The Party’s Just Beginning. Nuts, the establishment, and the luck o' the Irish.

NRO; ^ | January 28, 2004, 11:27 a.m. | By Bernadette Malone

[.cnI redruM]

MANCHESTER, N.H. — While Howard Dean was busy trying to "Take Back America," John Kerry took back New Hampshire. Decisively. How did it happen?

Granite Staters don't like to follow Iowans, so it's not Kerry's strong caucus performance that gave him his 13-point victory here Tuesday night. Instead, it was the same granite sensibility that cost Bob Smith his Senate seat here in 2002: New Hampshire doesn't suffer nut-balls well. When Bob Smith started to appear flaky and embarrass himself with a half-cocked presidential run in 2000, voters in New Hampshire replaced the sitting senator with then Rep. John Sununu in a remarkable primary election. When the extent of Howard Dean's irascibility became clear, they said, "Thanks, but no thanks, nut-ball."

Kerry slowly was ticking upwards in New Hampshire polls even before the Iowa caucuses. But the size of his victory Tuesday night — or even his victory at all — was not guaranteed until the scream that was heard round the world. Then Granite Staters gave up on him, and went to the dance with the boring guy from down the road who had asked them first anyway. (Indeed, John Kerry even stopped by my office at the Union Leader in 1999, when he was campaigning for Al Gore — just to make nice with the state's conservative editorial page which criticizes his liberal voting record. Talk about a long courtship.)

But, sheesh, is he boring. Even Kerry's victory party in New Hampshire was establishment — held in the ballroom of the Holiday Inn/Center of New Hampshire — Manchester's Waldorf, where you run into all of the A-list media celebrities and politicians every four years. Manchester Mayor Bob Baines and former New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen flanked him on stage. Under a banner reading, "John Kerry: Fighting For Us," a man in a Brooks Brothers suit and rep tie stood on the bleachers, pumping one hand into the air, holding his cell phone to his ear with the other.

John Kerry: Fighting for Lobbyists?

What a difference from the Howard Dean campaign, where you could see the true belief on every volunteer's face. Here at Kerry's party, smirking rich preppie kids — straight out of the Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue, but clothed — milled around the doorway to the ballroom, visions of their own White House offices dancing in their heads. Burberry scarves, Boston Red Sox baseball caps, trendy eyeglasses probably from Oliver Peoples — I felt like I was at a Boston University tailgate party. Oh, and the smell of beer — every Boston Irish Democrat had driven 45 minutes north to the victory party, and had a drink in hand. (With a name like mine, I can say that.)

"Wait till they find out he's not Irish," a tall gentleman standing next to me said. "They'll all be out of here." He was referring to the fact Kerry pretended to be Irish for more than 20 years in Massachusetts politics, when in truth his family name was "Kohn" and they were Austrian Jews. What a nut-ball thing to do. How embarrassing for the candidate who will likely be the Democratic presidential nominee. Hmmmmm.......

"That revelation is six months old," I replied slowly, "Don't all these people know that already?"

The gentleman — who admits he's a John Edwards supporter — smiled and shook his head, "No. I've told three people here tonight, and they were shocked."

All of a sudden, I started smiling too.

[.cnI redruM]

"Like a true lawyer's child, He was born, born to be mild."

[KantianBurke]

"The gentleman — who admits he's a John Edwards supporter — smiled and shook his head, "No. I've told three people here tonight, and they were shocked."

Typical ignorant Rats. G-d forid they open a newspaper once in awhile. But why should they? After all they know everything already like how the GOP wants to starve litle babies and pollute the oceans while the Rats are going to make a heaven on earth! (sarcasm off)

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George W. Bush is a man who is blessed by those who oppose him.

[Salamander]

He was referring to the fact Kerry pretended to be Irish for more than 20 years

As an Irish I find this unforgivable.

Let him "pretend to be Irish" on St Patrick's Day like everyone else.

[.cnI redruM]

John O'Kerry drinks green beer every St. Patrick's day. That doesn't make one of the clan?

[WOSG]

As an Irishman (see my homepage) I am also annoyed at his 'fake' Irish credientials.

Sent this note to NR's Rick Lowry ...

Here is a short cynical bio on Kerry I saw floating around on Free Republic. Take the recent FrontPage article on Kerry and condense it the same way you condense tomatos to make ketchup:
"From 82 to 88 Kerry was supported by his first wife whom he left when she was so depressed she was suicidal. He lived with other women, took gifts and free apartments from lobbyists and money from her. He never really supported himself on his lavish lifestyle.
Then he married Teresa. He has never had much money, all of it came from the wives. Lobbyists gave him a motorcycle, a free car, money even. He grew up in Europe, went to a Swiss boarding school, didn't come to the U.S. till he was 14. The guy even dated Jackie Kennedy's sister Janet Auchincloss. He is a social climber, dead beat, a kept man. "

What a bio! And he even had time to stop in Vietnam, get some combat medals, and use that as a prop in his 35 year campaign against our military and national security interests. Now that is not even getting into the Kerry's mixed Kennedy/Dukakis political lineage, let alone the genetic lineage that belies his surname. You could say he's Irish "in name only".

Are you really sure that Dean is the harder man to beat in November?

And do you really think that the Democrats will air the Kerry dirty laundry in public now, when they didnt for the last 8 months? Kerry will likely wrap this up by early March, and the Democrats are not going to let Kerry can hammered on these points by one of their own. What will Dean say anyway? That Kerry went to better private schools and was in better clubs than the also-privileged Dean family? Nope. The mainstream media is letting Kerry play war hero, ignoring his radical protesting, his life of social climbing, and his leftwing political posture. And so will Dean. For Dean, negative wont work, the only thing that will work is "I can beat Bush better than he can". And he's lost that point.

They are going to let you have all the fun bringing this Kerry stuff out. ... I see an upcoming NR cover piece in Kerry's future. I hope it's a good one. :-)

[Salamander]

My ancestors on Dad's father's side came to this country courtesy of the "Oliver Cromwell Cruise Lines", if ya get my drift.
They had less than nothing when they got here and they worked like dogs to survive in a country where they were considered even less than "slaves".
The kinfolk on his mother's side were Austrian and Welsh who worked the wretched mines in WV.
Most of them died early of black lung.
Nobody gave them anything and not a single one of them was ever "on relief".
They pulled their food from the unforgiving ground of the Appalachians.
For a very long time, the only thing they "owned" was their heritage and their name.
But they kept working without complaint until they had land and posessions.
The imposter Kerry insults me in a way I didn't think I could be insulted. ( excepting the "Irish" Mr Kennedy, that is )

Why any Irish would ever vote Democrat is beyond me.

FWIW, if you haven't seen "The Kings of New York", you should.
It's unreal.

[TedsGarage]

Hey, I'm Scotch-Irish, but I have a German surname. It came from an adoptive grandfather. Plenty of Americans have names that don't reflect their ethnic heritage. For example, did you know Donovan McNabb's ancestors didn't actually come from Scotland? It's true. And that faux-WASP Martha Stewart is Polish? And Mel Brooks is Jewish?

[Verginius Rufus]

Next thing you'll try to tell us that Shaquille O'Neal isn't Irish.

[Kenny Bunk]

Dan from Michigan claims that....that there is no Irish blood in John F'n Kerry whatsoever.

Surely now you both have that wrong. Is this not the same Celtic Kerry boyo who has been prancing around the Bay State lo these many years doing every thing but a Galway Reel and tearfully singing "Mother McCree?" In fact, I claim the Massachusetts voters actually think Kerry IS a Kennedy!

my explanation....

It's dark in those MA voting booths, and as the typical Boston voter bends over, all he can read is the K and the Y. This has allowed the Kennedys and the Kerry to slip into office, along with Barney Frank.

[Dan from Michigan]

As someone of Irish blood, I'll be more than happy to spread the word that "He ain't one of us".

[jim35]

Well his fat a$$ mentor is Irish enough. I might be of Irish descent, but I will never understand the Boston "Irish" voting for that pig Ted Kennedy in election after election.

[Dan from Michigan]

Yep. Green Budweiser certainly makes one Irish........LOL.

[claptrap]

All Kerry needs to do to endear himself to these people is drive some pregnant adultress off a bridge walk to a party and feign memory blockage.

[Salamander]

Only blood makes you one of the clan.
( Grrrrrrr! )....:))

[CDHart]

I'm a political junkie and I didn't know that about Kerry's real name. Or is it just a story?

Carolyn

[Salamander]

A lot of immigrants "Americanized" their names when they came here.
Charles Bronson's parents were Lithuanian, for instance.
Actors take "stage names" because they want to hide their heritage or simply have something more "dramatic" on the marquee.
A "name" doesn't mean as much as genes.
Some Celt or other in the ancestral woodpile would qualify a man because as the Scots would say "The blood is strong".....:))

[Salamander]

He's Black Irish....:))

[.cnI redruM]

Yeah, Old Whusky Ted is just filled with the Blarney. What did the Sons of Erin ever do to deserve that despicable tub-o-goo? Of course, being of Austrian origin, I've wondered the same about Old One-Nut Adolf...

[.cnI redruM]

If the Kerry's were claiming to be Scotsmen, it would be time to start quoting Highlander. Or at least oiling up a 6ft Claymore.