Jeanne Shaheen is a mediocrity

[BeyondGeography]

She was on Hardball tonight trying to form the most basic sentences in defense of Kerry. She's barely articulate, for crying out loud.

How on earth can the Kerry camp put this dolt on the air? She was so ineffective, I suspect she's in the early stages of a severe speech impediment.

We can do better. MUCH better. Put Mark Green, who kicked Laura Ingraham's butt the other night, out there. Wes Clark. Sheila Jackson Lee. The list is long. Screw the New England Democratic machine loyalty routine. Shaheen should never be allowed on television again.

[still_one]

1. I agree

she may be a nice lady, but that is not what it is going to take to win from these animals

[PROGRESSIVE1]

2. Green, Clark, Jackson Lee, Sharpton, Rangel, Kennedy, Cuomo.

I'm sure that there are many more too who could articulate our side.

[KamaAina]

3. That would be the Mark Green who couldn't win NYC?

with its 5-to-1 Dem registration edge?

Yeah, I'd have to say that there's an effective spokesperson for Dem principles... </sarcasm>

[greenman3610]

4. shaheen is

horrible.
I kept saying, "get her OUT of there!!!"
Oh my God. My 13 year old daughter could have done better..

[Chovexani]

29. Context, please.

That was a shitty election, all around. Post 9-11 Saint Rudy-worship (even among Dems who should know better) and an UNBELIEVABLY dirty Dem primary/run-off contributed to that. His campaign made some poor decisions, no doubt, but NOBODY'S hands were clean in that election. I know because I'm a New Yorker and I saw the shit that was going on.

Is Mark Green the best spokesman we have? That's debatable. But I really, really wish people would look into the context of that election before pissing on Mark Green. There's plenty of blame to be spread around for that situation.

NY has a 5-to-1 edge with registered Dems, but we elected Fooliani twice. Politics is dirty and complicated in this town. We're the birthplace of Tammany Hall, after all.

--C

[BeyondGeography]

30. Thank you. It was a circular firing squad special

Green was forced to stand up to Freddy Ferrer, which cost him the Hispanic vote and Dennis Rivera's hospital workers' union. A huge vote hit right there, my friend.

Granted, Green's own arrogance was a factor in his demise as well. But his flippancy actually works well in Hardball-style forums. Give me a verbal bar fighter like Green any day in this forum as opposed to Shaheen the Statue.

[KamaAina]

31. My NY expat self is still bitter about that one

and I do tend to hold a grudge against Dems who choke away elections in safe areas, notably our own Mazie Hirono (D-Very Lifelike) who brought 40 years of Dem control of our State House to a crashing halt by acting like a cross between a stereotypical beauty pageant contestant and, well, Al Gore.

In fact, I'd lots rather see Green on Hardball or whatever than Hirono, any day. Local Dems seem to agree: Hirono has pretty much been in the island version of Cheney's "undisclosed location" since Black Tuesday of '02.

The unprecedented mainland-funded repuke media blitz, resulting literally in a repuke ad in each and every commercial break, didn't help, either. (I watched a TON of PBS that fall...) I sense a pattern emerging here: Solid but uninspiring Dem candidate vs. repuke lightweight backed up by megabucks = repuke victory. From Green to Hirono to Gray Davis (remember him?) to President Gore, it keeps happening over and over, like Bill Murray waking up in "Groundhog Day". :(

What's the answer? Conduct a "Democratic Idol" talent search?! "Dawg, I'm feelin' it! You've got the domestic policy thing down cold!" :-)

[dogman]

5. She started out as a Rethug,

has she changed for sure?

[soleft]

6. Bennett on the Chris Matthews show said Kerry should pick her for VP

That's Bennett, as in gambling Bennett

[Khephra]

7. I've been trying to stay on the positive side of things

But that was one horrible appearance. She did seem to be having trouble just forming the simplest sentence.

It was very painful to watch.

[Bonhomme Richard]

8. I also thought she was terrible.

She should have had her answers down pat.
Is she the best Kerry could come up with?

[napi21]

9. She's usually not that bad, thought she might have been having

trouble with her ear piece or something. I must say though I kept hoping for Hillary! You know she would put them all to shame!

[nostamj]

10. agreed

a weak, pitiful performance.

esp. considering that tweety seemed annoyed with marc ratshit.

unless this was an just a 'bad night' she needs to be kept OFF forums like Hardball....

[DU9598]

12. Totally agree

That was the poorest performance I have seen from a campaign spokesperson for a very long time.

We have so many articulate spokespeople. Please Kerry camp, do not use her as your campaign mouthpiece again. Just totally painful.

[seabeyond]

11. i have listened to her a couple times

she goes on and says little. i can talk a chapter in under a minute.

[linazelle]

13. The better to portray us as wimps my dear...

There are SO many effective speakers who could run circles around Chris Mathews and the rest but they don't want them. One case in point is Nancy Skinner, former IL Senate candidate and former talk radio host canned by ABC Radio.

Nancy's been on many networks and I'm on her email alert list so I get notices of her upcoming appearances. Usually, she's cancelled a the last minute--or changed. There's no way to follow her.

To Shaheen's credit, she did get a bit stronger at the end and didn't let Mathews overtalk her. She made a few mild points.

[kodi]

14. oh how they forget. she gave a great keynote speech at the 2000 convention

for those of us old enough to remember that.

and to call her "a mediocrity" for her performance in a 5 minute slot on a cable show is pretty fucking ignorant.

shaheen is a good, sharp progressive politician who is a fantastic campaign organizer and she helped capture new hampshire for kerry. if kerry wins this thing he will owe it more to her than any one else.

to say she did poorly is an exaggeration.

she is a better choice for vp than clinton, landruei, or lincoln.

[dogman]

16. We need more than dirty tricks now.

We need some one who can respond in an intelligent fashion.

[BeyondGeography]

21. I saw the debates against Sununu in 2000

She got her head handed to her. Cost us a seat in the Senate.

So she read a scripted speech well at a convention. I'm impressed.

[Kahuna]

37. Reading a speech and answering questions off the cuff...

are two different things. Example: Chimpy.

That being said, I didn't see the performance and I'm mot taking sides.

[bearfartinthewoods]

42. i understand your point but disagree with using bush as the example

since he sucks at both.

[blm]

15. She may be good behind the scenes but in front of a camera she stumbles

almost to the point of incoherence and she does not hit back with the best retort or right argument, sounding defensive when forceful clarity is required.

I do acknowledge that she is one helluva strategist and a great boon to the campaign in other areas.

[BabsSong]

17. This isn't the first time. I've seen her (& she's a neighbor of my state)

..before and she's just stupid, fucking horrible. She is not ready for prime time. I watched her just cut to pieces by the RNC while she smiled and looked foolish. She was Kerry's campaign manager in New Hampshire. I hope she is still not within his campaign (though that might explain a lot of stuff). Jesus H Christ keep her off the air. I'm sure this whore media wants her more than Woodward so they can kill us. For gods sake Kerry, tell her she cannot go on national tv. I'm not just saying this.....this woman is poison. I don't know how she got to be governor of my neighbor, New Hampshire; but she lost her Senate bid. Stop with the political favors--now is not the time. I didn't see her tonight but it takes no imagination. Why are they letting her out?????? How stupid can we be.

[Redneck Socialist]

18. She is usually on message like a laser

I didn't see her performance, but if it was as bad as most of you are saying that would be unusual for her. She stays on message better than anyone I have ever seen. Granted her oratory skills are never going to bring you to your knees thunderstruck with awe, but generally she is good and is not shy about going for the jugular.

[Khephra]

20. It was my first exposure to her

That I can remember. She may be brilliant in other areas, but if I were her, this wouldn't be one of my tv appearances that I kept around on tape.

[John_H]

19. She symbolizes everything that's wrong with the Dem's message operation

wimpy, ineffectual, steamrolled by the GOP's shameless thuggery.

[Snellius]

22. I thought she came off honest, sincere & just human for a change

I'm getting sick of these talk show shout-down verbal exchanges, especially with a bullshitter like Marc Racicot who will say just about anything.

[stopbush]

23. Kerry's campaign should go for broke - hire Randi Rhodes!!!

Hell, the RW radio guys are always on spouting their blather from some remote location. Randi's quick on the uptake and has the facts at her fingertips. She could shoot these a-holes down faster than bush tanked the economy!

get a remote feed in her studio. When she's done at 7PM, she can make the rounds of the TV blather fests.

[Generator]

24. Where's Howard Dean?

That's what we need. Pull no punches with these lying sacks of sh*t that are appologists for this admin.

[Khephra]

26. He actually was at the weekend march

and on pushing Kerry on CNN last Saturday, wearing a Kerry sticker no less. Wolf tried to trap Dean into saying something negative about Kerry, but Dean wouldn't have any of it.

[NewHampster]

25. That Great Woman was Governor of My REPUKE State for 3 terms

What you may not like goes over great with repubs. Not only is she brilliant behind the scenes she wrote the book on how to campaign from a solid position in the Middle.

Yes she was less than perfect tonight.

Is our candidate always perfect? Is Shrub? Are you?

Sometimes I get sick of the armchair quarterbacks on DU who criticize their own like its a game. Its not a game.

Here's a little clip from the bio on the Kerry website.

"When Shaheen took over as national chairman of Kerry's presidential campaign last September, the candidate was lagging badly in the polls, and his advisers were bickering. It was a perfect assignment for Shaheen, say those who have worked with her. "She doesn't panic," says Democratic strategist Bob Quinn.

Kerry concedes that Shaheen was "critical" to his turnaround: "She provided great, mature, seasoned leadership when it was needed," he say.

Shaheen, 56, is a local legend. She's one of just three Democrats to become governor in this Republican-leaning state since the turn of the 20th century, and the only woman ever to have served as the state's chief executive.

Her achievements as a candidate have been equaled, if not surpassed, by what she has accomplished as a political operative. In 1980, Shaheen helped the incumbent president, Jimmy Carter, beat back a primary challenge here from Sen. Edward Kennedy of neighboring Massachusetts. Four years later, she masterminded Sen. Gary Hart's New Hampshire primary upset of incumbent Vice President Walter Mondale.
"

[trumad]

27. She was painful to watch

If it quacks like a duck...oh never mind! She Sucked!

[BeyondGeography]

33. So she's Queen of the Hampster Democrats

That doesn't address her proven inability to think on her feet during a political debate. Forget tonight; her forgettable 2000 performances against Sununu were also televised for all to see. She was exposed as a second-rate performer. The popular Governor was favored to win and lost by eight points because Sununu publicly outperformed her.

Spare me the "proven maturity" and "leadership boilerplate insert platitudes, etc." We can't afford marginally articulate national spokespeople in this campaign.

[NewHampshireDem]

36. I hate to disagree with you ...

but the fact that she is a key operative in Kerry's camp makes me want to stay home on election day. I wouldn't vote for her to be dog catcher after she betrayed her liberal base here in NH. She, pardon my French, fucked us on the income tax issue because of her own political aspirations--not to mention the frequent slaps in the face of the NH-NEA, which gave her lots of support and money.

I'm going to stop now before I give the repugs some ammo, but let's just say I wouldn't vote for her again.

[NewHampster]

38. Hey, I know you're completely right but....

My daughter was an intern for the Gov. so forgive me a little bit of loyalty.

[yankeedem]

28. If she couldn't form the most basic sentences

She is obviously OVERQUALIFIED to be president.

[JohnnyFianna1]

32. I couldn't help but be reminded of * while watching her,

can someone tell me why she was on PrimeTime, especially shoutfests like Hardball? We must a thousand articulate speakers, everyone from Rob Byrd, Clinton, Gore, Begala, Green, Carville, especially Wesley Clark (wonder if they'll let him on Fox News anymore after the beatings he gave them), any of the Democratic Presidential candidates, Max Cleland, Tem Dachle, Jimmy Carter (who floored Reagan at the debates), Mondale, Franken, Moore, ALMOST EVERY DEMOCRAT IN THE HOUSE, Tim Breaux, and THE ENTIRE STAFF OF AIR AMERICA RADIO, off the top of my head.

[Andromeda]

34. She wasn't at her best today...

but I've seen her when she's been very sharp so she was probably just having a bad day.

[DeepModem Mom]

35. kick

[Catherine Vincent]

39. I saw that and she did a horrible job.

But she may not be very good at debating. She did ok at first when she interrupted the repuke guy because of his lying and he got upset and told her to "be quiet, I didn't interrupt you". I thought, how juvenile? He looked like a fool when he said that. Ms. Jeanne did a bad job, I hope she gets better at this.

[derby378]

40. Looks like a consensus

Jeanne Shaheen is an official wuss. Somebody please send her to Ol' Yeller Dog Boot Camp to toughen her up so Ed Gillespie can't push her around anymore.

I like stopbush's idea best, though. Replace Shaheen with Randi Rhodes and make the GOP strategists wet themselves.

[Nashyra]

41. I was lostening on XM and was appalled

she sounded horrible. Her answer about whether if Kerry would be in Iraq if he was President was simply terrible, she had a perfect opening to bring up the fact that we had not finished in Afghanistan so this president should NOT be in Iraq. We must contact Kerry campaign and ask that she not be used in such a public forum.