Is This 'Hasta La Vista' For Kerry?

Some Blacks and Hispanics Criticize Kerry on Outreach.

Our Bold Prediction: Bill Richardson de New Mexico será selección Vice-Presidencial de Kerry.

UPDATE: Similarly themed stories in the LA Times and the WaPo.

And Howard Kurtz tells us (if you read down far enough) that, according to Brit Hume of Fox, Bill Richardson ce n'est pas le hombre:

"I'll tell you what the buzz is on that, you dopes. ... The buzz is that as great a guy as he is, and I yield to no one in admiration for him, is that the vetting process has discouraged them. That Richardson has a thing here or there that might be politically incorrect or whatever. And it's thought that he might not make it."

MORE: An astute commenter points out that, as former Ambassador to the UN, Bill Richardson is associated both with creating the oil-for food program and the (collapsed) UN effort to monitor Saddam's WMDs back in the 90's. Is this what Kerry wants to talk about?

EVEN MORE: We want to relate this to John Kerry's principled positions.

Comments

[WillieStyle]

As an African American, every time I see some conservative bust out the too clever by half notion that Democrats are the ones with a minority problem, I grit my teeth, close my eyes and imagine Trent Lott felating Jesse Helms.

It does make me wander though, are conservatives so ignorant of minorities that they think this schtick works?

I will now premptively rebut this post for you with the witt only a conservative could muster:
Robery Byrd, Robery Byrd, Robery Byrd!

[TM]

I'm not sure either the NY Times or the two of the first people they quote (Alvaro Cifuentes, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee's Hispanic Caucus; Raul Yzaguirre, the president of the National Council of La Raza) would count as conservative.

And this is comedy classic in the "save me from my friends and supporters" genre:

Even some black officials who called a reporter to offer their perspective at the campaign's behest said Mr. Kerry had work to do.

"He is generally surrounded by white folks, and sure that concerns me, sure," said Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina.

[WillieStyle]

I'm not sure either the NY Times or the two of the first people they quote (Alvaro Cifuentes, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee's Hispanic Caucus; Raul Yzaguirre, the president of the National Council of La Raza) would count as conservative.

But Tom McGuire does.
Log eye and all that.

P.S.
I swear to god if you say "but what about Collin and Condi" I will go burn a Ronald Reagan poster.

[Paul Zrimsek]

Just when you're thinking that Willie is a bot that can only repeat DNC talking points, he comes up with something intriguingly demented like this.

Since the secret's out anyway, Tom, you might as well tell us how you pulled off that ventriloquism trick with Cifuentes, Yzaguirre, Clyburn, and the NYT.

[WillieStyle]

Damn!
And I tried to use small words and everything.

[fishkite]

Willie would be singing a different tune if the news was about Dubya's base complaining... evangelicals, NRA members, white males. There are examples of this happening on both sides, but Willie seems to be in denial, whereas conservatives have been up front about their displeasure - steel tarrifs, prescription drugs, the farm bailout, campaign finance, spending increases, etc. There's nothing wrong with TM linking this story, and Willie has no point unless conservatives start predicting a minority exodus from the Kerry/Dem ticket and into the blue column. That claim hasn't been made here.

[TM]

IIRC, Al Gore got a record percentage of a record Afro-American turnout and still managed to eke out a non-victory.

Republicans don't need to become the party of choice for blacks and Hispanics in order to create problems for the Dems; disaffected ethnics who decline to vote will be enough to scuttle the Good Ship Kerry.

P.S. Re: "I will go burn a Ronald Reagan poster." - you've got one?

[WillieStyle]

IIRC, Al Gore got a record percentage of a record Afro-American turnout and still managed to eke out a non-victory.

What an odd turn of phrase.
Hmmmmm...

[WillieStyle]

P.S. Re: "I will go burn a Ronald Reagan poster." - you've got one?

I will go to incredible lengths to hand you your comeuppance if need be.

[Shotgun]

I have an RR poster: 'Bedtime for Brezhnev'.

You can't make sense of this story until you recognize that blacks and browns are just as insrcutable to white liberals as they are to white conservatives.

They are a cypher use as metaphor.

Prestige media reporters work in the equivalent of a high-school clique. One of the norms of that clique is 'We don't kill good guys; no-one can go bad on John Kerry - unless he breaks certain rules ... " Howard Dean found that out the hard way ...

The story linked above really says that 'NOBODY likes John Kerry, and he's not going to be liked'. But that can't be said directly. So we have the black and brown surogates ...

[Crank]

Whatever could possibly come up in the vetting process about Bill Richardson? I wonder.

[TM]

Pretty good, Crank.

Just to grab two seemingly at random, here we have the former Ambassador to the UN telling us in Nov 1997 that:

UNSCOM weapons experts and Council members agreed, the ambassador said, "first, that Iraq has concealed the truth. Second: Iraqi weapons
of mass destruction continue to pose a grave threat and third: UNSCOM and IAEA continue to need to be able to conduct intrusive inspections
and maintain their long-term monitoring."

Now, that need not be inconsistent with Kerry's subtle position that we paraphrase as "I voted for war, but not this war". But it does add to the confusion. As does this, from Feb 98:

U.S. Ambassador Bill Richardson, who over the past week has travelled to nine of the capitals of the 14 other Council member states, said that the response to U.S. policy in Iraq has been encouraging, but added that Washington believes it can strike Baghdad alone if necessary.

''It is the United States' view that existing Security Council resolutions give the right to the United States to pursue the military option,'' Richardson said this week. ''There's already enough of a legal basis for the United States ... We want to resolve this issue peacefully, but (Iraqi President) Saddam Hussein is leaving no choice to the international community.''

As to the second issue, here is the Ambassador

[Crank]

I'm sure there's more in there to play with. The timeline of Richardson's UN service means more statements of his that can tangle Kerry & Richardson in contradictions with the "there were no WMD and the war was a big lie cooked up in Texas" narrative, and also means that he can be held responsible for being present at the creation of the Oil-for-Palaces program and thus in some sense complicit in acquiescing to its structure.

[fishkite]

Richardson's comment - "Iraqi weapons of mass destruction continue to pose a grave threat" - is consistent with Kerry's Oct 9, 2002 statement, "I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force — if necessary — to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security."

[TM]

As to Oil for Palaces, the US did play the role of good gut - we and the Brits (IIRC) were the only countries that exerted our right to see the reports separately, and we did squeak a bit. However, as you say, Bill Richardson was there at the inception and early execution.

I can't imagine Kerry wants to spend the summer months explaining that, or re-explaining why he voted for UN style diplomacy knowing (a) Bush's track record with Kyoto, the ABM treaty, and the Int. Criminal Court; and (b) the UN's ghastly record of non-enforcement through the 90's, a subject Reps will be happy to quiz Bill Richardson about.

[Juanita T]

Subject: Master of Deception.

Could you please tell me why life would be better, safer, or more secure under the dictatorship of John Kerry. Please tell me why this is a "Good Thing"? Kerry as Commander in Chief, facts abound to say, “be warned.”

When Kerry loses touch with reality it makes for a very dangerous situation. The United States will experience nationwide social or economic collapse. There will be no compassion for the poor. Everywhere there will be signs of turmoil, strife and trouble. Fear will grow daily.

Let us not vote with false assurances and blind faith. Let us not vote with the hand of our worst enemy -- ourselves. Let us not become the victims of the Master of Deception.

The Vietnamese communists clearly recognize John Kerry's contributions to their victory. If Kerry is elected President, he will be the first United States President to ever have his picture hanging honorably in a Communist museum. For more information click on the links below:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=38738

[Sadie]

Petition To Kerry: Bring jobs back to the U.S.A.

Dear Kerry,

I am writing to you to ask you to bring back the plants that your wife has located in countries outside of the United States. I find it hypocritical that you do not like off shore companies and your claiming that the Bush administration is sending jobs abroad. Well, it seems that the Heinz Corporation, owned by your wife, has 79 plants where it manufacturers products, and 57 of the 79 are located in countries outside of the U.S. How many U.S. jobs are lost here?

Check it out for yourself, it is all public information.

Factories located at: Taipei, Taiwan (makes Heinz baby foods), Dublin, Ireland; Paris, France; Dovarmenez, France; Lisbon, Portugal; Madrid, Spain; Milan, Italy; Monguzzo, Italy; Athens, Greece; Warsaw, Poland; Pudliszki, Poland; Wodzislaw, Poland; Miedzychod, Poland; Moscow, Russia; Georgievisk, Russia; Cairo, Egypt; Tel Aviv, Isreal; Haifa, Israel; Elst, The Netherlands and 6 other plants there; Brussels, Belgium; Dusseldorf, Germany; Seesen, Germany; Turnhout, Belgium; Rovereto, Italy; Chateaurenand, France; North York, Ontario, Canada; Wheatley, Ontario, Canada; Caracas, Venezuela; San Jose, Costa Rica; Johannesburg, South Africa; Gaborone, Botswana; Harare, Zimbabwe; Cheguta, Zimbabwe; Wellington, South Africa; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Republic of Singapore; Auckland, New Zealand; Tokyo, Japan;

Guangzhov, People's Republic of China (makes infant cereal); Qingdao, People's Republic of China (makes infant foods, ketchup, mayonnaise &puree); Inchon, South Korea (makes Heinz products and StarKist); Bangkok, Thailand; Mumbai, India; Jakarta, Indonesia; Surabaya, Indonesia; Manila, Philippines; Wanchai, Hong Kong. Also recently purchased from Bordens these products: Classico Pasta Sauce; Aunt Millies Pasta Sauce; Mrs. Grass Receipt Soups; Wylers Bouillons &Soups.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

MAIL TO:

Washington D.C.
304 Russell Bldg.
Third Floor
Washington D.C. 20510
(202) 224-2742 - Phone
(202) 224-8525 - Fax

[fiesta Gold]

I think fiesta Gold changes my life.

[LOTRO Gold]

When you have LOTRO Gold, you can get more!