Ted Kennedy's history lesson for Pa.
Kennedy's 1980 Pa. win foreshadows 2008
Ted Kennedy's history lesson for Pa.
Last night I was doing some research for an article and stumbled across this. Let's make a few redactions and see if it reminds you of anything:
Sen. XXXXXX XXXXXXXX scored a narrow victory in Tuesday's Pennsylvania primary, but failed to make headway in the important business of cutting into YYYYYYYY YYYYYY's lead in convention delegates....
Asserting that YYYYYY already has the nomination "sewed up," YYYYYYY's national campaign chairman, QQQQQQQ Q. QQQQQQQ, said the extremely close outcome in a state where XXXXXXX "had everything going for XXX" was a "devastating commentary on XXX ability to challenge YYYYYYYYY."
"They failed to achieve their objective," QQQQQQ said of the XXXXXX campaign in Pennsylvania. "XX made it Armageddon, we didn't. This was a major industrial state and XX failed to pick up delegates."...
According to QQQQQ, YYYYY has suuch a huge lead in delegates that XXXXX, in order to overtake him, would have to win more than 70 percent of the vote in the remaining primary and caucus states, which is virtually impossible...
According to XXXXXX aides, the YYYYY camp is counting on the support of a large number of delegates from caucus states who are not finally chosen or legally bound and who could turn in the end to XXXXX....
While XXXXXX in fact lost ground in the overall results from Tuesday's contests, XXX apparent narrow win in Pennsylvania allowed XXX to continue arguing that XX can close in on YYYYY's lead by winning other large, industrial states....
It may sound like it was ripped from last month's headlines, but the Washington Post article actually appeared on April 24, 1980. And so the Hillary Clinton-esque X is really Ted Kennedy, Y is not Barack Obama but Jimmy Carter (and Carter's chairman Q was Bob Strauss).
And so we all know how that story turned out -- Kennedy did fight on to the convention, fought a futile floor fight aimed at prying loose delegates, and delivered a well-regarded speech that undermined nominee Carter, who went on to lose the presidency to Ronald Reagan. Some 28 years later, it's not clear what lessons the Democrats have learned from that debacle, although I think it does explain those calling for Clinton to leave the race sooner rather than later.
On the other hand, there's a huge difference -- Obama will be facing the would-be heir to a highly unpopular president, while Jimmy Carter was the unpopular president. That may minimize Clinton's ability to hurt Obama's chances -- but it is still fascinating to see how often American political history repeats.
By the way, it was just reported that Kennedy is leaving the hospital this morning, which is good news, although the broader outlook is not.
Unfortunately, establishment Democrats rarely learn from their mistakes.— Politburo- Shouldnt every vote be counted? Remember also the wails of the disenfranchised voters of the 2000 election. Let the recounts and lawsuits begin.— Talking Point Slueth
- History lesson? How about a geography lesson. There U.S.A. consists of 50 states, not 57— Talking Point Slueth
Comment removed.- Red herring. No one is saying that the 3 remaining primaries should be canceled.— Politburo
I think a more interesting Pa. lesson is Reagan's from 1976. Reagan was the conservative answer to the moderate record of the Nixon/Ford administrations, and challenged an incumbent but unpopular President all the way to the GOP convention in KC. However, the virtual deadlock at the convention led Reagan to stray from the conservative camp to woo moderate delegates, by offering to choose Senator Richard Schweiker (PA) as his running mate. Not only did it fail to attract any moderate delegates, it angered the hell out of conservatives. Ford was nominated and some unknown evangelist peanut farmer from Georgia was elected in November. Lesson is, don't appease your ideological opponents with your Veep choice lest ye anger thine own peeps.- Comment removed.
- Define "eggheads" please...— tjc
- Define "eggheads" please...— tjc
- "Define "eggheads" please..." . . . . . . Easy. The two thirds of the country that is smart enough to say "enough!"
- Comment removed.
- Classic right-wing talking point structure. You've got "far left", you've got "elitist", you've got "Democrat party". I'd give it 9 out of 10. You forgot "tax and spend".— Politburo
- Classic right-wing talking point structure. You've got "far left", you've got "elitist", you've got "Democrat party". I'd give it 9 out of 10...Posted by Politburo....keep up the good work b.atkinson, you know a post hits the target when resident lefties can only attack the style and not the substance.— Talking Point Slueth
- LOL.. what substance?— Politburo
- "Classic right-wing talking point structure. You've got "far left", you've got "elitist", you've got "Democrat party". I'd give it 9 out of 10. You forgot "tax and spend". Posted by Politburo" As opposed to the other side who has "frightwinger", "neo-con", "trailer trash", "evangelical nuts"....and those are just the ones that will pass through Attytood's censor.— legatus
Fed-up Americans should welcome a liberal (although hardly "elitist" if that means someone who has been rich and well-connected all his life like McCain, Bush, and the rest) after what Bush has put this country through. McCain really is offering four more years of Bush policies--everybody has to fend for himself except for rich people and rich corporations, who get any breaks that the government offers.- Hey can't wait to read MSM whitewash of Ted's excellent trip into the night. Sham-a-lot to be revisited and rewritten to make us forget . ...well I'' wait— mookie
- Thinking the unthinkable: Who follows Ted Kennedy? ///////////////////////////// Associated Press, by Andrew Miga/////////////////////// WASHINGTON - People in Massachusetts suddenly are thinking the unthinkable: Who possibly could succeed Sen. Edward Kennedy, patriarch of the famed political family that has dominated the state for more than four decades? The news about Kennedy's cancerous brain tumor has led to quiet speculation about whether he may try to handpick a successor, possibly paving the way for a relative to take over his seat. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Vicki to take his place. He did not disappoint. Heck, why not Splash? who will be left to bail out the Kennedy drug addicts and rapists ?— mookie
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