Clinton Wins Coveted Bill Kristol Endorsement.

[illinoisprogressive]

According to The Washington Post, he says "Obama is becoming the antiwar candidate, and Hillary Clinton is becoming the responsible Democrat who could become commander in chief in a post-9/11 world." One can try to speculate that Kristol is playing some odd angles here, but I think the record indicates that he's genuinely more committed to war -- criticized Republican critics of the Kosovo War, criticized Bill Clinton for not killing enough people during the Kosovo War, backed John McCain in the 2000 primaries -- and based on the evidence thinks Clinton will be more sympathetic to his agenda than the alternatives.

http://matthewyglesias.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/08/clinton_wins_coveted_bill_kris.php

[AtomicKitten]

1. McLaughlin of the Group endorsed her big time tonight.

He said her plan for infrastructure is fabulous and that it will gain in fame and propel her to the nomination.

Some of the endorsements are making my head spin. What the hell do we make of them?

[stevebreeze]

4. My take is they (a) want Hillery to be the candidate

and (b) figure if Hillery wins she is less like to press for real democratic change, like public funding of elections, universal health care, and other progressive goals.

[Chicken George]

16. It is highly unlikely that Kristol will endorse any Dem.

I'll bet the OP the old homestead that Kristol will not endorse Hillary any time soon.

[Roland99]

61. The neocons are remora. They'll attach to and suck on anyone in the White House.....

as long as they support an aggressive use of the US military to protect AIPAC's interests.

[autorank]

18. Channeling the PTB (powers that be;) ..your thoughts.

Lets say HRC is the choice of the corporate types. They tried a clown of their "kin" and they're facing a collapse of the whole system due to incompetence and looting. They've looked over Gov. Arkansas, Brownback, Mitt Romney, McCain and concluded that they're living on goofy street. In addition to being sleazy, Guiliani frightens them as a little too smart and also capable of too much independent thought. All Republicans have been deemed unacceptable.

So where do you place your bets. HRC. She played ball with Big Pharma and supports war (this one and future ones wherein she proves what a tough gal she is; handmaiden to the war profiteers.

Just one problem. She lacks the type of personality that connects with the people in some special way. Throw up a few biased polls, suppress a little news, she should be on a roll. But nobody believes it. In fact, she might lose.

Obamma did bite on the "it takes soooooo long to leave Iraq - 12-24 months," he said (like he knows) and he looked foolish (but was spared) with that Pakistan remark. Who knows what he'll do next. He's a lightweight.

Edwards is pulling out the "corporate Democrat" card, which threatens them all. He's winning the head to heads with all voters, which means independents love him. He even survived the "hair cut hit" of a month or so ago. He might just win.

So you're in charge of the Mega Bucks Bi Partisan Money-War Party. What do you do?

Maybe one thing is, unleash the corporate right, the guys on the dole. Time for them to lean a new trick, support a Democrat.

Then you get a buzz going, "HRC draws support across the board" "Republicans Charmed by Her Ways" etc.

But you never reveal why you're doing this. HRC's polls really suck; not the simple ones but the "depth charts," way too many people dislike her deeply. People barely move at her rallies and she's going to have problems in the primaries if the Edwards populist theme catches on (which it will if he follows through). Then there's always Gore.


So the real motivation here is fear but the tools they're using are weak to start, just sending coded messages to the money folks trying out the pitch for now. Time to go find another Edwards "hair curter" and take the next really cheap shot.

Can't have him. No way. If those major corporate defendants couldn't piece him off, maybe we can't either. Hell, maybe he'll reveal the scam on war, they we're really screwed. Where's Roger Stone?

;)

[AtomicKitten]

21. I do have this creepy feeling --

that Obama is emulating Hillary thinking she is the Yoda of Politics. I attribute that to perhaps the Helen Keller School of Politics and he's feeling his way through the gauntlet. He's green, but that doesn't bother me so much. Getting elected is no easy task.

Not a big Edwards fan. Yes, he's talking some pretty talk now, but I'm still reviewing in my mind his OP/ED that was posted on the State Department's website rallying support for the war. I'm pissed and not likely to be inclined to believe him any time soon. It is what it is.

Although Kucinich is again the darling of the left, he was so in 2004 and garnered, what, 5% of the vote? I did some fundraisers for his campaign in 2004, so I'm not bashing him. It's tough love.

So what now? As the field collapses, it will be interesting to see where the votes scatter. Maybe a miracle will happen. Maybe not. The bottom line is that unless Obama or Edwards can pull ahead, Hillary wins by default. It's very frustrating.

Have a great weekend, Mike. :hi:

[autorank]

22. It's not pretty but it sure is interesting...

I saw "Have Dinner with Obamma" - some lottery/donation deal where you got to have dinner with him. They taped it of course and that was his comment. I heard it a few more times, two weeks ago. It's such a scam isn't it. Of course HRC is saying that as well. As for Edwards, I don't really trust him. I do like the social justice focus of his campaign but you are so right, that war support is hard to forgive. After all, they knew there were no WMD, every one of them. But even if there were, what about the quaint custom of havng Congress declare war.

I was having so much fun with my little story I forgot to compliment you on the swift dismissal or two on my recent threat. It was refreshing;)

You have a great weekend. I'm headed for 8-9 days of vacation :hi:

[galloglas]

41. Auutorank, have you checked

whether you are really channeling the PtB??

It sound to me like you are hardwired in with a 220 Volt DC

Tesla! Tesla ! Help!! Democracy needs you!!

[struggle4progress]

42. We shouldn't give a frick about the Reepers' endorsements: who needs their mind games?

[AtomicKitten]

44. Agreed.

Who can even guess what goes in their demented minds?

[aquart]

2. Which Republican is he backing?

And how sweet of him to give Hillary a gift she never expected nor wanted.

[Hieronymus]

3. Republicans desperately want Hillary to run .. Edwards would beat any

republican.:woohoo:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

49. yeah cos he brought in so many voters the last time

[Divine Discontent]

51. we have absolutely know way of knowing who exactly voted for or against kerry

because of edwards. and you are totally ignoring repeated polling that shows edwards beating the republicans better than anyone, why don't you agree to that and say, yes, that's very powerful, oh, wait, you're apparently for obama or clinton and can't acknowledge a powerful bit of info about another candidate... I acknowledge that clinton has a huge lead on edwards, and she's more polished than edwards and obama, and that obama is more exciting to people than john - but when the primaries kick in, I think edwards will pull away eventually...

[robinlynne]

55. last time we won by a landslide.

[Cyrano]

5. A Kristol endorsement for a Dem is as valuable as an endorsement from Jeb Bush.

[Mind_your_head]

6. Oh for heaven's sake.......

Clinton Wins Coveted Bill Kristol Endorsement.

Coveted. Coveted!!!!

Do you know what the definition of 'covet' is? Answer: Something that belongs to another.

:think:

=====
And, 'who the h*ll is Bill Kristol anyway, except a guy who signed on to the PNAC agenda...but, "that's 'okay' with some of you", I know. But it's gonna come back to bite you in the ass ~ HARD!!!!


I don't even know where to even BEGIN with these 'space aliens' (because they sure as anything) AREN'T human or share human concerns!!!!

:mad: :mad: :mad:

[L0oniX]

53. It's the reptilian agenda

[Bitwit1234]

7. Hillary bash Hillary bash Hillary bash Hillary bash Hillary bash

bash bash bash bash bash bash bash bash bash bash You know you should be ashamed of yourself. No matter how many times you bash Hillary Clinton it is not going to make a iddy bitty difference. People who are going to vote for her and not Obama are still going to vote for her. Shame shame shame

[rucky]

17. PNAC Signator endorses "your girl"

just take your fingers out of your ears for a minute and let that one sink in.

[jmp]

30. Doesn't that mean that he's really against her?

All these Rovian trickerations are confuzzeling me. :crazy:

[spotbird]

47. He wants her to get the nomination,

and may view her as the best for the general.

[maximusveritas]

34. He didn't endorse her; he just prefers her to Obama

which shouldn't be a shock to anyone.

[Trajan]

43. I understand Kristol loves fat free chocolate milk

Anyone who keeps drinking fat free chocolate milk loves Willy Kristol ....

Pretty much your argument ....

All Kristol has to do is say something nice about each of our candidates, and, according to this logic, they all will become pariahs .....

It appears Kristol has you by the short hairs : He is choosing your candidate for you .....

You are willfully being manipulated, and now you want to extend that manipulation here with us ....

Pitiful ..... weak .....

I intend to choose my candidate without ANY consideration to Kristol's charades and misdirections ....

Surely you can develop a stronger hide .... right ?

[rucky]

46. Kristol's opinion has no effect on mine.

but if you're 100% sure it's reverse psychology, go ahead and call his bluff.

Talk is cheap. Even the words of the candidates (all of them) don't mean a damn thing. The donor list tells the real story.

[RaleighNCDUer]

59. I think he's genuine with this.

Because if Hillary gets the nomination, they win. Whether she wins or loses in the general, they win. Obviously, if she loses they win. But if she wins, she won't seriously challange the republicans - she agrees with them on too many issues. She won't do anything about NAFTA, or national healthcare (though she may come up with some madated national health insurance - when the only reason we have 50 million without insurance is they can't pay for it in the first place), she wants to leave troops in Iraq - never met a military appropriation she didn't like.

Why would they NOT want to see her nominated?

[kenfrequed]

52. yeah right

I have yet to see a reasoned argument in favor of Hillary that doesn't contain one of the following arguments:

1) She is the only one that can win!!! Which is probably one of the most absurd arguments and it suggests that we are running the same election over and over again. And that somehow there isn't such a thing as an anti-war vote.

2) She has a powerful machine with lots of bucks! Ok, honestly this is no ones fault but the media. They seem to be set on turning into a process-horse-race story rather than a debate about the ideas.

3) She is moderate and can get the swing states. This is goes on the ridiculous notion that there is such a thing as a fixed moderate creature. Really it is all about who is most convincing and if you look at the issues most people are starving for a real progressive candidate. The reason Kerry and Gore lost was really that they were convinced to run to the center. This is and always will be a loser strategy.

4) More Clinton-mania YEAH!!! As nice a guy as Bill is and as smart and charismatic as he is he never won a race with anything other than a plurality. His DLC and business friendly platforms gave up on democratic platform after Health reform died sometime around 1994. And lets face facts: Hillary is no Bill.

-------------

On almost every issue there is at least one (if not most) of the candidates that are more progressive and forward thinking than Hillary on most of the issues (except Biden...Brrr) why should anyone want to vote for her?

[RaleighNCDUer]

58. Funny how she keeps garnering support from people of the party

that claims to despise her, isn't it?

[Progressive Friend]

8. Not surprised at all that Hillary is being endorsed by a Neocon

If she wins, she'll attack Iran. It will be another one of those "humanitarian" illegal invasions/occupations. Except this one will be like Vietnam, or worse.

[killbotfactory]

9. Maybe she'll take a picture with him

[MonkeyFunk]

10. That's an endorsement?

Can you provide a quote where Kristol says he's endorsing Clinton? You know... in the sense of a real endorsement where one claims he supports one candidate over all the others?

Or are you merely using the fact that he didn't attack her as an endorsement?

How stupid.

[Skip Intro]

20. Call it what it really is - hit thread #2337 from the smear team.

Hey kids, expect this constant, stretched attack on HIllary to backfire.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

23. It's true.

William Kristol, editor of the conservative Weekly Standard, sounded more effusive. "Obama," he said, "is becoming the antiwar candidate, and Hillary Clinton is becoming the responsible Democrat who could become commander in chief in a post-9/11 world."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/06/AR2007080601579_pf.html

[MonkeyFunk]

38. Where's the endorsement?

Where did he say he's going to vote for her?

[Just-plain-Kathy]

39. Maybe “endorsement” was the wrong word to use...

Maybe we should’ve simply said:

William Kristol, king of the neo-cons was quoted to say, “Hillary Clinton is becoming the responsible Democrat who could become commander in chief in a post-9/11 world."

...Kristol is telling his followers that Hillary has the stuff it takes to make a good president in a post 9-11 world. ...If people can’t see that as a neocon helping Hillary to win the primaries, I don’t know what else to say.

[MonkeyFunk]

40. How about

a neocon who's giving his honest assessment of a political race on a show devoted to discussing politics?

It's absurd to claim that this means he wants her to be President.

In fact, the whole idea that the right-wing wants Hillary is absurd. They've spent 15 years pushing the most vile, baseless attacks against her.

You know, the kind of vile, baseless attacks people are so fond of here.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

56. We're talking about William Kristol here...the co-founder of PNAC...

He wants to dominate the world through aggression. One would think he’d pick his words very scrupulously.

...I don’t see many baseless attacks going on here at the DU, I do see a lot of supporters who wear blinders when it comes to their candidates. ...There’s a lot of “if you’re not with us, you’re against us” attitude.

[MonkeyFunk]

64. well I see plenty of baseless attacks

like the one in the OP.

Kristol didn't endorse Clinton. Claiming he did is just a flat-out lie.

[creeksneakers2]

11. That's not an endorsement

Its Kristol's analysis of the Democratic race. I agree with you that there could be lots of angles. Most likely is that Kristol, like the rest of the Republicans, want to overplay differences between Hillary and Obama to provoke fights that will hurt both.

[Fearless]

12. Oh whew, I thought you said Billy Crystal. Yikes, my bad!

I don't think anything on him could be coveted. :evilgrin:

[Ron Green]

13. She's a two-fer.

Both the candidate most easily defeated by a Republican, AND the Democrat they'd most want elected.

[cui bono]

24. Bingo! eom

[Forkboy]

28. You got it.

[ChiciB1]

31. That's EXACTLY What They Want... Repukes NEED Clinton To Be The

nominee, but it's such a shame we are going to let MSM choose our candidate. Other than C-Span and some blogging my depression about what will be increases each and every day. So much so that I feel like we can do NOTHING to change ANYTHING!

Even most of our Democrats don't feel "OUR PAIN!" Here in Florida it only get worse all the time!

[tom_paine]

63. I am afraid you are correct. And I am also afraid that the Bushies will get their way again

n/t

[Chicken George]

14. Sometimes I wonder if I made a right turn...

on my way to DU. Rumor has it that Rove is obsessed with Hillary in a quest to destroy her candidacy. No rumor here good people.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

25. I think it’s more like Rove wants to help Hillary win the nomination.

The guy knows how to manipulate people. ..Rove’s “fatally flawed” commit towards Hillary will help her get elected. ...It makes most dems think, -boy, if that big bad Rove is attacking Hillary, she must be the one “they’re” most afraid of.

Hillary likes lobbyist, -she’s been on the cover of Fortune. If Hillary wins our nomination, corporate America will have a win-win situation on their hands.

[calteacherguy]

15. Who is Bill Kristol and why should I care? nt

[TeamJordan23]

37. One of the most influential Neo-Cons. nm

[liberation]

54. He was Dan Quayle's brain...

Enough to pretty much ignore anything he says. Why people even give him air time is beyond me...

He is the posterboy of why the fairness doctrine needs to be reinstated.

[Skip Intro]

19. Why the hell should it matter to us who that clown "backs" - ?

we are over the rainbow - how long has it been this way?

[cui bono]

26. This coming from a guy who's been wrong about everything since at least 9/11.

Another neo-con ploy to push Hillary to the forefront since as someone mentioned above, she's the Dem that would most likely lose the GE and she's the Dem the Republicans would prefer if a Dem were to win.

[pingzing58]

27. Repugs have chosen H. R. Clinton as the candidate they can beat.

As a liberal/progessive democrat if she keeps a luke-warm, middle of the road, I'm a uniter and Pelosi style of leadership, "the surge (stay the course) is working," (she made a fool of herself in light of new information - to which she is privy before publication), I cannot support her candidacy and will look to Obama or even Edwards (whose English I cannot understand without an interpreter).

[Perry Logan]

29. Spoken like a loser.

Why do DUers love Republican talking points so much? This is especially true of the anti-Hillarites.

[ChiciB1]

32. And YOU Think We ARE Winning?? Pray Tell, What Are We Winning? n/t

[spotbird]

48. Are you saying the Republicans

are afraid of Hillary and that's why they are spending their money on her and endorsing her?

It's an elaborate trick?

[leftupnorth]

33. I haven't picked a candidate yet.

But it is becoming increasingly obvious to me that HRC is the de facto neocon choice.

They're(the PNAC crowd)hedging their bets against a GOP loss in '08 and beyond. Their next best choice is HRC, that makes me nervous. Especially remembering that some of these neocons were considered "liberals" in the same vein as HRC in the past.

[tbyg52]

35. I for one am sick of the phrase "post-9/11 world"

All I can hear is "world that we have a great opportunity to turn into a corporate police state."

[nashville_brook]

36. kick for "the new war"

[draft_mario_cuomo]

45. Robert Kagan (PNAC) loves Obama

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3476692&mesg_id=3476692

[bjobotts]

50. Clinton will be less disruptive for conservatives to deal with because

she has a history so they at least know something about her. They don't have mush of a history on the other candidates..

All Democratic candidates are miles above anything the Republicans have to offer. Forget what members of the GOP have to say and just look at the democratic candidate you want for president. Whoever wins the democratic nomination will be the next president.
Democrats should just look at all of the candidates, not who is more "electable" but who has the qualities and record and ideas they would most like to see implemented by our president. I've noticed that many here just latch onto a name and defend that candidate to the extreme but couldn't tell you what the other candidates have to offer. They have quickly made their minds up and so have stopped listening. I and many friends decided to keep our minds open to all candidates but so far only one has passed all of the tests (ideas, plans, votes, records, confrontations with the opposition) with flying colors far surpassing the others so we are all leaning heavily on that candidate but still keeping our eyes and ears open. That candidate is Kucinich...compare him to any of the other candidates giving him as much attention as you do the others and you will see, there is nothing negative to say about him on any of the major issues at all.

Kucinich/Edwards '08...so far that's the best ticket but I'm still listening till the primary. Meanwhile it's back to impeaching Cheney first and getting congress to stop funding the slaughter.

Remember, these are just people doing amazingly difficult tasks. The need to be encouraged to do the next right thing.

[illinoisprogressive]

57. front page. very cool. I just found it interesting that a neocon likes her.

[Peregrine Took]

60. Kiss of death to my way of thinking oh, and Obama's not an anti-war

candidate - DK is and so is Richardson - not Obama.

[understandinglife]

62. You go ... girl .... wow, just wow, a Kristol endorsement ....

:rofl:

[OHdem10]

65. Does this mean Kristol "endorses HRC" over GOP Candidates or

it is his opinion that among Democratic Candidates, he
believes she is the best candidate.

It is not common for a person of one party to endorse a member of
his own party.