Boston.com

The Boston Globe/ The New York Times
Unlike some peers, Kerry not endorsing Lieberman in primary

By Rick Klein, Globe Staff | July 6, 2006

WASHINGTON — Senator John F. Kerry announced yesterday that he will support whoever wins next month’s Democratic Senate primary in Connecticut, despite the decision by incumbent Senator Joseph I. Lieberman to run as an independent candidate if he loses the primary.

The announcement was made a day after a similar declaration by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, who, like Kerry, is considering a presidential run in 2008.

But unlike Clinton, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee — all of whom pledged to support Lieberman in the primary — Kerry is declining to choose between Lieberman and his Democratic challenger Ned Lamont, said Amy Brundage , a spokesman for Kerry’s political operation.

Brundage said the Massachusetts Democrat generally does not get involved in primaries, though Kerry has made exceptions in the past for candidates he favors. Earlier this year, he helped raise money for three Iraq war veterans who were involved in contested Democratic primaries for House seats.

Last month, Kerry endorsed Jim Webb in a race against another Democrat, Harris Miller, for the nomination for a Senate seat for Virginia. Kerry raised $32,000 for Webb via e-mailed fund-raising appeals, recorded a message for automatic calls to likely primary voters, and appeared at a Webb rally the night before the primary.

Brundage said that this year, Kerry is endorsing only candidates in contested primaries who are veterans.

“Since Kerry has made his personal mission for 2006 electing veterans to the House and Senate, he’s likewise only taken sides in Democratic primaries to back candidates who are veterans,” she said. “Connecticut will choose the Democratic Senate nominee, and John Kerry will support him.”

Lieberman has said he would remain a Democrat even if he runs as an unaffiliated candidate. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee officials are supporting Lieberman in the primary but have refused to say who m the committee would support if Lamont wins the Democratic nomination.
Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company

Zenseeker 114, while driving my granddaughter aged 10 to school in a conservative Florida county that went for Bush both times, she offhandedly mentioned that ‘everybody at my school hates Bush’. When I asked if it was teachers or kids, she said both. I found that strangely heartening.

My personal favorite and the point in my life that I can definitavely trace my interst in politics back is this one…

http://getintheirface.blogspot…..-1987.html

Perhaps someone should play it for Bush the next time he adds a “Signing Statement”.

Anyways, back to the meaning of July 4th for my kids.

I was watching all the fireworks outside with my kids, and my 8 year old daughter asked me to explain what was Independence day all about. I gave her the story about colonial settlers under British rule and how we united with help to fight off the Brits and finally won our independence for the right to self rule. And when I told her that this is when our founding fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence, and she asked me what was that? I did not remember most of the words, but incredibly my wife did and we utter some of those magic words together. I told her that when I was a kid and read those words, I thought that they were the most beautifully written words I had ever read. And I told her that the meaning and values of that document was why I love America so much; this was the country that taught me what it meant to be equal and fair, good and just. But I also told her that half of it is no longer true, and my son, a typical Nintendo kid, interjected: “You mean, like Bush.” I did not even have to reply or convince him, somehow he already knew. In a way I should be glad that even my kids can see what is going on, but somehow I actually felt sad. Sad because they don’t know the full weight and tremendous implications of those words written so long ago. Sad because they don’t realize the power of words and the actions they can generate; and those specific words were so powerful that countless men have willingly died through the eons in their fleeting attempt to manifest and live out those words and its ideals. And sad because I grew up in a world full of idealistic ideas and enthusiasm, teaching us to not only help and improve ourselves, but all of humanity and mankind as well. Reaching the moon and back was just a small sampling of things to come. I am what I am is because of these words and it makes me sad to realize that my kids will not have these words and the absolute belief and trust in those very words (inscribed by our founding fathers) to guide and instill in them a sense of justice and equality. They know the world is not fair and they will never expect it to be fair. I have always hoped the world will be so, but I can no longer say this with a straight face to my kids that the world will be this way when they grow up or if it will ever even get any closer to those ideals; just like the moon is no longer feasible to travel to anymore, there is easy money to be made elsewhere subjugating the people of this planet.

I really do hope Lamont beats Joe in the primary

Wish I were registered in Conneticut

In my last message to her SF office I suggested my good Senator read the comments on the DSCC site and am now moving on to Hillary in the hope she’ll rescue her old friend with a pithy word or two.

My take is she won’t say anything until after the debate tomorrow.

Sen. Boxer at least made an appearance at YKos, albeit not wildly received, she at least had the courage and wit to show up.

The netroots are very bewildering to our professional political class with pitifully few exceptions and my hope is her brilliant ghost writer will weigh in with some unvarnished truth.

One last speculation – Boxer is probably much more sympathetic to Mrs. Lieberman than pathetic ole egotistical Joe Nomomentum.