On a listserve I subscribe to, someone pointed out this interesting (well, not really) New York Times article about John Kerry’s inner circle – the people who have Kerry’s ear. There are 30 people mentioned in the article:
John Kerry*
David Thorne, brother of K’s first wife*
Ron Rosenblith, K’s political director 20 years ago*
Michael Whouley, Democratic Party’s pre-eminant field general*
John Marttila, a strategist*
Tom Kiley, Boston pollster*
Louis DiNatale, political analyst, UMass Boston
Rev. Robert F. Drinan, who K served as campaign chairman
Elly Peterson, Repub state chair of Michigan, for whom Marttila worked
Kevin White, elected mayor of Boston in 70s, helped by Marttila
Louise Day Hicks, White’s opponent
Joe Biden, for whom Martilla and Kiley worked
Dan Payne, consultant*
Thomas Eagleton, Sen from Mo., for whom Martilla and Kiley worked
Morris Udall, for whom Martilla and Kiley worked
Barney Frank.for whom Martilla and Kiley worked
Edward Kennedy,for whom Martilla and Kiley worked
Michael Dukakis, for whom Martilla and Kiley worked
Bob Shrum, K’s top consultant*
Cameron Kerry, K’s brother*
Richard Daley, idolized by Whouley
Raymond Flynn, supported by K for mayor of Boston
Luis Granados, corporate lawyer, donating afternoons to K campaign*
Marco Trbovich, policy adviser*
John Hurley, unpaid veterans’ coordinator*
Frank O’Brian, handles K’s direct mail fund-raising*
Larry Carpman, coaching K’s family on dealing with media*
Michael Meehan, spokesman for K, specializing in adversarial situations*
Jim Jordan, dismissed campaign manager
Howard Dean, attacked by K as inconsistent
David Thorne, brother of K’s first wife*
Ron Rosenblith, K’s political director 20 years ago*
Michael Whouley, Democratic Party’s pre-eminant field general*
John Marttila, a strategist*
Tom Kiley, Boston pollster*
Louis DiNatale, political analyst, UMass Boston
Rev. Robert F. Drinan, who K served as campaign chairman
Elly Peterson, Repub state chair of Michigan, for whom Marttila worked
Kevin White, elected mayor of Boston in 70s, helped by Marttila
Louise Day Hicks, White’s opponent
Joe Biden, for whom Martilla and Kiley worked
Dan Payne, consultant*
Thomas Eagleton, Sen from Mo., for whom Martilla and Kiley worked
Morris Udall, for whom Martilla and Kiley worked
Barney Frank.for whom Martilla and Kiley worked
Edward Kennedy,for whom Martilla and Kiley worked
Michael Dukakis, for whom Martilla and Kiley worked
Bob Shrum, K’s top consultant*
Cameron Kerry, K’s brother*
Richard Daley, idolized by Whouley
Raymond Flynn, supported by K for mayor of Boston
Luis Granados, corporate lawyer, donating afternoons to K campaign*
Marco Trbovich, policy adviser*
John Hurley, unpaid veterans’ coordinator*
Frank O’Brian, handles K’s direct mail fund-raising*
Larry Carpman, coaching K’s family on dealing with media*
Michael Meehan, spokesman for K, specializing in adversarial situations*
Jim Jordan, dismissed campaign manager
Howard Dean, attacked by K as inconsistent
Of the 30 people named in the article, 28 are men. Neither of the 2 women are connected to Kerry at all.
The 15 folks whose names are marked with a * are the people who are working on Kerry’s campaign. All of them are men.
Needless to say (and as the person I’m swiping this from pointed out), not a single woman is being considered for the VP nomination.
I’m just sayin’.
UPDATE: Although the Times article doesn’t mention her, Kerry’s campaign manager is a woman (Mary Beth Cahill), so that’s something..
Well, the media on both sides of the aisle has been eager to label this the year of the macho politician. Politics is a manly man’s game and all that. I’ve read it in the Nation and in a column by George Will. Women clearly fall short of the required testosterone quotient.
If this sounds sort of bitter, it’s because I do feel bitter about the idea of politics as a game or sports or hunting, rather than the taking care of common business. Only if we stick to the latter definition does it become so obvious how distorted the political landscape still is.
Oh, piffle. This is an important election! We can get back to firing up the base with inspired choices when there isn’t so much at stake. Patience! is our watchword.
What, Kerry’s wife doesn’t have his ear? Nor any of his female relatives?
I wonder how they derived the half of the list that doesn‘t consist of people officially on his campaign.
Sexism has gotten louder and meaner in alot of ways since 1984, and if Kerry picked a female V.P., she would be in for a much uglier take-down by right wing pundits than Geraldine Ferraro was. But it would still be wise, because it is a great way to inspire women to vote.
I’ve heard Sen. Mary Landrieu mentioned, but typically it sounds like the commenter is mentioning her out of a dutiful attempt to put a woman on the list. Besides, they’re always quick to point out that she’s not a viable choice because the Democrats don’t want to lose her Senate seat.
Whether or not there are women in Kerry’s inner circle, though, I have to imagine that a Kerry administration would be more likely than another Bush administration to appoint women to judgeships, cabinet posts, and other influential positions. Or at least to appoint women who are by and large more in tune with feminist concerns.
The article says “Mr. Whouley, a hungry young pol who grew up in the Dorchester area of Boston and idolized Mayor Richard J. Daley of Chicago.”
The current mayor is Richard M Daley; his father Richard J Daley is probably not providing Kerry a lot of advice.
(Strange note: It seems to me that they usually refer to the current mayor as just Richard Daley, with no initial, and the father with the “J”initial. When I read the article, I paused for a sec, and asked myself “Is ‘Little Richard’s'” initial J also? I wasn’t quite sure, and ran a google to check on the initials. )
Hmm… suggestions? I’ve heard Laura D’Andrea Tyson tossed around as some kinda Treasury Secretary or economics-tsarina or something. Kathleen Sebelius is said to be good, though I have no idea about her, personally (maybe she’d best wait until 2008, since she just became governor last year?).
In spite of all the terrible things said about her (She’s an associate of Sani Abacha, didn’tchaknow?) I actually don’t see what’s so bad about Carol Moseley Braun, and kinda like how she seems to think, but she’s so discredited for reasons of which I’m only vaguely aware (and no, being buddies with murderous tyrants isn’t a disqualification for being a popular American politician: half of our political class loooved Pinochet) that she’s not much of a prospect anyway.
Mary Landrieu’s been mentioned, though I don’t know much about her. She seems, like John Breaux, to be in the right-wing of the Democratic party, which would make it both less painful to lose her as a Senator and less fun to actually have her as a VP candidate.
I could get behind Feinstein, if it weren’t for Arnold. Some people think she’s “too radical” though (because she voted for the 2001 tax cuts? I dunno.), and for some reason, having one senator from one coast and another from the opposite coast somehow doesn’t cancel one’s “bicoastal elitism” or whatever. (I think that it should, so that two coastal candidates from opposite coasts are roughly equivalent to a candidate from Missouri or thereabouts!) I don’t know much about her, though.
I believe that the Caucasity quotient is very high as well.
I don’t know… Kerry really doesn’t inspire me and if this is true, it doesn’t help… but its him or Bush.
I’d also like to know how many of those are Black, Hispanic, Native American, Asian or other non-white faces.
I don’t expect any affirmative action plan for his campaign or ‘government in waiting’ but it does say a lot about the man’s worldview if 95% of his advisors, peers and appointees are white men.
Oh, piffle. This is an important election! We can get back to firing up the base with inspired choices when there isn’t so much at stake. Patience! is our watchword.
[Puts some really stinky week-old piffle on the end of a spoon and lobs it at the back of Kip’s cranium.]
BTW, are any of these guys people of color, or Jewish ? I mean, Jewish recently. :p
I remember Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius being mentioned as a Vice-Presidential possibility. Her father (also a Sebelius) was governor of Ohio.
I’m not sure if they count as his “inner circle,” but in addition to his camapign manager, Mary Beth Cahill (also former executive director of Emily’s List), his Communications Director (Stephanie Cutter), his Policy Director (Sarah Bianchi), and his Campaign Chair (Jeanne Shaheen) are women. Or so notes Garance Franke-Ruta in The American Prospect.
Piffle, my ass. I’m getting rather tired of being told to wait because it’s not my time yet, because there are more important things to worry about, ad nauseum.
There is nothing wrong with pointing out inequities and wanting to right them. Telling us mere plebes to censor ourselves for the comfort of the elites is just so much bullshit. If we are going to outst Bush, it would help if we replace him with someone who will actually be different and truly represent and work with women and minorities. And maybe, just maybe, if we alert Kerry to this, he’ll act accordingly.
Kerry’s campaign manager is a woman (Mary Beth Cahill), so that’s something.
Is she actually running a campaign for him ? I hadn’t noticed. “Sit on my hands and hope people figure out on their own what a shitheel Shrub is while not offering any actual alternative vision” is not my idea of a campaign. I know, I know. I’m so damn fussy. What it reminds me of is Greg Palast’s comments the other night on Garofalo’s show re: Al Gore’s Vice Presidency: “Night of the Living Dead,” or was that “Night of the Living Dead Democrat.” Like it really makes a difference. [snort]
And as long as I’m already cheesed anyway, may I also take this moment to complain about the chickenshit so-called Progressives in this state who couldn’t muster more than 16% for Kucinich during the primary ? Hell, Alaska managed 50%, and I thought we Utne-lovin’, nonsmoking, cycling types were supposed to look down on them as a bunch of tobacco-spitting, indolent, gun-nuts. What a world.
“… Alaska managed 50%…”
Where did you see that? The best I can find is 25.6%.
I can never remember how to do the rackin’-frackin’ links, Jake. Sorry. :o
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/052504/sta_demconvention.shtml
Thanks Amy S.,
You mean close to 50% of Alaska’s delegates. By percentage of votes won he seems to have gotten 25.5% (as all result sites I have found say).
D’oh !! Sorry, Jake. :o But AK still kicked our cowardly asses, so my general grumpiness, contempt and disgust for my own stands. ;)
Kathleen Sebelius is said to be good, though I have no idea about her, personally (maybe she’d best wait until 2008, since she just became governor last year?).
I have a little bit of scoop on Sebelius, as my father-in-law used to work under her back when she was still head of the KS insurance dept. In fact, he was hired by her — and in order to get him hired, Sebelius was able to get a law changed that would allow her to pay my FIL more than her own salary (as otherwise she couldn’t have been able to afford him)…which, to me, shows that she is willing to do what it takes to surround herself with those she considers to be good and knowledgeable people, and is more concerned with that than in maintaining a “queen of the hill” status over her underlings. When asked, my FIL had great things to say about her and said he’d happily vote for her as VP, but that she was probably still too green to get the nod. (Then again, he didn’t think she’d be able to pull off the governorship in KS, either, and she did just that.)