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Don’t say it ain’t been swell, John [ahem]

I’ve learned a lot. I’m not somebody who makes the same mistake twice.”–John Kerry

Yeah, I realize that, but you have the seemingly endless capacity for devising new ones.

…the senator’s lethal gag might be better likened to a suicide bombing: Not only did he blow up himself, but he also blasted shrapnel at Democratic candidates in tight races…

Imus flat out begged Kerry to cease and desist. “Stop talking. Go home, get on the bike, go windsurfing, anything. Stop it. You’re going to ruin this.”

And now there’s this:

Now comes word that Kerry faces a very public spanking from the likes of Howard Dean and former running-mate John Edwards. This latest broadside is the result of Kerry’s refusal to dole out any large percentage of the $14 million that remains in the Kerry-Edwards ‘04 campaign war chest to Democrat candidates this election cycle.

Kerry’s tightfistedness comes at a time when the DNC has essentially taken out a second mortgage to the tune of $8 million-plus to compete with Republicans on media buys and get out the vote programs. Edwards is said by some advisers to have called Kerry and warned him that he intends to go public with criticism of Kerry’s cheapskate ways over the weekend, an event that would bury any final hopes Kerry has of running with even a modicum of success in ‘08.

And I never thought I’d ever find myself agreeing with Eleanor Clift but, hey, miracles happen. According to NewsBusters:

…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.

Too bad. Even his biggest fans are bummed.

46 Replies to “Don’t say it ain’t been swell, John [ahem]”

  1. Dan Collins says:

    I don’t think I’d stick a fork in a man, unless it were in self-defense.  In a turkey–that’s another thing.  And as one of our commenters pointed out last week, he’s self-basting.

  2. cirby says:

    The Imus thing was a complete train wreck.  Imus kept asking Kerry to stop, but he just kept on going, digging that hole deeper and deeper.

  3. ahem says:

    Hey, when even Eleanor Clift can see the light, you know you’re in the shit. She’s about as oblivious as they come. I had to stop watching McLaughlin Group because of her. There aren’t enough Tony Blankleys in the world to offset one Eleanor Clift.

  4. Bruce says:

    Its nice to see someone admitting that Clift and Fineman work for the DNC.

  5. Pablo says:

    Imus isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he does have a knack for making brutal honesty entertaining. Remember Arafat’s funeral?

    I don’t care who you are, that’s funny right there.

  6. MarkD says:

    Lighten up folks.  He’s saving the money for his 2008 presidential run.  He’s going to release ALL of his military records, any day now.  Then the whole country will see how badly we misjudged him.

  7. ahem says:

    Pablo: ‘Raghead cadaver’, huh? God is that funny.

  8. Big Bang hunter says:

    – The fecklessness has gotten so bad FOX, with the possible exceptions of Gabler and Jane Hall, is having a hard time finding DNC lap dog talking heads that are willing to even half heartedly defend Kerry. Even Juan Williams is abandoning ship.

  9. ed says:

    Hmmm.

    There is nothing in God’s own universe that’ll stop Kerry from running in 2008.  Part of what Kerry was doing was currying favor with the ultra-left Kos Kiddie crowd.  In fact running in opposition to the establishment Democrats will actually *add* to Kerry’s credibility in this regard.

    OMFG!  2008 is going to be a fucking hilarious fucking time!

  10. Retired Marine says:

    Just how bad did Therazor flog his ass when he got home? Or is he afraid to go home? What sleazy hotel is he hiding out in curled in a corner sucking his thumb and whining about the mean old republicans picking on him?

    Inquiring minds want to know.

  11. McGehee says:

    What sleazy hotel is he hiding out in curled in a corner sucking his thumb and whining about the mean old republicans picking on him?

    The only thing I can say for sure is, it ain’t a Holiday Inn Express.

  12. Umm says:

    Sure hating Kerry is a terrific recreational sport and a great way to keep the ad hom juices flowing but man, read the news: there’s an election in 2 days.

    And Kerry ain’t running.

  13. B Moe says:

    Sure hating Kerry is a terrific recreational sport and a great way to keep the ad hom juices flowing but man, read the news: there’s an election in 2 days.

    Not as much fun as making fun of trolls who can’t read.  The post is about fellow democrats who are pissed at him for hoarding funds from candidates who are running.  Some of them are even reported to have a chance at getting elected, but don’t tell Kos.  You have any comment on that?

  14. Ric Locke says:

    The post is about fellow democrats who are pissed at [Kerry]…

    And the subtext of the post is the glee with which we view the resulting distancing. It hints that there may be real, actual, adult Democrats somewhere out there, something not recently in evidence. If there are such people, and they manage to grit their teeth and be Authoritarians for long enough to send the Kos Kidz to their rooms without supper, great will be the rejoicing.

    Regards,

    Ric

  15. The Fabulous Timbo says:

    Total Brahmin. And he’s freak-out ugly on top of it.

  16. Umm says:

    One comment B Moe:

    I read the post through from top to bottom three times (took me a few hours–especially that link at the bottom!) and still came to the conclusion:

    It’s about Kerry completely fucking up his chances for ‘08.

    Nonetheless, I bow to your superior reading comprehension and withdraw my earlier remarks.

  17. It’s about Kerry completely fucking up his chances for ‘08.

    You’d best get nuanced and layered or the libs are going to take away your membership card…

  18. Umm says:

    Hi Additional Blonde Agent

    I think you’re about 75% right there. Thanks for the tip, I’ll keep it in mind.

  19. Pablo says:

    ahem,

    Pablo: ‘Raghead cadaver’, huh? God is that funny.

    That’s a different incident, (the Kevin Sites/Fallujah mosque jihadi shooting) and that line is their faux deceased military affairs correspondent, Gen. Patton, speaking. Blood and guts skit comedy, if you will. Dick Nixon covers politics in the same manner. The context, from here:

    General Sherman [Union general during the Civil War] perhaps said it best: “War is hell”—a phrase I myself noted now and again during my war, when we beat the hell out of another gang of fascists who’d sworn allegiance to a no-good bastard with a mustache. Well people, it is still hell—as the young Marine who plugged that bastard clearly understood from the previous day’s combat when he had lost a comrade to a booby-trapped raghead cadaver and had gotten shot in the face himself. Was the NBC News embed unit there to record any of that, so that we could witness that bit of action from our living room sofas? Apparently not. Rather, we are treated to this episode, without benefit of combat context, so that we can have our knee-jerk “moral confusion” and guilt buttons pushed.

    The MSNBC footage of both bits is at the Media matters link, thou the Arafat bit is truncated.

    I listened to it live and it was absolutely hilarious, yet in a way that left you seriously concerned for Andrea Mitchell’s safety and the future of that part of the planet. They really captured the insanity of the moment, and the MSNBC video provides a reminder.

  20. Big Bang hunter says:

    “….membership card…”

    – You mean to say that Marxocrats actually carry membership cards? Seems they’d be afraid of being the only illegal aliens in danger of deportation.

  21. cranky-d says:

    To people who aren’t political junkies, Kerry is a major face of the Democrat party.  So, even though he isn’t running, he has an effect on the outcomes for the Dems.  The fact that members of his own party are distancing themselves from him bears this out even if some people can’t see it.

    BTW, I would also note that Bush isn’t running for anything either, yet he is brought up all over the place, because he is the major face of the Republicans.

    The seats in Congress and the Senate are part of a branch of government separate from the presidency.  So, theoretically, Bush has nothing to do with the election of those people.

    Anyone who claims that Kerry has nothing to do with this election should be consistent (and consistently wrong) and state that Bush doesn’t either.

  22. Big Bang hunter says:

    – cranky-d… We’ve been saying for years that someone should stop by DNC headquarters some day, and paint “BUSH ISN’T RUNNING” in 10 foot red letters on their front door. Problem is, other than Bush-bashing they’ve got nothing.

  23. lee says:

    there’s an election in 2 days.

    And Kerry ain’t running.

    This is true.

    So why is Kerry making speaches?

    Could it be that he is lending his name and vaunted position within the dem party to give aid and credibility to the people that are running?

    If that is true, doesn’t it make sense to attack Kerrys credibility in order to counteract what he is trying to do?

    Besides, there are plenty of places you can go if you want to talk about the people that are running, what are you doing Umm, going around making sure no one is talking about anything but the candidates? Are you as critical of those on your side that insist on talking about Bush?

    Here’s an idea: QUIT WHINING!

  24. John F. Kerry says:

    I am really disappointed that so many people are so envious of me, given that I am obviously the best person to be president and my motives are so pure.  It is especially disappointing about my fellow Democrats stabbing me in the back.  First those Swiftboat bastards who don’t appreciate my service and everything I did for the troops in Vietnam. 

    Now Democrats women like Hillary and Edwards are trying to tear me down.

  25. Umm says:

    So, theoretically, Bush has nothing to do with the election of those people.

    With the accent on theoretically. It’s a right wing tactic (and an understandable one: JFK’s got loser dust all over him) to make Kerry as big an issue as POTUS this election season. Doesn’t mean he is in reality (whatever that is these days).

  26. B Moe says:

    It’s about Kerry completely fucking up his chances for ‘08.

    But…

    … Kerry ain’t running.

    Then why does he need the $14mil?  Theresa cut him off?

  27. Mikey NTH says:

    B Moe –

    Then why does he need the $14mil?  Theresa cut him off?

    To be a fly on the wall in the Kerry-Heinz household over the past couple of years would be awfully interesting, I think.  I don’t know if you’re right, but the Senator has a real flair for ensuring his own comfort and well-being.

  28. McGehee says:

    It’s a right wing tactic (and an understandable one: JFK’s got loser dust all over him) to make Kerry as big an issue as POTUS this election season.

    Yeah, it was that Vast Right Wing Conspiracy that made Kerry open his yap and weld shut his pocketbook.

  29. Umm says:

    Hi B Moe

    Rip a few more lines out, rearrange ‘em and you might get a ransom note or a paper hat or something.

    Don’t know if it’s the best way to win an argument, though.

  30. Ric Locke says:

    Umm,

    Clue for you: this is about the election. You may have heard of the concept of “indirection”?

    Friday night my wife and I went to eat Chinese, at a place where the conversation regularly becomes general. The main participants at that time were a fortyish single mother, her three (moderately to highly foxy) daughters, a fiftyish Viet Nam veteran, his thirtysomething Iraq I vet son, the tech manager of a local high-tech company (who happens to be black), and a couple of others. The subject was John Kerry and Democrats in general, and the thirtysomething summarized it: “Those assholes!” Nods all round… note the plural.

    If John Kerry’s attitudes, ideas, concepts, and proposals weren’t relevant to the present election he wouldn’t have been out stumping in the first place. In a way, I’m sorry he’s out of the running. He obviously represents a substantial portion of the Democratic Party, the implication being that those Democrats hold the same opinions as he does, and I love to see those notions aired in public. Note that even the college-student audience he bloviated for didn’t react as (he) expected, i.e. with the kind of cheering approval Arabs give dead Jews. This ought to be a small clue that things may not be going as fully your way as you might expect.

    And don’t count him out. He’s nothing if not egotistical, and he has his own (well, Theraysa’s) money as well as the leftover campaign funds. It’s said that there’s no stopping a man who knows he’s in the right and keeps on coming. Sadly, that’s also true of the utterly delusional. Kerry will be back, bringing joy to the hearts of Republicans everywhere. If you don’t want that, it’s you Democrats’ job to stake him at the crossroads; we aren’t willing to put up with the mess, and have grown to love seeing Kerry coming. If he didn’t exist, Karl Rove would do his best to invent him.

    Regards,

    Ric

  31. Umm says:

    Hi Ric:

    “Highly foxy daughters” and you guys were talking about Kerry??

    Somewhere someone’s Blackberrying Rove: “Operation Lurch Linkage Successfully Completed”.

  32. MayBee says:

    Teresa shouldn’t be flogging John for this flub, she’s the one that got him going on Daily Kos.  We all know the Dkos strategy is if you say something and most people disagree, say it louder and meaner.

    Teresa and Kos are soulmates.

  33. cranky-d says:

    It’s a right wing tactic (and an understandable one: JFK’s got loser dust all over him) to make Kerry as big an issue as POTUS this election season. Doesn’t mean he is in reality (whatever that is these days).

    You totally ignored my point.  Kerry is the face of the Democrat party, whether you like it or not.  The average person who isn’t a political junky knows who he is.  They don’t recognize the other major offenders like Dean and Pelosi. 

    You can’t wash your hands of him now.  You put him up for election, you live with the damage.

  34. Umm says:

    Hello cranky-d

    You totally ignored my point.  Kerry is the face of the Democrat party, whether you like it or not.  The average person who isn’t a political junky knows who he is. 

    Didn’t mean to ignore your main point or respond in bad faith.

    If what you say is true, the Dems are dead on Tuesday. I mean stone dead. I mean Charles Manson would be less of a heat bag going in.

    If on the other hand, they do well: are you saying all those people are in effect pulling the lever for Kerry?

  35. Big Bang hunter says:

    – Just Bwhahahahaha…. a week ago every dinbat Dem candidate from Maine to Mexico was clamouring for Kerry to appear on his or her behalf, him being one of the top heavy hitters, and the counter voice too the Clintonista’s. A week later, after he puts both feet and a shovel in his mouth, letting slip a direct comment alluding to the insuferable elitiest prigishness of the NeoLiberal no-it-all’s, he’s suddenly “not central to the elections”, and “not running for anything”.

    – Probably the “not running for anything” is on the mark, because if we can judge from the nature of what all of his former hard Left friends are now saying, he’s ear marked as “used good’s”, to br shunned and jetisoned as quickly as possible. and hey give is back that money you dork.

    – Gawd how I love intercinal cat fights among the perpetually paranoid schlumps.

    – The only thing the Left could do that would be more stuck on stupid, would be to elect Joe in the ‘08 promaries.

  36. Big Bang hunter says:

    – and Umm….would you like a little fickle and cheese with that whine?

  37. Umm says:

    Hey BBh

    The bit after “Just Bwhahahahaha….” was pretty good. Too bad the “fickle and cheese” thing ruined the effect.

    It’s the worst Bob Sagat impersonation I’ve ever seen.

  38. cranky-d says:

    I think the fallback position for many voters is, if you don’t know where the candidates stand, vote for the party and assume they’re in line with the party.

    As far as the Dems being dead because of what Kerry said, I have my doubts.  The leading Dems may have distanced themselves from Kerry, but I have the feeling they agree to a certain degree with what he said “by mistake.” I know a lot of Dems-in-the-street think people in the military are uneducated and minorities are highly overrepresented, even though neither assertion is true.  I’ve met people who think that way.

    When people are unsure, they often vote for party.  So yes, I think a subset of the votes for Dems on Tuesday will actually be votes for Kerry, or at least for what he stands for.  It will be the same for Bush.

  39. Big Bang hunter says:

    – Kerrys “stuck-on-stupid-in-Iraq” malaprop will probably serve notice to all the Dem candidates to really tread softly when speaking, lest they be thrown under the bus by the oh so faithful gaggle of blue necked geese, for some impromptu exposure of what they really think about all the lowly voters out there in Fly-over land, including the military.

    – and Umm – I guess, coupled with Kerry’s recent standup debute, bad jokes would pretty well sum up your party’s entire ensamble. So in that way it’s a perfect fit.

  40. Big Bang hunter says:

    ensemble that is….

  41. Umm says:

    To BBh:

    Yeah whatever.

    To cranky-d:

    Guess we just disagree–I think voters can and will vote Dem without conjuring up an image of Kerry (that they’ll share some of his views isn’t surprising).

    And to the extent there is a Bush or Kerry effect, IMO the weight of a sitting president makes his influence on the election trump by a longshot.

    Regards,

    U

  42. Somewhere someone’s Blackberrying Rove: “Operation Lurch Linkage Successfully Completed”.

    Hmm. I’m going to have to reset all of my passwords.

    Must be using IE, or Safari. I NEVER get the cool &rdquo and &ldquo.

    Then again…

    TW: Not yet?

  43. Ric Locke says:

    No, RiverC, you’re letting them off the hook. Note that it was Umm who came up with it. He (?) is making excuses for his party’s failings.

    Rove had nothing to do with it. John Kerry is totally a creation of the Democratic Party (“It’s alive!” –“Are you sure, Doctor?”), and if they want to be rid of him it’s their job to take out their own trash.

    In the meantime he’s melted down to the point where he’s a Republican’s dream Democrat.

    Varifrank points out that in 2000 Americans taught Democrats that gun control was a good issue to lose elections on. He hopes that this one might clue them that knee-jerk pacifism is equally poisonous electorally. I don’t think that will happen until 2008, but we have to thank Kerry for dragging out dissing the troops for all to examine. That one may have to wait for 2012, and in the meantime Kerry will still be around. Such a giver.

    Regards,

    Ric

  44. Pablo says:

    Does Kerry matter in these elections? He is the guy that the Democrats put forth to run this nation and to be Commander in Chief during wartime.

    Kerry, in the Democrats’ judgment, is the best they have to offer America as of 2 short years ago.

    Hell yes, Kerry matters, both because of what he is and because of what the Democratic party held him up to be: America’s best hope.

    That’s just sad.

  45. ahem says:

    Umm: I think you ought to change it to Duhh in the interests of accuracy, but no matter.

    You’re just angry because the NYT admitted 1) Sadaam did, indeed, have WMD and that 2) it was morally wrong to expose a top-secret anti-terrorist program–and all in the space of one week!

    Must suck to be you.

    Democrats–backing the wrong horse since 1976.

Comments are closed.