, she referred to her 23 year old nephew Jon, who was made a quadreplegic because of the war. Today she referred to him as her 19 year old son, her only child. During the primaries, she supported Clark. Feb, 2005, she says she says she'll forever damn herself for not working harder for DEAN.

And just now I found a post from Oct, 2004 where she refers to her nephew Jon who DIED in Iraq. Very, very anti-Christian sentiments. Referred to Gawd and Xians.

She went back and forth between saying we needed to support Kerry, then spewing hate at him for being a Skull and Bonesman. Sometimes it was Nader who got the most of the blame. All before the election.

She thinks that Kerry voted to send her 23/19 year old nephew/son to war and that he stayed silent while Bush cut the VA so her 23/19 year old nephew/son wouldn't get the proper care. He died on Thanksgiving after suffering in agony. No, wait, he died before October 31st, 2004 when Zanti says "My nephew Jon gets killed in Iraq and his mother is overjoyed because he died for Jesus."

Something isn't right. It's like she's having trouble keeping her story straight.

Sorry to be suspicious. But maybe it's a good heads up in case we're being played.

No offense to you little clarkie but I do know that Clark said that he would have voted for the resolution too. She does sound inconsistent. Its ok to be suspicious.

Though lots of people seem to think so. Even Dean supported it when it happened. But neither Clark nor Dean had to vote, so they didn't have to hang by the thumbs for their support.

He also downplayed his opposition to the war for a while. Clark never claimed to be a big opponent of the war. Yes, you got that right about the IWR.

But that amendment didn't make it. So mostly they were in agreement. Shh, don't tell the Deaniacs.

looks like somebody wants some attention, or to disrupt. Thanks for looking it all up for us, LittleClarkie.

There's no way she isn't a disruptor. That's about as tell-tale as you can get.

What you should do: type everything you just typed out to us, but with LINKS INCLUDED, and PM it to Skinner. This crap makes DU look bad and it's a shame she hasn't been caught already. How evil to fabricate something as serious as the death of a loved one just to spew venomous hate on an anonymous online webboard. And that comment about 19 wasted years was really disturbing as well - if I died tomorrow I can assure you my parents would never say that my life was "20 years down the drain." How despicable - even more so IF it were true.

and suggested he could see for himself. I wish I would have done what you said though. I hope he doesn't think I'M trying to start trouble.

So much easier to point out all these mistakes after the fact. You can feel so superior and removed from the "failure." Oh, if it had been me (or my candidate) we would have done soooo much better.

Easy to say, impossible to prove.

Kerry did everything humanly possible to win that election. The fact that some people could actually accuse him of "throwing it" shows me that some people are so far removed from reality that they wouldn't recognize it if it fell on them and knocked off their tinfoil hats.

pretty sick if you ask me, the bastards.

not to mention bringing up Dukakis again. Thank you for loving on Dukakis, I love that guy!

Anyone who brags about being an ACLU member is cool with me.

a great liberal. I wish people wouldn't pigeon-hole him as a "loser." So he lost that election, but he didn't sell out his values, so he didn't really lose.

I like Walter Mondale, very pro labor, thats always good to me, being ex union and all.

It belonged to my father, but I think that was a great ticket. Again, when the heck will we have a female VP again? Good to start at the VP level then prez...

The Gore-Lieberman sign is one of the things that reminds me of my godmother. I am sure we'll have a female VP someday.

is a Gore-Lieberman sticker with the candidates' names over a pink triangle with a blue back ground which I put on my Mondale poster. The pink triangle such a powerful symbol of both the gay movement and gay oppression. It just puts the gay/Jewish oppression together.

My aunt and grandma got the sign when Aunt Ann was in Portland, Oregon for experimental treatment for her leukemia.

Shes still living, her and my grandpa even visited me in the hospital when I was recovering from surgery and bought me a book. Shes Catholic yes btw.

Honestly, talk about dysfunctional.