Posted on 04/10/2004 2:29:30 PM PDT by NYC Republican
As he took the microphone at a crowded Washington fund-raiser a few days ago, Senator John Kerry made no secret of his strong ties to the man who had just given him a rousing introduction: Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
"We are as close as Dick Cheney and Justice Scalia," quipped Mr. Kerry, referring to the vice president and Antonin Scalia, whose hunting trip together has raised some critics' concerns.
With careers and lives that have intersected across 33 years, including 19 together in the Senate representing Massachusetts, Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Kerry have indeed forged a special relationship. And it reached a new level this year with Mr. Kennedy's pivotal role in turning around Mr. Kerry's once-struggling primary campaign with behind-the-scenes advice and spirited public appearances.
Advertisement
Now that bond has some Democrats nervous that Mr. Kerry is making it easier for Republicans to paint him as a member in good standing of his party's most liberal wing by accentuating his connection with Mr. Kennedy, whose image is firmly fixed in the minds of those who admire him and those who do not.
Republicans, on the other hand, are happy with Mr. Kennedy's involvement.
"The more Teddy Kennedy on the campaign trail, the better," said Representative Tom DeLay of Texas, the House majority leader.
Mr. Kerry and his advisers, however, say they have no intention of putting distance between Mr. Kennedy and the campaign, a fact demonstrated by their plans to make a series of joint appearances in the coming week in New England and New York. Mr. Kerry did note, though, that the "stage obviously is going to be filled with a whole lot of players."
"The party's united and you are going to see a lot of people out there," Mr. Kerry said.
For his part, Mr. Kennedy, a harsh critic of President Bush, said he was ready to give his all. "I have told my staff that the most important use of my time between now and November is electing John Kerry," Mr. Kennedy said in an interview.
Mr. Kennedy was already an important element in Mr. Kerry's primary success, providing his colleague with senior aides and traveling the country to rouse Democratic voters who respect not only him, but also his family's storied place in Democratic politics. He reveled in the campaign as if it were his own.
But many insiders thought Mr. Kennedy might drift into the background after the nomination was in hand and Mr. Kerry began courting more moderate swing voters. Mr. Kennedy, after all, has long been a liberal lightning rod, a staple of Republican appeals to stir up their own base by invoking the specter of "Kennedy Democrats."
His ability to rile the Republicans was on vivid display in recent days following the latest in a series of speeches condemning Bush administration policies. "Iraq is George Bush's Vietnam, and this country needs a new president," he said in a policy speech at the Brookings Institution.
The Vietnam comparison sent the Republican establishment into a rage. They accused Mr. Kennedy of aiding the insurgents in Iraq and hurting the United States' morale in pursuit of a political agenda.
"Kennedy over the years has been on the wrong side of almost every issue," said Terry Holt, a spokesman for the Bush campaign. He added, however, that "as an attack dog, he can be effective even if he alienates most people in the country."
But Democratic allies of Mr. Kerry see Mr. Kennedy as a major asset in mobilizing voters most worried about social issues like jobs and health care, particularly if he is employed strategically.
"In Ohio and in Florida and in the other swing states, the issues that Ted Kennedy has been talking about are going to decide this election," said Representative Edward J. Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts and a Congressional point man for the Kerry campaign.
In the South, where even Kerry aides acknowledge the Kennedy connection could cause problems, party leaders said it would be foolish to try to disguise the two lawmakers' relationship. "We'd get in more trouble if we tried to pretend Senator Kennedy was not a friend — he is," said Larry Framme, chairman of the Kerry campaign in Virginia and former chairman of the state's Democratic Party.
Scott Falmlen, executive director of the North Carolina Democratic Party, said he thought any effort by Republicans to exploit the Kennedy tie could backfire and be viewed as simplistic. "I just believe, especially among swing voters, people are looking for something a little deeper than that," he said.
Some Democrats suggest that it would be hard for Mr. Kerry to break from Mr. Kennedy even if wanted to, given that some of Mr. Kerry's senior aides, like his campaign manager, Mary Beth Cahill, are Kennedy veterans. Plus, the nominating convention will be held in Boston, the geographic center of Mr. Kennedy's political power, and he will have a prominent role there.
Mr. Kennedy says he recognizes that he plays better in some parts of the country than others and will take that into consideration in the months ahead.
"There are obviously areas where we have a greater strength than in others," he said.
While both senators say their relationship has grown stronger in recent years, aided by a friendship between their wives, they have not always been so close. They broke on some important subjects like welfare, labor and trade issues, and their ties suffered from the competition for recognition typical of senators from the same state. Those tensions were aggravated by the large shadow Mr. Kennedy casts in both Congress and Massachusetts.
"Have we had some very strong disagreements about one issue or another?" asked Mr. Kerry. "Sure, occasionally. But we have always been friendly and we have always tried to work closely together."
Perhaps more to the point, Ms. Cahill said, "They have stood with each other every time they have had a tough race."
Drawing on their years together, Mr. Kennedy said he saw his greatest value in talking about the personal side of Mr. Kerry, whom he first met in April 1971 at antiwar protests by Vietnam veterans on the National Mall.
"I think I can make some kind of difference when I go out and say, `Look, I know about John Kerry,' and I basically try to talk about his heart and soul rather than where he stood on health care and education," said Mr. Kennedy. "People want that sort of dimension."
Mr. Kennedy is also filling the role of leading legislative critic of the Bush administration. Sometimes his attacks suggest he is more devoted to forcing Mr. Bush out than getting Mr. Kerry in. He says Mr. Kerry's election is his goal.
"I personally don't believe a party deserves to win on the basis of another party losing," Mr. Kennedy said. "You have to win because you have a positive, hopeful message. I think that is what Kerry's challenge is in moving from the primary into this general election. But I think John is the man for the time."
An "elected official" spending his 'important time' on getting anotther person (an a-hole in this case) elected. Was Kennedy elected to do this? Is this in the Constitution? What a way to spend the taxpayers' money. Sheesh!
I do find it interesting however, that you're home site (the DUmp)has failed to post the others polls released that show President Bush ahead.
Scott Falmlen, executive director of the North Carolina Democratic Party, said he thought any effort by Republicans to exploit the Kennedy tie could backfire and be viewed as simplistic. "I just believe, especially among swing voters, people are looking for something a little deeper than that," he said.
 |
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.