Gary Hart flays Bush administration and sounds like a candidate!

[Hart2008]

Excerpts from attached article“J’Accuse!” by Gary Hart, former US Senator and presidential candidate, writer, world traveler and co-chair of the U.S. Commission on National Security for the 21st Century (the pre-9-11 Commission):

“This administration stands indicted for incompetence and mendacity. That it still commands the loyalty of even a quarter of our fellow citizens is testament to the persistence of willful ignorance. Against all the facts assembled in this indictment, that the administration's operatives can still make claims on strength, security, and determination is chutzpah on stilts.”

“That the media still treat these operatives and spokespersons, and indeed the president himself, seriously is witness to their desire for "access" and "sources" rather than their commitment to the truth.”

“The Bush administration was warned months before 9/11 that terrorists were going to attack America. They did nothing. They have yet to be held accountable for the preventable loss of American lives.”

“The perpetrator of those American deaths is still at large and the war to eliminate those who harbored him threatens to drag on inconclusively for many years. Instead, administration operatives, with the approval of their masters, find it convenient to use him to create fear, and therefore justify their positions of power.”

“The United States has suffered more than 30,000 casualties in another war that had nothing to do with those attacks.”

“The backbone of domestic security, the National Guard, is deployed in that war and is thus not at home being trained, equipped, and deployed to protect America.”

“(The administration’s) political philosophy does not believe government can or should be effective. And they use every occasion to prove it.”

“We are too old to behave as adolescents any longer. That includes particularly our president. America must grow up. We must redeem ourselves in the name of those who lost their lives unnecessarily six years ago. We must reclaim our dignity and our honor from those who have neither.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-hart/jaccuse_b_63783.html

[saltpoint]

1. Actually, I am unable to think of a time when Gary Hart did NOT sound like a president.

From his Senate days, including the campaign against Mondale, and all the moments since, this is a giant of a figure, with a mind and spirit to match.

He's the true goods.

There would be a breath-taking advantage that Gary Hart would enjoy over almost anyone else in the field, namely that he has a Divinity degree and could not only hold his own in a debate against the fundie-pandering Republican candidates, but eclipse any audience of Christian voters' own perceptions and knowledge of their own faith.

The Republicans have whipped us with "Christianity" in recent elections. It's time we reclaimed the liberal tenets of Jesus ministry -- whether we are Christian or not -- and take it away from the Pukes as a campaign wedge.

No Christian myself, I respect Hart's learning and mastery of the field, and see it as extremely valuable in a campaign against a GOP who has not hesitated in recent elections to use it against our side.

If he is not our nominee, he could serve brilliantly and probably willingly in other capacities in the Cabinet.

He's just too stellar a mind not to have in the thick of events.

[Hart2008]

5. Eugene McCarthy McCarthy spent nine months in a Benedictine monastary.

In recent years the party's commitment to social justice has been replaced with corporatism.

Hart is more than capable of changing the social debate from gay marriage and abortion to that of Biblical social justice: Labor is worthy of its hire, etc.

[saltpoint]

7. Thank you for mentioning Eugene McCarthy. A hell of a good man.

And a very accomplished poet besides.

He's always in a revered place in my pantheon of Democratic leaders.

[Hart2008]

11. McCarthy, Moynihan and Hart: the last great thinkers in the party.

I referred to McCarthy in particular to point out that social justice, i.e., ending an immoral and unjust military occupation, caring for the poor, insuring all have adequate medical care, is a key message of Christianity, and Catholicism. I am quite certain that the military occupation in Iraq does not meet the Catholic church's definition of a just war, and as such, is immoral killing, murder on a grand scale.

Catholics need not be forced to Repubs because of abortion and gay marriage. These are not the only moral issues in the coming 2008 election.

[bobbolink]

23. " I am quite certain that the military occupation in Iraq does not meet the Catholic church's

definition of a just war, "

Pope John PaulII told the little puppet that exact thing.

[ISUGRADIA]

12. McCarthy has a place in history but

I wish he hadn't endorsed Reagan in 1980. His always held personal grudges but they seemed to get the best of him as he got older.

[yellowdogintexas]

2. damn! just awesome!!!!! that just took my breath away.

I think my recommend switch is temp disabled but I will damn for sure try it.

BTW, I voted for Hart in the primary that year.

[saltpoint]

3. I just recommended this thread on the energy of your post, yellowdogintexas.

I hope it has a vigorous life on the DU boards this weekend.

No reason we shouldn't have the very best people in top positions of influence.

[yellowdogintexas]

9. cool, but I can recommend still! yay. hope this post stays kicked

for a while

[blm]

4. Hart, Gore and Kerry top the lists when it comes to solution politics and

governance.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

6. Well, now that we are sophisicated enough to accept Giuliani's 3 marriages

maybe we can get over "Monkey Business" and restore Gary Hart into a prominant place in American politics.

[Gregorian]

8. Monkey Business. Another example of republican sandbagging.

Off the top of my head it seems we should have a law about playing dirty in the race to the White House.

Skip it. It was just a thought. Like trying to get rid of terrorism and also have all of the modern conveniences that come from plundering other people's counties.

You just reminded me of something I had forgotten about a long time ago. Like Dukakis in a tank.

I think I'll just go have another cup of coffee and stare out the window. How hopeless a country it is with the GOP.

[Hart2008]

10. Richard Nixon said that the media coverage of Hart's personal life was wrong.

64% of Americans agreed with Nixon according to Gallup poll.

What a shame that 64% wasn't in the Democratic party. The Repukes are good at manipulating Dem Presidential primaries. Bush wanted to run against Dukakis, and he got Dukakis.

I remember Mike Dukakis in the tank AND Kitty Dukakis drinking the rubbing alcohol.

uggggg!

[ISUGRADIA]

13. When Hart got back in the race in 1987 he did not pick up any of his

old support. He's a thinker but did not inspire a strong core of supporters even in 1988.

[Hart2008]

14. When Hart reentered the race in '87, he led in the polls at first.

Just before the Iowa caucuses, a story came out alleging some kind of financial impropriety in his '84 campaign. It later proved to be crap, but the media played it up as another scandal for Gary Hart. Hart received no media coverage of the issues he put forth. Every mention of Gary Hart made mention of Donna Rice, to the exclusion of anything else. It was like the Dean scream. Everyone knew about it, but the media just repeated that over, and over, and over, etc. Nothing else was reported.

In New Hampshire, Dukakis was the favorite son. Hart managed 4% in New Hampshire and actually finished ahead of Paul Simon in one primary, (Connecticut?) after he dropped out after Super Tuesday. Hart did have a strong core of supporters. Maureen Dowd remarked that the Hartistas would drink the Kool-aid if asked. The strong core of supporters was there, they just couldn't move beyond that core. If you check the '88 convention (where the only way he could get in was with press credentials), Hart finished with a higher delegate vote for the convention than Al Gore, who won several primaries.
:popcorn:
You could look it up!

[ISUGRADIA]

17. I looked it up

Hart had 1 vote at the convention, Gore 0. That doesn't say much. Gore won many more delegates than Hart did, they just ended up voting for Dukakis.

NH was sad for Hart, 37% and a win 4 years earlier to 4.6% in 1988 and 7th place. Hart was ahead of Simon in several primaries but it was a 3% to 2% kind of victory. Hart only broke the 5% mark in one primary all season (SD). He may have had a core of supporters, but it was the 2% range. He ended the primary season with just 1.7% of the overall votes cast in 6th place. The whole getting back in race in 88 was a disaster.

He's a great writer, but he should have got back in the Senate to build his political capital. He might have had a shot then in 2004 if he had ran after new Senate service. He's always seemed to me to be an introvert in a extrovert's business.

[Hart2008]

18. Not the whole of '88 was a disaster, only the end.

When Gary got back in the race in Dec. '87 he jumped to the lead in the polls. After a week of non-stop repetition of the Rice story, we actually went UP in the polls.

So, in order to smear him some more the MSM started a story that he was receiving "illegal" campaign contributions:
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0711F63F580C728EDDA80894D0484D81&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fSubjects%2fE%2fEthics
January 21, 1988
and preferential treatment of creditors:
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0716FD3D590C778EDDA80894D0484D81&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fSubjects%2fE%2fEthics
January 24, 1988

The cumulative affect of these stories, timed just before the Iowa caucuses, left such a cloud over Hart's '88 campaign that he couldn't overcome it, despite the fact that the FEC found no impropriety involved.

Hart never went back to the Senate because he felt that serving two terms was enough. He didn't want to be a career senator. He was up or out of Washington in '88.

Thomas Jefferson, Hart's hero, was an introvert as well.

So what?

[ISUGRADIA]

22. Thomas Jefferson never had to deal with the media age

There is nothing wrong with being an introvert. It just makes for a tough road if you want to be a politician. Jefferson started the tradition of state of the union addresses not being read by the president which lasted until Roosevelt. He was a poor public speaker but could get away with it given the politics of the time. The only recent president who was an introvert was Nixon.

I still remember Hart's events in Iowa way post reentry before the FEC story you mentioned. They were not looking promising and I had a feeling he was not going to have a good showing come caucus night and he didn't, less than 1% as I recall. I don't think it was the FEC story that did him in. People had just moved on.

[democrat2thecore]

15. I love Gary Hart - but he has said he is NOT a candidate

I don't know why you think he could step in this late. It's not like Al Gore where you already won the presidency once. (!)

Hart has said "Oh, goodness no, too old and don't have the energy for the ridiculously long and expensive campaigns." He has said the same thing several times. Once to a colleague of mine personally.

[Hart2008]

19. He has done this before...

If this gets decided at the convention, anything is possible. No "ridiculously long and expensive campaign" would be needed. His life is also in jeopardy if he shows a serious interest now. He always was, and still is, a major threat to the MIC.

It's not like Al Gore where you already won the presidency once. (!)

I know who you are. A shame you didn't stand up with Maxine Waters when it counted to say this.

[Sparkly]

16. He was one of the ones who warned them -- very clearly.

I don't think he'll ever be a candidate again, though. That Donna Rice episode really did him in. (What was he thinking?!?)

[Carrieyazel]

20. Gary Hart also believes Hillary is Unelectable

That gives him huge bonus points in my book.
Also, would have made a solid candidate in 1988.

[Hart2008]

21. Hillary is Mondale redux. n/t