I don't care about endorsements. I care about issues

All of the hoopla over Ted Kennedy endorsing Obama, or this one endorsing that one... what is the big deal? Can't anyone think for themselves? To me it is about people getting their names in the news and thinking that just because they endorse Obama or whoever I then have to vote for them too. And I'm sorry, but it doesn't impress me much at all. Perhaps that is why I appreciate Mr. Gore so very much for staying out of this glamour show to date. He truly believes the climate crisis is more important and does not want to make it a partisan political issue or open himself up to attacks that will defer from it.

How I wish other politicians and celebrities understood that over their egos. Especially those politicians who already have superdelegate votes. Why bother making such a scene over endorsements when you can just give them your superdelegate vote? To me, I think more times than not it is only a contest anyway and I think many politicians do it just to get back at old rivals. So in the end it means nothing to me as I can think for myself and don't need Ted Kennedy or anyone telling me how I should vote. And as much as I love and respect Al Gore, even if he were to come out and endorse Obama(which I doubt very much he would do as Obama's environmental stance is nowhere near Al Gore's ) I would respect it, but I would still vote for John Edwards if he were still in this race.

Perhaps if we were to concentrate more on actually campaigning on issues than spending our time catfighting and glamorizing these campaigns with endorsements, celebrity hype, and tit for tat politics by candidates and others using it as a way to stick it to someone else we could actually get somewhere in making progress towards solving some actual problems in this country that need tending to now.... like the climate crisis and poverty. It's nice if people really feel that to endorse someone is what they want to do, but frankly, all I have seen it as is just a chance to take news away from the other candidates for that day. Today is an important vote on telecom immunity but all we will hear is about Kennedy endorsing Obama. So much for really caring about issues. Just one big show.

What happened to that current tv? link you used to have?

Nevermind, I'll find it myself.

http;//www.current.com.

Kennedy also brings incredible campaign resources to the mix, as well. Which is why the Clintons were feverishly trying to stop him from making the endorsement over the last week.

If they have to discuss issues they might have to mention Iraq. The fact that they tanked the economy has all but obliterated the occupation and the 4000 troops who were killed because of bu$h's lies.

The plan, keep the issues out of the news and talk about Hillary and Barack fighting and mention anyone who endorses anyone except Edwards. Mention Edwards and again you might have to talk about the issues.

We live in a spoon fed society

A skewed perception brought upon by a willing media. Spoon fed is right.

I don't care about these endorsements either. Frankly, I don't think other politicians should make them at all. I know they have a right to do it, of course. But, it must make for some hard feelings later on when they need to work together. For instance, what happens when Ted Kennedy endorses Obama and Clinton wins the Presidency? They are making a huge deal out of these endorsements so no one talks about the issues. I would like to know about our candidates and not their endorsements.

All with the same media coverage, same money without corporate influence, no political or celebrity endorsements... just running on who they are and what they can do for us in the future... I suspect if that were the case we would see a much more interesting campaign. Oh well, some of us can dream for a true Democratic process.

Of the three remaining, Edwards has much more substance than the other two, and much less corporate backing. I'm shocked! SHOCKED!! at the correlation.

machine vs. the Clinton machine, and as Teddy demonstrated so clearly back in 1980* they care more about power than party or country.



*and John Kerry demonstrated in March of 2006

The problem is with what the mainstream media defines as "news".

"Edwards talks about renewable energy" is not defined as "news" because all the candidates in both parties are talking about energy issues on an increasingly regular basis.

"Candidate X endorsed by Y" is news if it is something that we did not know already before. But only if Candidate X has a realistic chance of winning and if Y is someone we already heard of - maybe because they have a famous name like "Kennedy".

The mainstream news media also loves stories that can be explained in 50 words or less.

It's just like Al Gore wrote about in "The Assault On Reason".

THIMK, people. These are the liberal establishment powerhouses: they are not throwing the dice or sucking up. They don't need to.

Finally, I might ask people to think hard about this, searching deep into their souls: if Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, Pat Leahy, Tony Morrison, or Tom Hadyn had endorsed your candidate, would you think it a good thing or irrelevant? Would you scorn them? Is it better to have someone's endorsement than not have it?

And again, no, I wouldn't care whether or not they endorsed my candidate either and the fact that they didn't will not change my vote either. As the OP title states, I don't care about endorsements. Too bad the media does so much because in my view it doesn't help the process.

and I endorse John Edwards! . . . what's really frustrating is how few noted politicians, unions, and others have the balls to do the same . . .

Of course Ted Kennedy is thrilled that there is someone on the political stage who knows how to frame the issues that matter to us in a way that makes sense to the American people. From Obama's speech at the 2004 convention, we all saw that he understood liberalism deeply and was able to convey it in a way that hasn't been done (literally) in decades.

because the only one I hear talking about actual issues instead of campaign slogans is John Edwards.

Which is why I support John Edwards, because his policies remind me of RFK. And I didn't need an endorsement to tell me that either. ;-).

I think "collective endorsements" of a group of people that study the issues and reach beyond the corporate media speaks loudly that Senator Edwards is thinking heavily in his support for rebuilding America's middle class and tearing down the corporatocracy.

I want "the endorsement" of an informed citizenry! That's what I want, not just celebrities!

R&K