Kerry faces big test in internet storm about mystery woman

[rodbarnett]

The campaign of Senator John Kerry, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, faced its first media storm last night after a Right-wing website alleged that he had asked a woman to leave the country for personal reasons.

Mr Kerry's campaign did not respond to the allegation on the Drudge Report, a news tipster, most famous for disclosing that Bill Clinton had an affair with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern. When contacted, the Kerry campaign had no immediate comment

But Democratic sources blamed the allegation on Republican "dirty tricks". They said it marked the long-expected start of a campaign from the Right to smear the frontrunner and damage his chances of fighting a strong campaign against President George W Bush.

<snip>

Diehard Dean supporters exulted on internet forums at the news that the man who usurped their hero's position as favourite was at the centre of his own media storm.

Deaniacs remain bitter at what they perceive as the media's destruction of their candidate, who only a month ago led the polls. Last night Mr Kerry's campaign internet forum for activists was seething with accusations of Republican dirty tricks

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/02/13/wus13.xml&sSheet=/portal/2004/02/13/ixportaltop.html

[Robb]

1. Oh, crap.

Diehard Dean supporters exulted on internet forums at the news that the man who usurped their hero's position as favourite was at the centre of his own media storm.

Yes, they mean us. And when I say "us", I don't mean "all of us", but there it is. Goodbye AWOL story. :thumbsdown:

[mike1963]

2. Nonsense. It's a non-story.

:grr:

[LostInTheMaise]

8. Today it's a non-story

After today the legs grow and the next stop is TBD.

[private_ryan]

12. how do you know?

wishful thinking or you know something we don't? Kerry is a man.

[Muddleoftheroad]

14. What exactly does that mean?

"Kerry is a man."

[Womblestuffer]

17. This is the best way to divide us INFIGHTING, Stop it, Dean needs

to accept Kerry's opology, and Kerry needs to dump Torrecelli

[IndianaGreen]

18. How about full disclosure about the Osama ad?

Such Rovian tactics have no place in the Democratic Party, and the ad did cross the line.

[JVS]

32. Blood for blood, death for death!

Yeeeeeaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhhhh!

Unless of course, Dean is offered some kind of hefty reparation.

[private_ryan]

19. and men are known to have faults

Does Martin Luther King ring a bell to you? Bill Clinton?

Oh, I see. it's a stereotype.

[Muddleoftheroad]

28. Men and women have faults

Perhaps the word should have been HUman.

[private_ryan]

I was talking about Kerry

who is a man.Also men seem to have a harder time keeping it in their pants.

[RowWellandLive]

31. Are we supposed to accept that

men have a harder time keeping it in their pants? If a woman is sexually attracted to a man outside her marriage is she expected to control herself while a man in the same situation can stray? Are men's desires more powerful and uncontrollable then women's? Just asking.

I resent living in a society where it is somehow acceptable for men to cheat on their wives with younger (or any age) women, while the wives are expected to control their own desires and forgive their husbands betrayals. This is an obscene double standard that I do not want to have to hear in a progressive forum.

Personally, I am sick of all these women forgiving and taking back their men. I cannot think of any high profile man who forgave his wife for cheating on him with a young stud. Yeah, good luck with that.

We need to teach our daughters that men are not animals controlled by sexual impulses. They should demand and expect fidelity. As long as poor behavior is tolerated it will continue. Personally, I expect no less from my husband then the fidelity I give him. No woman should!!!

[private_ryan]

33. whether you accept it, resent it or not really doesn't matter

it's a fact! Men cheat more than women. Nature or nurture we can debate this another time.

[Gin]

44. When a man contemplates running for the presidency...knowing what

happened to Clinton..he should be aware that A: he can be setup...B: this will become public knowledge C: imagine how his family would feel if this story turns out to be true....OR NOT!

I hope to hell this is not true...and I am a Dean suppporter!

[Muddleoftheroad]

45. How can that be possible?

Are they all cheating with the same woman? If you have sex with a married man, you are part of the cheating.

[private_ryan]

48. part of cheating

well, if you're a single 20 year old girl and you're having sex with a married 50 year old man, you really aren't cheating on anyone. He is. Immoral and wrong but not cheating....

[JoFerret]

55. Silly.

Why the so petulant? Let's save the outrage for the women and men who are ripping us off and forget the human sexual foibles. And yes -many men (and women) do seem to have a problems living in a world that superficially values sexual fidelity and monogamy. And power is a great aphrodisiac and attractiveness is a great ego booster for the ego driven (i.e. politicians).

[DirtyUnderwear]

37. easy for women

....since they have nothing in their pants.

[Muddleoftheroad]

42. If you talking about a man "keeping it in his pants"

Then you have to recall that he is putting it somewhere.

Again, HUmans, not just men. Your comment is decidedly anti-male.

[private_ryan]

47. do you deny that men generally cheat more?

yes or no?

[DirtyUnderwear]

36. Dream on fella

I'm worried, that this will destroy Kerry. He's our only hope.

[Teaser]

3. Self-locking...

meaning I ain't posting on any article about this again until it's a credible allegation and not a regurgitation of a Drudge story.

I would suggest this as a good strategy for everyone.

[kstewart33]

4. Good point

Why is it that at least some of the news orgs that Drudge cites as conducting major investigations, are denying that they are?

I'll be listening to Kerry tomorrow on Imus. But until then, this story is not worth commenting on.

[BeatleBoot]

5. We're Doomed!

:wtf:

What "Media Storm"???????

and by the way, who gives a rat's ass..

[bluestateguy]

6. and then it moved to the Britsh press...

tomorrow morning its talk radio. Fox News by tomorrow afternoon or evening. The other cable networks by the weekend. At this pace it should be in the major newspapers by Monday morning. Tom, Dan and Peter will have it by monday night.

[lancdem]

7. God, I hope not

:(
But I imagine if this continues, the mainstream media will be pressured to cover it even if they can't independently confirm it.

[mobuto]

15. Its moved to the British Press

because they'll regurgitate Drudge, no questions asked, something that the more reputable US media won't do.

Even if true - and I've heard details which were sharply different from Drudge's - it isn't terribly significant. So a politician has had an affair. You don't exactly have to stop the presses on that one.

[IndianaGreen]

21. Sorry, but the US media has not credibility whatsoever

The British press debunked all the stories about WMDs in Iraq, while the US press was cheerleading for the war.

[mobuto]

49. This is the kind of tabloid personal smear

that's near and dear to the hearts of British "journalists."

Read their papers more often - its amazing they print what they print, given the power of British libel law.

[molly]

9. Well, it worked for Clinton.....

[jsw_81]

10. The "diehard Dean supporters" better not get their hopes up

The mainstream press isn't going to touch this Drudge sludge unless there's clear and convincing evidence that Senator Kerry did something wrong. And even if he did, the American people have already made it clear that a politician's private life is nobody's business.

[Muddleoftheroad]

13. We both know that's not true

Women's groups gave Clinton a pass they should never have given him -- all because of his politics, not his actions. Bosses should NEVER sleep with employees. It creates a climate of sexual harassment for all other workers who then are given the impression that is the way to get to the boss.

We'd be all over a corporate scumbag who slept with his employees and took advantage of his position. We'd be all over some winger asshole who did it. It's about time we became consistent on something.

I don't know what Kerry did or if he did anything. But if he abused his office, that is a huge issue.

[jsw_81]

20. Don't you remember 1998?

The American people made it clear in poll after poll after poll that they didn't want to hear about the Lewinsky "scandal," and on election day Democrats actually gained seats in the Congress and brought Newt Gingrich's career to a screeching halt.

And Clinton's relationship with Lewinsky was NOT "sexual harassment" in any way, shape, or form; it was a consensual relationship between two consenting adults. That's why he got a "pass" from women's groups; it had nothing to do with politics.

[Muddleoftheroad]

22. Clinton was already in office

Kerry is not in the job he aspires to.

As for Lewinski, it was indeed sexual harassment -- not of her, but of others in that office. When the boss sleeps with an employee, it gives the impression that is what is required to other workers. It's a horrendous abuse of power.

[RowWellandLive]

26. Yes Muddle

you are completely correct. That was the kind of thing that women's groups fought against for so long and then gave Bill a pass on because of his politics. The whole situation stunk. In their collective zeals the right wing went overboard with impeachment and the left abandoned their principles to defend what they previously considered to be indefensible.

[Voltaire99]

34. Yes, agree with you both

With one quibble: I would not call the apologists for Clinton's behavior the "left." The left properly despised Clinton's conservativism and was in no mood to give him a pass on anything; he got a free ride from ex-liberals who'd driven their SUVs to the stock market free-for-all of the center.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

41. Utter and complete horsesh*t

I'll say it again: utter and complete horseshit.

Having a consensual affair with an employee is not sexual harrassment, not in the legal sense and certainly not in the sense of what-in-the-hell-are-you-thinking?! Consenting adults have the right to have sex with whomever they please, and the morality police can please take a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut.

If Clinton had been making sexual advances at every woman in the workplace, then that theory would have some degree of credibility. But the fact is that he wasn't -- as witnessed by the fact that the judge in the case determined that even if Clinton had situplated to having an affair with Lewinski, it would not have been relevant to the Paula Jones case.

[Muddleoftheroad]

43. Again, you are wrong

Try dealing with HR issues sometime. A boss sleeping with an employee is a minefield of troubles. Sure, it CAN be OK for them both, but is NOT OK for everyone else. Monica, as you recall, had preferred access to the most important person in the world. All because she was his sex toy. Meanwhile, other more experienced (professionally experienced that is) people did NOT have the same access. All because they would not diddle the boss.

If Bill of Kerry want to sleep around, so be it. However, if they harass their staffs, that is a different matter.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

53. I do deal the HR issues

You might want to try reading case law sometime. While anybody can file a lawsuit against anybody (the Janet Jackson lawsuit is a fine example), there's an enormous difference between a making claim and a winning judgement. You can't make a successful case for a "hostile work environment" just because you don't like the boss's choice of girlfriends.

[private_ryan]

51. it's a nightmare in today's corporate world

I wouldn't be surprised. Even complimenting on a sweater or haircut can be considered sexual harrasment.

[Matilda]

39. Remember, though, that before Monica there was Gennifer Flowers.

Clinton nearly lost his bid then, but Hillary saved him. So it
could happen again.

Besides, Bush is now facing the AWOL issue, and this time it looks
as if it mightn't go away. Perhaps Kerry's advance might be slowed
a little, and perhaps the nomination might be more open than it
was earlier in the week, but I don't think everything's going Bush's
way, not by a long shot - and speaking from a fairly objective
distance.

[liberalron]

24. The mainstream press has an out,

they can report on the report. Then they can say that they are not reporting about the event; but reporting that there is a report about the event; so, no ethical violations.
And, the American people have shown no such thing. Besides, they can be made to think that it is their business.
This is liberalron, and I have approved this message. It is in not intended to be an endorsement or disendorsement of any candidate.

[Neecy]

46. you're right

My local news this morning "reported" it by saying that the allegation appeared yesterday in the Druge Report, but they didn't run it because it's a 'conservative' website. Then he quoted an Australian site reporting that Kerry would answer the allegation today.

So, Drudge gets reported one way or another.

[Gman]

11. Drudge always calls things with Democrats storms

or firestorms to make it sound as bad as possible.

If they want to do this, then I'd like to know about Margie Schoedinger, the lady that committed assisted "suicide" after she filed a suit against Bush for Rape.

[cosmicdot]

16. Tabloid Journalism

that'll save the world

...not...

[cosmicdot]

54. It's all Jimmy Carter's fault : )

for lusting in his heart ... to put a cool side to his religious side ... that was 1976 ...

now, in 2004 ... lust? what lust?

Jimmy tried to spice it up then; now, anything in a blue dress spells t-r-o-u-b-l-e ... right here in River City ...

Headline: Candidate entered pool hall while teen. Details at 11.

[leesa]

23. So What? Don't give it the least bit of attention. If Mrs Kerry thinks

it's a problem, she will divorce him. Nothing to do with us and of no significance whatsoever. Ignore it.

[RowWellandLive]

25. If Teresa leaves him

that will be a huge problem. Like it or not, a stable marriage and a supportive wife are important in a Presidential campaign. Hillary's standing by her man got Bill through. If Teresa leaves her husband it would be a big scandal and overshadow all the issues. That's just reality.

Drudge or not, my gut tells me that this is true. Kerry's "women troubles" have been floating around underneath the surface for a while. How he handles this, and more importantly, how his wife does are more crucial then we'd prefer to believe.

[The_Casual_Observer]

27. Drudge is already backpedaling on this

"hard to prove"

The heat has just been too fucking hot on chimp lately. Time to defuse the situation!

[yellowcanine]

29. The telegraph is not a reliable source

The telegraph has printed Chris Ruddy's crap in the past, including the totally bogus Ron Brown "murder". In this case they are citing Drudge as the source, so it is still a Drudge "story" and should not qualify as breaking news, as Drudge is not a news source.

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[ammagrappet]

35. MSNBC e-mail leak Source of Drudge Report Story

Read Joe Conason in Salon this morning. He confirms that someone at MSNBC leaked an e-mail from an editor speculating about the rumor. Interesting trail.

http://www.salon.com/

[Shadder]

40. You can do better than that

First of all, it's an opinion piece. Second of all, you need to look at the enitre section:

"Within 10 minutes after Drudge posted the Kerry intern item, Crawford sent a memo to his superiors that said the story was "something Chris Lehane (clark press secy) has shopped around for a long time." According to Crawford, someone at MSNBC promptly leaked his memo to Drudge. But when Lehane called Crawford with a loudly indignant denial, the MSNBC columnist quickly issued a public retraction. He said:

"The comments attributed to me are from a private email to television news associates based on conversations with Democratic campaign operatives. I did not consider any of it confirmed enough to report or publish. I can only verify that Chris Lehane's rivals in other Democratic campaigns made these claims and I have found no independent source to confirm it. Which is why we did not go with the story. But then someone sent my email to others, which is the only reason it got into the public domain." In other words, there is no proof that Lehane circulated the rumor, let alone that the rumor has any basis in reality."

Look at the main point here- I did not consider any of it confirmed enough to report or publish. I can only verify that Chris Lehane's rivals in other Democratic campaigns made these claims and I have found no independent source to confirm it.

[dusty64]

38. It will be interesting

how much media play and the amount of "outrage" they inject into their coverage. Afterall when its a rethug (ahnold, st. rudy) this really is NOT a big deal, whats changed. True or not, Kerry needs to confront this. Ignoring things don't make them go away, I think chimp is FINALLY realizing this.

[shimmergal]

50. Bush toadies are going to try this on any Democratic candidate,

regardless of its truth or falsehood. Hopefully rivals within the party wouldn't try to, although apparently that's too idealistic...

From this standpoint, perhaps Dennis Kucinich would be the best candidate? Since he's single, only the wingnut Puritans would get stirred up over hints of an affair.

[Bridget Burke]

52. Sounds like they shot their wad early.....

All this delving into Shrub's murky past made them bring up their big guns.

Is this the best they can do?

[Nevernose]

57. They don't have to "do" anything, unfortunately

All they have to do is put out unsubstantiatied rumor after unsubstantiated rumor. We saw this for nine years under Clinton, it should come as no surprise.

Basically, all the Republicans have against Democrats is this made-up image/reputation of Democrats sticking their equipment where it doesn't belong.

[Robb]

56. Fox newsturd just said

...that the woman had sent a letter to the Kerry campaign denying there was ever an affair.

[young_at_heart]

58. There was talk once about Bush having an affair

Why isn't that being mentioned?

[SOS]

62. Good point

whatever happened to Tammy Phillips?

[Onlooker]

59. How can it be that we don't have an answer to Drudge?

Drudge can put any lies or garbage on his ugly website and the right wing press and radio run with it. Why isn't there a liberal equivalent?

[ted37_99]

60. reason for no liberal equivalent......

the simple answer to that question? liberals need not lie and anyone with more than two brain cells can sniff out drudges and rush's or o'rielly's lies very quickly. the public is smarter than you think.

[bobbyboucher]

61. Exactamundo, and we have Buzzflash, but they don't lie,

they just link to articles using sarcastic and cynical headers. They also have well researched articles. Good site.

http://www.buzzflash.com/

Late.

Oh yeah, sorry to keep this despicable thread going. It should die a horrible and swift death.