Reply #59: I completely disagree [View All]

[karynnj]

In the first place I resent that you refer to Kerry as my "icon", while thinking that you are completely objective about the Clintons. The truth is likely that each of us is likely equally biased.

You ignore that completely that I could have stopped after saying Kerry gave Obama the 2004 speech, the importance of which is undeniable. It is also rather silly that you say that Kerry was largely ignored by primary voters. I was canvassing for Obama in NJ before Supertuesday and Kerry's endorsement and his advocacy did help with many not comfortable with HRC, but worried that Obama was not experienced enough. This is what real people told me. Not Kerry people, not online people - people in my town.

The fact was that given that 80% of the country said we were going in the wrong direction, the winner of the DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY was going to win the election. That simple fact means that any help in the general election was likely not as a big a factor in Obama becoming President than someone who helped in the primaries - which obviously the Clintons did not do.

As to the general election, my comments are based on what I heard and saw in my county. Democrats did move behind Obama. The fact is the BIGGEST factor in moving those usually democratic voters behind Obama, who were wavering, was SARAH PALIN, who scared many people here in NJ. (This is especially true within the Jewish community - and I know many holdouts who by High Holy Days were saying they were voting Obama just for fear she could become President.)

Among swing voters, many watched the Sunday talk shows, where Kerry outclassed every Republican surrogate. Kerry was the person that the Obama team put out the most often as a surrogate and Obama himself often used arguments that Kerry used first - this was helpful. For the most part, the people who attended rallies were not swing voters, they were people already for Obama or at least people who always voted for the Democrats. The fact though is that it was neither the Clintons of Kerry, it was OBAMA who won the votes. There is of course, no polling, logic or sense that exists that proves the Clintons did more in the general election.