What Do Women Want? Caroline And Carolina

Caroline Kennedy endorses Obama in a piece titled "A President Like My Father":

Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible.

We have that kind of opportunity with Senator Obama. It isn’t that the other candidates are not experienced or knowledgeable. But this year, that may not be enough. We need a change in the leadership of this country — just as we did in 1960.

...I have spent the past five years working in the New York City public schools and have three teenage children of my own. There is a generation coming of age that is hopeful, hard-working, innovative and imaginative. But too many of them are also hopeless, defeated and disengaged. As parents, we have a responsibility to help our children to believe in themselves and in their power to shape their future. Senator Obama is inspiring my children, my parents’ grandchildren, with that sense of possibility.

...I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.

I think this endorsement gives cover to middle-aged white chicks who were thinking of pulling the plug on Hillary anyway [Good call, although "middle-aged" may have been kind].

Let's see - Jeralyn Merritt, Hillary supporter, says Ms. Kennedy's offering is "very short on substance."  I think she is holding out for "A President Like My Uncle Might Have Been".

MyDD commenters say "poo poo".  Geez, denial; the poster advises against it.

Caroline and Carolina are your Sunday talk show 1-2 punch - Obama buried Hilary in South Carolina and Caroline says he is Kennedy's heir.

FWIW:  Obama won the white (OK, non-black) under-30 vote by 52-28-20 over Clinton and Edwards.  Asians and Hispanics seem to be 1-2% of the electorate here, so non-black is pretty white.  Certainly in South Carolina Obama inspired all the youngsters.  (He won the black 18-29 vote by 79-19-2).

MORE KENNEDYS:  Ted will endorse Obama shortly, says the WaPo.  I'll drink to that.

Comments

[JM Hanes]

I know I'm swimming upstream here, but I think McCain is going to look and sound like an awkward dwarf onstage with Obama. Let's not forget that the two of them will be competing for critical independent and crossover voters, and given the softness of Republican support for McCain, he's going to need them a whole lot more than Obama is. After 8 years of Republicans and Bush, I think a lot of people only need a relatively modest reason to vote for the Democrats. It may not be the conventional wisdom - yet - but I think Obama would crush McCain in the generals.

[Other Tom]

The kinds of things she invokes in favor of Obama sound identical to those invoked for JFK, so she's certainly got that part right. But I agree with Merritt that those things are just as airy and insubstantial now as they were in the case of Kennedy. While, as an extraordinarily charming martyr, he still gets astronomical marks as a president in public opionion polls, no one can point to anything he ever did--unless you count the Peace Corps, which is kind of emblematic of the whole thing: sounded lofty, accomplished nothing.

But while I really do strongly discount the value of endorsements, I think this one could matter a lot.

Be afraid, Billary.

[Dennis D]

Caroline said that in 1960 Americans wanted change. I was under the impression that Ike was popular and America was doing well in the 50s..

[Pofarmer]

I wonder. Kennedy wanted us to go to the moon. Kennedy wanted to see a free Berlin. Kennedy risked nuclear war over the Russians putting missles in Cuba. Kennedy espoused "going anywhere, paying any price" so that men might be free.

I don't see anything even close to that in Obama's socialist/populist/progressivist/communist/message.

Yeah, he has great delivery. It's the message that's all screwed up. Words have meaning, after all.

[Jane]

I think this endorsement has impact, particularly on democrats who were alive during the Kennedy assassination, and on Bubba who seems to idolize the Kennedy kids.

[Leigh]

Caroline Kennedy should be ashamed of herself for suggestion Obama is the next Kennedy. Is she selling her books again?

Obama is an arrogant spoiled whiney wannabe.

He wouldn't give most voters a second glance if he didnt need them, his nose is so far up in the air.

I will change my party. ANYONE BUT OBAMA

HAROLD FORD JR is more Kennedy, obama is an admitted drug user, dealer or whatever goes with using /buying drugs and the people that surround this type of behavior. To say he is Kennedy just makes me sick.

[BOATBUILDER]

So does McCain at some point get to say to Obama: "I knew John Kennedy, and you're no John Kennedy. . . "

[Rick Ballard]

JMH,

Not entirely upstream. I concur with your assessment of McCain and would note that he first assembled a team that damn near bankrupted his campaign in the starting gate and has subsequently shown marginal political acumen as he has assumed "personal control". He's a light weight in a heavy weight bout.

I concur with Caroline's assessment - BHO is every bit as much an empty suit as JFK. With the proper PR flacks, perceptions can be altered and vapid, puerile and hollow words can be imbued with a meaning which they do not possess. I believe that BHO is just about as effective in spouting platitudes as was JFK. I would note that in 1960 it was much, much easier to control a servile and fawning press than it is in 2008. JFK won in 1960 by a very slender margin against a man who never had a likeable or even comfortable public presence. That was the same man who came back eight years later and won with a majority which eclipsed JFK's pathetic effort. The same fellow then won again in 1972 with a victory margin unseen since President For Life FDR's efforts in the 1930's.

Some allowance must be made for the possibility that Democrat party insiders are reviewing "real" polling information which discloses that the Red Witch campaign is hopeless due to her negatives. If a nice spurt of Obamamania puts her in history's trashbin then I am all for making the most positive comparison possible between BHO and JFK.

Let's see - they are both Harvard men and BHO actually had much better grades, indicating that he possesses intelligence that is superior to JFK's as well as a level of charm that is very comparable.

Good start?

[MarkJ]

Oh yeah, just what we need:

"Barack Fitzgerald Obamedy."

Obama has already perfected his "homeboy" accent, so I'm sure he's now working on his "Martha's Vineyard Received Standard" delivery as well.

Imagine this on January 20, 2009:

"Let the word for faaahhhrth, that the taaaaahrch haaaahs beeen paaaaased to a neeeww generation of Americaaaaahns. Ahhhhhhsk not whaaaaat you cahhhhhn do faaaaahr your country, but how much in taaaahxes you cahhhhhn pay to Uncle Saaaahmie faaaaahr free healthcahhhhre."

The really tricky part for Obama, I'm sure, will be remembering to add an "-er" at the end of every word ending in "-a".

Keep this in mind too: if Obama is spotted putting his hands in his suit pockets, puffing on Cuban cigars, installing a rocking chair in the Oval Office, and taking up wind-sailing, we'll definitely know we're in for a very, very, very long four years.

[Jane]

I will change my party. ANYONE BUT OBAMA

Leigh,

Go for it!

[Sue]

HAROLD FORD JR is more Kennedy, obama is an admitted drug user, dealer or whatever goes with using /buying drugs and the people that surround this type of behavior. To say he is Kennedy just makes me sick.

Seems to me Obama would fit right in with the Kennedys. On second thought, Obama isn't like the Kennedys. He stopped his abuse at an early age.

[boris]

JMH has called it.

If it's McCain vs Obama we're headed for Obama Nation.

[Sue]

I can't wait to see how many times McCain says "my friends" and "straight talk" in a debate with Obama. There isn't enough booze in the world for me to keep up with him.

[RichatUF]

JMH-

It may not be the conventional wisdom - yet - but I think Obama would crush McCain in the generals.

It will be just after Super-Tuesday. Watching the Chris Matthews show doing the post-mortum on SC-oooh, the picture of slum-lord Rezko and Hill.

[RichatUF]

Rick-

Not much of a Kennedy fan. Wow, that was a great comment.

The nomination fight isn't over yet-and the Clinton machine hasn't come this far to be done in by their own play toy in the DNC. Nothing really positive to take out of SC though.

[Ralph L]

but I think Obama would crush McCain in the generals
How painful, but in a Navy family, the euphemism is "admirals".

[Ann]

It gets better...LIZ CHENEY will endorse .....MITT!

[Ann]

Rich, what did you think of the song contest Chris had with the video of Bush dancing with the Saudi King? I had to turn it back to Fox. Chris is a brat. And now on MTP, for your Sunday Morning recap, McCain is not looking very good, My friends.

[Clarice]

The Kennedys have something against the Clintons I think. Ted and his running dog Kerry have been Obama supporters from early on. I expect Uncle Ted had a chat with Caroline and talked her into this.

I think there's a backstory here.

[PaulL]

Speaking of the Clinton campaign's semi-accusation that Obama was a drug dealer: I have never heard Obama deny it anywhere, and I find that revealing.

My guess is that, like many drug users, he probably sold small quantities of drugs to friends or acquaintances in order to help pay for his own drugs. That's actually pretty much standard m.o. in the drug world.

No, he wouldn't have been a big time dealer flying in plane loads of narcotics, but it's not far-fetched to think that he sold some to friends.

If he never once sold any drugs to anyone, even if it was just to lower the net cost of his own drugs, where is his denial?

[MikeS]

Obama and Edwards both want the 'heal deep divisions' in our country. Edwards claims the divisions are a result of economic disparity. Obama thinks the divisions are caused by partisanship and "the old way of doing things in Washington."

Edwards theory runs out of gas early because 84% of Americans are happy with their lives. Obama, on the other hand, has nailed it.

Emblematic of the deep partisan divide in the country were the Clinton Impeachment, the Fla. Supreme Court's involvement in the 2000 elections, and one other major development.

Partisans have always believed different facts. This is true of almost any disagreement between people. The major development that concerns me is that, sometime in the very recent past, partisans came to disagree fundamentally about the meaning of certain words.

Liberals believe that a strong economy, during a Republican administration, should be called a recession and a disaster. They believe that when a Republican President repeats what he is told by every intelligence agency around the world, that should be called a lie. Liberals also believe that counting votes from only from districts that lean strongly Democratic should be called "counting every vote."

[Ralph L]

I think there's a backstory here

Two obvious choices: the Kennedys don't want their dynasty eclipsed in Democratic folklore, or Bill hit on her.
Or likely, both.

[edward cropper]

JFK just happened to come along at the right time. He was basically an empty suit if one really looks for substance. No legislative record to amount to anything, and no accomplishments in the business world. He had a war record that is still ambiguous if you take away the biased hype.
He did have a great wit, was as charming as it gets, ran like a Republican with high ideals and optimism, ran against old sour puss Nixon, and had the press in his pocket from day one. He was almost impossible to dislike in spite of his lack of real leadership qualities.
Obama does not even come close to these attributes.

[MikeS]

The reason Caroline's endorsement is short on substance is that Obama's campaign is itself short on substance. He has defined lofty goals, but not how he intends to achieve them. If Caroline were to be more specific, what could she say, "I agree that we should pull troops out of Iraq and use them to attack Pakistan?"

[Ralph L]

And he doesn't have Joe's money greasing the way.

[ROA]

Would John Kennedy have opposed John Roberts nomination to the Supreme Court when he was a Senator?

[Porchlight]

it's not far-fetched to think that he sold some to friends.

PaulL, I agree it's plausible, but I think he probably thinks it's safer not to acknowledge the whisper with a denial. If the accusation is true, he's being smart by not drawing attention to it. If it's not true, he's taking the high road. The Clintons will use it again if they feel the need, so he might as well wait and see.

[RichatUF]

Ann-

what did you think of the song contest Chris had with the video of Bush dancing with the Saudi King?

Chrissy ought to stick to what he does best-liberal propaganda. Yea, the scence looked bad, and I think it was Prince Salman, not the king, but I after a while all Saudi royals look alike. It was a tough trip and I'm sure Hamas blowing up the Sinai Wall and the situation in Pakistan are making the Saudi's nervous [hummm, could this be the "Tet Offensive" that everyone has been predicting]

[bio mom]

I do not think McCain can defeat Obama. He is not a very good campaigner and listening to his speeches and to his town hall meetings is painful. Whomever the Rs choose needs to be a good orator. Both Romney and Huckabee speak well. Guiliani is not bad either. I like to think that the old adage holds true. Senators do not become President. Then, if Rs nominate Romney, Guiliani, or Huckabee, they win. D's have no one but Senators and an ex-Senator running. Interesting that the "establishment" is coming out to endorse McCain over Romney, especially the Senatorial country club members. That supports Romney's theme of "change" and anti-Washington.

[glasater]

Mitt is the only one who has a shot at the presidencey against the D's nominee.
Imagine the age comparison between McCain and Bambi. I cannot.
Really hate BC's saying that a McCain vs. RW would be congenial. Sure sounds like blackmail to me.

[JM Hanes]

PaulL:

"I did not sell drugs to that woman -- or any other woman, or man or child!" You've got to be kidding. The only thing that Obama's refusal to float such a denial reveals is that he's not about to commit political suicide any time soon.

[JM Hanes]

Clarice:

"I think there's a backstory here."

I was at Doubleday when Rose Kennedy's autobiography came out, and Teddy's unapologetic efforts to market his mother -- not just his mother's book -- to strategic advantage astonished even the experienced pros. As I recall, even Jackie was pretty frank, at least in later years, about her own participation in the concerted effort behind creating and cultivating the Camelot meme. I'm sorry to say that while there's obviously more to build on, the beatification of Reagan strikes a similar chord chez moi.

I don't doubt that Caroline means every word she says. I also don't doubt that she relies on Uncle Ted's guidance, when it comes to whether, when and how to stir the political pot. On the subject of JFK, there's precisely one person who has absolute moral authority. The fact that Caroline has chosen to claim it only sparingly, however, speaks more to her character than his, I suspect.

[MikeS]

beatification of Reagan strikes a similar chord

I don't think Beatification is a fair characterization. Reagan has been vilified and demonized for years and years. About 4 years ago one of my sons in college was telling me that his professor was explaining to him, why Reagan had been so widely hated when he was President. I actually had to get on the internet and find election results to 'deprogram' my own son.

Now sixteen years after he left office, some Dems still claim Reagan destroyed the economy.

[MikeS]

*** nineteen years***

[Clarice]

I erred when I said Ted had already endorsed Obama . News accounts are that he will endorse him tomorrow.
It would be interesting to learn what's behind the obvious disdain the Kennedys have for the Clintons.
Anyway, by tomorrow, Obama will have the fat, drunk, murderer demographic wrapped up.

[Rick Ballard]

"Obama will have the fat, drunk, murderer demographic wrapped up."

Bubba's coming out for BHO? That's surprising.

[JM Hanes]

Clarice:

One of the least appreciated comebacks in modern political history has got to be Ted Kennedy's emergence as the face of the Democratic party. Before he parlayed BDS & John Kerry's nomination into elder statesman status for himself, nobody would have been caught dead quoting Teddy on almost anything. Even the fact that he consistently championed (or demagogued depending on your druthers) the working class was rarely noted except as the response to questions about how Massachusetts could possibly keep reelecting him.

[Jane]

JMH

He keeps getting elected because we have no republicans to take him on. He spent gajillions and played very dirty to beat Mitt, and the only other challanger is some drunk guy who keeps getting caught.

[JM Hanes]

MikeS:

I think it works both ways. Frankly, I'd like to see everybody de-programed on the subject of Reagan, starting with the Republican candidates. Every time McCain calls himself "a foot soldier in the Reagan revolution," I think he loses votes. We can probably count on hearing that phrase a lot if he makes it to the general election ... in Democratic ads.

[Clarice]

Imagine being a member of a party whose "face" is either Ted or Bill. URGH

[Rick Ballard]

Think of it as a lush landscape...

[Sue]

and the only other challanger is some drunk guy who keeps getting caught.

So when the choice is between two drunks, they choose the known instead of the unknown?

[glasater]

An interesting "take" on Ronald Reagan by Victor David Hanson.

[Jane]

LOL Sue, well if memory serves, the challanger is black, so that may break the tie.

[JM Hanes]

Jane:

That's why the south stayed in Democratic hands so long, and it's a big part of why I always end up splitting my ticket between the parties even now. Here in NC the emblematic demarcartion lines in the Republican party are most obvious at the state & local level where the candidates are determined by which faction has the most committed activists at any given place & time. Now that gerrymandering has made Congressional races largely non-competitive, viable opposition candidates are tough to come by. At least, that's what the conventional wisdom suggests. And yet, everyone also complains about how much time Congressmen have to spend on fundraising which doesn't really make sense if incumbency is such a decisive advantage.

[MayBee]

Two obvious choices: the Kennedys don't want their dynasty eclipsed in Democratic folklore, or Bill hit on her.

IIRC, shortly after JFK Jr's death, Bill made up some self-serving story of 'remembrance' of how he (Clinton) had been the first person to give JFK Jr a tour of the White House since he had lived there. Something like that.
I only remember it involved a memory of JFK Jr, Clinton, Clinton being wonderful, and a lie.
I'm sure it was repugnant to Caroline.

[Rick Ballard]

Thanks, Glasater. VDH (lifelong Dem) provides a very accurate picture of Reagan - a President who actually understood Burke and acted upon his understanding.

[Bbill]

John Kennedy--a tax cutter and strong on national defense.

Sorry Caroline, Obama is not at all like your daddy.

Kennedy was a Reagan Democrat, not a whacked out tax-and-spend leftie like Osama (or the Hildabeast).

[Topsecretk9]

-- Here is Maybee's memory

At a press conference July 21, 1999, Bill Clinton stated: "John Kennedy had actually not been back to the White House since his father was killed, until I had became president - and first he was on an advisory committee that made a report to me, and he came back to the Oval Office where he saw the desk that he took the famous picture in - you know, coming through the gate, for the first time since he was a little boy."

In an interview with Chris Matthews February 5, 1996 when asked about the time President Nixon hosted a dinner party in 1971, John F. Kennedy, Jr. described it in these words:

"He had invited my mother to the White House privately, and she accepted and brought all of us, Caroline and me, back. He was very warm and he was a wonderful host and we saw the rooms where we had lived. My sister (I was sort of a hyperactive child) and my sister had a bet with me that either I would spill my milk or my shirttail would be untucked because that used to happen with great frequency. So I had gotten through most of the dinner and shirttail was in and milk was upright and I think we were at dessert. Something caught my attention and the milk went over - right over his lap and he just was very - you know - just didn't blink and just kind of wiped it up - and I lost the bet ... it was a memorable evening."

BTW, Is this surreal or what?

Taylor Marsh arguing JFK's legend isn't really all that wonderful in defending the Clintons?

Black is white, etc.

[glasater]

Thank YOU Rick--Here is another article on Fred Thompson that has this glorious phrase "a prodigy of garrulous egotism" from an 1840 campaign.
Article is a pleasant reprise of Senator Thompson's efforts.