OT - for a bit of bittersweet fun

[Inuca]

rather bitter than sweet actually http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4196208&mesg_id=4196208

Feingold of the Holy Grail being eviscerated for his comments about Edwards. Is the average age on DU 15 or to the contrary it is over 80 and so many suffer from memory loss?

[karynnj]

1. Wow - that is nasty

It also makes me see that if anything they were less nasty to Kerry - though they were pretty bad.

[Mass]

2. Well, Kerry did not endorse Edwards, but he did not give reasons for that.

Feingold is stating his reasons and basically, these reasons come to "he is a phony". I do not know why Feingold got to this impression and do not intend to discuss this here, but it cannot be pleasant to Edwards's supporters.

But it is interesting to see how fast they forget.

[JI7]

5. some are saying that Feingold is jealous

[ralbertson]

11. Well, actually, he did. But in typical JK fashion, they're pro-, not anti-...

JK's made it clear that he chose to endorse Obama not as a slap back at Edwards or as a shot across B/Hillary's bow, but because he honestly believes that Obama is the Real Deal this time.

That being said, JK's been careful not to get sucked into the why/when quagmire in re all the rumors saying that this is a payback endorsement, even when Snuffy was trying to get him to go there on teevee the other morning.

He did provide a window into his (controversial) decision the other day, though -- and also in typical JK fashion, he did it in a reply to a comment in a Daily Kos diary he'd posted, rather than as one of a calculated series of soundbites doled out to the Legacy Media drones:

You make an interesting point about the timing of my endorsement, and it's actually something I wrestled with. Let me share my thinking with you a little.

First, in my judgment, the outcome of this race is far far from clear. It's a dogfight. I endorsed Barack after he'd lost a tough fight in New Hampshire. I actually think that tells you how much I believe in my choice more than had I jumped on a bandwagon of some kind. If I had wanted to wait until the outcome was clear, I wouldn't have endorsed yet. This is still a very open race. I'm not playing it safe.

But the second point -- I want you to know this. It was a difficult decision. I gave a lot of thought to the timing. I wrestled with a feeling that for friends and colleagues of mine, and people I really cared about who were grinding it out in Iowa, they deserved the chance to make their case to the voters on their own, and not have the perception of someone parachuting in to get in the way of the intimate process that is Iowa.

I remember feeling that way and bristling a little bit before Iowa and New Hampshire myself in 2003 and 2004 when some big name endorsements seemed to block out the sun for a few news cycles! And I took that to heart and really struggled with it this time. So, you may disagree with it, but I want you to know my thinking.

by John Kerry on Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 03:02:47 PM PST

Of course, as is their wont, the Kossacks (and those of their ilk here on DU as well) immediately assumed that he was referring to Biden and Dodd as the only friends and colleagues in question. Bah. Imho, he's a lot bigger person than they assume him to be, and while his relationships with the two non-Obama front-runners in this race might be complex they are not binarically negative.

More to the point -- again, in typical JK fashion -- he was acutely aware of how many of his loyal, hardworking supporters and former campaign staffers have already been out there busting their asterisks for their own dogs in this fight.

And he carefully weighed the effects that his endorsement of someone other than their dogs would have on them as individuals, outside of the obvious political calculus that the armchair quarterbacks in the LM and in Left Blogistan seem determined to attribute to a personal decision that, quite frankly, they actually know not a damn thing about.

I'm just sayin'.

[sandnsea]

3. I am ignoring the author of that thread

:shrug:
Somebody might want to PM me if they think I'd get a kick out of it, in a twisted sadistic sort of way. :evilgrin:

[JI7]

4. i can't understand why you would have that person on ignore

maybe i missed some of their history.

but it's mostly just copied paragraphs from this article and link

http://tpmelectioncentral.com/2008/01/feingold_edwards_supporters_are_being_taken_in.php

Feingold again saying what he said about a week or 2 ago about Edwards.

[sandnsea]

6. It could have been anything

Some people are on ignore because they have a tendency to denigrate people based on class. Others because they're just right wing talking points. Some because they're Obama or Kerry bashers. Some because they pick some lie and start threads over and over. It's funny how often somebody will be upset about a thread and I click on it and the person is on ignore. If I'd detour around some of these people at the grocery store, I'm sure not going to put up with them here.

[sandnsea]

9. Here's an example

Another post or two like this and zap. Who needs to look at crap like this, not me.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2764811&mesg_id=2768187

[JI7]

10. yuk

i don't even get that. and disappointed with the poster.

[MarjorieG]

7. Just too young to live through many populist primary hopes.

I am also not buying the JE revisionist postures on policy either, but supporters don't care as long as he's saying them. Forget trying to get a strong choice who can arrive in DC with alliances and good will to do anything.

Russ is trying to see who better survives. I'm concerned the Clitnon and media will frame the SC win as a loss by expectation, or only appealing to blacks argument. When his Nevada win was statewide, except for bullying tactics and win by Clintons in Vegas.

I don't want to see Hillary get nod at same time the backlash starts, of people denied their choice, hope for fresh start, of Bill's tactics. Hope postponed, and cynicism again.

Whatever we've gone through, I would trust Obama to better get us through the realization of where we are and need to go.

[ginnyinWI]

8. I can't believe those comments over there!

They are younger than 15--emotionally! Nobody's going to convince them with any facts. And resorting to calling Feingold names--how juvenile. Poo fight in the monkey house.