CAMPAIGN DRAMA ROCKS DEMOCRATS
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Locked on 02/12/2004 2:01:33 PM PST by Admin Moderator, reason:
We’re going to need a thread II as this one is starting to slow the site down. Also, on the new thread, please stop posting the name and pictures of the person you think the woman may be. The evidence doesn’t support the claim and we don’t need to be doing that. Wait for it to come out. It will. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1076893/posts |
Posted on 02/12/2004 7:32:24 AM PST by BJungNan
Edited on 02/12/2004 2:03:35 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
Update 1:
CAMPAIGN DRAMA ROCKS DEMOCRATS: KERRY FIGHTS OFF MEDIA PROBE OF RECENT ALLEGED INFIDELITY, RIVALS PREDICT RUIN
CAMPAIGN DRAMA ROCKS DEMOCRATS: KERRY FIGHTS OFF MEDIA PROBE OF RECENT ALLEGED INFIDELITY, RIVALS PREDICT RUIN
**World Exclusive**
**Must Credit the DRUDGE REPORT**
A frantic behind-the-scenes drama is unfolding around Sen. John Kerry and his quest to lockup the Democratic nomination for president, the DRUDGE REPORT can reveal.
Intrigue surrounds a woman who recently fled the country, reportedly at the prodding of Kerry, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.
A serious investigation of the woman and the nature of her relationship with Sen. John Kerry has been underway at TIME magazine, ABC NEWS, the WASHINGTON POST and the ASSOCIATED PRESS, where the woman in question once worked.
MORE
A close friend of the woman first approached a reporter late last year claiming fantastic stories -- stories that now threaten to turn the race for the presidency on its head!
In an off-the-record conversation with a dozen reporters earlier this week, General Wesley Clark plainly stated: "Kerry will implode over an intern issue." [Three reporters in attendance confirm Clark made the startling comments.]
The Kerry commotion is why Howard Dean has turned increasingly aggressive against Kerry in recent days, and is the key reason why Dean reversed his decision not to drop out of the race after Wisconsin, top campaign sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT.
FROM CONRESSIONAL QUARTERLY'S CRAIG CRAWFORD: 'Drudge item on Kerry intern issue is something Chris Lehane (clark press secy) has shopped around for a long time -- it was one reason the Gore vetters in 2000 shied away from Kerry as a running mate choice -- their conclusion that it wasn't bad enough to disqualify him, except for the fact that they couldn't risk it as they were trying so hard to distance themselves from Clinton's personal failings (note: Lehane worked for Gore at the time -- and briefly advised Kerry during this campaign). The Kerry camp has long expected to deal with this, and have assured party leaders they can handle it'...
There's somethin' fishy here.
Matt Drudge 's report on an alleged infidelity scandal in the John F. Kerry campaign broke about an hour ago. Fact or fiction, I've been having fun watching the impending trainwreck. Wonkette and Instapundit [11:46 AM] were the first mainstream bloggers (Did I just say that???) to post something about it.
The wonderful thing about the Internet and weblogs are the timestamps. Here's the moment the story broke on Howard Dean's Blog for America:
second and check out DRUDGE! HERE IT COMES!!! Posted by barry in va at February 12, 2004 11:37 AM
Google's news search had just two articles ("Will Press Pounce on Drudge's Kerry Rumor?" and "Media investigating alleged recent infidelity Democrat rivals...") as of 12:30 PM. Though one outlet is for journalists and the other is something I'd put in the right-wing category to say the least.
I guess at the moment I am much more interested in how this unfolds from a media coverage perspective, than whether or not there is any truth in the story. Either way, this is going to be a trainwreck for either Kerry or the sharks that get caught chasing nothing more than blood in the water.
At the moment, much of bloggerdom appears to be silent. Either they're getting real work done or waiting to see which direction things turn. As of 1 PM there's no word from Dave Winer, Doc Searls, Jeff Jarvis, or David Weinberger on the story. More importantly, I don't see anything from Mickey Kaus, Joshua Marshall, or Eric Alterman. Nothing from Jim Romenesko either but Andrew Sullivan has a very brief mention of the Drudge story in the Daily Dish.
Perhaps the real story and commentary is unfolding on the campaign blogs themselves. The Dean Blog has been on fire with comments and the John Kerry Blog has comments full of back-and-forth between Kerry and Dean supporters. The John Edwards Blog has comments that read like kids on Christmas morning.
At 2 PM there's nothing from CNN, although it appears as though Ken and Barbie are breaking up, Fox News isn't going near the story at the moment, and MSNBC is covering human cloning and the "battle" over gay marriage.
Of course, all of this is very early in terms of coverage and reaction. But it reminds me of past alleged scandals where the big voices let someone else like Drudge break the story and then pounced. Not only are most of the big media not covering this one but the tech bloggers turned political bloggers (and the just plain political bloggers) are no where to be found. Granted, there are a few exceptions.
Leave it to one of my daily reads, The Scotsman, to run the first mainstream story: "Mystery of Kerry and the Intern". It's essentially a rehash of the original Drudge story, but it leads with "Allegations against Vietnam war hero John Kerry today threatened his runaway presidential campaign." Something tells me the over-the-pond tabloids are redoing tomorrow's front pages as we speak, but what about The New York Times or The Washington Post?.
February 12, 2004 in Politics | Permalink
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Oh goody, it looks like the democrats have truely found their replacement for Clinton. This should lock the nomination for Kerry.
Bob, I have been thinking about your statement, and you are correct. But what happened in '92 when none of Bill Clinton's past behavior seemed to impact the election? We can talk about Perot and the Reform Party, and about how they took conservative votes, but nonetheless many of those swing votes went to Clinton, even with his past record and history exposed.
Rush speculated on that, too, because he re-read the part about Clark saying his intern comment to those reporters "off the record" and that three of those reporters confirmed the remark.
Apparently!!!
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