Kerry officially endorses Obama

While I’m not sure how much of a difference it will make (other than him giving the Obama campaign his million + email database of donors) this is interesting. Interesting, as in why did Kerry choose to endorse Obama, and why at this time? I’m sure it had to be a surprise to the Clinton camp.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0108/7830.html

Hm. I’m honestly not sure if this is a good thing for Obama or not.

Sharp elbow to Edwards indeed.

Edwards is becoming the Nader of the Democratic Primary. I think that’s one subtle hint and there are probably more to come.

I think the best thing Kerry could do for the Dems is to not say a damn thing and stay out of the news, but that’s wishful thinking.

How much do you think Hillary had to pay Kerry to do this…wha-Bam! Seriously folks, Obama needs this like he needs a third arm growing out of his forhead.
What else can go wrong for Obama? Has Al Gore endosed him yet?

Just when I had some hope for the Democrats - they snatch defeat from the jaws of inspiring victory.

Democrats - the new Palestinians, never miss an opportunity to miss an a opportunity.

You drama queens. I really can’t see this having much negative effect. It might not have much positive effect either, but seriously, chill.

Having an Al Gore endorsement could draw younger voters.

No. You. Did…ent.

Your lucky I had just had my nails done, cause otherwise I’d give you such a scratch.

Bring it on, bitch.

There are actually a lot of people who liked and still like Kerry (my mom loved Kerry, for example). This is definitely a good thing for Obama. The rest is just forum punditry.

Well how could it not be? Kerry’s whole problem was that he was bland and uninspiring, not that he was reviled. I don’t think there are a lot of people who really, really like him, and only some fraction of those would be swayed by this endorsement, but it’s pretty much all upside for Obama, however small that upside may be.

Well, as mentioned, the upside is the contacts and extra support from individuals that Kerry can influence. There aren’t many people who would say, “Well, I’m not sure which candidate to vote for, but Kerry endorsed Obama, so I’ll go with him”, but there are many more who will listen to a letter from Kerry and either take a closer look at Obama or just send money because they support other things Kerry has done.

What it gives Obama is credibility to those who still, for whatever reason, weren’t taking him seriously. Clinton has been riding on the expectation and assumption that she was the obvious heir apparent. I know a number of people who just support Clinton by default. Having Kerry come out and endorse Obama instead may go a long way to shaking that up.

Kerry was never in very well with the Clintons, was he?

Sure he was. IIRC, the Clintons are the ones who rescued his shitty campaign in 2004.

This is, of course, true.

In all honesty, my first reaction to this was negative, because damn. Dude fucked up his 2004 campaign hardcore. However, comparing him to Gore is completely specious. Gore has been largely vindicated since 2000 and now represents a lot of the most positive qualities of the Democratic party. All that Kerry represents is a roadmap for losing to one of the weakest incumbent presidents of the past 100 years.

I don’t see how this matters at all in the coming weeks. Kerry is a New England Senator. And he lost both S.C. and Nevada to GWB in 2004.

Did you know that Republicans don’t really vote in the Democratic primary? As much as I don’t think this is a big deal, it’s Kerry’s performance in those stated in the general election is irrelevant.