Posted on 11/05/2006 4:35:39 AM PST by Dark Skies
Newsweek published an article at its website Saturday about last week’s John Kerry foot-in-mouth debacle. One couldn’t immediately tell the motives behind the piece from the title: “Botched; Assessing the damage done to Democrats—and his own chances in ’08—by John Kerry’s epically flubbed joke.” Nor could one glean the significance of the authors involved: Susannah Meadows with Howard Fineman and Eleanor Clift. However, in the end, when taken in its entirety, it appears fairly obvious that this was the beginning of the assassination, and John Kerry’s chances of making a second run for president have been officially kyboshed.
The hit job started innocently: “Chuck Schumer got right to the point. On Thursday afternoon, the New York Senator, who’s leading the Democrats’ efforts to win back the Senate, called John Kerry and let him have it.”
Clift et al gathered steam:
Three Democratic candidates, including Bob Casey in Pennsylvania, cancelled appearances with the senator. Rep. Harold Ford, locked in a key senate race in Tennessee, called on Kerry to apologize. Hillary Clinton chimed in, calling the former Democratic nominee’s comments “inappropriate.”
The wind was at their backs: “Clearly, this was not how Kerry envisioned his comeback. Banished to the political wilderness after losing to Bush, Kerry has been plotting his second run at the White House. Though always well behind Hillary Clinton in national polls, he was at least in the running on paper, consistently neck-and-neck with Al Gore and John Edwards.”
And, they moved in for the kill: “Now, he faces even longer odds. For the moment, at least, Kerry is simply radioactive among Democrats.”
They then bludgeoned the motionless body to make sure it didn’t get back up:
On the ground in New Hampshire, some activists who’d been open to him pre-blunder, were now shutting their doors and turning out the lights. “It’s not that this gaffe was so bad,” says Ann McLane Kuster, a prominent New Hampshire activist, “But it plays into all the traits he has that are out of touch, like using intelligence as a way to distinguish himself rather than compassion. The underlying joke wasn’t funny.”
And, burned the body in effigy:
Not surprisingly, the judgments were a little less diplomatic inside the Beltway. “There is not a Democrat in Washington who thinks John Kerry is a viable presidential candidate after last week,” says a longtime Democratic strategist (who isn’t working for one of Kerry’s potential rivals). The strategist, who spoke freely and at length about Kerry on the condition of anonymity, says the gaffe reminds Democrats that he is politically inept. “This is not something that will linger in pool halls and bars and normal places in America,” he says, “but among the donors and activists who like to win, this memory will last a long time. Remember, his entire candidacy is based on electability. And when that’s the basis of your candidacy, and you’ve already lost once, amateur hour doesn’t begin to describe John Kerry. And that’s without even getting into the personal animus towards the guy.”
Now, for those that are questioning the assessment of this piece, I might agree if Clift and Fineman weren’t involved. However, when a magazine like Newsweek publishes such a scathing article about such a high-ranking Democrat, and advertises that its two top political writers contributed, one should take it seriously.
In the end, the Democrats have never been kind to failed presidential candidates. Al Gore until his recent global warming makeover was practically persona non grata after his loss to George W. Bush in 2000. Most Democrats probably don’t even know who Michael Dukakis is. And, it took Walter Mondale almost two decades to rub off the stench from his atrocious 1984 presidential run.
As such, the Democrat big-wigs must be loving the gift that Kerry gave them this week. Obviously, the timing was lousy coming just eight days before a critical midterm election. As a result, the real execution can’t officially happen until after November 7. However, with Clift and Fineman’s handwriting on this wall, it seems quite clear that win or lose next Tuesday, the Democrats will have no tolerance for a Kerry presidential run in two years. If Time magazine follows this up with a similarly negative piece, you can stick a fork in this man.
There is the "favorite son" thing. A local politician who achieves national prominence has an edge over challengers.
I always thought Kerry was an empty suit, mouthing liberal pieties to promote his personal obsession with power and attention. (Not an uncommon trait in politicians of any stripe.)
Even local Democratic pols know that J-F-K stands for "just for Kerry."
Jim Robinson, Free Republic's founder.
I beg to differ on whether Newsweek is influential. It's an unreadable standing joke.
Hills competition is biting the dust.
John Edwards is next,,he best watch his back but that should be no problem given he has a mirror all the time whilst doing his pompadour.
His pompous, what?
Influential with the left only.
Yo, Jon! Cry me a river.
pompodour or is it pompodore?
His big mass of hair,,Kerry's was better. YOu know hair on men that blossoms up from the head, gleaming, not one out of place. It requires lots of "product" and hairspray.
Swiftboated by his own party.
I wish someone would damn good and well stick a fork in him; and old Billy Blyth IV too!
ping
What's different about this episode is that with the new media his remarks could not be spun or covered up.
"Swiftboated by his own party".......
and mostly by himself, in my estimation.
Kerry is a very conflicted man. I truly believe that, deep-down, he knows he's led the life of a phoney and a fraud. I also think the part that haunts him most is that he knows he was really a coward in VN and punked out. This causes him to try to act as Mr. Macho and also condescend others.
He really belongs in therapy, not the US Senate.
I don't get it. Boston and its surrounds are the See of the high priests of self-annoited intellectual superiority, and they have this guy going around showing that the whole construct is a poor effort to ceate a Potemkin village without even enough intellect to support the gaudy and fraudulent facade that they try to hold up to the world.
it's a door that leads to a room where pompo's are kept
Doogle
If you're going to shoot yourself in the foot, make sure it isn't in your mouth.
Newsweek and the media in general are losing customers. They are trying to persuade sane people to buy their rags.
Last time I saw Newsweek it was on the floor behind the commode in the locker room, torn into wipe-sized sections.
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