John Kerry, We Salute You!

Although this isn’t exactly Portland related news, we feel it is worth your time to see. The staff of Portland Octopus, and we can only assume millions of other Americans, are sick and tired of the mainstream media deciding what our candidates and elected officials should or shouldn’t be focusing on. Today on MSNBC John Kerry articulated our sentiments quite effectively. Be it the Reverend Wright scandal, the display or non-display of flag pins or any other distraction from real issues, we as Americans are being cheated out of our right to an intelligent national dialogue. We agree with John Kerry. The country doesn’t need more partisan games and low-brow media scandals, it needs respectful political coverage with questions that might actually spur real change in our country. Check this out and let us know your thoughts on the matter. Thanks!

And here’s the transcript:

WITT: Okay. He said it. A 20-year relationship. Reverend Wright married him. He is the one who baptized a god parent. How personally painful is this for him?
KERRY: Can I say something to you? Obviously it is painful and he said it. You folks need to let go of this. Television needs to stop dwelling on something that is in the past. I thought Barack Obama yesterday gave America his second big presidential moment of this campaign. The first when he spoke out about the issue of race. The second yesterday, when he made it clear, every one of the statements of the minister are just unacceptable. They’re not the person that he knew before. Now let’s move on to how we’ll put people to work. How are you going to give people health care? How are you going to create jobs in america? What Barack Obama is offering in this gas price issue is real leadership. I mean, do we want people who sort of put their fingers in the wind and throw out an idea for the short term that is sort of politically pleasing, or do you want a here who stands up and says, no, what we need is to really lower gas prices by having a real energy policy, an intelligent policy that puts in place the incentives for renewable fuels and alternative fuels. That’s what Barack Obama is doing. And it is you guys have to focus on the thing that really matter to the American electorate. The other thing is just worn out, old history now. This guy had his narcissistic moment and it is finished.

WITT: Okay. Point well taken. Did I say to begin, can I just say, sir, I knew you weren’t going to like that question. On the record.

KERRY: Let’s move on to the thing that really matter to people. I think people in America are tired of this stuff.

WITT: Okay.