Kerry Endorses Obama: Kiss Of Death?

Updated: via Michelle w/ some Kerry history - Captains Quarters piles on suggesting Kerry is a day late and a dollar short because of the recent New Hampshire primary and this somehow hurts Obama. But he's wrong on both counts, viewing it only from a Righty's perspective. It might feel good to bash Kerry, but this is a Dem primary.

Does a John Kerry endorsement help or hurt? I'd say the latter, especially given the surprising decision to endorse Barack Obama. The previous Democratic nominee will give Obama his blessing later today at a South Carolina rally:

Senators do not inflame sentiment toward other Senators. To have endorsed Obama specifically to help in a neighboring state would be insulting to Hillary as a fellow Senator. And if he did it while Obama was huge in the polls, everyone would be accusing him of just jumping on the bandwagon. Don't forget, everyone thought Obama had NH in the bank - even the rival camps. Let's try and be a little objective in our analysis. On top of that, this helps Obama a great deal. Kerry isn't hated on the Dem side, we stole an election from him, after all. And he's pure establishment.

This seems strange on a couple of different levels. Kerry hardly ran as the insurgent candidate in 2004; that was Howard Dean. Kerry represents the Establishment in the Democratic Party....

Dem establishment backing is precisely what Obama needs to possibly get over the top. And coming on the heels of a close loss, not a win, is about as big a boost as Obama could hope for. Kerry doing it so quickly after New Hampshire is actually a plus. I may not like Kerry, but in terms of Dem politics, this is a big win for Obama.

Kerry said he'd make his endorsement soon. Now according to Fox, he's ready. Barack Obama.

ATTLEBORO - Democrats across the country are taking sides in the presidential primary fight, but Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., has so far stayed on the sidelines.

That is about to change as Kerry said Wednesday he plans to pick a candidate "very soon."

Update: Today at a rally in SC.

Kerry is flying to South Carolina for an event to be held shortly after 11 a.m. in Charleston, the sources said. Obama is holding a "Rally for Change" at the College of Charleston ahead of the Democrats' South Carolina primary on Jan. 26.

Comments

[reliapundit]

gotta really hurt edwards, too!

[Fred Beloit]

Kerry, what he said: "We don't want Democrats swift-boating Democrats. We have to stay on the high ground."

Now we know the Dems keep misusing the term "swift-boating" so we have to interpret for him. What he means is we don't want Dems to be exposing the falsehoods other Dems are advancing. Good advice.

[Scrapiron]

Hanoi John is just keeping up his image as a traitor. Traitor to his country and traitor to his running mate of 04. No loyalty will be found in the Kerry family, or is that the entire state of Ma. Based on 'what' they select in politicians I watch my back if in the presence of anyone from Ma.

[Wahoo Willie Sez:]

DAMMIT!! Why can't he just keep his stupid, disloyal opinions to himself? Now fence sitting repubs and Indies will fall to the right and loyal demonrats and the "I'll decide when I draw the curtain" side will flock to the Hidabeast. Yeah, OK, maybe a few pity party voters will go for the ambulance chaser. But damn! Now all I have to hope for is that the ambulance chaser remains in a nice, comfy, solid THIRD place or joins Richards.

[Wahoo Willie Sez:]

Wait, what am I thinking? This must be how BobOLama "thinks". This is absolute brilliance. Kerry isn't backing Obama. He's being an obedient little cog in the Clinton Machine. Slick WIllie sez "Johnny if you throw your support behind Obama his chances will sink faster than than your naval heroics lies" So we get a Hillary/John Reid ticket. Damn they're good.

[chris]

I'm sure Hillary is devastated. This is kind of like finding out who Macaca or Larry Craig is endorsing.

[Sara]

With the large population of active duty and retired military in South Carolina, I can't imagine this playing well there. I just hope it reminds those with an "R" to remember how John McCain was so buddy buddy with Kerry in the 2004 race.

[rwilymz]

"McCain was so buddy buddy with Kerry in the 2004 race"

They work together. What do you expect them to do? They can't hate each other at work, they'd never get anything done. They can't like each other at work but hate each other away from work as if to put on a performance for the audience, because national politics shouldn't be like WWF.

Unless it's WWE...

To the degree national politics has politicians espousing these entrenched and intractable postures it is self-defeating semi-suicide.

[Dan Riehl]

"the large population of active duty and retired military in South Carolina"

That's my point, Sara - that isn't his constituency to begin with.

[Capitalist Infidel]

The democrat base despises Kerry with a passion! They hate him for not fighting on and conceding too soon. They wanted him to fight the results in Ohio.

Maybe the establishment doesn't hate him but who votes in the primaries? Mostly the base so I think your analysis is wrong Dan. Kerrys endorsement will hurt Obama.

[Dan Riehl]

CI, I think you're confusing the Nutroots with the base. That's a part of the base. But not the Dem establish machine. For all the talk of the Nutroots power, it was that machine that helped Hillary win NH. They ran the get out the vote effort for oldsters and women. Same goes for Obama's Union endorsements today, though they are more Nutroots oriented. But Obama needs cred with the party faithful who don't spend their life spewing on blogs. That's what Kerry represents. Remember, Edwards has the nutroots - where is it getting him? No where. The party machine did not turn on their 2004 nominee.