Posted on 09/07/2004 1:22:56 AM PDT by maryz
WHOSE PARTY?
According to a former Clinton staffer, the late Saturday phone call between John Kerry and Bill Clinton was the first extensive conversation the two men had had since Kerry won the nomination. Former Clinton senior staffers Paul Begala and Joe Lockhart brokered the call, while another former Clinton staffer now on the Kerry payroll leaked word of the conversation to the New York Times.
As reported by the Prowler last week, it isn't entirely clear how the staff shakeup affects some of the current Kerry advisers. A week ago, it appeared that Lockhart would be traveling extensively with Kerry on the campaign trail. But on Sunday it was decided that Kerry's longtime friend and adviser John Sasso would leave his post at the DNC to travel with Kerry. Lockhart, while doing some travel, is expected to stay in Washington working out the kinks in the campaign's press and rapid response operation.
"Kerry doesn't know these people the way he knows his longtime aides," says a Kerry adviser in Washington of the Clinton crew. "He has talked to them in the past, but hasn't worked with them. Really, this is a trust thing on Kerry's part. Kerry is basically handing over the entire operation to Clinton, who is now saying, 'Shut up, do what I say, and I will get you elected.'"
CLINTON HAD BEEN STANDING on the sidelines for several months, quietly -- at least for him -- observing the Kerry campaign. There has been tension between the Kerry and Clinton camps, if only because it was made to clear to Kerry early on after locking up the nomination that he would not be able to make major changes to the party, which Bill Clinton still controls, thanks to his placement of key staffers at the Democratic National Committee and the party's national fundraising apparatus and network.
But according to the former Clinton staffer, Clinton plugged himself back in after several former advisers -- Lockhart and Paul Begala -- began speaking more frequently with Kerry in the past month, and as Lockhart took the step of becoming a full-time adviser.
"The opening came when Kerry lost complete confidence in [Mary Beth] Cahill and [Bob] Shrum," says a Kerry staffer. "They are in the room during meetings, but you sense that Kerry is just being polite. It's the Lockharts and Begalas that now hold sway and have the upper hand."
Says a former Kerry adviser: "It has be just killing him on some level. Six months ago, it looked like he could win this thing without Clinton and maybe become a leading figure in the party, not on Clinton's level, but up there. Now he knows that if he wins, it's not because of anything he did. It's because he was humbled into basically letting Bill Clinton save his bacon. That has to burn bigtime."
Meanwhile, the work of refocusing the Kerry campaign continues almost constantly. On Monday, Kerry closed off his portion of the plane to all press and non-campaign staffers to huddle with advisers and work on the new message for the rest of the day.
"It's a matter of bringing him up to speed," says a Kerry adviser. "For the next two weeks it's going to be the Clinton people telling him what to do, then Kerry turning to people like Sasso for reassurance that it's the right thing for him to do. It's just going to be odd."
ACCORDING TO THE FORMER staffer, Clinton was not particularly irked by Kerry's seeming public lack of interest in having the Clintons front and center in his campaign. Clinton was satisfied with the knowledge that most Democrats and political players knew that he controlled the party. But in the past few weeks Clinton had also reached the decision that if Kerry were to lose, and perhaps lose badly, Clinton would be blamed for not making the effort for a fellow Democrat in what people even in his own party acknowledge is a critical election for Democrats.
Some of the people who lobbied Clinton came from organized labor, which this year is essentially financing the entire Democratic campaign. According to an AFL-CIO lobbyist, Clinton was told two weeks ago that this election was not about his reputation but rather the survival of organized labor in the United States.
"Clinton was told -- and it's something that he knew anyway, we think -- that four more years of Republican control on Capitol Hill and in the White House could weaken organized labor to the point where we wouldn't be able to help Democrats the way are now," says the AFL-CIO lobbyist. "That's why it was critical to plug Clinton back."
I would have called this an excerpt but it was too long. But it's only one item from the column; you can click the link the read the others.
Now Mr. Kerry is an official party jack-azz.
They got him bye the strings. I'm just waiting for him to hit the end of his "political rope" . ((((BOING))))
***Clinton was told ... that four more years of Republican control on Capitol Hill and in the White House could weaken organized labor to the point where we wouldn't be able to help Democrats...***
Always beware of the drowning man.
After this election I'll bet it takes less than a year for Teraaaaaaaayza to split with all the ketchup. FraudBoy will have to go look up Morgan Fairchild again.
LOL! What does he have to do to get promoted to the "official party jack-azz"?
How the attractive Morgan Fairchild, or any woman for that matter (yes, even Teresa) could "get it on" with Kerry is beyond me. I don't care how much money and power he has, I'd scream bloody murder--the guy looks so cadaverous, like death, corpse-like.
The Nine have left Minas Morgul, disguised as retread Clinton hacks.
He may be a 'munchin' at the junction' kind of guy.
;-) I hope this is not offensive to anyone.
I seem to recall that at least a couple of actresses Kerry pursued during his "bachelor days" between his marriages couldn't stand him after one date, but I don't recall who they are.
LOL
You know that Clinton is out to sabotage this campaign, simply by virtue of the fact that he's pushing Hank Sheinkopf, who is a shill for the Clintons.
Who's Hank Sheinkopf? I don't think I ever heard of him.
He also works hand-in-glove with the Clintons.
Does this mean Kerry might not carry New York? :-)
I read here a couple of days ago that Kerry was known in all the D.C. and East Coast gossip columns as almost a stalker of Teraaaaayza back when he was pursuing her. I don't know if that's true, but it sure fits. Down deep inside that gawky looking goof may just be a very insecure, strange dweeb!
begalla has not taken a leave of absense or resigned from cnn...wonder of joe lockhart is still drawing double duty from his media job?
Bubba meanwhile can say something along the lines of , "Hey, I tried to help him.. blah, blah, blah.."
Can't trust Kerry to be out on his own. Lovely. Real CinC material there all right.
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