Kerry declines. What a surprise.
Posted by lizdavies on January 25th, 2007
Well, that’s one less person I have to worry about. John Kerry announced today that he will not run again for the US Presidency, causing all the Democrats to breathe huge (but inaudible, for fear of offending a respected party member) sighs of relief. I have nothing against John Kerry personally. I’m sure he’s a lovely person (and, being a high-profile American politician, I’m sure I’d still go weak-kneed at the thought of meeting him). I’m sure he would have made a far better President than some I could name.
But he would never have won. Why John Edwards failed to be top of the ticket last time round beats me, because as Vice-President he would have vastly outshone his boss. Kerry has the intelligence and the gravitas to be POTUS. Just no personality.
It’s true – he has none of the charisma and obvious brains of Bill Clinton, or the folksy charm (if you like that sort of thing) of George W. Bush. Last time around Democrats were desperately grasping at straws to try and defeat Bush, and chose one of the worst candidates they could have done. Not only was Kerry slammed for his hopeless flip-flopping, but he appears to have an uncontrollable tendency to embarrass himself in public. This time around there is no such desperation.
And, while it may require Ted Kennedy to take on the unpalatable task of actually thinking about who he wants to support for the nomination, it also saves Democrats from the awkward situation of having to weigh up their loyalty to Senator Kerry and deciding what it’s worth. And, of course, it saves Kerry himself and the Democratic Party from at least a year’s worth of embarrassment. So, really, everybody wins!
Meanwhile, in other news – somebody else no-one has ever heard of declares their candidacy for the Presidency! Somebody tell me – do enough people actually vote in party primaries to make this number of candidates worthwhile?
The Carcass of Kerry [Democracy in America]
America Safe From Kerry Menace…For Now! [Wonkette]
Capitalizing on Kerry’s Exit [The Fix]
Filed under: election2008, uspolitics on January 25th, 2007
i myself can’t think of any real reasons why i would choose kerry over bush in 2004. Sure, he was a brave patriotic war veteran blah blah blah but that’s about it. For all his obvious…um….lack of intelligence, bush had just got 4-year worth of experience in the white house, which i believe is certainly more valuable than most people think.
I’ve never heard of this guy, but if he wants to “lead that policy of peace through strength” and build a wall along a 1,951-mile border, how could anyone resist? It’s strange how many Republican no-hopers are declaring, but I suppose there’s no obvious candidate when McCain is self-destructing (see him sleeping at the State of the Union http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkkTFVIxMQs) and Giuliani is very liberal for the GOP.
It annoys me that I can’t reply to specific comments on here. Oh well.
Anyway, it occurs to me that in my traditional fashion I’ve probably been far too hard on Kerry. I honestly don’t hate him all that much. I supported him in 2004…but more because I support the Democrats than because I actually felt any strong compulsion to elect John Kerry.
I think all these no-hopers running is providing an interesting kind of American political education. Every time someone else declares we realise we don’t know anything about half of the House, and it does provide interesting debate on what the job of a Congressman actually entails versus that of a Senator or Governor.
Plus, the focus has been on McCain etc. for about the past year. I’m kind of bored of him now.
(Giuliani is going to be the first candidate I focus on properly, but people keep pre-empting me… It’s coming)