If It Wasn't For John Kerry, Clinton Would Have Had This Nomination Wrapped Up Already

[THUNDER HANDS]

Because if it wasn't for Kerry, Edwards wouldn't have the platform to run this year if not for being tapped by Kerry to be his VP. He would just be a one-term senator who only won one primary in 2004.

And Obama, if not for Kerry giving him the spot to deliver the keynote address, he would have never got the attention needed to be close to running for president.

So Kerry is directly responsible for Clinton's two biggest challengers, Edwards and Obama.

If not for him, Clinton would have run away with this already. We'd be wondering what a Clinton-McCain matchup would look like.

And I think this place would look a lot different. I know I wouldn't be nearly as interested in the primary.

So, I think we all owe John Kerry a big thank you.

Unless, of course, you're a Clinton supporter. :evilgrin:

[flpoljunkie]

1. Thank you, John Kerry! He just said on MSNBC he's trying to reach the Edwardses, but not to try to

get him to endorse Obama, but to commiserate with him--as he knows how hard the process of running a campaign really is.

[beachmom]

6. Oh, I hope he reaches them.

[LittleClarkie]

17. It would be nice. But there are reports of John not taking his calls before

But I hope he does too.

[beachmom]

21. I know. I am hoping for a thawing of relations.

[beachmom]

30. Video of that interview here (the senator was very gracious):

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22935426#22935426

[AtomicKitten]

2. Thank you, John Kerry.

[OHdem10]

3. Shall we thank John Kerry when Democrats once again lose

an election in 08?

[blm]

4. should we FINALLY make DNC responsible for securing the election process

and the job of strengthening our party infrastructures in states like Florida and Ohio where the RNC was ABLE to go uncountered in their vote stealing tactics while the DNC sat on their hands?

[stillcool]

13. maybe in Ohio...

oops...I forgot. Counting votes that can't be counted isn't a big deal anymore. Guess you can't blame Kerry for your votes not counting this time. That voter suppression thing is okey-dokey these days as well.

[ray of light]

32. it's not like they counted them in 05, 06, ect...Or did we forget MeanJean stole from Hackett

with no squack from anyone in the DNC.

(And of course a little funny stuff in CA as well. Not a word from the immoral Repubs and DLC/DCC/DNC or whoever they are.

[stillcool]

38. and the kicker is that we now have....

like what 13 states? that are conducting standard recounts on paper ballots without federal intervention after each and every election. Yet people here on a "Democratic" discussion forum, are curiously not concerned about the remaining 37 states. http://www.verifiedvoting.org/index.php

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/199/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=22334
Tell Congress: Pass HR 5036 Emergency Bill for Secure Elections in 2008

Now is your best chance to to help make the 2008 Presidential election verifiable. Please ask your members of Congress to co-sponsor the "Emergency Assistance for Secure Elections Act of 2008” (HR5036), Representative Rush Holt's bill to provide emergency funding for paper ballots voting systems and random hand counted audits of the November elections.

[ray of light]

31. we could thank the media. But then again...who wants truth around here anyways

when it's so much easier to do the whole circular firing squad.

[MBS]

Thank you, once again, Sen. Kerry! n/t

[beachmom]

5. Awesome post, Magic Rat

If you have a chance to edit still:

change "tabbed" to "tapped"

Yep, John Kerry did indeed elevate the careers of Edwards and Obama, and I believe the phrase "Energy Independence" is his, too. And the timetable for withdrawal from Iraq (Kerry/Feingold). And his health care plan in '04 was the basis for all the plans this year.

So, yes, JK has made excellent contributions to the Dem Party, and I look forward to him doing yet even more in the future.

[karynnj]

15. I agree

and the Democrats both would be advised to look at Kerry's framing on energy and environment. At this point, McCain - when he was with Arnold - pretty much plagerized the way Kerry spoke of it both in the sense that it is a national security issue and that the down side if there is no global warning is a cleaner earth and the down side of the other alternative is catastrophe.

Given that media loves McCain and ignored Kerry in 2004 and afterwards on this - the NYT never reviewed his book - look for someone to proclaim McCain as the leader and brilliant on this.

[papau]

7. Mass may get its first GOP senator in years if Kerry runs again

[dionysus]

10. wanna lay a substantial wager on that?

[papau]

28. Kerry is polling poorly at this time - Mass finds it hard to vote GOP - but a primary

opponent is likely

[Mass]

11. LOL, sour grapes do not fit you.

[stillcool]

14. I like the way Senator Kerry...

has represented me in the Senate. You have a problem with his voting record?

[karynnj]

16. He's running this year - and will very likely win easily

He is an excellent Senator.

[papau]

29. Who was it that announced this month against him - I've forgotten (which is one

of his advantages - there is no opponent with name recognition)

[Mass]

36. You mean Ogo, who could not beat Tsongas in the most conservative district in

a special election with no incumbent. As I said, you look silly.

[sandnsea]

24. #112

because that's the dumbest thing anybody has posted in eons, even dumber than the incredibly dumb handshake debate. So good bye to you.

[Meshuga]

27. What a dumb post. n/t

[jasmine621]

8. The way Kerry could have reached Edwards supporters was to endorse Edwards.

The Clinton hate machine has no shame.

[roguevalley]

12. I hated that he endorsed someone when he, IMHO, should have

been silent. Not endorsing John was sleazy in my opinion.

[karynnj]

23. Not true - as the OP said he gave JRE visibility by giving him the VP slot

By many accounts JRE cut off communication - not JK.

[LittleClarkie]

18. Hard to endorse someone when you can't get them on the phone

It seems Edwards was distancing himself from Kerry and their old campaign. So be it, but then the question of why Kerry didn't endorse him doesn't make much sense.

[smoogatz]

9. If it wasn't for Kerry, Howard Dean would be President right now.

So there's that.

[THUNDER HANDS]

19. you change Kerry to Gephardt

you might have a better argument.

[karynnj]

22. Although with all due respect if

Howard Dean caved when Gephardt attacked him - on issues where for the most part he had some merit, I doubt Dean would have stood up even as well as Kerry did. Kerry was an excellent candidate fighting an extremely unfair race.

[blm]

33. Yeah - establishment Dems wouldn't have worked against Dean the way they worked against

Kerry.

Face it - Dem powerstructure at the time didn't secure the election process after 2000 because they NEEDED to keep 2008 free for THEIR candidate - and it wasn't Dean and it wasn't Kerry.

[protect our future]

42. Yes, and due to this I am not enamoured of the Clintons. n/t

[politicasista]

20. K&R

:kick:

[ecstatic]

25. Do you think Kerry would be angry if Obama chose Edwards for VP?

Just thinking aloud.

[LittleClarkie]

26. After having run for president what makes you think he'd want the VP spot?

And after having been VP once, what makes you think Edwards wants it either? He barely wanted it the first time. Kerry staffers say he never stopped running for president. He wouldn't even say the campaign's slogan. He kept changing it.

[girl_interrupted]

34. John Kerry is a joke

Two things stand out in my mind when I think of Kerry, make that 3. He was all fired up when he began, he was going to let bush know who had "served". That went the way of the wind. In the 3rd Presidential debate he told bush he had done a "good job" after 9/11. I got such a sickening feeling in my stomach that night. He was afraid to go after bush and he didn't. Logic of his campaign was that Independents didn't want an attack dog..they wanted him to be nice, let the swiftboating go, bashing bush wouldn't be talking about the issues. Dumb. Oh and Bill Clinton didn't campaign enough for him..Bill Clinton had just had heart surgery, personally I think Kerry had nerve even asking. Clinton still showed up, but lets face it, Kerry just couldn't pull it off.

After the 2004 elections, when the count was in doubt, he folded like a picnic chair. During the 2006 elections, when things appeared to be going so well..in comes Kerry and his "botched joke" about soldiers. The Democrats couldnt hide him away fast enough after that.

I think what he did to John Edwards was beyond classless. I really do.

And I think if Wes Clark or Howard Dean had run instead of John "Lurch" Kerry we would have won in 2004.

Ironic how Obama went on The David Letterman show and was asked by Dave why we lost in 2004, he said it was because voters couldn't identiify with Kerry's "wind surfing".

John Kerry...You're a tool.

[LittleClarkie]

35. Point by point

"In the 3rd Presidential debate he told bush he had done a "good job" after 9/11."

No, he said he'd done a good job ON 9/11, and a crappy job ever since.

"Bill Clinton had just had heart surgery, personally I think Kerry had nerve even asking."

You don't think Bill WANTED to be there? Bill wanted to get back on the campaign trail as fast as he could.

"During the 2006 elections, when things appeared to be going so well..in comes Kerry and his "botched joke" about soldiers. The Democrats couldnt hide him away fast enough after that."

In 2006, he gave more money for Democratic campaigns than just about anyone. The win that year was as much his as anyones.

"And I think if Wes Clark or Howard Dean had run instead of John "Lurch" Kerry we would have won in 2004."

They couldn't even win the primaries. What makes you think they'd have done anything against Bush if they couldn't beat Kerry? The loss in 2004 was as much your fault, and my fault and the Democratic Party's fault as it was Kerry's. How hard did you fight for the man you call "Lurch"?

"John Kerry...You're a tool."

A very useful tool

Not to mention that if he was such a joke, then why did both the Hillary and Obama campaigns vie for his endorsement? They apparently didn't think he was a joke.

A man with his background of investigations and activism could never be a joke.

[protect our future]

43. girl_interrupted, it is you who appears to be the joke.

[karynnj]

44. I doubt it - it would be Obama's decision and

it doesn't change why Kerry endorsed Obama and he said at the time that he thought Edwards and Clinton were also well qualified to be President.

[Unbowed]

37. Great POV.

Kerry has also been a great force for championing liberal causes in the Senate and for helping get Democrats elected at all levels of government. When Obama spoke after Ted Kennedy's endorsement, I sat there thinking of John Kerry and thanking him silently for championing Obama. I was also moved to note that there were several "hat tips" to Kerry in Kennedy's speech.

[FrenchieCat]

39. You are quite right.......Kerry was instrumental.

Thank You John Kerry!

[angie_love]

40. EEPS

No wonder teh Clintons dislike Kerry so much. I LOVE Kerry. That man will always have a place in my cold black heart. :)

[wisteria]

41. Senator Kerry is a remarkable and unique individual and an outstanding Senator.

I applaud his efforts on behalf of this country, his party and those he supports. :applause: :patriot: