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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels August 13, 2004 Kerry's substance appeals more than his splash By John Darling Tidings Correspondent It was smarter, sharper, more relaxed and (mercifully) shorter than his convention speech. John Kerry has gotten the message down and decided to stick his neck out on a lot more specifics. The crowd liked and needed that. We're not going to give you our hearts without that, they seemed to say, and we want you to be brave about it. As Kerry's swiftboat pal said in his introduction (referring to the military code), a leader has to lead from the front. And, to be president, he has to sound like what he is - a Democrat. Did he? Well, a Democrat doesn't demonize government, but, without letting himself be called a liberal, summons up the public will to work together - using government for the common good. It's an idea that flourished in the four progressive (and tumultuous) decades between Herbert Hoover and Ronald Reagan, when we created Social Security, Head Start, Peace Corps and other "liberal" stuff, including prosperity. If post-rally comments are any sign, Kerry is succeeding at resuscitating that. "It seemed like he was for the people and wants us to succeed for the good of the whole, instead of segregating rich from poor," said Kathryn Voorhees, 44, of the Applegate. "It was hopeful. He's really got a vision for all of us, not just a few," said Shelley MacMillan, 44, of the Applegate. "It's been a long time since I heard someone speak with passion, from the heart," said Gretchen Hunter, 53, of Eagle Point, who said she got tears in her eyes when Kerry pledged it's "seared in my gut" that the U.S. never goes to war because it wants to - only because it has to. "I know too many from my high school," Hunter added, "who were killed or whose lives were ruined by that (Vietnam) war." They liked the issues he hit on - universal health care for children, college tuition credit, child care credit, prescription drug benefits, rolling back Bush tax cuts, keeping Social Security safe. And, like Jimmy Carter, he pronounced, "As president, I will tell you the truth." Let's hope he doesn't suffer Carter's fate for that. But, more than issues, these Democrats were looking for the substance of the man. They'd been hurt before and didn't want another Gore or Dukakis. They wanted someone who could take them all the way to the prom and beyond. Were they getting it? "I felt he'd be an articulate leader, something we haven't had," said Shirley Huft, 59, of Grants Pass. "Very statesmanlike, diplomatic and presented himself with integrity," said Laurel Bloombaum, 54, of Ashland. "He came across as a real man, doing what a real man does," said Dean Phelps, 78, of Ashland. "He definitely got to me with the '60s stuff," said Dorothy Ormes, 54, of Ashland, "because I marched on Washington during the Vietnam War. We believed we could change things. We have a hard time believing that now - and we need someone who believes that." What '60s stuff? Well, said Hunter, "it's like how Kerry pointed out the economy is in better shape when it's benefiting the many, not just the few. I'd never heard it put so simply and honestly. It is better that way. "And coming here to supposedly conservative Southern Oregon and saying we've got to have an environment, instead of pandering about salvage logging." It was also very '60s stuff to "tell it like it is," - not just shoving wedge issues between people. You told it like it was because it was the truth. So Kerry goes for it: "No young American in uniform is ever going to be held hostage to our dependence of foreign oil. We'll depend on our creativity and ingenuity (with alternative energies) rather than the Saudi royal family." He deftly plays the war card: "I know what it means to carry an M-16 in a strange country, to not know what's around the next corner, to write home and say things are all right when you don't know if they are or not. We deserve a commander-in-chief who knows what it means to take this country into war." You look out on the sweep of the crowd. It seemed like 10,000 of them. They're not shy. They hoot and applaud thunderously, giving lie to the myth that conservatives own Southern Oregon or that all the liberals are in Ashland. After seeing Kerry, they're more confident than excited. They don't need excitement. They want a grownup, a savvy man who knows the world, has a domestic agenda around education, health care and the environment - and is strong enough in Congress to deliver it. And when Kerry told them, "This is the most important election in your lifetime - everything's on the line," they knew they were hearing the truth. John Darling is an Ashland writer and counselor at [email protected] DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams