Gary Hart to endorse someone "in the next 48 hours"

[Renew Deal]

<snip>
Gary Hart, a Democrat from Colorado who also served in the Senate, said he intended to endorse one of the Democratic presidential candidates in the next 48 hours, though he declined to identify the candidate.

“I am a Democrat, and I will endorse a Democratic president,” he said. “There are no independent candidates. I won’t endorse a Republican.”
<snip>

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/us/politics/08bloomberg.html?ref=nyregion

I saw an article from a couple days ago from Gary Hart that was very favorable to Obama. I'm guessing that's who he's endorsing.

[Cha]

1. All this suspense

is killing jme..bit by bit by bit~!

[Renew Deal]

11. Most of the people voting for Obama probably don't know who he is.

[XemaSab]

Why you gotta hate?

:shrug:

[Renew Deal]

16. Not at all

Just having a little fun.

[Cha]

21. Yeah, they're just

silly wabbits.

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. What was the name of that boat?

[lastliberalintexas]

4. Monkey Business

You would think Bill Clinton would have at least learned something, dammit. I so wanted a Hart presidency...


Hart was rather strong on labor issues, so I wonder if that might play a role too. I know nothing of any relationship he has with the candidates, but I would imagine that he agrees with Edwards on more issues than the rest.

[The_Casual_Observer]

9. I couldn't say it, I've already been accused of all manner of shit today.

[jefferson_dem]

3. A huge hint here - - ->

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-hart/obama-and-the-courage-of-_b_79776.html

[Renew Deal]

12. Yup, that was it.

Thanks

[jgraz]

5. Millions of voters wait with bated breath

I hear CNN is running a round-the-clock Gary Hart endorsement watch.

[Skip Intro]

8. rofl

[Renew Deal]

15. lol

[Kucinich4America]

6. Gary Hart will probably get a cabinet position, if this is true (and Obama is the nominee)

Hart could conceivably even be a good running mate for Obama. If detractors try to throw the "youth and inexperience" card in there, Hart would balance that out. Also a western ex-Senator, from the state hosting the convention. If not VP, he would be a great choice to lead up "Homeland Security", which needs to be completely redesigned no matter who the next President is.

[Renew Deal]

19. I doubt that half the people in Colorado know who he is.

He's been out of it for a VERY long time

[Thrill]

7. He's waiting to jump on the bandwagon

tomorrow. It will be hard to find a seat

[ooga booga]

10. I don't give a damn who he endorses.....

I was a Gary Hart supporter in 1984, and I watched him implode. My respect for him evaporated a long time ago. He's a smart, thoughtful guy, but, he was never a "team player" -- always a loner. I don't expect him to campaign for his candidate, and I don't think he has any real influence left.

For me, his endorsement is utterly and completely worthless.

[Hart2008]

25. How was Hart "never a team player"? Support your statement. n/t

[ooga booga]

34. He was a loner in the Senate.

The way the Senate works if you're a lone wolf you are a marginal player. The people who are most effective are out there sponsoring legislation and buttonholing others to gather support. People like Russ Feingold, Carl Levin, Chuck Schumer... Gary Hart was and is a bright guy, but he didn't try to leverage support for his ideas like those other guys.

My memory of 1984 is spotty, but I don't remember anyone from the Senate endorsing him or helping him.

[Hart2008]

35. Being a maverick does not equal not being a “team player”.

Like his hero, Thomas Jefferson, Hart was an introvert. He was never a back slapping politician. That is not say that he was not a team player.

Hart was one of very few Dem senators to vote against all of Reagan's tax cuts.

He had a very high rating with Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) while representing a state that traditionally votes Republican. Hart held on to his Senate seat in 1980 in the face of the Republican tidal wave that took control of the Senate.

True. Hart excelled more at oversight and policy issues in the Senate. (He was the the junior member of the Church Committee that investigated CIA abuses.) He was not, however, without his achievements. Hart cosponsored The Semiconductor Chip Protection Act 1984 with Senator Mathias which was signed into law. The Chip Act created a new category of intellectual property rights for mask works for computer chips that protected silicon valley from cheap foreign imitations. It was probably his greatest legislative achievement in passing legislation. Similar legislation had been proposed in every Congress since 1979, but Hart got it done:
http://books.google.com/books?id=V0LIZlUR_vkC&pg=PT564&lpg=PT564&dq=chip+act+of+1984&source=web&ots=-lmBpCcxz_&sig=V_T0GyKvYa-mbDP5jm_CdHzkWTs#PPT564,M1
It led to Hart being called the leader of the "Atari Democrats".

Hart was a loner? That is another media myth. In 1984 Hart had his name placed into nomination at the convention by senator Chris Dodd. Hart and former Maine Senator Bill Cohen share a bond, perhaps because a CIA supported group bombed the airport to which they were flying in Managua shortly before they arrived on a bipartisan fact finding mission in 1983:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,954049,00.html?promoid=googlep
(As previously stated, it was Bill Cohen, as Secretary of Defense, who secured Hart the Chairman job on the Commission on National Security for the 21st Century over Bill Clinton's objections.) He mentored John Kerry and John McCain in the Senate. He was invited to McCain's last wedding, and remains very close to Kerry. (I have no knowledge of this, but I would not be at all surprised if Hart wasn't the medium for negotiations between Kerry and McCain in 2004.) He continued to work with former Senator Rudman after their commission expired on follow up projects about defending the homeland from terrorist threats. The child of another former Democratic senator was active in organizing for his possible 2004 run. I know he has also worked with former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley after leaving office. The fact that Hart was invited to participate in this event organized by two former senators, Sam Nunn and David Boren, speaks volumes about how highly they regarded him. (Former Georgia Senator Sam Nunn was rumored to top his list for V.P. in '88. They shared an interest in reforming Defense Dept. procurement.)

You are right about one thing: Hart wasn't part of the "Old Boys Club" in the Senate and he wasn't satisfied staying there. Hart never cashed in on his service by becoming a lobbyist, like most senator's who leave the Senate but retain their floor rights. When Hart returns to the capital, it is to put forth policy ideas, e.g., his advice to Senate and House party caucuses about countering Bush and opposing the blank check war authorization, not to lobby for PAC's and corporations.

[JI7]

13. Obama

[goldcanyonaz]

14. Great, I've been losing sleep wondering about this.

[Blue-Jay]

17. I like Gary Hart!

Still... I have to say that his endorsement lacks "zazz".

[MalloyLiberal]

18. Oh wow, I can't wait, not.

[Renew Deal]

20. Now this thread has arrived

:banghead:

[Quixote1818]

22. Yes but who will Donna Rice endorse?

Inquiring minds want to know.

[redqueen]

26. WTF?

Why slime Gary Hart?

Do you go around asking what Monica thinks in threads about Bill Clinton?

Jesus.

[Quixote1818]

30. Sliming Gary Hart?

I was just making a point of how meaningless his endorsement is. It means about as much as a Donna Rice endorsement would.

[redqueen]

32. You didn't make your point very effectively.

Next time perhaps you might consider steering clear of drudging up scandals in order to make your point.

As for whether it's meaningless, that's debatable, but thanks for sharing your opinion.

[Hart2008]

33. Hart is the foremost expert on preventing terrorism in the party. He predicted 9-11.

Hart Co-Chaired the Hart-Rudman Commission that predicted the terrorist attacks would kill thousands of U.S.citizens on U.S. soil. He continued to sound the alarm after the Commission disbanded.

But individually, I went around the country, gave speeches and urged people to pay more attention to this. I also urged reporters and journalists to pay more attention. One of the speeches I gave was in Montreal, ironically, to an International Air Transportation Association meeting. And the next morning, the Montreal papers’ headlines were: "Hart Predicts Terrorist Attacks on America."

BUZZFLASH: And when was that?

HART: That was the day I went down to Washington and met with Dr. Rice, whom I had known before. And I said, "Please get going more urgently on the issue of homeland security." And that was September the 6th, 2001 –- five days before the attack.

http://www.buzzflash.com/interviews/03/08/04_hart.html

How bizarre that this warning was published in Canada, but not in the U.S! (Hart was such a threat to the MIC, that the MSM refused to publish his comments for years.)

A large part of the reason that Bush has been able to have his way with things, is that the Dem's haven't put forward anyone with the gravitas to refute him. Hart has the expertise to stand up to anyone on the issue of preventing terrorism and defending the homeland. See how well Hart puts Guiliani in his place here:

An Open Letter to Mayor Giuliani

Dear Mayor Giuliani:

Since you have based your presidential campaign almost exclusively on your reaction to terrorist attacks on New York City, and since you have recently accused Democrats of being on the defense against terrorism and therefore guilty of inviting more casualties, I have one question for you: Where were you on terrorism between January 31, 2001, and September 11th?

The first date was when the U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century issued its final report warning, as did its previous reports, of the danger of terrorist attacks on America. The George W. Bush administration did nothing about these warnings and we lost 3,000 American lives. What did you do during those critical eight months? Where were you? Were you on the defensive, or were you even paying attention?

Before you qualify to criticize Democrats, Mr. Giuliani, you must account for your preparation of your city for these clearly predicted attacks. Tell us, please, what steps you took to make your city safer.

Until you do, then I strongly suggest you should keep your mouth shut about Democrats and terrorism.

You have not qualified to criticize others, let alone be president of the United States.

Gary Hart
(co-chair, U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century)

P.S. You might ask these same questions of George W. Bush while you are trying to find a better reason to run for president.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-hart/an-open-letter-to-mayor-g_b_47140.html

Now imagine a whole campaign of that against Rudy or Romney!

[Hart2008]

29. Donna Rice Hughes is dedicated to protecting children from Internet pornography.

Like Hart Donna Rice Hughes has a commitment to public service:

Donna Rice Hughes, President of Enough Is Enough

Donna Rice Hughes, President of Enough Is Enough (EIE), is an internationally known Internet safety expert and advocate. As a respected leader of national efforts to protect children from sexual predators and Internet pornography, Donna has championed EIE’s mission to make the Internet safer for children and families since the group’s formation in 1994.

http://www.protectkids.com/donnaricehughes/bio.htm

[BluegrassDem]

23. It's safe to say that all Democratic endorsements from here on are for Obama

It doesn't take a nuclear scientist to figure it out. Everyone wants to support a winner.

[redqueen]

27. Reminds me of that line... "you just wanna be on the side that's winning".

Disgusting behavior IMO.

[NoPasaran]

28. I wish I could recommend just this response

[Hart2008]

24. I guarantee that he won't endorse Hillary.

I guarantee that he won't endorse Hillary.

It won't happen.

In '87, when Hart was riding high in all the polls, Bill Clinton wanted to be his V.P. (Clinton had hired Hart's media advisor, Ray Strothers, to lobby Hart for Clinton. Strothers was Carville's mentor.) Clinton flunked his interview. Hart told Strothers, "Clinton doesn't believe in anything." Word got back to the Clinton's, and they then worked against Hart for the remainder of the campaign.

Some people close to Hart even believe that Hillary was the "anonymous informant" who called the Miami Herald.

Despite the fact that Hart, as George McGovern's campaign manager, introduced Bill Clinton to national politics by naming him as regional coordinator for the McGovern campaign in Arkansas and Texas, Bill Clinton is loathe to give Hart credit for anything. However, it was Gary Hart, a world traveler, who called Bill Clinton on the phone and told him he needed to send an envoy to Northern Ireland. Shortly thereafter, Clinton sent George Mitchell, who successfully brokered a deal between the sides.

Hillary now wants to take credit for bringing peace to Northern Ireland.

Hart wrote to Clinton proposing he create the U.S. Commission on National Security for the 21st Century, what is more commonly now known as the Hart-Rudman Commission. Clinton created the commission, but declined to name Hart to the commission. Originally, Clinton had named former Oklahoma Senator David Boren as the Democratic Co-Chairman of the commission. Only after Boren left the post, did Hart get named his replacement, and only by the insistence Defense Secretary Cohen.

Hart has an extensive resume on terrorism and foreign policy, which those who lack would need.
:popcorn:

[book_worm]

31. My instinct tells me Hart will endorse Obama.

[rinsd]

36. Hart sees the Obama ship in trouble and is looking to help out.

Though I think he may have overestimated his impact by dragging this out with a 48 hr wait time.

[Hart2008]

37. GARY HART ENDORSES OBAMA!!

I have personal experience of the Democratic party at a generational crossroads. In the mid-1980s the Democratic party could play it safe and stay with a candidate they knew and with whom they were comfortable and familiar. Or they could take a chance with a new generation of leadership with a new understanding of a new age and new policies and ideas. They chose the former and they lost.

Democrats and Americans are faced with a big decision. Will we play it safe? Or will we embrace the future? This is not a time to put gender or race above what is best for the country or to make superficial choices. We have huge debts and deficits. The climate is rapidly approaching a tipping point. We are stuck in the Middle East. Most of the people in the world do not like us or trust us. Our education system is declining. And the list goes on.

Only a new generation of leaders can solve these new challenges, because only a new generation of leaders is unbound by old policies, old commitments and arrangements, old deals and old friendships. This is a time when America must leave old politics behind. This election is about transition not power. We will either move forward or we will go back.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=132

Would Obama name Hart his V.P.???