Ted Kennedy Dismantles Clinton Talking Points

Posted by Jason Easley on 01.28.2008

Elder statesman refutes arguments for supporting Hillary Clinton.

The elder statesman and liberal conscious of the Democratic Party, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) delivered a dramatic emotional endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination this afternoon. In the process of endorsing Obama, Kennedy went out of his way to repudiate the divisive politics that the Clinton campaign practiced in South Carolina. Kennedy dismissed Clinton's experience argument by saying, "What counts in our leadership is not the length of years in Washington, but the reach of our vision, the strength of our beliefs, and that rare quality of mind and spirit that can call forth the best in our country and our people."

Kennedy also spoke against using the issue of race. "With Barack Obama, we will turn the page on the old politics of misrepresentation and distortion. With Barack Obama, we will close the book on the old politics of race against race, gender against gender, ethnic group against ethnic group, and straight against gay." When Democrats speak about the "old politics" more and more often that is code for the political warfare of the Clinton years, there is a true backlash in the party against the politics of destruction that the Clintons are practicing in this campaign.

During his remarks, Sen. Kennedy rejected the Clintonian idea of incremental change. "So let us reject the counsels of doubt and calculation. Let us remember that when Franklin Roosevelt envisioned Social Security, he didn't decide—no, it was too ambitious, too big a dream, too hard. When John Kennedy thought of going to the moon, he didn't say no, it was too far, maybe we couldn't get there and shouldn't even try. I am convinced we can reach our goals only if we are "not petty when our cause is so great"-- only if we find a way past the stale ideas and stalemate of our times – only if we replace the politics of fear with the politics of hope – and only if we have the courage to choose change."

Kennedy said that Obama is ready to be president on day one. "I know that he's ready to be President on day one. And when he raises his hand on Inauguration Day, at that very moment, we will lift the spirits of our nation and begin to restore America's standing in the world. There was another time, when another young candidate was running for President and challenging America to cross a New Frontier. He faced public criticism from the preceding Democratic President, who was widely respected in the party. Harry Truman said we needed "someone with greater experience"—and added: "May I urge you to be patient." And John Kennedy replied: "The world is changing. The old ways will not do…It is time for a new generation of leadership.""

The Clinton campaign is doing their best to down play this endorsement, but I don't think that its impact can be overstated. One of the interesting subtexts of this story is that there may be no greater face of the Democratic establishment than Ted Kennedy. It is a politically seismic event when someone as engrained in the party as Kennedy is goes against the establishment, and throws his support behind a political outsider.

Kennedy's endorsement will help Obama with key demographics of the Clinton constituency. He still resonates strongly with older Democrats, and blue collar workers. Strategically what is going on here is the Obama campaign is trying to cut down Clinton's base of support to what it was in South Carolina, white women. What we are witnessing is a tooth and nail battle for every single Democratic vote. This is an historic struggle, and one that I don't expect will end any time soon.