will this really help him? Just keep Kerry off the stump.

Gee, I didn't know Kerry was a sexist misogynist pig!

Thought I'd strike before the hillary devotees started wailing.

...and Obama continues his downward spiral...

wow, this is a surprising development. Great news for Senator Obama, especially for those Feb 5th states. Seems unlikely that Kerry will have much time for public appearances, but he could really shake up Mass. in Obama's favor -- a state presumed to be Clinton's for the taking -- if he campaigns there.

When's the Daniel Inhofe endorsement of Hillary coming?

...I can hear a sigh of relieve from the Hillary camp.

Agreed annon, hopefully people will forget about this endorsement by the time of the nevada caucuses.

Honestly, are so many of the Obama supporters here so twisted and cynical that they can't feel happy about such a great endorsement like this?

A switch of a few votes in every Ohio precinct and we wouldn't even be supporting Hillary or Obama on here now.

He got more votes than any Democrat in history against a well-entrenched incumbent.

It's a great endorsement for Obama. As a Clinton supporter, I'm freakin' jealous.

Y'all never cease to amaze me sometimes. Inexperience maybe ? ;-)

Re: a "bunch of very experienced politicos stepping out ... For Change"

Isn't that at best message dilution and at worst a contradiction in terms? Establishment figures (esp. really, really wooden establishment figures) saying yes to change just says to me that the change isn't going to be such a much.

Seriously.

"A switch of a few votes in every Ohio precinct and we wouldn't even be supporting Hillary or Obama on here now."

Or if all the ones who had voted had actually been counted.

It's a plus to have the sitting governor (Patrick) and now a sitting senator (Kerry) of a February 5th state backing you. Donors (I think Kerry has one of the more coveted lists--something like 3 million folks) is probably the real key here. And the news cycle win. The campaign needs that now.

There is a real battle brewing within the Democratic Party. It will be interesting to see how it breaks out.

Also, whatever we knowledgable folks know about the strained relationship between Edwards and Kerry, I think, at least optically, hurts Edwards.

Oh yeah, he's got another superdelegate. He needs all that he can get.

No matter how badly Kerry did, it's still a great endorsement, especially when you hear some of the reservations about voting for Obama. When black voters in SC are supposed to be scared of voting for Obama because they don't believe whites will back him, the endorsement of an older, established, wealthy white Democrat certainly can't hurt to prove that a vote for Obama is not a wasted vote.

I think this is great news for Senator Obama. Senator Kerry is... ahem, not the most dynamic or effective orator I've ever seen, but I think the earlier comment that he's "toxic" overstates the case by 2,000%.

Kerry's 3 mm list may be important but it will be a betrayal of his donor for him to give out those names. They didn't necessarily support him. They supported a Democratic nominee.

How's he going to pump up Obama? He's going to say experience does not count? He's going to say freshness is more important? Then why does he not just retire to make way for someone else?

Have many hands you got there, Michael?

If Kerry was so hot with the democrats he'd be running this time around.

Most of you are missing the point (besides Keith) that this is another superdelegate. Catching up to Hillary in that regards.

I welcome the Kerry endorsement.

I hate to bring up yesterday's battle, but I keep thinking about that Jesse Jackson Jr. interview and his questioning of Hillary's tears and suggesting that she didn't cry for Katrina victims. I'm now certain this was racial politics and it's about the worst move the Obama camp could make. One thing I like about Obama is that he doesn't have the anger of Jesse Jackson or other blacks-as-victims leaders. But that comment was racial politics at it's worst. I know others have made similar comments, but it just left a bad taste in my mouth. So John Kerry in S.C.? Talk about someone who couldn't connect with African Americans. I suggest it has no impact at all. In fact, it may give him a negative bounce. I think Hillary can win S.C. The images of she and Bill singing in black churches, and Hillary speaking of issues instead of lofty rhetoric may make the difference. It seem to have in New Hampshire.

How do you figure it's Obama supporters that are badmouthing this Colon? Did anyone seriously think Kerry would go Clinton? The Clinton's are DLC.

But in any event you can't blame us for seeing everthing negatively right now, and being a little FIRED UP. The suggestion that it's both racial and gender identity politics that sunk our candidate...that people were LYING on exit polls because of latent racism... gahg....it's disgusting. It's so much more comforting when you can feel like it's THE OTHER GUYS that do this stuff.

Maybe it didn't happen that way. Maybe it was just females feeling sorry for Hillary with everyone dumping on her. I sure hope so, even though that would still be stale old identity politics. We will beat this garbage back into the far-right cesspool where it belongs!

Fired up! Ready to go!

I'll bet by the end of the day, Obama'll distance himself. this is just playing too poorly everywhere.

(or, alternatively, Kerry will be built up as the Great Democratic Elder Statesman, but that'd just take too much work.)

Bluepuppy, then don't. Your post was pathetic, as usual. She did look hot in that jacket during her victory speech though, didn't she. Wow, she is hot.

I am not an Obama fan but why would Kerry want to ruin Obama's career by endorsing Obama?

Some things are best never being said.

Patrick's lack of success and inability to get anything done WILL have a huge impact on the Mass vote, including Dem's. I live here, and there are many people who are already questioning voting for the inexperienced exciting guy.

Sounds like Massachusetts already took a chance on this great experiment, and it failed.

Feingold and Gore would be the big prizes, IMO. Obviously they are not going to endorse DLC Clinton, there is no way. But there's a good chance they won't endorse at all. Especially Gore.

@Michael A.
the obama campaign is, as far as I can tell, among other things, no more politics as usual. Get the people motivated to take back their country. Get rid of lobbyists and special interest influence in washington.

I have a hunch - if Obama wins the nomination and the presidency, it will very much be politics as usual. That doesn't mean things won't be VERRRY different from how they are under Bush (and if Clinton is elected things will also be VERRRY different). "Politics as usual" is quite distinct from the "policy status quo." We'll get much different and better (from Bush) policies regardless of which Dem wins the White House (and we will, dammit!). But politics will still be pretty usual. A Dem candidate talking about how they're going to break the grip of special interests, etc., *is* politics as usual. I don't know why people think otherwise. Obama supporters need to understand this, otherwise you're setting yourselves up for a huge disappointment later, even if he wins.

In part this is because of the nature of the institutions. Institutions, including informal ones, are supposed to trump personality in our system, which was the intent of Madison, Hamilton et al many years ago. That's not a bad thing, and it doesn't mean they can't be changed - by no means am I trying to be defeatist here.

To me there is little that is "unusual" about Obama's politics, or the style of his campaign. His style/politics are not identical to Clinton's or Edwards', but they're not something we've not seen before. Of course they are different to some degree, but all candidates are different to some degree.

I don't think the Kerry endorsement will have much of an effect on voters. Its importance lies in its effect on the calculations of other superdelegates, other potential endorsements. These are political elites signaling to political elites about the viability of their chosen endorsee, the future of the party, how donations should be directed, etc. Also, don't discount the desire of powerful non-Clinton Dems to muscle aside the Clintons (and everyone associated with them) from their central place within the Democratic party structure. I'm sure there are a number of powerful Dems sick of the Clintons holding center stage, who want to see them dethroned, for reasons that have nothing to do with policy or vision and everything to do with their own prestige and power. They *are* politicians, after all!

Way to go! The establishment Democratic Party lines up behind Obama, and Obama campaign plays the race card, (Michel Eric Dyson on yesterday's hardball). They are playing there cards perfectly! What genius thought this up?

Go Hillary.

Bye Bye Hillary.???

We've heard this song before. Maybe you can move out of this country like some republicans when Madam President is inaugurated. Bye-bye, no name guy/gal!

Kennedy needs a backbone? I wonder what that was in reference to...

Wouldn't Kennedy be to the left of Obama?

I don't subscribe to conspiracy theories, and I'm not a big fan of the latter day Bob Woodward, but I do believe his claim that Carville tipped off Matalin re plans to contest the '04 Ohio vote. (And Matalin then told a friend, Rove, who told a friend Blackwell, and so on, and so on.) Carville was ensuring the '08 place be held for Hillary. One of the many reasons I feel so disenchanted with the Clinton camp.
Her failure to admit that her vote endorsing Bush's Iraq plans and her support of Kyle- Lieberman further demonstrates that desire for power weighs heavier than a desire to act in the best interest of the country.
This endorsement is a much deserved poke in the eye.

Hm, I am with Michael (plain Michael, not Michael A) that this is a good thing. Not a great thing, but a good thing. I have a hard time believing that anyone is going to vote against Sen Obama because Sen Kerry endorsed him. Has anyone here ever voted against a candidate in whole or in part because he received (among many others) one endorsement about which you were less than entheused? I know that I never have, and I never remember anyone I know claiming to have done as much. It may not help much, but it does not hurt either, and it is one more superdelegate in our column. Good news, that.

The important endorsements for my money are:

Sherrod Brown
Claire McCaskill (esp. imp for Obama)
Jon Tester
Jim Webb.

Those are bellweather people given their recent contact with the electorate. I know McCaskill wants to endorse Obama, and she would break Clinton track record with women in the Senate. Amy Klobuchar also would be good. I know these women probably are a little peeved that someone who'd never been elected to anything before becoming a U.S. Senator might become representative of women in politics. Also, it's doubtful Sen. Boxer endorses anyone other than Obama. Those other ones are just "boys playing with boys."

Kerry can't hurt but have the same problem with him I have with Edwards. The election was there to be one and he failed to respond in the debates. In kerry's case he was asked in the town hall debate about his votes on Iraq and instead of explaining that he voted for an appropriation that was paid for by cuts in spending and against one that simply passed on the costs he gave a long rambling explanation that left only the sound of cricket's chirping when he was done.

Edwards let Chaney slander him about not appearing in the Senate and never meeting him until the Vice Presidential debate when Cheney had sworn him in and they had sat at the same table at a Senate luncheon.

Old history but it took me about a year to get over 2004.

I think the Democrats have three strong candidates and any of them will win. i just want them to play nice and tell their surrogates to do the same. I am as tired of Bill Clinton' snide remarks about Obama and his experience as I am of jesse Jackson Jr.'s questioning Clinton's tear.

How this plays all just depends. As a former Kerry supporter and a current Obama supporter, the endorsement doesn't go down well with me. I like John Edwards too, and whatever may have come between Edwards and Kerry, it would seem that Kerry could have been more silent prior to South Carolina, where Edwards could at least shine somewhat. It certainly is possible to send a big email list to someone without the world knowing about it. What does the endorsement really say? Smash Clinton, prop Obama, and squash Edwards. It seems to me it generates, at this point, m