Open Letter to John Kerry

Dear Senator Kerry:
Now that you are the likely Democratic nominee for president, I think it worthy to consider how, exactly, you will respond to what you have accurately described as the "Republican attack machine."

The first matter is the dirtying of the word “liberal”. I say, for every time the opposing side calls you a “liberal,” you call the current administration a liar. This is a tactic you used to good effect on CNN two weeks ago, and I believe it will be effective in the months to come.

But, it’s also time to do a new spin on the Republican campaign of neurolinguistics, which has somehow perverted the meaning of a perfectly decent word. I think it’s time we confront the administration on its own liberal tendencies.

George Bush has been liberal in his fiscal policy. Republican John McCain described it as “spending money like a drunken sailor.” Yep, sounds pretty liberal to me.

He has been liberal with people’s rights, getting the government involved in who can ride an airplane.

He has liberally subsidized American business (especially a company formerly operated by his current VP).

You, on the other hand, might paint yourself as a "true conservative":

• you will conserve individual freedoms
• you will conserve American jobs
• you will conserve America’s natural resources
• you will conserve the world’s respect for America — in fact, you will strive to restore it

And so on, in this vein.

Wishing you success —

Jonah