I missed posting this story out on Thursday about the struggle the District of Columbia had setting up its primary before New Hampshire and Iowa: ["DC takes center stage"].
Speaking of the Boston Phoenix, once again, they trump the Boston Globe on a story and the Globe gets the better play. First, on Oct. 17, reporter David Bernstein posts a story about John Edwards running up against the federal primary spending limits in N.H.: ["The money game"]. Then, five days later, on Oct. 23, "Clueless" Brian Mooney basically re-writes the story ["Early ads haven't helped Edwards"] and gets national play with it when it is posted on ABC News' The Note political Web site.
This is similar to what happened during the Catholic church priest molestation scandals. Kristin Lombardi actually broke numerous stories in the Phoenix about the victims and the molestation a full year before the Globe - which listened to Cardinal Bernard Law deny the crimes over and over again instead of taking the victims seriously - even started to investigate. Who gets the credit for breaking the stories? The Globe's Spotlight Team - which won a Pulitzer Prize for reporting about the scandal - now in book form. No respect ... no respect at all for the scrappy news team over at Stephen Mindich's weekly.
Sometimes, you have to wonder about these candidates and their consultants: ["Some Democratic Hopefuls Question Value of Debates"]. Listen to John Kerry:
"I think the crowded field allows the most shrill, conflict-oriented, confrontational voices to be heard," Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts said Thursday in Iowa, "and not necessarily the person who might make the best candidate or the best president." "They're very superficial," he added.
Superficial? Your fellow candidates or the debates? Well, jeez John, that is what a campaign is all about. This isn't England. There won't be a coronation. You have to earn it.
Frankly, I think these candidates should be happy they only have to attend a handful of these debates. In the past, candidates would have to participate in debates every day, many of which were very small, lightly attended events in the deep woods or sparsely populated plains of New Hampshire or Iowa. Now, they basically put some pancake makeup on, spit out their soundbites, and then go back to shaking hands and pocketing $2,000 checks! Oh, the agony of it all.
And then there is this idiot Donna Brazille who doesn't want voters to have a contest at all and instead, wants the coronation to happen faster:
Donna Brazile, the head of Al Gore's campaign in 2000 who is herself African-American, said the party needed to start coalescing around a front-runner sooner rather than later — and that should trump any other considerations.
"It's time for the rubber to hit the road," Ms. Brazile said. "It's time for some of the candidates to stay home."
Who made her boss? Shut up already Donna. You don't run the show. This, from the woman who is chairman of the Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Institute - a group that is supposed to be promoting choices and participation. As well, she is black, and she is basically saying the two black candidates need to go home. How pathetic is that?
