John Kerry's Watergate

Insight on the News ^ | Sept 16, 2003 | John Pike

[Hon]

Heard of Watergate? Get ready for Lowellgate.

On Sept. 18, 1972, the evening before the primary election during his second attempt for Congress, Kerry's brother Cameron and one Thomas Vallely, both part of his current campaign team, were arrested by Lowell police at 1:40 a.m. and charged with breaking and entering with the intent to commit larceny. The two were apprehended in the basement of a building whose door had been forced open, police said. It housed the headquarters of candidate DiFruscia. The Watergate scandal was making headlines at this time, and it was called the Lowell Watergate.

"They wanted to sever my telephone lines," DiFruscia said recently. Had those lines been cut, Kerry's opponent would not have been able to telephone supporters on Election Day to get out the vote and coordinate poll watchers, vital roles in a close election. "I do not know if they wanted to break into my office," says DiFruscia today. At the time he said, "All my IBM cards and the list of my voter identification in the greater Lowell area are in my headquarters."

Cameron and Vallely, along with David Thorne, who was Kerry's campaign manager at the time and has been close to him since they attended Yale together, did not deny the two entered the building in which they were captured. They said at the time they were in the cellar of the building to check their own telephone lines because they had received an anonymous call warning they would be cut.

This reporter heard an allegation that another congressional candidate placed the alleged anonymous call, which was denied. But if the Kerry campaign was concerned about someone breaking and entering to cut off its telephone service, why didn't they just call the police? Why break the law? And what does any of this say about Kerry's mind-set? Kerry campaign officials did not answer important Lowellgate questions.

The case was transferred to superior court and continued without a finding, where it was dismissed about a year later. But since it happened at the last minute, and Kerry won the primary but went on to lose the general election, this ugly business did not receive intense media scrutiny. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were busy investigating another break-in.

[Mo1]

LOL .. so do I

And Dang I have to go to my laws now, could ya ping me to anything good you see?

[mystery-ak]

I love politics too, but this year is going to be a doozy, if I survive..LOL

[Dog]

Will do...

[expatpat]

What is the tagline under the cartoon?

[Cautor]

Cutting it a little close with this one

I agree. But just a few short days ago, Kerry didn't look like he needed whacking because his campaign was tanking in NH and elsewhere. Ketchup boy came on fast and furious.

[Hon]

It's above it:

Note: The caption in the cartoon reads: "You say the Fifth in Massachusetts? I'll be right up."

This is a reference to how Kerry shopped around for a Congressional District to run in. That's a scandal in itself.

[Hon]

"But some of Kerry's claims in the Lowell break-in are wildly at odds with the facts."

And this is from the Boston Globe!

[annyokie]

Heaven help us if they latch on to Edwards. EH's really their best chance of beating Bush. Hubby and I have been saying this for at least a week.

[Bogey78O]

Yea, he'll swing enough votes in the South to maybe capture one or two states and he's guaranteed the liberal states who are voting ABB- anyone but Bush.

Kerry has that same inocuous appela but not enough to capture swing states.

[Miss Marple]

Earlier today Walter Shapiro was being interviewed on Fox and he said that there could still be "surprises" which might affect the race. I said then (on the Sunday Talk Show thread) that I thought that Shapiro had caught wind of something Lehane was floating.

Ta-da!!!

[M Kehoe]

The sad part about this article is that everyone (including Republicans) expect the democRATs (i.e. the Longs', Kennedys', Daleys', etc.) to commit voter fraud (i.e dead people voting, felons, etc.), electioneering, B&E, wiretapping, walk-around money, larceny, strong arm tactics, foreign contributions, etc., etc.

Nothing new here, time to moveon.org (AA).

(AA=anti-American A$$holes) Kinda like the ACLU.

5.56mm

[MJY1288]

I saw that and I wondered why Shapiro would use the word "surprise" in the way he did

[Hon]

"Kerry has just been smacked by Chris Lehane."

I have no idea what you or Miss Marple are trying to suggest with these remarks.

I found this material myself via Google. Anybody could do it. (In fact, more people should be doing it.)

[Hon]

"Earlier today Walter Shapiro was being interviewed on Fox and he said that there could still be "surprises" which might affect the race. I said then (on the Sunday Talk Show thread) that I thought that Shapiro had caught wind of something Lehane was floating.

Ta-da!!!"

Again, this post is not the handy work of any backroom politicking and it is laughable that you and others are suggesting this. Do you think it makes you sound worldly?

If more people would just use their browsers and maybe spend a little less time chatting, you'd be amazed what you can find. (This is not directed at you, personally.)

It is also counter-productive to try to suggest that this is just opposition research. That cheapens my and other people's efforts.

[Timesink]

I don't think this is Lehane. Look at the dates on those articles; they're from last year, when Lehane still worked for Kerry.

It's too late now for any Lehane puke politics to have much of an effect on Tuesday's voting. My guess is that Clark has, with good reason, written off NH to focus more on other states, and Lehane is thus holding back in case he needs to drop this bomb later on.

[Peach]

Good catch on the date. The ONLY bomb anyone would need to drop on Clark would be today's transcript of the Stepanapolous show.

He pulled a Clinton with the word "the". I checked the ABC website and in order to get a transcript I'd have to fork over $19.95 and knowing ABC, they've probably expunded the portion I'll repeat here.

George asked Clark why he supported "the Iraq resolution for war last year but is opposed to it now."

Clark responded "that depends on the meaning of the word 'the'."!!! No joke. We didn't hear the follow up to that sentence because we were literally roaring with laughter and a mixture of disgust and anger.

What's with a candidate that he would parse the word "the"; way to Clintonian for my tastes.

[Grut]

But if the Kerry campaign was concerned about someone breaking and entering to cut off its telephone service, why didn't they just call the police?

Best reason in the world: the police were not fond of the protest movement and no competent political operative would have given them any entry whatever into the Kerry campaign.

If this 'issue' isn't DOA, it'll only serve to make those who promote it look like partisan idiots.

[mabelkitty]

So who bankrolled Kerry in his first run for Congress.
Who wanted him to win and run so badly, and what did they get in return?
Big Dig connection?

[Neenah]

Turn on C-SPAN....NOW !