Posted on 04/26/2005 9:50:21 PM PDT by Congressman Billybob
On 18 July, 1969, Ted Kennedy drove his car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick. He escaped, but left Mary Jo Kopechne to suffocate in the submerged car. That ended his chances of ever being President. Now Hillary Clinton has experienced an event with a similar political result.
On 15 October, 2000, Hillary Clinton’s 2000 Senatorial Campaign filed a report with the Federal Election Campaign that included falsified cost statements (about $750,000 low) for her Hollywood Gala on 12 August. Her National Finance Director, David Rosen, has just been indicted on four felony counts for that and related filings. Those events will sink her chances of being President as thoroughly as the killing of Mary Jo Kopechne sank Ted Kennedy’s chances.
For a detailed analysis of Ted Kennedy’s actions, see the February, 1980, issue of Readers Digest. This went to about 50 million American households, where it was placed on the back of the toilet for leisurely reading. (A literary description of this is Leopold Bloom’s newspaper reading in Ulysses by James Joyce.)
The press accounts of Chappaquiddick plus Kennedy’s gross incompetence in a legendary interview with Roger Mudd prevented Kennedy from taking the 1980 presidential nomination away from the damaged incumbent, Jimmy Carter. The Readers Digest version slammed the presidential door against Kennedy forever.
Hillary Clinton has already said Mr. Rosen will be found not guilty “when all the facts come out.” Not so. The facts include tape recordings of Mr. Rosen admitting illegal conduct to Raymond Reggie, (ironically Ted Kennedy’s brother-in-law), plus copies of campaign documents. They show the Clinton Campaign kept two sets of books – an accurate internal set and a false set for the FEC.
Mr. Rosen will be found guilty when all the facts come out, unless there is a gross miscarriage of justice as with John DeLorean and O.J. Simpson. But his trial is almost irrelevant. The facts alone will do the damage.
The Readers Digest may not do the permanent damage now. Every tabloid in America has sent reporters out with ample funds to loosen tongues and ferret out documents. This will be a hot story on the Internet. The facts may come out even before the trial. The original trial date of 3 May will certainly be pushed back by aggressive lawyering by Rosen’s counsel.
And who is his counsel? The first lawyer to comment on the case was the ever-present Clinton mouthpiece (excuse me, lawyer), David Kendall. Another lawyer has appeared as Rosen’s counsel, but if Kendall is involved at all, there would seem to be a conflict of interest. Kendall’s life’s work is to protect Clinton (him and her) from felonious consequences of their acts. Rosen’s interest right now is to avoid a stretch in stir. Rolling over on Hillary and turning state’s evidence is his best way of saving his neck.
So Mr. Rosen’s legal interests seem quite different from hers. If Kendall were involved, that would suggest Rosen will deny, deny, deny, rather than sing like a canary. However, with tape-recorded conversations and internal documents available, the only consequence of keeping Rosen on the reservation is to protect Clinton from felony charges herself. It will not protect her from the political consequences.
Keep in mind that all politicians – liberal conservative, Republican, Democrat, men, women, smart or dumb – necessarily follow two details of their campaigns: money in, and money out. Unless Clinton is either the dumbest member of the Senate, or the most careless, she would not have a million-dollar gap in knowledge of her own campaign finances. One witness has already claimed discussing financial details of this Gala with Clinton personally.
The bottom line is this: Hillary Clinton cheated her way into the Senate in 2000. Knowing that, the American people will not let her back into the White House. Like Ted Kennedy, she will probably be barred from the Democratic nomination. If nominated, she will not win.
There is another parallel between Ted Kennedy then and Hillary Clinton now. Kennedy was never charged with or tried for manslaughter. Clinton will probably not be charged and tried for election felonies. Though the facts came out, Kennedy still remains Senator for life from Massachusetts as long as he can draw breath and pour Scotch. It is likely that the facts of this case will not knock Clinton out of her Senate seat. (Though for the sake of New York and the nation, I hope I’m wrong about that.)
She may remain a Senator, but Hillary Clinton’s campaign for President in 2008 – or ever – is now over.
About the Author: John Armor is a First Amendment attorney and author who lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. John_Armor@aya.yale.edu
Big ol' freakin' Bump.
Maybe between now and then, Senator Ted will take her for a spin in his car..
Sorry, but that's wishful thinking. Dems love her (and her hubby) and would vote for her even if there was a video of her eating aborted fetus sandwiches. Sorry for the image, but their love and dedication to her is beyond that of her husband. They'll ignore everything coming of this investigation/trial.
As I wrote, she may remain as a Senator from New York for life, just as Teddy is a Senator for life from Massachusetts. I am talking solely about her chances to seize the presidency.
Your only error is here: You wrote, "They'll ignore everything coming of this investigation/trial." The words "try to" belong right after "They'll." Of course they will try to ignore these facts.
Keep in mind that Teddy Kennedy tried to ignore the death of Mary Jo Kopechne. He made his dishonest, weepy "apology" on TV and then sought to avoid the issue ever again. He failed then; Hillary will fail in her similar effort now.
John / Billybob
Who would vote for HILLARY for PRESIDENT?
Those who pay for their 14 year old to have an abortion so as not to embarrass the family.
Those who have a HANDICAP sticker on their car mirror, yet no one in their family is even remotely handicapped.
Those who sign off on GRANDPA's Medical sheet, sending him to a HOSPICE for termination so they can start spending the insurance and inheritance money.
Those who will not discipline their children at home, but who will SUE the school or teacher if they make any attempts to do so.
Those who buy a cup of coffee in a drive through, then sue when they spill it on their lap, claiming they were not at fault for spilling it, and didn't know it was hot.
Those who buy shoes and a dress at an expensive clothier's, wear it to some gala celebration, then return it the next day.
Those who find loopholes that allow them to bank their money offshore somewhere so as to avoid taxes.
Those who have a lawyer on tab to bail them and their children out of any legal fiasco, regardless of guilt.
Those who demand that Americans be more conservative in use of electricity and fuel oils so they can keep all their HOMES at the proper temperature and humidity, whether they are occupied or not.
Those who believe that FREEDOM OF SPEECH means they can say anything they want, but you can't. That when they speak, you must listen, when you speak (never mind, you are not allowed to speak).
Those who believe that MOVIE and TV actors/actresses opinions on politics are to be trusted, and considered as the outpouring of intellectual superiority, even though 99% of them never graduated from high school.
Those who tell you that you must eliminate usage of paper to save trees, that CO emissions are bad, that you must start using smaller engined vehicles or hybrids, from the front seat of their LINCOLN NAVIGATOR, which they are using to haul six cases of flyers on the next GREENPEACE meeting, and while using a CELL PHONE, with 20 cars plodding along behind them honking their horns because the NAVIGATOR is in the FAST LANE of the interstate going 42 miles per hour.
cbb bump
It all depends on how you define the word "American".
There are illegal-Americans who will vote for Hillary.
And there are those left-over liberal Americans who will vote for Hillary.
And that leaves the rest of us real Americans who would NEVER vote for a she-hag.
The Democrats have one political advantage over the Republicans: When Republican candidates get caught up in anything unsavory, Republicans are likely to stay home. (Remember GWB's narrow election in 2000 when an old drunk driving conviction came to light at the last second). When Democrats get hung up in scandal, they become more popular with their base because they are being persecuted.
Unbelievable!
Daily MSM menu: Tom Delay illegalities, Bolton's bad temper, and for a light entertainment -- Michael Jackson.
Ted's waterlogged victim was easily exhumed and he was faced to force the "embarrassment" that resulted from everyone's knowledge that she could have been saved. Everyone realized that he was too busy saving his Kennedy arse by his long-distance feat of swimming to an alibi.
How anyone could ignore the large, stinking pile of corpses that litter the path these two political animals have trod?
How could anyone, save a federal employee, fail to realize how incongruous was the death (by suicide) of only one of these corpses?
The evil that pervades within and without Hillary Roddamned Clinton and her nominal traitorous husband is ignored by those on high, but will be remembered until the dying day of others that are capable of reading and reasoning.
I wonder when Bruce "Mr. Fixit" Lindsay will pop up. He usually works behind the scenes with affidavits.
I just don't think Hillary really has a chance. Most people haven't really HEARD her speak. She's a terrible communicator. Screaming...she's not likable, she's not warm. She has too many skeletons and I don't think people really want to see Bill back at the White House. I don't. I think media wants her more than the Public.
I remember that interview well. Mudd, who had been close to Robert Kennedy, was persona non grata with the Kennedy family after that interview aired.
I always enjoy your posts and hate to disagree, but I believe that HRC is still the odds-on favorite to take the nomination. If McCain or Rudy gets the GOP nomination, a third party conservative will jump in the race. In a three-way race, Hillary wins.
I am saying that she will not be elected, even if she has the nomination in hand.
I agree with you that a three-way race will change the math. However, having been General Counsel to Gene McCarthy in 1976 and legal advisor to John Anderson in 1980, I know how much it takes in money and volunteers just to get on the ballot in 51 jurisdictions in order to BE a third-party candidate for President. A third-party effort that begins after January 1, 2007, will be so late that it will be irrelevant, regardless of who the nominee is.
John / Billybob
Ping
BTTT
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