John Kerry This Week appearance from 1984!

[Luftmensch067]

Here: http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/video/john-kerry-appears-week-1984-21215205

[karynnj]

1. Really cool find

It is amazing how close his views in 1984 were to things he said on the super committee in 2011! Interesting that even then the moderators interjected that "governors elected as Democrats acted as Republicans". Kerry's push back was excellent. Even then he equated doing things for people as following conscience.

It is eye opening how untrue the assumed CW that Brinkley stated as fact - that they were losing the Jews ( we still get about 70% even 30 years later), and will lose the Hispanics (not close) and the labor leaders did not listen to the party (were they suppose to? )

It was also weird to see the near deference accorded Gramm - who we now know was instrumental in destroying the American economy. His dead of the night bills were key to the bubble that exploded in 2008.

[Luftmensch067]

2. It is amazing indeed to see how consistent JK has always been

He is absolutely his own man, at all times -- honest and steadfast. A rare person.

[Mass]

3. I find your comment concerning Gramm enlightening, particularly

in a period when reporter hold people like Paul Ryan in high regard, but so clearly disdain Patty Murray. It is sickening to hear how he has saved the Republican Party (really? When? When he voted for defaulting a few months ago?) but absolutely ignore his partner that was able to hold the bar and prevent cuts to entitlement. Sorry, this is not the topic, but your comment made me think how Senator Murray is an unappreciated Senator, not only by the media, but by the party.

As for CW, sadly, I think it is even worse nowadays. People think things are static and unmovable (until the next crisis when things change and a new immutable reality appears -- for a few weeks ---).

Your comment for Kerry is so true. I have really rarely seen somebody who is true to himself on his values, even if he can evolve on the finer points. It is one of the qualities I appreciate so much.

[ProSense]

4. Great point, especially about Gramm.

Not only was he responsible for pushing legislation that facilitated the economic crisis, but he also did it after the issues being discussed in the clip (strengthening the economy and reducing the debt) were addressed. They were so friggin wrong it isn't funny.

Kerry was excellent.

[MBS]

5. excellent per usual - plus fascinating time-travel

I was struck by how his voice has changed over the years. Some family friends sent me an MP3 of an old audio tape our family had sent them decades ago (what a treasure!) , and I initially thought that there was something deficient about the sound quality of the tape, since my voice, and that of my sibling, sounded really different from today. Finally, I realized, there was nothing wrong with the tape: our voices really had changed, even though we were already young adults at the time. It kind of fits that the voices of my parents, who were at the time already middle-aged, sounded just the same.

So Kerry's voice has changed, but , as others have noted,his moral voice has not: a remarkably consistent message over the decades.
I so admire the character of this man.

[wisteria]

6. That was fun to watch, thank you for posting it.