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EDITORIAL
OP-ED; Kerry just can't get any respect
Thomas M. KEANE, Jr.

01/24/2003
Boston Herald
All Editions
027
(Copyright 2003)

What is it about John Kerry that causes us to pay more attention to Howard Dean?

Here at home we have the genuine article: A real candidate for president who could very likely win the nomination. Our reaction? We make fun of his hair and jaw.

Meanwhile Dean, former governor of Vermont, receives fawning articles in the Boston press. Elected by fewer people than now live in Worcester, he presided over a state whose only congressman is a socialist, whose most notable industry is Ben and Jerry's, and whose official beverage is milk.

Or how about former House Speaker Dick Gephardt? Gephardt is apparently hoping to do for Democrats and the presidency the same thing he did for Democrats and the House of Representatives - lose it. Karl Rove beat him once; Karl Rove would beat him again.

Then there's North Carolina Sen. John Edwards. His principle qualifications for his station in life are that he's rich and a lawyer. That, of course, is good enough for the U.S. Senate, but with only four years under his belt, Edwards is like the eighth- grader running for high school president. True, trial lawyers salivate at the thought of him winning (first on the agenda: a constitutional amendment enshrining unlimited punitive damages). So why does anyone give him credence? Simple. He's a Democrat from the South. The South, remember, is that red-colored territory on TV newscasts that has seemed to control the outcome of every presidential election since Jimmy Carter.

And that, as well, is the principal qualification of Florida Sen. Bob Graham.

Or how about Gary "Monkey Business" Hart? That should do a lot to restore Democratic moral credibility after the Clinton years.

And then there's the man Republicans go to bed praying actually will be the Democrat's nominee: the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Is there anyone plausible in this crew? Actually, there's only one other who matches Kerry for his potential ability to put together a substantive campaign and appeal to Democrats across the country: Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. Since George W. Bush's election, Lieberman has played a role not unlike that of John McCain: the thoughtful opponent. Lieberman's time in the limelight with Al Gore could have destroyed him (it certainly seems to have destroyed Al Gore). Instead, he's effectively turned the role of loser into up-and-comer.

Still, if you were laying odds, Kerry has an edge. He's got more money, more access to New Hampshire, a solid war record and, seemingly, a bit more fire in his belly.

And a better chance of beating Bush.

So why aren't we more excited? Massachusetts has produced a host of presidents and presidential wannabes, from John Adams to Calvin Coolidge to three Kennedys to Michael Dukakis. We got enthused about all of them, even though Ted's run was deeply problematic (he was challenging Democrat Carter) and Dukakis was notoriously hard to warm to.

Yet when it comes to Kerry, our response is sort of ho-hum. It's been that way for most of Kerry's career: Massachusetts may elect him but it's the other 49 states that actually like him.

And why? The critiques are many. He's a cold fish (and Dukakis wasn't?). He's too wealthy (yet we still love the Kennedys). He forgets the names of local pols (a virtue, in my mind). He pays attention to large national and international issues (and this is a problem because . . .?). He's ambitious (as if everyone else throwing their hat in the ring isn't?).

It may be that John Kerry will never capture our hearts and minds at South Boston's St. Patrick's Day breakfast. He's not a hale fellow well met. His problem, if you want to call it one, is he takes politics and public policy seriously.

In his 18 years as a senator, Kerry has learned a lot and grown a lot.

He's a man of undeniable personal courage - he received several citations for bravery in Vietnam - and a politician who has shown an ability to cut against the grain. On a number of issues - education and defense, especially - he's bucked Democratic orthodoxy. He comes across as a leader with an idea of where he wants to go rather than simply a follower in the crowd.

At least that's the way the rest of the nation sees it. Here in Massachusetts, we make fun of him because he windsurfs.

Luckily for Kerry, Massachusetts will have little say over who the nominee is. That honor goes to states like Iowa, New Hampshire and others in the frontloaded Democratic primary. Still, it wouldn't hurt if we could cheer the guy along.

Tom Keane can be reached at tomkeane@tomkeane.com.

Graphic: DEAN: This country boy winning local media hearts.