John Kerry For Vice President 2016!

[Corey_Baker08]

He is my hero. He is A Great man & a great Democrat...

I Really Wish JK Would Be Chosen As The VP

[shenmue]

1. Me too

[JI7]

2. nope, if he was going to stay on it should be as Sec of State

[karynnj]

10. Agree

Last edited Mon May 9, 2016, 08:21 PM - Edit history (1)

Not to mention, even if a Democrat intended to keep him on - this would not be the time to speak of it.

One advantage is that he is very very good in this job and he would not have to step down when named, as he would if VP.

I think we usually do not know the full extent of everything that he is working on at a given time, but it is clear that he is incredibly busy. There are major things that he is working on at this very moment.

Looking at the State Department public schedule - he is starting a trip to Paris and London. From the announcement, and the meetings and who is with him, there are clues of major things he is working on. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/appt/2016/05/257012.htm

- Obviously he and Lavrov are still working to get back to the very shaky cessation of hostilities and a peace process in Syria. That has to be in the background of everything.

- Note that Frank Lowenstein is listed as one person with him in Paris. Lowenstein, the son of Allard, has been Kerry's key aide working on Israel - before, during, and after the attempt to get peace. Here is an interesting article in Haaretz, a left leaning Israeli source:

Israel is working to soften the tone of an upcoming report by the United States and the rest of the members of the Middle East Quartet of negotiators – Russia, the United Nations and the European Union. Israel is mainly concerned that the United States will take a harsher position against the settlements.
<snip>
Over the past few weeks the Quartet report has largely become an American report. UN special envoy Nickolay Mladenov and EU envoy Fernando Gentilini are contributing to the content and recommendations, but Lowenstein is taking the lead in composing the report.

Last Thursday Secretary of State John Kerry met with EU Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini in Washington to discuss the report and its date of publication. Next week the Quartet is expected to meet in Moscow to try to unify the various drafts.

A senior Israeli official said that from the information the Foreign Ministry has received in Jerusalem, the report is expected to be published on May 25, about a week before the foreign ministers’ summit in Paris on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. The French government called the summit as part of its initiative for an international peace conference by the end of the year. The senior official said that the members of the Quartet want to release the report before the Paris summit so they can control its agenda.

read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.718464

- Then London where there is an international anticorruption summit that is supposed to deal with, among other things, the corruption of tax havens which hurt the poor and middle class in every country as they divert revenue. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/perspectives-the-may-2016-london-anti-corruption-summit and https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/perspectives-the-may-2016-london-anti-corruption-summit

Like Climate change and world peace, this is a long time issue for John Kerry - going back to his days investigating BCCI. In 2008, there was a Finance committee hearing on tax havens in the Cayman Islands. When Jack Blum, Kerry's lead investigator on BCCI, testified he and Kerry spoke of how this was an issue that needed an international solution because it can't be solved from each country and it hurts each country by hiding assets of the wealthy. Here is a link - http://www.finance.senate.gov/hearings/-the-cayman-islands-and-offshore-tax-issues

Between the Panama Papers, Obama's call for tightening US laws on tax evasion in his Sturday speech and this conference, it looks like a lot of things are bringing this issue into play. There was also a letter signed by 300 economists against these tax havens - http://abcnews.go.com/International/300-economists-sign-open-letter-offshore-tax-havens/story?id=38980820 Clearly something is happening and this is being coordination somewhere and in this international meeting, Kerry represents the US.

Not to mention, this is just this week - he is also very involved with Obama's trip and initiatives with Vietnam - including one effort to work with them to deal with environmental issues in the Mekong Delta.

If Clinton (or very unlikely Sanders were to win), it would not be unlikely that they would not rush to refill that job, but would have him continue and concentrate on things where Clinton is likely in agreement.

All I can say is that this year, he has looked happier and almost reenergized. I completely believe that he is happy with the work and service he has done - and I doubt he would give up what he can do in the next 8 months for a VP job.

[stopbush]

3. I got to shake his hand when he campaigned in Vegas in 2004.

[JDPriestly]

4. I like him and was very upset when he lost in 2004. I worked hard for his campaign.

He is a great man. Doing a wonderful job as Secretary of State.

[MBS]

6. " " " " n/t

[mylye2222]

5. Agree. He should stay in his current position.

[MBS]

7. Lovely idea, he's also my hero, and God knows he's way more than qualified, but

a) With all the autonomy he's had as SoS, and even though he's also been a genuinely loyal team player in the Obama administration,I think he'd chafe being in the much less autonomous/more subservient position of VP.
b) Also, I don't see him as a close working partner of either Clinton or Sanders.
c) Also, I think the Democratic nominee is going to have to have a running mate who's a little younger.

Mostly, I just want JK to still be out there doing good, in whatever capacity he can be most effective. I don't think that VP is that job.
While hanging on as SoS for a while may be an option while the next SoS is confirmed, I don't see him (see above) as a compatible partner with either Clinton or Sanders. Too bad, because he's an outstanding Sec of State, easily the best in my lifetime.But I think that's the political reality.

Maybe a special envoy of some sort?
I'm sure (and certainly I fervently hope) that he will manage to keep himself out there, doing great and courageous things.

Also, I'm really looking forward to his memoirs, and I hope that those memoirs will be both thoughtful and as frank as humanely possible. I'm sure that he has LOTS of interesting stories to tell, especially about the 2004 election

[karynnj]

8. Agree he is a great man, but I hope not to VP

Last edited Mon May 9, 2016, 12:54 PM - Edit history (2)

One reason is that he has important things to do in his current job that no one could pick up if he was named and as the SoS can not be involved in politics he would have to.

The second reason is that the VP typically becomes the attack dog. At this point in his career, Kerry has a wonderful legacy - probably preventing war with the Iran deal and being an essential person in getting both the Climate pact with China and the Paris climate pact. Do you seriously think that he should put himself in the position of defending HRC?

The third reason is that he is 72 years old - no matter how energetic and healthy he is. This means that a main reason to want to be VP is not realistic. He will be 80 in 8 years.

The fourth reason is that the VP has few real roles and it has always been clear that he is not someone in the Clinton coterie - thus he could end up with very little power. Not to mention, he could not even control what he gets to work on. Consider that for ANY Clinton VP, they are not really number 2, there will be Bill Clinton before them.

He has two great examples of people who through philanthropy have accomplished some pretty impressive things outside the government. Teresa helped create change on green building and on many health issues. His daughter Vanessa has done amazing work through her Seed organization that is having US doctors train medical staff in under developed countries.

I hope that he writes an autobiography and a serious book on his foreign policy philosophy, which he has developed over a life time and which never was a regurgitation of what others in the foreign policy establishment wrote. When speaking to kids at take your kids to work day, he pointed out that it was not legal for him to be contacting anyone for an after SoS job, but he went on to say that he would not suddenly become inactive on things like climate change.

I can see him allying with the UN/a prestigious university (possibly including teaching a course!)/or an NPO. His name, reputation, and his skills would allow him to continue to make contributions.

All those things seem more interesting than signing on to be Clinton's VP. (Not to mention, note that Clinton gives him credit for almost nothing in her biography - including when he kept Kharzi in line and (very oddly) on negotiating the chemical weapons out of Syria. You might also note that she took the lion's share of credit on the Iran deal and climate change deals. On the latter two, think how uncomfortable it would be to have to back that in the general elections -- when you have to know these are things he put his mind, heart, soul and gut into making happen.)

[MBS]

9. +100 n/t

[Blaukraut]

11. I'm with you for all the reasons you listed, and add one more...

Teresa doesn't seem to be in the best of health these days, judging by recent video and picture footage. I want JK and THK to spend as much time together and enjoying each other's company as they can, WHILE they still can. Life really is too short to have any regrets. And I don't care who you are - one of the biggest regrets a person has is not to have spent more time with loved ones before it was too late.

[karynnj]

12. Agree completely

They both deserve that and they have a wonderful blended family with adorable grandkids.

[MBS]

13. oh, yes.

I had the same thoughts when I saw the pictures from the WH correspondents' dinner.

[mylye2222]

14. Sad to hear that.

I miss Teresa' s outspoken voice.

[MBS]

15. Yes, me, too.

Her memoirs (or, if she weren't interested in a written memoir, at least a long television interview) could be even more interesting than her husband's, as I suspect she would feel less bound by the niceties of diplomatic considerations than he. (At their book-signing in 2006, she pretty much said straight out that the 2004 election had been stolen).

[YvonneCa]

16. I remember that. I went to a couple...

... of signings and heard something similar.

[mylye2222]

17. I also remember reading

That right after Nov.3 concession speech, Teresa spoke in French to Canadian TV.
She said ballots had been suppressed, as if a wizzard trick.

[MBS]

18. Interesting. n/t

[wisteria]

19. It has a nice ring to it, but

I would love to see Clinton recognize Sec. Kerry's passion and expertise at this job, and ask him to stay on as SOS.

[MBS]

20. me, too, but

my guess is that he would probably stay on only until a new SoS is confirmed. I don't get the sense that HRC's priorities and M.O. would mesh as well with JK as Obama's. But I could be wrong.