John Kerry this morning on why he's backing Joe Biden

[highplainsdem]

Last edited Mon Feb 3, 2020, 03:20 AM - Edit history (1)

Transcript and audio at this link:


https://www.wgbh.org/news/politics/2020/01/27/former-sen-john-kerry-on-why-hes-backing-joe-biden-for-president

Mathieu: If I heard the message correctly in what you said and what Bill Sheheen said, is that pragmatic is the approach that wins. There are a lot of options for voters right now. You suggested most have not made up their mind.

Kerry: That's a really good question. Let me be very clear about this. I'm not just being pragmatic. I'm being pragmatic with a person who happens to also be a powerful progressive with a long history of standing up and fighting for things: Violence Against Women Act; Joe Biden taking on the NRA and having a reasonable measure of how we manage guns in America with the NRA [and] with the ban on assault weapons; Joe Biden's reforms of our prisons and justice system, making sure that justice delayed is justice denied, [and] he helped make sure we didn't delay it. We had the systems in place — victim witness programs, other kinds of things. I was a prosecutor [and] I remember that. Everybody thinking about this race needs to recognize: the difference between Joe Biden and several people in the race is not whether you're going to have health care or not have health care. It's a difference of how you might have that health care. And I don't think most Americans want to be kicked off a program they currently have. You will not even have a unified Democratic caucus to try to do some of the things that are on the table.

-snip-

Here's an example. When we were on the precipice of having the entire financial system of the world collapse in 2008 [and] 2009 as Barack Obama came in. I was in the Senate then [and] I remember how frightened some of the federal officials were who were telling us it could collapse tomorrow or the next day. And they asked us to do a recovery and bail out, [and] fix the system. Joe Biden was assigned by President Obama to carry that order, to make that happen, to be the person who got the Recovery Act through the United States Congress. And we got it done. And I think that kind of experience is just invaluable.

Republicans trust Joe Biden, and people in the middle and independents trust him. And he has no dearth in his record of strong, progressive initiatives on behalf of people that are as strong as any the Democrat party's ever fought for.

[Thekaspervote]

1. Joe is going to make a great president!! John Kerry is right

Moderates and independents trust him

WAPO poll out gives Joe much higher marks for enthusiasm and attracting independent voters

Biden 29
Sanders 17

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287449023

[underthematrix]

2. I know him and I trust him.

I know he believes in the rule of and the survival of our Republic.

[oasis]

3. Kerry's backing Joe. A key endorsement a campaign can brag about.

[KPN]

4. Same arguments we heard in 2016.

What happened in 2016?

Oh, a new one actually ... Republicans trust Joe Biden. Now there's something that will get my vote!

[PatSeg]

5. John Kerry is an excellent spokesperson

for Joe Biden.

[emmaverybo]

6. It is great Biden has the endorsement of a man of Kerry's caliber and absolutely no wonder.

[Hortensis]

7. THIS John Kerry:

The senator's son who said that if the sons of others were drafted he was going too. The John Kerry who was wounded in action 3 times. The John Kerry who became an antiwar activist targeted by Nixon. The John Kerry who was so villified by the Republicans when he ran for president, who claimed his heroism was a complete fake, that the term swiftboating was created for it.