Kerry Dominates the Day’s News Cycle (So Far)

[whometense]

Al Giordano: http://ruralvotes.com/thefield/?p=175

Kerry Dominates the Day’s News Cycle (So Far)

This is the first time in this campaign, going back many months, that the Clinton campaign hasn’t bracketed an endorsement for Obama with one of its own (right up through yesterday, there were tit-for-tat endorsement releases). Where’s today’s equal-and-opposite endorsement?

(Bill Richardson is reportedly holding a press conference to drop out of the presidential battle right now in New Mexico: could there be a a Clinton endorsement cooking there? If not, the silence suggests that Clinton has no figure of Kerry’s stature in the party to counter the Kerry roll-out. Maybe Plouffe is correct about there being superdelegate momentum toward Obama?)

Clinton has been “dark” (outside of the media’s attention) all day. Edwards - who at least put out a press release about his ‘04 running-mate’s endorsement of Obama - will do a soup kitchen event in South Carolina this evening while Clinton does a door-to-door canvass photo op and then a mortgage crisis forum in Las Vegas. But I have to wonder about the apparent absence of a bracketing counter-endorsement from the Clinton camp. Is the bag of big endorsements now empty?

Anyway, here’s video of CNN cutting live into Kerry’s endorsement speech in Charleston:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej-FxNb39Gg

Posted on January 10th, 2008 by Al Giordano
Filed under: South Carolina Primary | No Comments »

[Dr Ron]

1. I'm not sure of how much interest in blogosphere

Obviously I think everyone should consider Kerry's endorsement of vital importance, but I'm not sure how much interest there is at least in the blogosphere. One reason I question this is that Salon's Blog Report links to Liberal Values for its story on the endorsement (Buzz in On the Radar in left column). I've received by far many less hits from that link than I usually receive from comparable links from Salon. Of course we know Kerry has never been as popular as he should be among bloggers, and this might be attracting more attention from others as.

[whometense]

2. I don't really know,

but from a casual glance around it looks to me like the news has caused spontaneous venom geysers to erupt all over the internet. The comments are largely - except for here - vitriolic, mean-spirited, and closed-minded.

I would have been less surprised by a shrug of indifference, but by now I should probably know better. Any time Kerry makes the news he's greeted with the same kind of over-the-top crazy reaction. Taylor Marsh has really lost it, as far as I'm concerned. Her post was just evil. Kerry owes Edwards? Please.

[Democrafty]

3. Kerry owes Edwards?

Honestly, I've seen this rhetoric from a number of Edwards supporters since the concession. "Kerry had his chance and it didn't work out; now it's Edwards' turn." A lot of supporters, of all kinds of different candidates, and in both parties, focus so much on whose turn it is that bigger issues like policy, ability to connect with voters, etc., etc., seem to just escape them.

[Dr Ron]

4. How about Kerry owes America

I sure wouldn't frame this as Kerry owing anybody, but if that is what Taylor Marsh wants, how about Kerry owes it to America to recommend the best candidate for the job.

If we must look back at 2004, we might say Kerry owes it to the country to make up for the terrible mistake he made in elevating John Edwards to such a position of undeserved prominence.

Beyond all this BS, I'd expect Kerry to endorse the best person (not because of owing anybody anything) and Kerry had done exactly that.

[Democrafty]

6. LOL!

Your second sentence cracked me up. I don't want to get in trouble, so I won't elaborate further!

[Dr Ron]

5. I guess I got the wrong link

A link just saying Kerry endorses Edwards gets remarkably little attention. If the link said something like "Kerry Betrays Edwards, then goes wind surfing" it might get lots of attention. Of course I wouldn't have such a post so I can only speculate on the traffic it would get.

[karynnj]

7. I also think the endorsement was not that much of a surprise

I also don't think the effect will be on the blogosphere, where a very large percent of people are passionately behind one candidate or the other. The knowledge of the candidates - pro and con is also greater. (I think my husband has told me 100 times that "nobody knows what that is about?" when I mention things like the "Hey John" attack - and he is right. But, on the blogosphere that was the topic of the day for at least a week and a half. It, in fact, was the unjustified by anything counterpart to the joke attack. It was rovian - the Clinton's were snarfing up 2006 money for 2008 - so they attack Kerry who was using some of his 2004 money to generate money for 2006 candidates, and they sought to make it HRC who was giving money and Kerry who wasn't.)

I watched the CNN video link - and the part they played made a nice case for Obama. That will be seen by people not as involved and it is the case coherently made almost as much as who made it - though that counts too.

[whometense]

9. not a surprise to those paying attention.

You couldn't help but see Marvin at Obama's side and think something of it, for one thing.

The biggest lesson I learned in 2004 was not to confuse online support with voting support. One person can kick up a big noisy fuss online with very little trouble. It's harder to accomplish that solo in the real world.

[whometense]

8. Karen Tumulty has some info

DC gossip, FWIW: http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/01/that_kerry_endorsement.html

January 10, 2008 6:20
That Kerry Endorsement
Posted by Karen Tumulty | Comments (18) | Permalink | Trackbacks (0) | Email This

The Washington Post sees former Democratic nominee John Kerry's endorsement of Barack Obama as a setback for his 2004 running mate John Edwards. But a source close to Kerry tells me that the person who had been working hardest to get it was Hillary Clinton--to the point where her husband had personally lobbied Kerry's brother Cam and his former brother-in-law David Thorne.

Kerry has never been particularly close to the Clintons. He thought they could have done far more to help him in 2004, and hasn't forgotten that Hillary Clinton was one of the first to criticize him over what he called a "botched joke" about U.S. troops in Iraq in 2006. (This, of course, was when Kerry was still considered a contender to be running against Clinton in 2008.) It helped, too, that Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is supporting Obama, and that much of Kerry's fundraising network has already migrated to the Obama campaign...

[whometense]

10. interesting comment to her post

http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/01/that_kerry_endorsement.html#comment-384743

I am sure that Kerry hurt Hillary's feelings by endorsing Obama.

Karen, you know too many people that are actually engaged in the political process. There are some Democrats in middle America (lots, actually) who rarely read a newspaper - and who only get their news at 6 pm from ABC, CBS or NBC.

Example: When I ran into my uninvolved neighbor this evening, she said that she was surprised that Kerry did not support Hillary. "There must be something wrong with Hillary," she said.

Now there's the value to Obama...

[whometense]

11. Seth Gitell (MA journalist)

http://gitell.wordpress.com/2008/01/10/kerry-endorses-obama/

Kerry Endorses Obama
January 10, 2008 by gitell


Now comes the news that John Kerry is endorsing Barack Obama’s presidency.I’m not surprised by the news. Kerry’s had a cool relationship with Hillary Clinton.

I interviewed him the night she was elected to the Senate at the Copley Plaza. I asked Kerry, a prominent member of the Senate Foreign Committee, if he thought Clinton, given her background, could hold a prominent position on the committee despite seniority. “Seniority is always a consideration,” Kerry said cooly.

Several local Kerry staffers joined up with Obama early, including Roger Fisk.Still, there’s something very strange about this endorsement, the timing. Kerry’s endorsement is helpful to Obama, to an extent. But wouldn’t it have meant more if it came prior to the New Hampshire primary.

If he had endorsed Obama earlier, he could have lent the Illinois senator his formidable field organization, an effort that helped him win the 2004 primary and defeat Howard Dean. In an election where Get Out the Vote efforts mattered, Kerry’s help could have made a difference in Manchester, out of which Obama could have cut into Clinton’s support.Or maybe it’s possible that Kerry is trying to have it both ways, endorse Obama, but do no real damage to the Clintons in case Hillary Clinton is elected.

edit 4:02 p.m. When I first posted this item, I didn’t even consider opining on a “snub of Edwards” as it’s playing out in the press. There is no, I mean no, love lost between those two men, despite Edwards having served as Kerry’s running mate. In my view, the slight came from Edwards. Edward’s decision to get into the presidential race before Kerry made his decision not to run lacked class. However the campaign turned out, Kerry still gave the relatively junior senator from North Carolina a chance to take the national spotlight. Edwards’ choice to never stop running made him an ingrate.

[rox63]

12. I thought I'd heard about Roger going over to Obama

Thanks for the confirmation.