John Kerry has endorsed Barack Obama for the Democratic nominatiom/ Why now? What will it mean? Who does it help? by rtbohan
(libertarian)
Thursday, January 10, 2008
USA Today reports that John Kerry will endorse Barack Obama in the South Carolina primary. I will leave it to him to set forth his reasons for the endorse, but I have to question the timing.
If Senator Kerry has been impressed by Senator Obama's ability and platform, why has he not told us before. Semator Kerry is the Senator from a New England state. He has a following in New Hampshire which allowed him to win the 1984 primary election and carry the state in November. His Massachusetts colleague in the Senate endorsed Senator Clinton before the New Hampshire primary. Why did Senator Kerry wait until after that primary to make his prefernce known?
Even more startling is the fact that he chose to announce his endorsement right before the South Carolina primary. This is a state which Kerry essentially wrote off to Edwards in 1984, and one which he failed to carry in November. There is not, in other words, a large phalanx of Kerry fans willing to accept guidance from him in South Carolina.
South Carolina Democrats are not likely to accept advice from a man who is not only a liberal from Massachusetts but a Catholic as well. ( The former chairman of the state Democratic Party, Dick Harpootlian, led a movement agains the Pope's visit to Columbia in the 1980s. He said it would cause too much traffic congestion)
If Obama can expect little help from this belated endorsement, what of the other Democratic candidates? It will certainly fit in with the campaign Edwards is waging here: that he is the local boy and ought to be supported against the outsiders. And Senator Clinton can return to "the Boys' Club is attacking me because they hate women" theme.
I might be wrong about Kerry's purpose. If he actively campaigns for Obama later in the campaign, he might even help. I could also be underestimating the intelligence of the South Carolina Democratic voters.
But I really don't think so.
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