Diary from Lamont campaign staffer on Daily Kos (pro JK)

[Firespirit]

It's a bit huffy and combative, but it has some very interesting insight into the various power players of the Democratic Party.

Link: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/11/14/122820/27

It gives MAJOR props to JK.

Highlights:

John Kerry
One of two rock stars for the campaign. He refused to endorse Joe Lieberman in the primary. He basically made a mockery of Joe by saying he doesn't get involved in contested primaries despite campaigning for Jim Webb against Harris Miller a few days earlier. After we won, he sent out a pair of mildly successful fundraising emails on our behalf. He appeared in the state.

Most importantly, John Kerry was the Senator who spoke most forcefully and publicly about Joe's support of "stay the course" and his Nixonian deception when Joe all of a sudden became a peace candidate in the closing weeks.

Senator Kerry was by far and away the most helpful senator to the campaign.

Senator Edwards
Basically, John Edwards called us up and said he was coming to Connecticut in the days after the primary. There wasn't really even an invitation (to the best of my knowledge). In his speech, he never mentioned Joe Lieberman. When pressed by bloggers about coming back to Connecticut, he said he would. When we asked him directly, he declined.

Hillary had a fundraiser for Ned. She met with Ned personally and that generated a good amount of press. They eventually (after significant prodding) sent out an email to their CT list asking for volunteers down-the-stretch (but Hillary would not have it sent in her name). Pretty good. There was quite a bit of debate inside campaign HQ about what their motivations were.

After asking no less than 5 times, the DSCC eventually sent out an in-state solicitation to volunteers. Again, after tremendous pressure coming from within online communities and leading bloggers. Mike Liddell at the DSCC told me it wasn't being sent because of that pressure, but because it was "the right thing to do." I know Mike. I like Mike. I respect Mike. I'll take him at his word. However, it was unfortunate that he insisted the email go out from the Executive Director of the DSCC and not Chuck Schumer.

This diary, in my opinion, says a great deal about inner-party politics and probable back-room dealing.

Kerry's joke was one instance in which people showed their true colors. Their acts and motivations in the Lamont/Lieberman mess are another. I know Lamont was a long-shot candidate, and I wasn't expecting him to win after he consistently failed to budge in the polls. However, this was all about honor, courage, and doing the right thing. I sincerely hope that the incoming Senators-elect and Congressmen-elect have more honor and courage than these longtime party insiders.

[blm]

1. Needs to go up in GD-P. I've been waiting for these revelations. Dean supporters are, too.

They supported Lamont heart and soul.

[Firespirit]

2. Done.

Now I wait for the Hillary supporters and JK haters to jump on it....

[MBS]

3. glad to see the props for JK

. as they're REALLY deserved. However, I should point out that Kerry's stated philosophy about contested primaries, at least as I understood it, is that he had explicitly limited his campaigning in contested PRIMARIES to candidates that were veterans. Otherwise, he was staying out of primaries. Thus, to stick to his policy, he stayed out of the primary. I'm sure that Sen, Kerry was absolutely weeping at the thought that his policy prevented him from endorsing LIeberman in the primary .:)

As you said, the account is also an evocative vignette of Dem back-room politics.

[TayTay]

4. And the fact that this is going to be a difficult new Senate

The 'Members of the Club' still believe they deserve membership, not that they have to earn it.

[Firespirit]

6. The Republicans are currently in the midst of an all-out bloodbath

The various factions of freepers -- fundies, piss-your-pants-at-terr'ists, anti-immigration freepers -- as well as the PNAC set and the Iran-Contra/Reagan set of Republicans -- are tearing each other to pieces.

However, WE are about to see a war within the party as well. There are the old-school DLC type Dems who are terrified of anything that moves and perpetually play defense. They are also fundamentally self-centered and exist within a bubble. I think part of the reason why they've been so light on Republicans is because they really and truly do not understand the damage that has been done to this country. We have got to do something about these people and get the reins of power AWAY from them. Their type are why the party was successfully billed as the party of weakness and political scheming, of "saying anything to get elected," for so long.

[TayTay]

7. Boy are you right`

Now that the Dems have some power, a lot of stuff is leaking out. We have ethics problems coming out on both Harry Reid and Barack Obama. We know Murtha is no Schoolboy. And we have all these Dems who believe they won in '06 because they were blessed by heaven, instead of the next in line when the Repubs were fired. (Next in line because of the work of some people who made a big deal out of IRaq and corruption and so forth.)

BTW, there was an interesting article in WaPo about Clintonomics and how the DLC wing wants to reconstitute that in the Dem Government. Sigh! The Robert Rubin Democrats. How come we never see the Rubin Democrats out in the field or manning the phones and such. They sure are quick to take the accolades for it though.

Obama: http://www.firedoglake.com/category/democrat-ethics/

[Inuca]

8. Obama ethics problems?

Been very busy, so I have no idea what it is about. Any help?

[ray of light]

9. I have no clue!

[MBS]

10. a possibly shady real estate deal

with a real low-life Chicagoan, when Obama bought his new $1.65 million house in the district of Kenwood (near U of Chicago). There was a big stink about it in on FireDog Lake yesterday. He bought a house simultaneously with the low-life buying the adjacent empty lot at the same time. (Apparently the seller was the same for both). People were split about 50-50 as to whether Jane Hamsher was making too big a deal about this. I think the problems (if any) revolve around (a) his association with the low-life guy, whom he's known since college (b) the fact that Obama paid $300k less than the asking price, while the low-life paid asking price for the lot; then Obama later paid the low-life a bunch of money for a sliver of his lot. Some people thought that if they were orchestrating this together with the seller, that the discounted house, along with the later lot-sliver purchase, was essentially an undocumented campaign contribution to Obama (from the low-life presumably). Or something. It doesn't smell squeaky clean, but whether it's truly putrid is definitely a matter of debate. Certainly, by the shameless standards of the W. operation, it's pretty small potatoes. But, on the other hand, it did feel disappointingly like politics-as-usual. All the gory details are on FireDog Lake. I think the original story was in the Chicago Tribune and/or the chicago SunTimes. there's a link in there somewhere, and the story has surely been updated by now.

Same post included reminders that Michelle Obama has just received a $150+ K raise as a VP with U Chicago hospitals. Her new salary is over $300K. Shocking commentary on where the money goes for health care. No wonder my health insurance is so high!

If this seems confusing to you, that accurately reflects my own confusion.

[MBS]

11. links. . .

Chicago Tribune, November 1
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0611010273nov01,1,2852476.story
Chicago Sun Times, November 2
http://www.suntimes.com/news/brown/121104,CST-NWS-brown02.article
Chicago Business, November 6
http://chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/mag/article.pl?article_id=26790&bt=Tribune&searchType=phrase
Chicago SunTimes, November 7
http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/126708,CST-NWS-sweet07.article
FireDogLake post, November 13 (comments through early morning November 14)
http://www.firedoglake.com/2006/11/13/more-ethics-problems-for-democrats/#comments

and from DU:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2597015
Looks like the Kerry brigade has already been in there, squelching stupid and undeserved comparisons with JK. . .good job, karynnj and sandnsea!

[Inuca]

13. Thanks, and yes, it is confusing

By the way, as I am sure you know, high level hospital administrators make outragous salaries, I do no think that the $300K is too outlandish.

[karynnj]

14. Especially as she was a very high powered attourney

They need to pay that much to get someone with her skills. (She is also suppose to be a very nice person as well as very very smart - a woman (lawyer) I know well knows her because her little 5 or 6 year old daughter took dance lessons in the same class as one of Obama's kids. Her little daughter was excited each time she saw the Obama kids on tv - but didn't get why she couldn't be on tv too.)

[Democrafty]

5. This is SO interesting!

It may not be good manners, but I wish more people would write this honestly about what goes into a campaign, and who helps and who doesn't. It's important.

[JI7]

12. this shows why i like certain people and have a not so favorable

view of some others.