Harman's actions may have hurt Kerry's chances, top progressive blogger laments

[jewishlibrl]

NYT clarified today, via its executive director, that Rep. Jane Harman approached the newspaper in October/Early November 2004, asking the Times not to publish the warrantless wiretap story.

This revelation led Greg Sargent to lament the fact that by blocking this scandal, Harman helped Bush defeat Kerry.

Sargent (4-21-09): While the timing is slightly fuzzy, it seems fair to assume in light of the CQ story that it was in fact before the election.

Wow. So Dem Rep Harman appears to have worked behind the scenes to dissuade publication of a blockbuster expose about Bush that could have put her own party's nominee in the White House and changed the history of the last four years...

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/political-media/dem-rep-harman-did-urge-times-not-to-publish-wiretapping-expose/

[Every Man A King]

1. Another dirty congress person owned by Israel n/t

[karynnj]

2. Or owned by her complicity in that program

The NYT speaks of a group of Congressmen, familiar with the wiretap program, who all argued against publications.

I suspect the publication would actually have not been a big gain for Kerry. Remember that many in the country were still very traumatized by 911 and they were buying the Bush/Cheney 911 changed everything line. I suspect that most people who would have cared were already for Kerry. There might have been some libertarians, still for Bush in spite of the Patriot Act, that might have at minimum not voted for Bush.

However, remember the last few weeks of the election. The last few weeks were spent with Kerry speaking of "our kids" being killed by ammo from known storage dumps that were left unguarded. Here Kerry was accusing Bush of what was clearly negligence in their planning and implementation. It was a cavalier disregard of the lives and safety of our forces. In addition, Kerry's own war experiences led him to state this bluntly and emotionally - having lost friends and suffered himself from a similar betrayal. Those charges and the way he levied them sounded more real and heart felt than anything he said on the war before - because the emotion was so genuine and obvious. Replacing that with the more complicated and more ambiguous spying on people charge would likely have been a good change of topic - for George Bush. He had no good answer for why known ammo dumps were not secured for months, on spying, many would accept his WOT answer.

As it was - the final half week was all about the OBL tape that ramped up the fear. This would have coupled nicely with the likely Republican claim that Kerry wouldn't do what was needed to keep people safe.

[AtomicKitten]

3. Dianne Feinstein was up to her neck in the illegal wire-tapping program.

The complicity of fellow Democrats in the BushCo war machine may not have had a direct impact on Senator Kerry's presidential run, but I'm guessing it helped box him in when it came to strategy.

From what I understand Pelosi was made aware of Harmon's backroom dealings and in retrospect I'm wondering if that is why she distanced herself when she became Speaker of the House.

[AtomicKitten]

10. On second thought,

I think Harmon urging the NYT to not publish the wire-tapping piece before the 2004 election was almost certainly a detriment to Senator Kerry, and her actions appear to be a quid pro quo act to cover her own ass at Senator Kerry's expense.

:mad:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/21/representative-harman-urg_n_189451.html

[blm]

11. Most Dems were siding with Bush throughout 2004 - especially Clinton during his summer2004 booktour.

Harman is part of a group of Dems who were working to undermine Kerry and ANY Dem nominee in 2004. They needed Bush to stay in office past 2004. Clinton, McAuliffe, Carville.....no surprise that Harman is part of that group.


There were very few Dems on the nightly news shows siding with Kerry's criticisms of Bush over terrorism and Iraq.

[AtomicKitten]

13. As I piece this together in retrospect

(and thanks for the further background info because it all is falling into place now), I am appalled. I don't know where the hell my head was back then but I find myself shocked at what I missed.

Welcome to the re-education of Ms. Kitten. Cheers.

[PBS Poll-435]

27. Are you ever gonna give it up?

Ever?

[IndianaGreen]

28. blm is factually correct

There are bipartisan finger prints in the Bush crime saga, and good old Jane, DiFi, and Schumer did their share of damage.

[PBS Poll-435]

29. Nope

Pure Crazy.

[blm]

31. You are wrong, so... you smear. Try recalling accurately what the best known Dems were saying

PUBLICALLY in support and defense of Bush's decisions before the 2004 election. Then try and recall accurately who used their position as past president with access to classified info on Iraq to urge Democratic lawmakers to support Bush on Iraq war plans.

Or is smearing posters who make note of Clinton's consistent support of Bush all you got?

[avaistheone1]

4. Harmon'smotivation for being complicit is obviously Israel.

If true, this is quite a betrayal on her part.

[blm]

33. she's just one small player......there are much more powerful figures involved. Mark Rich wasn't

just a wealthy tax evader....he was named figure in both IranContra and BCCI's outstanding matters that were also deepsixed by Clinton throughout the 90s....Rich was pardoned FOR Poppy Bush and his powerful cronies. Israel is also just a tool for these fascists. They use that card every time they need a distraction from their actual, fascist agenda.

[TacticalPeek]

8. "The NYT speaks of a group of Congressmen"

That reference is explicitly stated by Keller to refer to a separate matter, a delegation in 2005 that spoke just before the article was finally published, after the NYT so advised them.

Different thing.

Harman lobbied the NYT Washington Bureau chief personally in 2004 before the election.

A stinking rat bastard she is.

[Spazito]

5. It would be interesting to know WHO each of the congressional leaders were...

in that "group of congressional leaders familiar with the eavesdropping program,...". Were they all repubs with the exception of Ms. Harmon? I think the NYT now has the responsibility to name those congressional leaders.

[Hieronymus]

6. Harmon is one of many in congress who have their priorities mixed up

with regard to Israel. Who knows which their priority is ... money or Israeli sympathies.
This revelation about Harmon affecting Kerry's election makes me sick.

[Jennicut]

7. I never liked or trusted her.

She always seemed WAY too pro Israel for my tastes.

[Cha]

9. I never liked Harmon..something

sleazy about her..where does the money lead?

[Egnever]

12. Sigh

How easily we turn on our own.

She may not be perfect but she was not a bush supporter. She was out front criticizing the iraq war and illeagle wiretapping, She was all over the place on pannels discusing it and it wasnt to support bushes policies.

[ProSense]

15. Frankly, this story is suspect.

The contradictions in this story are bizarre.

I hope the transcript is released.

[Egnever]

16. Me too

this story stinks to high heaven. It is sad to see so many buy into it. I suppose I should expect it by now but still.

[TayTay]

17. The story may be legitimate, but the motives less than pure

as this DKos diary shows: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/4/21/722607/-UPDATE:-Jane-Harman-is-the-Horsehead-in-the-Bed

However, the sin was there to be exploited. They didn't make up the original sin, they merely used at the appropriate time. This is how it works in DC. This is why you keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Anyone shocked, shocked to find politics going on in DC is ah, a little naive.

ANd don't miss the counter-point in the comments section here: http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2009/4/21/82122/4904/234#c234

[ProSense]

20. Agree, and it's the timing that makes it suspect

Whether the wiretap was an abuse is far from clear; there's ample reason to believe the surveillance was completely legit. As for Harman's call for the Justice Department to release what might be incriminating evidence against her, the congresswoman's position sounds pretty confident.

Then again, so did Rod Blagojevich when he said something similar a few months ago. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

link

She could be pulling a Blago. I hope the transcripts are revealed.

[PassingFair]

30. How did she vote on IWR? I don't recall seeing her name in the "nay" category...

Looked it up: Here is her stinking name...
right there in the "yea" columns an italic
amongst the straight cases.

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2002/roll455.xml

She was an enabler from the word "go".

[Hutzpa]

43. Out front criticizing wiretapping????? not according to Wiki

she was an enabler and her exact quote was "I believe the program is essential to U.S national security and that its disclosure has damaged critical intelligence capabilities".

Its good that you're trying to defend her, but she did support wiretapping and I believe support
Bushes policies, which makes her an enabler.

[zulchzulu]

14. I still think it was Jimmy Carville telling his skanky wife Kerry Ohio strategies on Election Day

This would have been ignored by the media at that time. It was all about letting the Swiftboaters get on TV 24/7.

[blm]

18. Carville and Harman belong to the same group of Clintonites stabbing Kerry's back to protect BushInc

throughout 2003-4.

[AtomicKitten]

19. we saw their work recently

with Caroline Kennedy

[politicasista]

22. Yes we did

I don't trust Gov. Paterson or NY politicians because of that.

[vaberella]

37. As a New Yorker...I didn't know his involvement in all this other stuff.

But I dislike him for other reasons..he's evil to us. I won't vote for him even though he's pushing legislation to give homosexual citizens their rights.

[politicasista]

49. True n/t

[blm]

24. Exactly right. Clintons wanted to be the only wing of the Dem party with any power or say.

I heard back in the late 90s that the party was dividing into the Clinton Dems and the Kennedy Dems. I dismissed it back then as my knee jerk reaction was to defend Clinton's presidency at the time. Many of us learned too late.

[AtomicKitten]

25. Let's just say

I'm very glad the election turned out the way it did.

Cheers.

[karynnj]

23. Or the established media giving the SBVT credibility and respectability,

by registering absolutely no outrage over Bush DELEGATES wearing those despicable purple heart bandaids. The lack of outrage gave an unspoken message that John Kerry deserved his service being ridiculed.

Leave the present, where we know that happened, would it have ever seemed possible that this could happen?

[ObamaKerryDem]

41. So true! Just imagine if Obama delegates had done something similar, mocking McCain's service..

That should've received more attention than it did. FAR more. It was so obvious the Bush campaign (*cough*Rove!*cough*) was in on it. Weren't the Swiftboaters in their convention program at one point, too?? I seem to remember that or something like it..

I actually think Senator Kerry did pretty damn well in that election for all the mudslinging and setbacks he endured because of it. (Not to mention all the questions that will probably always remain about that Election Day..) If he were really the "weak" candidate he's often accused--by folks on both sides--of being, would he have come so close? True, there was a lot of plain anti/ anyone but Bush sentiment out there too, but I think people forget how many passionate and committed supporters Kerry had. Remember any of the rallies? I think a truly "weak" candidate would've been routed or at least not have come quite so close (off by only one state) when you combine the smears, their effects, and a lot of the other diversion tactics that were used (the Bin laden tape, anyone?), not to mention the questions about the voting itself..(if he were truly "weak", would they have even needed to do some of the things it at least looks suspicious that they did?)

[Hutzpa]

21. This keeps getting better

keep it coming people...


K&R


:kick:

[PBS Poll-435]

26. Good God.

What the fuck?

The *Hate* on this thread is off the charts.

[Arkana]

32. "Progressive" bloggers were too busy sandbagging Kerry at every turn

to notice in 2004.

[politicasista]

34. Yep. Still are n/t

[blm]

35. Many of them didn't know they were being used by some in Dem party to undermine Kerry and ANY

Dem nominee in 2004. Establishment Dems used the left every chance they could to keep the party from gaining structural strength.

[sampsonblk]

39. Not this shit again

Its the candidate's responsibility to garner support. Maybe he should have voted against the war. Think that had anything to do with it?

[blm]

44. He spoke against the decision to invade before, during and after, as he sided with weapon inspectors

who said force was not needed.

Did you happen to miss every one of Kerry's attacks on Bush's decision to invade?

Kerry HAD the votes, what he didn't have was a DNC that worked for 4years to build a party infrastructure in states where the RNC controlled the voting process at every level where the votes are allowed, cast and counted.

Dean worked his ass off the entire four years to rebuild and strengthen the party infrastructure in those too many states that had been left to collapse by previous chairs.

Guess you didn't notice that plenty of popular Dems with solid support in their states mysteriously lost their seats in 2002.

[beachmom]

45. Democrats took every chance they got to bash and criticize Kerry.

It's in the Google archives. We are talking scores of Democrats knocking him in articles printed in papers of record like the Washington Post and New York Times. In 2008, even though it was clear that McCain was going to lose, and lose big, very few Republicans would come out and knock him. Yet, Kerry who came very close, not only had to deal with non-stop GOP attacks, a media who mindlessly disseminated the right wing lies, and constant faux terror alerts, but constant "Some Democrats" articles popping up full of quotes by Democrats talking about what a poor job he was doing. DURING THE CAMPAIGN. IN THE FALL. Sorry, those weasly spineless cowards should not be so easily let off the hook for their betrayals.

[sampsonblk]

46. He deserved to be criticized - nt

[beachmom]

48. In the middle of a campaign???? Only a Republican would believe that. nt

[sampsonblk]

50. Agree to disagree - nt

[politicasista]

47. Bingo n/t

[karynnj]

36. True

The really sad thing was that Kerry really was more liberal and progressive than any other serious candidate in 2004 and 2008. Given the fact that he fought Nixon on Vietnam, Reagan on the illegal funding of the Contras (who the Clintons and Gore wanted to legally fund - Kerry was against them), and Bush 1 on BCCI, he should have been a progressive favorite.

[ObamaKerryDem]

40. So true. Many (however well meaning) progressives missed the forest for the trees on that count..

..and look who we wound up having 4 more (even worse) years of at least partly as a result...*shakes head*

[Fireweed247]

38. May have??!!

That is why they had to stop the story, duh! :grr:

[politicasista]

42. kick for the good responses n/t