On January 18, 2004 The Nashua Telegraph endorsed John Kerry as their choice for the New Hampshire Presidential Primary. I wrote the following letter-to-the-editor praising thieir glowing endorsement. The Telegraph published the letter on January 27, 2004, the day John Kerry won the NH Primary.

Stephen Nodvin
Nashua
Published in The Nashua Telegraph: Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2004

Dear Editor:

What a wonderful endorsement!

The Telegraph has made the same calculation that I have made, that John Kerry is the candidate best prepared to be president of the United States.

To understand what kind of a person John Kerry is, all one has to do is to have seen the video of Kerry reuniting with the Green Beret whose life he saved 35 years ago.

Kerry’s humbleness showed through when he tried to downplay his own role in saving this man’s life (“anyone would have done it”) but rather tried to redirect praise to his former military colleague: “Seeing this fellow here is amazing . . . . This is a brave, unbelievably patriotic man.”

That sense of humbleness, as well as the greatness of a man like John Kerry, is something that is sorely missing from the White House today.

To David Brooks, New York Times

Your editorial epitomizes the cynical attitude about politics that John and Teresa Kerry have talked about. Some of us are not so fickle as you portray in your writings. Is electability important, absolutely. But that is because the November election will likely be the most important that I have experienced in my 51 years.

In the 30+ years in which I have been involved in environmental, education, and political issues, never before have I seen the public interest more threatened by current or proposed rollbacks in environmental, civil, and social protections than what has occurred during President George W. Bush’s tenure. In the environmental arena, the federal government has rolled back the enforcement of clean air and clean water regulations. The current administration in Washington has replaced honest and objective administrators in agencies supposedly committed to protecting the public interest (such as EPA, FDA, DOI, USDA, and OSHA) with persons whose major prior career objectives have been to thwart environmental and public interests toward the support of business and special interests.

While some have made the calculation of who is the best Democratic candidate only recently, I made my decision last spring by carefully reviewing all of the qualifications, positions, and histories of the candidates. As you well know, many people in America do not follow politics and policy issues with the keen eye that you and I do on a daily basis. That is perfectly fine in our political process. The important thing is whether the people DO take the time to assess the issues and candidates when it is most important to do so… when it is time to vote in the Primary or General Election.

My family and I recently moved to New Hampshire and this is the first time that I have been able to participate in the primary process in this state. Having lived all over the country, I am amazed at how serious the people here take the New Hampshire Primary Process. Many people that I spoke to before the Primary told me that, not only were they going to vote, but that they believed that it was their DUTY and RESPONSIBILITY to participate in the process. These people feel it is their responsibility as patriotic American citizens to carefully evaluate each candidate to find the most suitable person who can lead our country.

You should not denigrate the New Hampshire citizens who made their decisions in the last days or weeks before the Primary. I have spoken to many people who agonized over their decision because they felt that it was their responsibility to the process to make the absolutely best choice in casting their votes.

John Kerry is an American hero. I experienced this year the true American spirit in the Granite State this year.

David, maybe you should spend more time in our state. It would be a good place for you to re-evaluate your cynicism about politics and the American people.

Stephen Nodvin

Thank you Dr. Dean, Ms. Mosley-Braun, Joe Lieberman, Dick Gephardt, Dennis Kucinich, and even Rev. Al.

The competition grabbed the country’s attention. It helped John Kerry sharpen his stump speeches.

Last summer people would tell me how aloof John Kerry was. That was contrary to what I was experiencing when I would see him in person. Then I saw the same speech that I had witnessed in person shown on TV. I could see what people were talking about.

Today however, John Kerry’s personableness breaks through even on TV.

Last summer, Kerry’s messages about the war and other issues were correct but appeared too complex for the public to grasp. Now through the process, the people get it.

The facts that John Kerry was not the front-runner for many months and that he had to fight and earn his way back shows his true nature as a fighter and a winner.