Kennedy endorses Clinton!!! (But it's not the one who counts)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose father was gunned down in Los Angeles while seeking the 1968 Democratic presidential nomination, today backed Hillary Clinton's bid for the party nod.

The endorsement should burnish Clinton's environmental credentials. Kennedy, 54, has a high-profile as an environmental activist; he serves as a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

He also earned plaudits within some Democratic circles for arguing the case, in a lengthy Rolling Stone article last year, that the 2004 presidential election was stolen from the Democrats. Its subhead: "Republicans prevented more than 350,000 voters in Ohio from casting ballots or having their votes counted -- enough to have put John Kerry in the White House."

There's one more niche group (albeit, a minuscule one), in which Kennedy's support may carry some sway -- he's a master falconer.

Still, today's news from the Clinton camp served mainly as a reminder that, in the Democratic race, the prospective endorsers who are being closely watched are, as the National Journal's Hotline political briefing put it on Wednesday, the "Three Kings."

That trio would be ...

,Ted Kennedy (Robert's uncle), Al Gore and Kerry.

As Hotline put it: "Forget about Oprah and Barbra. Sure, they're fun to write/talk about. But when it comes to moving votes, and shaping the WH race," those three are the only Democrats "left out there whose endorsements would matter."

Hotline's short summaries of why that's the case also are worth passing along.

Gore: "Four years after his nod marked the beginning of [Howard Dean's] end, the Emmy/Oscar/Nobel winner is the most popular (non-committed) Dem alive. Endorsing [Barack] Obama or [John] Edwards (but, more likely, Obama) could doom HRC in [Iowa] and re-confirm Gore as a player on the political stage. While he's wary of wading into murky Dem waters, it could be the best way to remain relevant post-'08."

Kennedy: "Influential among both nat'l and [New Hampshire] Dems, his '00 endorsement of Gore was key to helping him put away Bill Bradley in NH and seal the Dem nom. One hurdle: Ties to [Joe] Biden and [Chris] Dodd."

Kerry: "He kept touch with his base of '04 donors/activists with hopes to have a voice in '08. Look for him to speak up shortly."

Hotline's wrap-up: "They don't have talk shows, book clubs or Broadway appeal. But together they could determine who the next president will be."

-- Don Frederick

Comments

[John]

Only Gore matters. Kerry is irrelevant. Kennedy is included purely in deference to the dynasty. Gore's is the only endorsement that will make a difference (to some).

[Michael Snyder]

One has-been political dynasty lending a junior's hand to the next wanna-be political dynasty in America. Didn't we win our independence from a King named George? Why would we want a Queen named Hillary?

[Jim Hanley]

ELECT HILLARY CLINTON
Hillary Clinton is the BEST QUALIFIED to restore the World's respect that has been lost by the unscrupulous machinations of G. W. Bush, and his cohorts.
And Hillary Clinton has feelings, like empathy, that Bush, and Chaney and many, or most men seem to lack, and fail to exhibit! Further, women have suffered long enough under the harsh, and persistant relogation to a subservient status by the men who have ruled this country since it's inception. And, women, despite the fact they represent the majority of Americans by millions, as per a recent Census, do not, nor have they ever, had equal representation in any part of the US Government, including Congress, the US Supreme Court, or the Executive Branch! And, when the opportunity arose recently, to at least keep up a semblance, or the pretense of striving toward some sort of fairness in representation for American women in the various branches of Government by appointing a woman Judge to replace the retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, one of only two women then on the Court, instead, the ruling 'males' appointed a male, causing the US Supreme Court, the highest Court in the land that makes major decisions about women, as well as men, to be egregiously lop sided by 8 men to to 1 woman! Thus leaving only one woman remaining to protect and defend those womanly traits an attributes possessed by women, and totally beyond the comprehension of men!
And, by this thoughtless, unconscionable action the male Ruling group has again struck a blow at the cause of Women's Rights, and, equal representation under the law of the land, once guaranteed by the US Constitution! ELECT HILLARY CLINTON!

REPUBLICANS ARE PRO RICH-PEOPLE!
&
ANTI POOR-PEOPLE!

REPUBLICANS ELIMINATE ALL GOVERMENT CONTROLS!

REPUBLICANS ARE 'KILLING' SOCIAL SECURITY!

REPUBLICANS TAX POOR WORKING CLASS PEOPLE
&
GIVE THE "FAT CATS" TAX BREAKS!

REPUBLICANS SEND POOR PEOPLE TO DIE FOR OIL PROFITS
&
NO-BID CONTRACT PROFITS!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEMOCRATS

MADE' SOCIAL SECURITY A REALITY!

PUT PEOPLE TO WORK IN HARD TIMES!

STARTED THE "WPA" & THE "CCC"!

PROVIDED FHA MORTGAGE LOANS TO THE POOR SO
THEY COULD BUY HOMES!

Jim Hanley

[josh mcdonald]

The reason men have run this country for so long has to do with people being to stubborn and set in their ways to change. How else do you explain women not having equal representation even know they can vote? What's funny, JIM, is that your playing into that ideology by voting for Clinton. Although, she is a women, she is also a major frontrunner and has had the eye of the mainstream for years.

We think of her as inevitable or at least highly probable. And of course, it is about time a woman or minority take the office and stop the tradition of old white men always being president. And the Republicans have done an awful job and the Clinton Administration went well. Besides could anyone else really beat her, I want my vote to count. Right?

Wrong, you vote for the person who will do the best job. I can think of many more seasoned leaders than Hillary including: Biden, McCain, Dodd, Richardson, Hunter, Thompson, Paul, etc. If your always voting for the best person no matter what the polls say, then woman and minorities will all eventually become equally represented. Were all pretty much equal, right?

Don't get pulled in by these mass movements of people who think with their hearts and not their minds. Yes, their good people, but you have to go your own way. If you make up your own mind in 08' and vote for who you want then chances are Hillary won't be president. And only because of the laws of probability, she's only 1 of 8.

In closing, KENNEDY, GORE, and KERRY could have a major impact in the election if they don't go for the three presidential hopefuls with the least credentials, Edwards, Obama, and Clinton. They could move one of the good ones in position to take a shot at something different, and way less polarizing.

[Erik Larson]

Actually, this endorsement calls Kennedy's credibility into question, it doesn't boost Clinton's at all.

He says “Hillary Clinton has the strength and experience to bring the war in Iraq to an end and reverse the potentially devastating effects of global warming. …Hillary will inspire the real change America needs."

He either missed or is ignoring the fact that she did not pledge to have the troops out even by the end of her administration, and she has not declared that the 14 permanent military bases in Iraq would not be permanent. Clinton, supposedly a Democrat, has taken oodles of money from Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch, as well as from the insurance industry.

Kennedy is famous for his environmental work, and for exposing the 2004 election fraud in Rolling Stone; he is also famous for saying "Republicans are 95% Corrupt, Democrats are 75% Corrupt"

His endorsement of the single most corrupt Democrat means nothing he says can be trusted anymore. If he were true to his original principles, he would be endorsing Kucinich, who has always voted against the war, voted against the Patriot Act, will establish a Dept of Peace, and is not the darling of corporate America

[Jim Hanley]

There is absolutely no question that Hilllary Clinton is the best qualified to be our next President.
She's "been there" at every step, and judgement of the way. And although she was not the final decision maker, her counseling, and consultation seemed evident.
All the rest of the Candidates save Joe biden, fade out of sight, when weighing all the relevant facts!
And, as I have implied 'here' earlier, the bigotry, and blindness of those men who have led our Country up to, and, through the times when women were
denied the right to vote, and were often treated worse than slaves with regard to fair and reasonable representation, this type of violation of moral and physical Law is rife and rampant even in the present time; as demonstrated by one woman to eight men in the US Suprem e Court!
And the refusal to replace Justice Sandra Day O' Connor with a woman!
How can we ever hope to 'level the field', and guaranntee to our motherr's, wives, daughters, and grandchildren the equality of life that can only be assured by the fair and equal representation of women, by those who best know, women! Who actually represent the 'majority' by numbers, in America!