Is Kerry free to coordinate w/527s? Should he lead Progressive movement?

[NAO]

Are Campaign Finance Laws applicable to activism that is not related to a campaign?

Is Kerry now free to coordinate with ACT, MoveOn.org and other 527s? Could they pool their databases, and coordinate progressive activism?

I think if Kerry demonstrated leadership, despite his (apparent) electoral defeat, he could keep the progressive momentum going and prevent tragic dissipation of the energy leading up to the 2004 election.

Do any laws or anything at all prevent Kerry from becoming the Leader of the Progressive Movement in the United States?

I don't see why his narrow (alleged) defeat should knock him down from Democratic Top Dog. Nobody else made it as far as he did. The entire moderate/liberal/progressive community was fiercely united behind him just 2 months ago. The outcome of the election does not necessarily have to mean the massive roll out of the circular firing squads and a new round of infighting for the top dog position.

[InvisibleTouch]

1. Absolutely he should lead.

I'd follow....

[GregD]

2. Flame if you wish, but the time for leadership was nearly 2 months ago

I'm sorry, but I really cannot imagine that after running a crap campaign, being supported by (at least) as many people who voted against Bush as they did for him, arriving at election day with a force of thousands of lawyers (all of whom seemed woefully prepared to deal with voting machine issues and didn't do a great job of dealing with other disenfranchisement strategies), and then walking away from us on Wednesday - and now you want people to get all giddy about supporting him further?

Forget it! Next candidate please... I want a real leader.

[GregD]

5. and I'll add this:

<<<The entire moderate/liberal/progressive community was fiercely united behind him just 2 months ago.>>>

Are you kidding me? Do you recall ABB? Friends and I rolled our eyes for months at the notion that we were busting ass to protect the elction so we could get "him" elected. No, the entire community may have been united against Bush, the it was not united in favor of Kerry. Kerry was the twerp that ended up being selected by the media, the DLC/DNC and this shit system.

United my ass.

[brainshrub]

3. Here's one reason he should not lead:

Look at what he did on Nov 3rd. He rolled over and surrendered without a whimper.

Today we held our collective breaths for "big news" from Kerry. I thought today he was going to roar; Instead we learned all he's willing to do is file a request for expedited discovery regarding the voting machines. (And as far as I know, he hasn't even done that yet.)

I liked Kerry; But when the chips were on the table and he had the whole Democratic apparatus at his fingertips... WE HAD TO WAIT FOR THE LIBERTARIANS TO START THE BALL ROLLING.

That is not the kind of man you want leading a Progressive caucus.

[dorktv]

4. Should the person leading a progressive organization be

progressive?

[GregD]

7. no shit

[Radical Activist]

20. I don' t think that matters anymore

A lot of people are looking at Dean to lead the progressive movement and he isn't progressive. Of course, you can't say anything like that about Dean without generating a lot of anger.

[Lizzie Borden]

6. ME TOO.

From what I understand, there is still money in the Kerry/Edwards campaign fund. I would think he could use that but I don't think the 527 funds were ever his to use legally. Could be wrong though.:shrug:

[Patsy Stone]

8. I always wanted a shadow government... Let's Do It! n/t

[Stinky The Clown]

19. I'm with you, Patsy

Secretary for secretary, president for president, cabinet for cabinet. A counter to every word uttered by the cabal that's taken over our country.

[Patsy Stone]

21. The Commons

Everytime I watch, and I watch every week, I think of the drop dead funny scene it would be if * had to get up and engage in a real, robust debate with the Leader of the Party Opposite. Please. Hours of fun. :) Oi, Oi, Oi, Oi, Oi!

[Q]

9. Kerry is not a 'progressive'...

...and after his weak-kneed display after the election...only hard core Kerry fans would follow him at all.

[NAO]

12. Did you read any of Kerry's writings? Or did you rely on left-wing pundits

or worse on what you heard about Kerry on the TV news?

Most people had no idea of Kerry's ideological orientation or where he stood on the issues or of his elaborate plans for policy.

But...all of that was readily available. The news media (TV and print) TOTALLY ignored it, and reported as if it did not exist. ("Kerry does not have a plan", "no one knows where Kerry stands on the issues" etc.)

But Kerry did have a plan, which he put into book form, distributed to bookstores, and made available to everyone free of charge as a *.pdf

And Kerry does has an extremely progressive ideology, as evidence in his book "A Call to Service".

Of course the news media ignored all this material (they would have to READ stuff - ugh), but I was surprised that the progressive pundits largely ignored it too and pretended that Kerry was just awful and had nothing to say.

http://www.johnkerry.com/plan/

http://www.johnkerry.com/pdf/our_plan_for_america.pdf

[IndianaGreen]

14. Kerry's votes on PATRIOT and Iraq War trumped any "plan" of his

Even now when he should be leading the charge on the Ohio recount, Kerry is content to led the Green and Libertarian parties be the ones to ask and pay for a recount that could lead to a Kerry victory.

[AntiCoup2K4]

15. Fuck this "Kerry is a liberal" lie

You guys kept hyping that fucking lie, and the Republicans and the media whores turned it right back on you.


Here's where voting records really count: I don't give a shit what Kerry believed in 1971, 1979, 1985 or even 1999.

I care about what he's done since the Bush Criminal Empire illegally STOLE THIS FUCKING COUNTRY on December 12, 2000.

I care about what he's done since those fucking pieces of shit either murdered 3000 people themselves, or allowed their Saudi friends to do it. And I care about the constitution shredding "Patriot Act" passed soon after.

And the vote which allowed those traitourous Likud blowing cocksuckers to force US troops to die for their fucking zionist expansionism bullshit, under the LIE of a war on terror.

And what's Kerry's voting record been on all that?

Not liberal. Not progressive. Not democratic. TREASONOUS.

He's not the only one by any means. But his all too convenient concession before the votes in Ohio were even counted proves he couldn't lead his way out of a wet paper bag.

[CTLawGuy]

23. there are hard core Kerry fans?

:shrug:

[IndianaGreen]

10. When will Kerry condemn the Iraq War and call for the troops to come home?

That should be the first progressive step that Kerry should take if he is entertaining any notion of being a leader of anything resembling a movement.

[xultar]

11. No, his time is up. n/t

[AntiCoup2K4]

13. Kerry leading the Progressive movement is like Trent Lott...

...leading the Congressional Black Caucus.

[politicasista]

16. Let the Kerry bashing continue

:cry:

[AntiCoup2K4]

17. What bashing?

I just said he wasn't progressive. And he isn't.

[xkenx]

18. THE TRUE PROGRESSIVE IN THE CAMPAIGN WAS

Wes Clark, but too many Dems couldn't see beyond the Army 4 stars.
A pity. For the uninformed, see his positions on www.americansforclark.com 2008 is not far off. Time to start working for this national treasure.

[InvisibleBallots]

22. yeah, Kerry should lead all the 527s

into an early concession. Perhaps he can lead the 527 into supporting the war and the PATRIOT Act too?