Opinion: Kennedy endorses Clinton!!! (But it’s not the one who counts)
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose father was gunned down in Los Angeles while seeking the 1968 Democratic presidential nomination, today backed Hillary Clinton’s bid for the party nod.
The endorsement should burnish Clinton’s environmental credentials. Kennedy, 54, has a high-profile as an environmental activist; he serves as a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
He also earned plaudits within some Democratic circles for arguing the case, in a lengthy Rolling Stone article last year, that the 2004 presidential election was stolen from the Democrats. Its subhead: ‘Republicans prevented more than 350,000 voters in Ohio from casting ballots or having their votes counted -- enough to have put John Kerry in the White House.’
There’s one more niche group (albeit, a minuscule one), in which Kennedy’s support may carry some sway -- he’s a master falconer.
Still, today’s news from the Clinton camp served mainly as a reminder that, in the Democratic race, the prospective endorsers who are being closely watched are, as the National Journal’s Hotline political briefing put it on Wednesday, the ‘Three Kings.’
That trio would be ...
,Ted Kennedy (Robert’s uncle), Al Gore and Kerry.
As Hotline put it: ‘Forget about Oprah and Barbra. Sure, they’re fun to write/talk about. But when it comes to moving votes, and shaping the WH race,’ those three are the only Democrats ‘left out there whose endorsements would matter.’
Hotline’s short summaries of why that’s the case also are worth passing along.
Gore: ‘Four years after his nod marked the beginning of [Howard Dean’s] end, the Emmy/Oscar/Nobel winner is the most popular (non-committed) Dem alive. Endorsing [Barack] Obama or [John] Edwards (but, more likely, Obama) could doom HRC in [Iowa] and re-confirm Gore as a player on the political stage. While he’s wary of wading into murky Dem waters, it could be the best way to remain relevant post-’08.’
Kennedy: ‘Influential among both nat’l and [New Hampshire] Dems, his ’00 endorsement of Gore was key to helping him put away Bill Bradley in NH and seal the Dem nom. One hurdle: Ties to [Joe] Biden and [Chris] Dodd.’
Kerry: ‘He kept touch with his base of ’04 donors/activists with hopes to have a voice in ’08. Look for him to speak up shortly.’
Hotline’s wrap-up: ‘They don’t have talk shows, book clubs or Broadway appeal. But together they could determine who the next president will be.’
-- Don Frederick