The Furious Spinner

John Kerry did not mention choice.

I went to see John Kerry and Howard Dean at a rally in Portland this week, and he didn’t once mention women or choice. I thought this was odd, especially since every other person seemed to be wearing an “I vote pro-choice” or “this is the face of feminism” sticker.

We waited out in the rain for Mr. Kerry. Two hours. But what’s two hours in the grand scheme of things? We were going to be inspired. A local band entertained us while we waited. We watched for signs of electrocution while the drops fell, helicopters hovered overhead, and a huge American flag undulated in the wind. Spectators hung out the windows of the highrises on two sides of the square; some of them displayed signs. “Kerry ‘04” and “Bush sucks.”

Finally, after some introductory speakers, Howard Dean began talking. I waited to see and hear the man who had inspired millions, but the Howard Dean we had all gotten to know during the campaign was not on that Portland stage. He introduced a man whose life Kerry had saved during the war. My husband and I glanced at each other as the talk of war and honor and blood and guts seemed to go and on. What was it with these people and their glorification of war? Ah well. Kerry was due up next.

The crowd roared. Kerry began speaking. He talked about the war in Iraq, the environment, stem cell research, health care, and education. Several times. In a kind of list.

But he didn’t mention choice even once.

He mentioned God too many times.

John Kerry got the biggest applause of the day when he said, “Let’s take back the American flag. It doesn’t belong to just the Republicans.” Or something like that. People cheered, threw things in the air, waved flags. Americans want to believe in America again, I thought, and that is the story John Kerry should tell. Yes, that was the problem here: we didn’t know John Kerry’s story.

All great leaders and politicians have a narrative—they’ve got a story to tell. They are superb storytellers, making the television, the amphitheater, the cafeteria the campfire we’re all sitting around.

Once I figured out it was John Kerry’s story we weren’t hearing, I felt better. It was true: I didn’t like all his war talk. And yes, I didn’t like him mentioning God all the time. Yes, I was uncomfortable with his stand on Iraq. I wanted us out of Iraq; we had, after all, invaded a sovereign nation who hadn’t done anything to us. He wants to stay and work with NATO. OK, we disagreed on that, but he was not Bush, so I would just grin and bear it.

Then I heard that on Meet the Press Kerry was asked about Israel’s recent assassination of a Hamas leader. He seemed to say he agreed with their actions. Kerry said, "I believe Israel has every right in the world to respond to any act of terror against it. Hamas is a terrorist, brutal organization. It has had ten years to make up its mind to take part in a peaceful process. They refuse to. Arafat refuses to. And I support Israel's efforts to try and separate itself and try to be secure."

OK, I didn’t agree with that at all, but Kerry was not Bush. I had to remember that. I wrote to our local peace group saying just that: Yes, Kerry isn’t perfect; yes, I voted for Nader last election--when I knew it wouldn’t impact the number of electoral votes going to Gore, but Kerry had voted correctly on environmental issues, and he supported women’s rights. I wasn’t going to do anything that might help George Bush get reelected.

Then someone sent me an article from the Guardian. Kerry appeared to be “striking a moderate tone” when it came to pro-choice judges. Was this why Kerry had not mentioned choice at the rally in Portland? According to the Guardian, Kerry said “he's open to nominating anti-abortion judges as long as that doesn't lead to the Supreme Court overturning the landmark 1973 ruling that made abortion legal.”

WHAT?

That was it. That was the straw that broke my accommodating back. Suddenly I felt as though I did know John Kerry’s story. Animal Farm flashed through my brain. Remember how the animals were trying to negotiate with the humans for their rights? They sent the pigs as their representatives. In the end, the pigs looked just like the humans—the other animals couldn’t tell the difference between the humans and the pigs.

I was one of those people who had been arguing that there is a difference between the Democrats and Republicans. After three years of Bush, I had seen an amazing and horrifying difference. Now I felt like throwing in the towel, packing it in a bag, and heading for Canada.

What was it with these politicians? Why did they all start sounding and acting alike?

Maybe Animal Farm wasn’t Kerry’s story. Maybe it was the Stepford Wives. Maybe politicians believed they had to become Stepford Politicians in order to please Americans. Remember Invasion of the Body Snatchers? Seeing Howard Dean all calm and ordinary, I was tempted to start looking for pods. Now Kerry was talking moderation when appointing the judges who could determine women’s rights to control our own bodies. Moderation was not in order here!

I don’t like the stories of the two main candidates for president. And I’m not the only one. Maybe we will start telling another story, a better story. It could begin with a sentence from the Declaration of Independence: That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

I still believe in happy endings.
0 comments

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

All photographs and written material copyright © 2003-2008 by Kim Antieau unless otherwise indicated. May not be used without permission.