Monday, January 18, 2010

The Bob Kerrey Kick-back


Bob Kerrey has lived in New York City since he left the Senate in 2001, yet he's still always listed as "former Nebraska Senator".

Alas, for Nebraska.

Because Kerrey continues to make an ass of himself when he is quoted by national publications on issues on which he'd be better off keeping his yap shut.

Quote in point, referring to Republican Massachusetts U.S. Senate candidate Scott Brown, in the New York Times, Kerrey babbled:
"If he’s running against 60 votes and wins, that is not good ... It says that in Massachusetts, they are willing to elect a guy who doesn’t believe in evolution just to keep the Democrats from having 60 votes."
Uh, except that he apparently completely made up the point about evolution. (Oh, and Kerrey is also the guy who failed to provide health insurance for his restaurant and fitness center employees.)

To their credit, the Brown campaign replied:
"Scott Brown believes in evolution but in the case of Bob Kerrey he's willing to make an exception."
Here's the funny thing. This appeared in the Times' web edition on Saturday, for the Sunday edition. But the ""evolution" part quote was removed from the story by Saturday evening (not sure if it appeared in the print edition).

In any case, you can still find the quote in-full in places like the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which reprinted the original.

And frankly, wanna know why Scott Brown, a practical political unknown in the Bluest of Blue states may upset the Dem for "Teddy Kennedy's seat"? It's because of statements like Kerrey's -- just plain political crap that pisses people off.

Or, if you really want to start pointing fingers, look no further than Nebraska's own E. Benjamin Nelson.

Sure the Bay Staters are angry about the Health Care Re-form bill being jammed down their throats.  But what else has really stoked that anger? The WAY it was done. "Cornhusker Kickback" anyone?

When Ben Nelson told everyone that his vote was for sale, the rest of the country was pissed. And that's when the real grass roots shoot up and start making things happen.

If Scott Brown wins tomorrow, you can thank people like Cosmic Bob Kerrey and Ben Nelson for giving people somewhere to focus their anger.

***

Clavin for Senate!

BTW, at a Scott Brown rally over the weekend, they had Doug Flutie, Curt Schilling and...Cliff Clavin!  Yes John Ratzenberger appeared, and gave this line:


"This isn't the Democratic party of our fathers and grandfathers. This is the party of Woodstock hippies. I was at Woodstock — I built the stage. And when everything fell apart, and people were fighting for peanut-butter sandwiches, it was the National Guard who came in and saved the same people who were protesting them.
So when Hillary Clinton a few years ago wanted to build a Woodstock memorial, I said it should be a statue of a National Guardsman feeding a crying hippie."

And you know, its a little known fact that Ratzenberger built the stage at
Woodstock, and modeled it after Mesopotamian architecture...

6 comments:

Uncle Wiggily said...

I'd vote for Cliffie in a heart-beat. Mebbe he could bring Norm on board as his chief-of-staff ... and Coach as his press liaison. I know, I know - Coach is RIP - but he'd still be better than most of what passes for journalism in DC.

Anonymous said...

Didn't Doug Flutie campaign for Hillary Clinton? Glad to see he has opened his eyes.

macdaddy said...

Bob Kerrey! He's still alive? That guy owes me money!

Klev Landsteamer said...

Hopefully he made that stage out of Oak, as that's one of your heavier grains. But as any lumberjack will tell you, it's not the toughest one to cut through...

Brian T. Osborn said...

"And you know, its a little known fact that Ratzenberger built the stage at
Woodstock, and modeled it after Mesopotamian architecture..."

If being a tractor operator at Woodstock allows Razenberger to claim he "built" the stage at Woodstock, then my years in the U.S. Navy in the 70's and '80s should allow me to claim that I, single handedly, won the Cold War!!

Yeah for me!

Street Sweeper said...

Really Brian? It's come to bearing down on the veracity of Cliff Clavin and his work log at a concert?

I guess you'll take your victories where you can get 'em these days, eh?

("Nine out of ten dentists my ASS!")

;-)