The Rude Pundit: This Year's Kerry

[meegbear]

There's something transcendently, exquisitely, and pathetically stupid in the fact that Hillary Clinton is continuing her campaign. Really, the only reason it isn't completely over is that she won New Hampshire. Had she lost there, we would have been talking about Obama and unity and more. But she didn't and now her campaign is banking on the quixotic, Giuliani-like late convergence of Ohio, Texas, and Pennsylvania wins to make her pursuit of the nomination at least appear like it's not coming down to she and her husband calling in all the favors done for superdelegates.

(By the way, Texas deciding the future of the country? Goddamn, sometimes it aches that Molly Ivins ain't here tell us how insane this has become.)

Otherwise, that's all it is: stay in the race until the convention, Obama's momentum and wins be damned while the voters, whether in caucuses and primaries, can go fuck themselves, and then use the superdelegates to, in essence, barge into the convention and stop the democratic process through deals cut on the phone, through the Blackberry, in the nicotine-gum-stinking back rooms. Sure, it's all legit through the arcane rules of the Democratic party's nominating process, but it's a huge fuckin' weasel clause, so very Bush-like, so very Rovean, so very vast right-wing conspiracy.

Ultimately, though, beyond the Democrats' fucked-up nomination manual, beyond the tearing up of the party that Clinton seems to be willing to engage in on the way to the convention, even beyond the conservatives salivating at the prospect of a Clinton nomination or presidency (which they see as a means to re-invigorate a desolate Republican party), Clinton needs to stop because she lost. Because this time Democrats are going with their hearts and not their heads. And you know what? That's what's gonna win the presidency.

Four years ago, we were presented with a stark choice between Howard Dean and John Kerry (with poor John Edwards always the bridesmaid). Dean excited crowds, got young voters behind him, and was seen as a breath of fresh air to the whole process. He would have beaten Bush into the fuckin' ground. But the combination of Kerry's money and the press's evisceration of Dean post-Iowa made Democrats scramble for the safety of Kerry's long goddamn arms. Dean made us hot and sticky in places that were unfamiliar to us. "No, no," we cowered, "Dean makes us come too hard and makes us want to fuck again right away - we can't handle it." Luckily, John Kerry had made us soup to soothe our scared loins. And whether or not you think the 2004 election was stolen, it shouldn't have even been close.

Yeah, it's fucked up in any way to think of Hillary Clinton as the "safe" choice, being the first woman to have a shot at the presidency. But that's how she's portraying herself with her "Tested, Ready" line. She's the one who was in the White House for eight years (although, c'mon, while being First Lady shouldn't exclude one from running for president, neither is it really experience, like being the spouse of a member of the military doesn't mean you know what it means to shoot the enemy. Sorry - unless you're finger's on the trigger and the other soldier's in your sights, you only have vicarious experience) and eight years in the Senate, where her positions have veered from politically expedient to occasionally daring.

Clinton's crusade, and it is a crusade, is seeming less and less about anything other than demonstrating that she can win. What else can it be when she spins Obama's eight straight wins as meaningless? Hell, her ex-campaign manager said as much by using as an excuse for stepping down that she thought they'd be done after Super Tuesday. And when Clinton gently mocks Obama for the indefinite idea of "hope," well, she not only seems safe, she seems like another cranky old person wanting to piss on the party the youngsters are having.

http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/

[griffi94]

1. well i'm in texas

so i'm happy that i'll get to vote and maybe actually mean something

[Stephanie]

2. She's relentless

They'll take it by any means necessary, the voters be damned.

[anamandujano]

20. Campaigning in a primary is just so fascist.

It's also just durn rude.

[Stephanie]

30. Agreeing to one set of rules and then flouting them when you're behind

That's just plain Rovian.

[blm]

3. Kerry won. DNC let the RNC steal it for Bush. Again.

.

[Independent-Voter]

9. Kerry was a douche that couldn't run a campaign to save his own ass

Dems should be embarrassed that Bush took him to the shed. Please don't fuck this election up an nominate Hillary.

[karynnj]

10. Senator Kerry has done far more for the Democratic party and the country than you are likely to do

His primary campaign was excellent as was were his debates. In a time more hospitable to a Democratic he would have been a winner in a landslide. He exceeded records with his enthusiastic crowds in October and nearly beat a President at 50% in a time of war.

He is now the best surrogate Obama has.

[Independent-Voter]

24. Hell - I voted for Kerry and still think he had the personality of a wet paper bag

He will make a great AG if/when Obama gets in, but lets be honest, do you really think he fired up the Democrats?

[karynnj]

29. Actually he did - look at the pictures of the October rallies

I've seen him speak 4 times since, twice in Boston, once in NYC and once in NJ - he was absoluely incredible. (Especially in the 2 Faneuil Hall speeches.) I have met him, with other JK group people, and he has a great personality - funny, warm and nice. I seriously doubt the incredible Teresa would have married someone with the personality of a wet paper bag.

[Adelante]

14. I'm embarrassed by you

Douche yourself.

[Fly by night]

21. Kerry won the 2004 election -- Bush stole it.

Your many posts (for such a short time here) and your inability to spell the word "and" suggests you might be in the wrong place. Freepland is that-a-way.

[anamandujano]

23. I'm afraid I have to agree with you but Hillary won't roll over like Kerry.

That's why all the Obama posters want her to step down. They are afraid of completing primary season because it may inconvenience their candidate, kind of like the Supreme Joke and W stopping the counting of the vote in Florida.

[Independent-Voter]

26. Obama has whipped HRC ass across the country once primaries got into swing

I doubt he's worried about too much. HRC is waaaaay too polarizing of a candidate to even sniff a win in the GE

[D23MIURG23]

31. I'm afraid she has the opposite problem.

Not all the votes are in yet, but when they are, the leader in pledged delegates should be ascendant. A win for Hillary that overturns the vote would be a Pyhrric victory for her and bad for the party. Similarly having Hillary continue to throw punches after being rejected by the electorate would be bad for everyone involved whether or not she overturns the vote.

I do want Hillary to step down - if and when she fails to capture the endorsement of the democratic primary voters.

[Tesha]

32. But it shouldn't even have been close.

He was running against THE WORST PRESIDENT EVER and still
he managed to be "in the margin of error".

Tesha

[bunkerbuster1]

4. I don't want to agree with this

I've been the first to defend Hillary against those who've bashed her, both on the left and the right.

But I find myself nodding along.

[nomorewhopper]

5. dont forget she is going to steal the michigan and florida elections as well n/t

[natrat]

6. clinton show grace-i dont think so

[karynnj]

7. The pundit is both rude and wrong on 2004

Edwards was closer to this year's Dean. He had the angry crowds happy with his attacks on the other candidates and the Congress as a whole - and he had Joe Trippi.

The rude pundit credits Kerry's win to Kerry's money and the press. The problem is that in December 2003, Dean raised an unheard of amount of $40 million on the internet and Kerry mortgaged his house to get $6 million to keep his Iowa and NH campaigns alive. Dean, with help from Trippi, blew through a huge amount of money in Iowa. As to the media, Dean had many cover stories in 2003, Kerry had mostly snarky articles asking when he would pullout. I think that Atlantic monthly was the only magazine that put Kerry on the cover when they excerpted Drinkley's book.

In Iowa, Kerry got 38% of the vote to Dean's 18%. This is a measure of how well they persuaded people face to face. All accounts of the Jefferson/Jackson Day speeches in Iowa, reported that it was Kerry, who was better received - even though many buses of Dean people arrived - partially full.

Kerry's win has been attributed to everything, from:
- Having Cindy Vilsack's endorsement - but HRC had the ex-governor's as well and it didn't help.
- THe firefighter's endorsement - but it did Dodd little good

The same was true in NH where Kerry was rising in the polls even before NH. He was within 10 points and the Iowa win brought in many people who had always thought highly of him and who had bought the media line that he didn't have a chance.

Kerry won Iowa exactly as Obama did this year with a very solid ground game that worked to get his message out. Kerry's primary campaign worked smoothly to take him to the nomination. Obama had a tougher task and he is amazingly still in the game after superTuesday fighting the Clinton machine.

The rude pundit is one of many Deaniacs that have never actually looked at what happened in Iowa 2004. Dean was going to lose some support for doing far worse than expected, while Kerry was going to gain due to a commanding win that was expected in Iowa - but not in the national press. If anything, Kerry would have been better off if there were no Dean scream. Then the coverage would have been his speech and discussion about why he won and likely many replays of the Rassman reunion that happened 3 days before - an event that had reporters emotionally chocked with tears in their eyes.

The Dean scream detracted from his win.

[Coexist]

8. sometimes you read something and think maybe you get

a glimpse of a bigger picture - here's what this made me wonder:

Maybe Hillary Clinton has been planning this since before Bill left office. Maybe his machine's loyalty as part of a bargain she made with him years ago. Bill can't go backwards in politics, but Hillary can keep the Clinton's in it. She chose an easy Senate seat to win, to add some heft to her resume. She sat out the last cycle, the country was still not settled enough against the war to unseat Bush. Finish a full term, bide her time until there was no incumbent running. In the meantime, build her warchest, oil up the machine - get on the right committees. Encourage loyalists to spend time in key states in local and state DECs.

If this has been in the works for 9 years, to be expected to give it up is not in the picture. All the favors done, all the appointments promised, I don't see how this can end quietly.

[ShortnFiery]

11. The Rude one is once again spot on! :-)

However, I'd like to characterize Hillary's present posturings as: The old lady who bitterly yells at the disrespectful young brats of the hood to get off HER blessed lawn. :P ;)

[phantom power]

12. I hear that the GOP may also run against Obama.

Is Obama going to write an open letter requesting that McCain also end his crusade to take the White House? Because it's so rude. All that competition.

[ShortnFiery]

15. Awe, the use of the term "manifesto" is .... oh .... so ... low?

:evilgrin:

[phantom power]

17. I probably should have used "open letter." Something less, er, loaded

:hide:

[ShortnFiery]

22. Yes, but as one who also "has sinned often" with regard to hyperbole, I'll cut you some slack.

Have a good one phantom power. ;) :hi:

[crispini]

13. How I love the Rude One!

Tellin it!

[JimGinPA]

16. Great Post!!

K&R

[anamandujano]

18. The blogger is dumb as well as rude.

Bad example to use Kerry, who is championing Obama.

Texas is not choosing the candidate. We have been have contests for weeks now.

Hillary is continuing her campaign! The horror of the democratic process. Who ever damn thunk it up anywho?

[TexasObserver]

19. It's all about HER. The Clintons decimated our party once and will do it again for personal gain.

Bill did a decent job as president, his failings notwithstanding, but he and Hillary dragged the party down in the process.

[anamandujano]

25. Correction, the Clintons decimated the Repukes and that's why they want

to run against Obama.

[Independent-Voter]

27. Yeah, they sure decimated them in 1994 by losing both houses of Congress

followed by 8 years of fucking Bush. Bill didn't do your party any favors in the long run.

[TexasObserver]

28. We lost seats in the House, in the Senate, and in the State Houses.

These are facts the Clintonistas cannot refute and will not address rationally.

We all paid for their excesses. They hurt the party, and they hurt us in 2000.

[jconner27]

34. Gotta hammer a Barack supporter on this one

Got this from the Bartcop

Obama supporters are making a serious mistake talking about the Clintons
the way Republicans talk about them. The last time Democrats talked about
the Clintons that way was 1994.

Democrats in Congress were convinced by the news media that the Clintons were poison.
The Democrats fell for it and distanced themselves. We all know what happened then.
The Democrats lost Congress to the Republicans for the next 12 years.

If Obama supporters keep this up he may win the primary,
but he's not going to win the general election.
When Democrats talk like Republicans, Republicans win.

Marc Perkel
San Bruno, CA.

[jconner27]

33. Rude must be hitting the Obama aid hard

Ok Rude he won states that more likely will go to John McCain in the fall ooh I bet you're easy impressed when the tv comes on, You can think what you will about Hillary win in Bartcop's backyard all you want but atleast she wins in states who's population doesn't make the planet Neptune look like a major US city. Now who's tearing the party Rude your guy Barack has used the Republican talking points of the 1990s to describe the Clinton term to justify why people should vote for him, and Rude who was the Democrat compare themselves with President Ronald Reagan? I sure that was Barack. And Rude who was the person that milk the fairy tale comment for political benefit when in fact that person knew the comment wasn't racist but allow their flunkies in the media screaming that was is? Oh yeah it was Obama. And tested let's go over Barack hard tough fights to his senate run hmm it was Alan Keyes who was both poorly funded and poorly supported by the state and national GOP. yeah Rude Barack is real battle tested, funny how you mention how Hillary based her record as first lady yet what was is Obama claim to the White House, state house, Havard Law board, beating a nut case that no one supported? As voters hearts and minds, Barack Obama rise would be trace to the aid he's getting from corporate media, sad that only me and few other people see the trap being set for the Democrats.

Futhermore doesn't it concern Rude and Obama supporters that right wing media are ralling behind Obama? It was the same right wing media that had you to believe John Kerry would allow 9.11s to happen everyday if he got elected four years ago are now saying ohh Obama is the greatest ever and he's the Democrats greatest hope look at this William Kristol wants superdelegates to do “the good deed” of pledging their ballots to him,
George Will urges Democrats to choose him as “the party’s most potentially potent nominee,”
Peggy Noonan promises that he will be “bulletproof” against Republican attack. From Bartcop.com
If this doesn't stink of come on Dems do us one more favor and pick someone we can beat I don't know what does.

As for well he can beat McCain because it's hope vs more war, now we don't know what will happen from now to fall, but if you think John McCain is going to say damn I can't go against hope and change is fooling themselves. The normal spin I get from Obama supporters the republicans would go after whomever, true they will slime whomever the Dems pick but I rather have someone that been there and done that compare to a person that could get knocked out by the first punch. I can assure you John "Crept Keeper" McCain,some Karl Rove wanna be douchebag and the RNC are thinking of ways to shred Obama's hope and change message and if they do what is left of Barack Obama?

I prefer to fight the GOP bastards.
Obama supporters prefer to live in a dream world where everyone are holding hands singing happy shinny people.