Why Ted Kennedy Didn't Endorse Clinton

Washington Post: Hillary Clinton's Comments On LBJ Infuriated Liberal Icon

(Washingtonpost.com)  This story was written by Mary Ann Akers in washingtonpost.com's blog .

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There's more to Sen. Edward Kennedy's endorsement of Barack Obama than meets the eye. Apparently, part of the reason why the liberal lion from Massachusetts embraced Obama was because of a perceived slight at the Kennedy family's civil rights legacy by the other Democratic presidential primary frontrunner, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.).

Sources say Kennedy was privately furious at Clinton for her praise of President Lyndon Baines Johnson for getting the 1964 Civil Rights Act accomplished. Jealously guarding the legacy of the Kennedy family dynasty, Senator Kennedy felt Clinton's LBJ comments were an implicit slight of his brother, President John F. Kennedy, who first proposed the landmark civil rights initiative in a famous televised civil rights address in June 1963.

One anonymous source described Kennedy as having a "meltdown" in reaction to Clinton's comments. Another source close to the Kennedy family says Senator Kennedy was upset about two instances that occurred on a single day of campaigning in New Hampshire on Jan. 7, a day before the state's primary.

The first was at an event in Dover, N.H., at which Clinton supporter Francine Torge introduced the former first lady saying, "Some people compare one of the other candidates to John F. Kennedy. But he was assassinated. And Lyndon Baines Johnson was the one who actually" signed the civil rights bill into law.

The Kennedy insider says Senator Kennedy was deeply offended that Clinton remained silent and "sat passively by" rather than correcting the record on his slain brother's civil rights record.

Kennedy was also apparently upset that Clinton said on the same day: "Dr. [Martin Luther] King's dream began to be realized when President Johnson passed the Civil Rights Ac. It took a president to get it done."

Both comments that day, by Clinton and her supporter, were meant to make the point that Clinton would be better equipped to get things done as president than Obama, her chief Democratic rival. Sources say Clinton called Kennedy to apologize for the LBJ comments. But whatever she said clearly wasn't enough to assuage Kennedy, who endorsed Obama earlier this week.

Kennedy insiders say the Massachusetts senator has also been angry with former President Bill Clinton for his "Southern strategy" themed comments on the campaign trail. The senator didn't hide his disdain for the nasty tone of the campaign during his endorsement speech at American University on Monday.

Kennedy's spokeswoman, Melissa Wagoner, would neither confirm nor deny that the senator was angered by Senator Clinton's LBJ comments. She simply said: "Senator Kennedy knows that candidates can't always be responsible for the things their supporters say. He's proud of President Kennedy's role in the civil rights movement, and believes that it's time to unify and inspire Americans to believe we can achieve great things again."

The Clinton campaign hasn't responded yet to our evening-time request for comment on Clinton's telephone apology to Kennedy. On the day of the LBJ rhetoric, however, a Clinton campaign spokesman was quoted on the New York Times' politics blog distancing Clinton from the surrogate who made the inappropriate assassination comment.

[owlafaye]

Amazing how Democrat bashers cannot spell or string together a sentence that can be understood.

[owlafaye]

Amazing how Democrat bashers cannot spell or string together a sentence that can be understood.

[owlafaye]

Amazing how Democrat bashers cannot spell or string together a sentence that can be understood.

[knyghtwolf]

PLEASE!!!!! NO MORE CHRISTIAN ANYTHING, REAL CHRISTIANS ARE BEING LUMPED IN WITH THOSE THAT ARE NOTHING MORE THAN LIPSERVICE TO THE SPIRIT. THE FAKES ARE KILLING NATURE, WHOLE CULTURES, AND STARTING WARS BASED ON LIES SUCH AS THE ONE WE ARE CURRENTLY ENGAGED IN. SHEMP CHRISTIANS ARE NOT WORTH IT!!!!!!

[fuzzybear9]

Hello Fellow Citizens

What we need to do for Working Class Americans, and this includes about 90% of America, is establish a party for the Working Class with no fridge elements,
we need the Working Class Republican Christians of Iowa to Work with the Working Class Democrats of Illinois, and we need all the other people the Salmon
Fisherman of Alaska and the Pineapple pickers of Hawaii we need to just sit down and create our own party. We need to pick candidates that are for all of Us, and our main interest is preserving the rights of the Majority Of Americans. and not the Minorities.

Now this can be difficult John Edwards was kinda on the right track, except we need to include good Small
Buisness Owners whos corporate Headquarters are located in the United States and not offshore in
the Cannary Islands, we need Doctors, Farmers, Auto Mechanics, Nurses, School Teachers, Fishermen,
Truck Drivers, Crossing Gaurds, Store Keepers,
we need everyone that works for a living.

we need to seperate ourselves and party platform away from the
Elietist Party of Washington D.C. so we need candidates that are not part of the status quo of Washington.
we need to battle against the Elietist Party of Washington D.C. which includes Ted and John McCain, Fuzzy are their any good Congressmen and Women ? yes I`m sure their are but they are few and far between and their influence is stiffled by the Elietist.

Sincerely Fuzzy Bear

[akona2]

ARE WE READY FOR THE FIRST MUSLIM PRESIDENT?

the real reason why barack HUSSEIN obama did not vote for war against SADDAM is %u2026.

he CAN NOT go against his MUSLIM BROTHER!

once A MUSLIM always A MUSLIM!!!!!!!!!

DO NOT FORGET 911!

[klingon69]

Ted..as the saying goes.."you fool some people sometimes BUT you cannot fool all the people all the time" ..do you remember who said that?
Posted by libsluvsuvs at 11:58 AM : Jan 31, 2008
I believe it was W.C. Fields, may have been one of the rockefellars, or morgans...etc
The actual saying is:
"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time."

[katg21]

So now there is a Clinton cult? And here I thought cults are a rage among Republicans who encourage and promote ignorance and thought conformity and use deception and obfuscation as political methods.
Posted by jon2012

You, like so many other dems, are dillusional. Not realizing it, you have described the democratic party to a tee.

[katg21]

Anyone else notice how thin skinned these politicians are? Man, they get so offended by the dumbest things. Kennedy is a big baby.

[hofkurz]

I don''''t think you have to be anything, a First Lady for that matter, to come up with a health care plan. That she did so at the time seems to me a recommendation, not a badge of dishonor.

Not really. That she was ineffectual then in getting something passed is just an indication of how ineffectual she will be now. And how many changes did she make at WalMart while she was on the board? She is full of hot air. I see no accomplishments. And let''s not even talk about a woman leader dealing with the Middle East.

[tomanyt]

Who care who Ted Kennedy is endorsing. The Kennedys are irrelevant.

[demwatcher]

Well, the drunkard had to pick between two evils, so what''s he to do?

Answer: Knock back another belt of whiskey, sputter unintelligably for fifteen minutes, wet himself (thank goodness for Depends), and then flip a coin.

[jon2012-2009]

It''''s bad enough that when we elected Bill, Hillary came out with a National Health care plan. Funny, I didn''''t remember her being elected to anything.Posted by Blackbug99 at 08:51 PM : Jan 31, 2008

I don''t think you have to be anything, a First Lady for that matter, to come up with a health care plan. That she did so at the time seems to me a recommendation, not a badge of dishonor. And besides, didn''t the Republicans make sure it died before it could get off the ground so what was the damage?

[hook1950]

Kennedy may have saved his party, because Hillary the war pig cannot win a general election. If Gore follows suit, it''s all over.

[jon2012-2009]

Hillary''''s qualifications for president:

1. She was married to a sitting president.

2. She got elected Senator because she is married to a former president.

Posted by formrusmcsgt at 09:18 PM : Jan 31, 2008

As for #2, did you or someone conduct any polling as to the reasons they had voted for Hillary Clinton when she won her first Senate seat? Or are people just going to take your word because you''r a nice guy?

[jon2012-2009]

Why didn''''t he endorse BillHill? BECAUSE HE''''S HALF A$$ED INTELLIGENT. Which is more than I can say for the Clinton Cult members.
Posted by roadking041 at 06:25 AM : Feb 01, 2008

So now there is a Clinton cult? And here I thought cults are a rage among Republicans who encourage and promote ignorance and thought conformity and use deception and obfuscation as political methods.

[jon2012-2009]

Not that I support Mrs. Clinton, but I would not want Ted Kennedy''''s support or endorsement.
Posted by jamesplunk at 10:20 PM : Jan 31, 2008

I can see Ted''s support as appropriate. If Kerry and Ted were to endorse Hillary, it would give Obama a reason to complain the Democratic establishment is biased against him. The endorsements are of no significant value in terms of swaying votes but highly symbolic.

[jon2012-2009]

if you actually look at Obama''''s political experience (or lack of as Bill Clinton likes to point out), Obama has more experience (State & Federal) than Billary Clinton (unless you count her being married to Willy as experience)!!! ...in that case Jennifer Flowers probably has more experience than Obama!!!
:-)
Posted by mrvolleyba11 at 11:20 PM : Jan 31, 2008

Typical Republican trash. No ideas, facts, nothing.

[cfin5]

Aside from all of what Senator Kennedy and the Clinton''s stand for. I think John F. Kennedy was a great President because he was an "American First". LBJ simply road on his coattails to TRY to be popular. I regard LBJ with plenty of disdane,......he was no Jack Kennedy for sure.

[mrvolleyba11]

if you actually look at Obama''s political experience (or lack of as Bill Clinton likes to point out), Obama has more experience (State & Federal) than Billary Clinton (unless you count her being married to Willy as experience)!!! ...in that case Jennifer Flowers probably has more experience than Obama!!!
:-)