# Does anybody care who Ted Kennedy endorses for President? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 28, 2008, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-care-who-ted-kennedy-endorses-for-president/435379 "2008-01-28T23:17:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-care-who-ted-kennedy-endorses-for-president/435379/21 "2008-01-29T16:23:10Z")
Ted Kennedy? Pshaw…it’s Caroline Kennedy’s endorsement that seals the deal! I mean…her father was JFK! That means… I mean, she’s… Her political experience and history shows… What exactly? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-care-who-ted-kennedy-endorses-for-president/435379/22 "2008-01-29T16:36:29Z")
[QUOTE=saoirse] Apparently not. NOW-NY had a screaming fit about it. Several pundits actually contacted them before commenting, because they thought it might be a right-wing hoax. [/QUOTE] Yeah, well, I guess I should have said _I like Obama and I don’t hate Ted Kennedy, but this endorsement is bulletin board material for the opposing locker room **as well as an opening for some of the left’s most accurate foot-shooters** ; maybe that’s why he’s getting it over with early._😃 ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-care-who-ted-kennedy-endorses-for-president/435379/23 "2008-01-29T16:38:00Z")
I think the real importance is that Ted has a huge fundraising machine, and now it will be used for Obama’s benefit. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-care-who-ted-kennedy-endorses-for-president/435379/24 "2008-01-29T16:41:12Z")
If it does nothing more than put the Massachusetts primary in play, it’s a boost for Obama. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-care-who-ted-kennedy-endorses-for-president/435379/25 "2008-01-29T16:42:28Z")
One of the things I am proudest of is joining the Democratic Party in 1980 so I could vote for Ted Kennedy in the 1980 Michigan Democratic Caucus. Ted Kennedy has served the public better than perhaps any Senator currently, or indeed ever, in office. Ted’s endorsement will give Obama some gravitas and legitimacy among those that thought of him as a lightweight. Kennedy is very popular with liberals, with older Democrats, with union members, and with Hispanics. In a country where many families still have portraits of JFK on their walls, this is a big deal. This endorsement and Kennedy’s campaign work will reap huge benefits for Obama. It also sends a message to other superdelegates that it is okay not to back the establishment candidate, it’s okay to follow the dream. Clinton is not universally liked among established Democrats, many of them are going to take the cue and jump off the Clinton bandwagon now. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-care-who-ted-kennedy-endorses-for-president/435379/26 "2008-01-29T16:43:58Z")
I don’t care if he picks either of the two obvious choices as that’s expected. I’d be a lot more interested if he picked someone out of the blue, like say Andy Griffith. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-care-who-ted-kennedy-endorses-for-president/435379/27 "2008-01-29T16:48:34Z")
[QUOTE=An Arky] I like Obama and I don’t hate Ted Kennedy, but this endorsement is bulletin board material for the opposing locker room; maybe that’s why he’s getting it over with early. [/QUOTE] Um… The opposition was actively courting his endorsement. Or did you mean conservatives? Teddy will be shilling for the eventual nominee no matter what, and the guys who really despise Teddy aren’t going to vote for a Democrat. This can only help Obama. How much is anyone’s guess, but it certainly will have some positive value for his campaign. Laugh all you want, but Kennedy still has some sway with certain elements of the party: working families, unions, and (for some reason) Latinos. The demographics Obama’s weakest with, and could use all the help he can get. It isn’t so much that individual voters will say be impressed by Teddy’s approval (though some of that will happen), but that political and community leaders will, and \*they \*will then turn their resources to turning out the vote for Obama. Also, any big political name (and they don’t come much bigger than Ted Kennedy for the Democrats) shows a swing in momentum towards Obama. That gets headlines. That gets donors and volunteers. Plus, in the still unlikely but increasingly more plausible event of a brokered election, I’d rather have a guy like Ted Kennedy with me than against me. He won’t just be in the smoke-filled room, he’ll be dominating it. Finally, and most importantly, Teddy’s popularity, his power, his resources, all centered in Massachusetts. Which is in play. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-care-who-ted-kennedy-endorses-for-president/435379/28 "2008-01-29T17:19:32Z")
[QUOTE=Menocchio] Laugh all you want, but Kennedy still has some sway with certain elements of the party: working families, unions, and (for some reason) Latinos. [/QUOTE] The Latino connection is from [Bobby Kennedy’s work with Cesar Chavez.](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/rfk/peopleevents/p_chavez.html) > [@](#): > > Getting to know Chavez and learning about his commitment to nonviolent protest strengthened Kennedy’s resolve to fight for the farmworkers. “He said that we had the right to form a union and that he… not only endorsed us but joined us,” remembers Chavez’s chief lieutenant, Dolores Huerta. “I was amazed at how quickly he grasped the whole picture.” Though his time would be limited, Kennedy’s high public profile helped shine a spotlight on the farmworkers’ cause, and his attitude boosted the morale of strikers. “Robert didn’t come to us and tell us what was good for us,” Huerta said later. “He came to us and asked us two questions: ‘What do you want? And how can I help?’ That’s why we loved him.” ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-care-who-ted-kennedy-endorses-for-president/435379/29 "2008-01-29T17:33:06Z")
[QUOTE=Diceman] Still, it’s surprising that he didn’t endorse Hillary, and lots of people thinks his endorsement of Obama was a big ol’ slap in the face for the Clintons. [/QUOTE] That’s actually my thought as well. I’d guess it’s more of a pragmatic/calculated move than anything personal. The Kenndey family legacy as face of the democratic party has faded and faded into there really isn’t much left, and the influence has waned. And with 8 more years and 16 total, the Clinton clan and friends would become the new leagacy of the Dems, and the Kennedys’ influence would become totally irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-care-who-ted-kennedy-endorses-for-president/435379/30 "2008-01-29T17:55:04Z")
[QUOTE=wolfman] That’s actually my thought as well. I’d guess it’s more of a pragmatic/calculated move than anything personal. The Kenndey family legacy as face of the democratic party has faded and faded into there really isn’t much left, and the influence has waned. And with 8 more years and 16 total, the Clinton clan and friends would become the new leagacy of the Dems, and the Kennedys’ influence would become totally irrelevant. [/QUOTE] Oh I can’t agree with this assessment at all, if for no other reason than the sheer volume of Kennedys vs the number of Clintons. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-care-who-ted-kennedy-endorses-for-president/435379/31 "2008-01-29T18:17:51Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] Another request for “explain this, please.” Why would his getting endorsed by Ted Kennedy cause you to vote _against_ him? [/QUOTE] Ignorance essentially. Some people seem to misunderstand the statement made in the OP. It says that “Ted Kennedy is supporting Obama”. They seem to think that it reads “Obama supporting Kennedy”. Politically, this probably means more behind the scenes in the Kennedy camps’ ability to finance and mobilize for the campaign and later in gathering votes for policy. In the end I think the more unified the Democratic party is, even if compromises have to be made, the better from November. ---
**Author:** ![Engineer\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9fc29f/32.png) [@Engineer\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Engineer_Dude)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-care-who-ted-kennedy-endorses-for-president/435379/32 "2008-01-29T18:50:02Z")
[QUOTE=An Arky] I like Obama and I don’t hate Ted Kennedy, but this endorsement is bulletin board material for the opposing locker room; maybe that’s why he’s getting it over with early. [/QUOTE] I agree. By election day, it’ll all be water under the bridge. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-care-who-ted-kennedy-endorses-for-president/435379/33 "2008-01-29T20:27:15Z")
[QUOTE=saoirse] Apparently not. NOW-NY had a screaming fit about it. Several pundits actually contacted them before commenting, because they thought it might be a right-wing hoax. [/QUOTE] From the press release [http://www.nownys.org/pr\_2008/pr\_011108.html](http://www.nownys.org/pr_2008/pr_011108.html) > [@](#): > > Psychological Gang Bang of Hillary is Proof We Need a Woman President > > \ > > In short, gang raping of women is commonplace in our culture both physically and metaphorically. > > This past week, we witnessed just such a phenomenon involving men who are afraid of a powerful woman. > > \ > > Think about the legacy we’ll leave behind when we support Hillary Clinton for President of the United States. Let’s put a stop to the psychological “gang banging” of women and girls. So to answer the OP, NOW-NY cares. A lot. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-care-who-ted-kennedy-endorses-for-president/435379/34 "2008-01-29T20:30:51Z")
In response, another [arm of the Kennedy clan](http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-kennedy29jan29,0,1618955.story) has spoken out to say they support Clinton. ---
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-care-who-ted-kennedy-endorses-for-president/435379/35 "2008-01-29T22:10:44Z")
> [@NOW](#): > > Psychological Gang Bang of Hillary You have _got_ to be kidding me. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-care-who-ted-kennedy-endorses-for-president/435379/36 "2008-01-29T22:26:29Z")
[QUOTE=athelas] You have _got_ to be kidding me. [/QUOTE] The national chapter of NOW has already pretty much disavowed them, saying that while they still endorse Clinton, they respect Kennedy’s choice to endorse someone else. I hate to say it, but the sense of entitlement among some supporters of Clinton is getting quite ugly. Just as there are reasons to oppose Obama besides racism, there are reasons to oppose Clinton besides sexism. I’ve heard several people basically accuse Obama’s supporters of rank misogyny and all but admit that they support Clinton based only on her gender. That’s not helpful to anyone, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-care-who-ted-kennedy-endorses-for-president/435379/37 "2008-01-29T22:46:39Z")
[QUOTE=Omniscient] Ignorance essentially. Some people seem to misunderstand the statement made in the OP. It says that “Ted Kennedy is supporting Obama”. They seem to think that it reads “Obama supporting Kennedy”. [/QUOTE] Right, must be ignorance. If Kennedy supports someone, this means (to me) that the someone in question is potentially closer to his political or personal views than some other someone might be (either that or he’s just trying to latch on to someone popular in an effort to bolster his own career), so if Obama is considered the closest to a Kennedy Democrat by a Kennedy, then there is a good possibility that Obama is not the candidate for me, since I have little to no respect for the Kennedy’s. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-care-who-ted-kennedy-endorses-for-president/435379/38 "2008-01-29T23:29:00Z")
[QUOTE=Bobotheoptimist] If Kennedy supports someone, this means (to me) that the someone in question is potentially closer to his political or personal views than some other someone might be (either that or he’s just trying to latch on to someone popular in an effort to bolster his own career), so if Obama is considered the closest to a Kennedy Democrat by a Kennedy, then there is a good possibility that Obama is not the candidate for me, since I have little to no respect for the Kennedy’s. [/QUOTE] I think we can all agree that the situation is far more nuanced than this. It’s largely a tactical decision, as most of American politics is these days, and it’s entirely unclear how much or how little Obama’s camp had to do with it. Also the Kennedy group is by no means monolithic and it’s motives are probably pretty complex and in some cases contradictory. One could make a strong case that Kennedy is backing the candidate that he feels has the greatest chance to beat the Republican nominee which to many Democrats is the concern which supercedes all others. Their politics might line up more closely with Clinton (or Edwards for that matter) but if they see him as less likely to win in the general election it’s a moot point. Personally I think Hillary’s baggage makes her unelectable and that reason above all others is why _I_ won’t vote for her. Who’s to say Teddy is any different. To the point, judging a politician by who supports him is a dicey proposition unless that person (or organization) doing so makes his motives explicit. Lacking that you’re better off judging solely based on the candidates platform and agenda. Don’t put words into Obama’s mouth. The Nation of Islam will probably support Obama too, but I’m not ready to presume he shares Farrakhan’s opinions and motives. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-care-who-ted-kennedy-endorses-for-president/435379/39 "2008-01-29T23:31:58Z")
[QUOTE=Bobotheoptimist] If Kennedy supports someone, this means (to me) that the someone in question is potentially closer to his political or personal views than some other someone might be (either that or he’s just trying to latch on to someone popular in an effort to bolster his own career), so if Obama is considered the closest to a Kennedy Democrat by a Kennedy, then there is a good possibility that Obama is not the candidate for me, since I have little to no respect for the Kennedy’s. [/QUOTE] It’s a shame we don’t have, I dunno, some sort of tool, maybe a search engine of some sort to tell us [how he votes](http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/o000167/), so we don’t just make the automatic assumption that he must be just like someone because of that person’s endorsement! That would be keen. > [@Menocchio](#): > > I hate to say it, but the sense of entitlement among some supporters of Clinton is getting quite ugly. Just as there are reasons to oppose Obama besides racism, there are reasons to oppose Clinton besides sexism. I’ve heard several people basically accuse Obama’s supporters of rank misogyny and all but admit that they support Clinton based only on her gender. That’s not helpful to anyone, I think. Sadly, the delegate of the organization for which I work more or less said that we are voting for her because we are primarily a women’s rights organization, and as a woman, she’s more likely to forward our cause. Which I thought was patently sexist. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-care-who-ted-kennedy-endorses-for-president/435379/40 "2008-01-29T23:52:25Z")
[QUOTE=Maureen] It’s a shame we don’t have, I dunno, some sort of tool, maybe a search engine of some sort to tell us [how he votes](http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/o000167/), so we don’t just make the automatic assumption that he must be just like someone because of that person’s endorsement! That would be keen. [/QUOTE] And amazingly useless. From the site - “Barack Obama has voted with a majority of his Democratic colleagues 96.4% of the time during the current Congress.” Wow, valuable information indeed. Certainly sets him apart from Clinton with 97.1%. There’s a full .7% difference! Since they’re nearly identical, maybe things such as apparent sincerity, background, politicians with whom they associate, etc. could be used to differentiate. Honestly, that old drunk alone isn’t going to change my intentions (unless he signs on as a running mate), but it does give pause. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-care-who-ted-kennedy-endorses-for-president/435379.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-care-who-ted-kennedy-endorses-for-president/435379.md?page=3)