Lehane Joins Clark Campaign

[Vis Numar]

http://politicalwire.com/archives/003171.html

The kiss of death, ask Gore+Kerry+Davis.

""Just "minutes after" Clark's campaign manager Donnie Fowler was pushed out, ex-John Kerry and Al Gore spokesman Chris Lehane showed up. "He's the able partner to Clark PR adviser Mark Fabiani. Lehane's just the latest of a wave of Washingtonians and Clintonistas to lend a hand to the Clark effort.""

[clar]

1. Oh boy,

Now that the Clark campaign has a full complement of the Masters of Disaster team, get ready for some major ugly against both Dean and Kerry. This is a guy who's natural inclination is to go negative early and often, and has an axe to grind.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

2. These Internecine Battles Are Not Worthy Of Us Democrats...

Why bust on the Clinton-Gore- Davis team?


Joe Trippi has been involved in 7 (seven) presidential campigns , all of them failed.....

[Octafish]

20. Lehane's been a suspect in my book for quite a while.

Remember back in the Spring when his campaign computer was stolen from his parked SUV while he, Kerry, and some top staff were having lunch?

It caused me to wonder how anyone would know which SUV to hit to find the laptop filled with Kerry's strategy. While I wouldn't put it past Karl Rove, it seemed more likely an inside job.

Now Lehane ends up helping the General. He needs the work, as from what I remember he was earning about $360,000 per in his political consultancy. Good luck to all.

[jburton]

36. Interesting point

I've never thought of it that way before.

What I wondered at the time was how oblivious he was to leave a laptop in a parked car.

Especially one with campaign info!!!

[cspiguy]

26. Clark will remove his mask and it will be AL GORE!

n/t

[wyldwolf]

3. Let us not forget what the team of Lehane and Fabiani have done...

They were the team who exposed the hypocrisy of the Clinton witch hunt by bringing to light dirt on republican senators, congressman, and special prosecutors.

They were also very vocal in the 2000 Florida elections - leading the charge that Katherine Harris was in cahoots with Jeb Bush.

Lehane resigned from the Kerry campaign because he believed Kerry was being too cautious in his approach to the campaign.

He has been compared to James Carville.

I like the idea of this team working together again.

I don't want them to go negative on the other dems. But let 'em at Bush!

[Julien Sorel]

4. I think we have another 'meltdown' moment here:

The kiss of death, ask Gore+Kerry+Davis.

[bicentennial_baby]

6. ?

Whaddya mean?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

8. Billy Was Alluding To The Near Orgasmic Reaction Of The Clark Haters

NT

[Julien Sorel]

11. Close.

This same poster started a thread recently in which he/she referred to the 'meltdown' of Clark's campaign. 'meltdown,' 'kiss of death' -- one gets the feeling that this individual is no fan of Clark's, and is not above using some rather inflated language to express that displeasure.

[clar]

12. Whoa there

I, for one, don't hate Clark. I like him quite a bit. I'm simply noting what is widely known- that Lehane and Fabiani play a certain kind of hardball. Used against the rethugs, that's fine, but I think if they go overboard against other dems, they'll be making a big mistake, and hurting the party. Hope I'm wrong and they don't cross the line.

[Vis Numar]

10. Yea, kiss of death tends to bring on a meltdown

Ask Kerry & Davis.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

13. How Many Presidents Has Joe Trippi Helped Elect?

I'll give you a hint it rhymes with bun and it's not even one...

Pot=Kettle=Black

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

18. A ton?

Sorry...

[DemocratSinceBirth]

21. It rhymes with hero in English

and Prada in Spanish

[bicentennial_baby]

5. So?

He's not running the show, that job has been given to Eli Segal, afaik.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

7. We're A Rapid Response Team

-:)


The D U War Room...

[Vis Numar]

9. This is basically the establishment candidate now

Means that Dean now has online 'power' all to himself.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

15. What a coup?

that's like being the smartest guy in the remedial math class....

[TacticalPeek]

17. Ah, a Dean thing.

Or was it the establishment that invented online; or Dean, I dunno.

:shrug:

[progressivebydesign]

27. Clark is DLC, DNC chosen one?

When Clark announced his candidacy, I checked out all I could on him. He's not my cup of tea.. but that's okay. I won't bash him for it. I prefer a more domestic oriented candidate.

The one thing I am seeing.. is that Clark is the golden boy of the Washington Dem establishment. The very people of which so many of us Democrats are tired. Why do you think Dean, the un-establishment guy is doing so well? These so-called experts were the same Repug Lites that are responsible for defections, apathy, and cynicism of Democrats. Clark needs to be really careful.. what is not needed right now is a candidate SO handled and molded and packaged that he becomes a box of corn flakes. If those same 6-figure "consultants" had let Al be Al, then the race wouldn't have been close enuff to steal. Once they're through with Clark, the original zest that the internet (and DUer) fans that drafted him won't be able to distinguish him from Bob Dole. Run screaming from the men in the Itlalian suits and $900 loafers Wesley!!!!

[bicentennial_baby]

14. And we got Graham's press secretary too!

"Oct. 7 --Jamal Simmons, who last week resigned as national press secretary for Sen. Bob Graham’s faltering campaign, told PoliticsNH.com Tuesday afternoon that he had accepted a position as ret.-Gen. Wesley Clark’s travel press secretary.

"I expect to see a lot of New Hampshire in the next few months," Simmons said.

Simmons, 32, a 1998 graduate of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, said he was heading back to Little Rock, Ark. this weekend where he once worked for President Bill Clinton in 1992."

-snip-

"Simmons said he will probably not be the last Graham staffer to make the transition to Clark’s campaign team"

http://www.politicsnh.com/archives/pindell/2003/october/10_7JAM.shtml

[DemocratSinceBirth]

16. but, but, but, but, but,

he worked for Clinton....

Run.....

-:)

[BenFranklinUSA]

19. Is Anyone Really Surprised????? n/t

[DEMActivist]

22. This is good!

At least all the Clinton Machine "experts" who keep losing elections are in one camp so they can't hurt the real candidates.

Let's see, who's missing? Just Daley and Donna Brazille.....I'm sure those 2 will show up any day now.

[bicentennial_baby]

23. Somebody piss in your cornflakes?

:boring:

[DEMActivist]

24. The truth hurts, huh?

Bwahahahahahahahaha!

[javadu]

28. Good Point!!!

The Clinton machine lost so many elections it would be a real downer if they were working for any of the other candidates.

:dunce:

[tom_paine]

25. Busheviks have a LONG HISTORY of moles and infilitration

bugging and fraud and theft.

Perhaps Lehane is the Clar mole. Perhaps not.

What is certain is that at least one of Clark's top advisors is "Lucianne Goldberg".

[yelladawg]

29. Is there a list somewhere?

Is there a list somewhere of who is in what position? The Clark campaign seems to be disorganize.

[scipan]

30. more info/gossip from original article

Paul Bedard, US News:
The political intrigue plaguing Wesley Clark's Democratic presidential campaign continues to deepen. Insiders tell our Suzi Parker that one day after campaign manager Donnie Fowler quit over concerns that Clark was letting Washington hands, not Clark fans and activists, run the show, he fled Arkansas. Sources say his foes pushed him out by leaking his resignation to the Associated Press Tuesday while negotiations over his role were being discussed and before he quit. The message being sent: Hasta la vista, baby.
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/whispers/whispwebarch.htm

[Gloria]

31. Don't put Lehane on camera....everytime he

showed up during the 2000 campaign I had to grit my teeth.
Talk about looking like a wimp! He was so namby pamby, it was just terrible.

[JaneQPublic]

34. Here's Chris Lehane

[VolcanoJen]

32. Noooooo!!! Not Chris Lehane!

Well, crap. Wes, I'm a big fan, but this is a baaaaaad move.

He needs to take control of this campaign, quickly. I was not a fan of the way Lehane manhandled Bill Bradley, and I'm not looking forward to his follow-up act.

The whole Donnie Fowler thing really doesn't bother me, especially given the classless and counter-productive way he and his spokespersons handled themselves on the way out, but hiring Lehane doesn't please me one little bit.

Grrrrr!!!!

[DoveTurnedHawk]

33. I Don't Think Clark Will Let His Campaign Go Negative

Possibly not at all, and possibly ONLY in response to negative attacks of others.

I'm not overly concerned by this news, personally. There is more to Lehane than negativity.

DTH

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

35. can't he just get carville

the only competent guy on our side when it comes to strategy? (or whoever the eventual nominee maybe-get carville!)

at this rate, why not bring in susan estrich, alan colmes, and donna brazil to keep the losing pace up?

[tsipple]

39. What about Paul Begala?

Don't forget Paul! Also an excellent political strategist and effective communicator.

Note: Carville and Begala have not endorsed any of the Democratic candidates, nor will they until the nomination is set. They're both working on the HBO "K Street" show. The both blogged for Howard Dean, and they featured Dean on their first program. But they're not endorsing any particular Democratic candidate.

[Vis Numar]

37. What's funny is all the juniors here (is Lehane Carville, lol)

jumping up and down for Lehane's deal with Clinton, when Lehane wasnt' let into a decision room for either of Clinton's elections. Lehane was a decision-maker for Gore, and he sucked. Lehane was a decision maker for Kerry, and he sucked.

Anyone want to show me where Lehane was during the "War Room"? Cause I sure don't know... like Trippi said, "Who the hell is Chris Lehane?"

Clark cannot afford to 'get it on' with another Democrat, which is the only thing that Fabiani and Lehane know how to do-- destroy things.

At least for now, they have their guns trained factions of their own turf. Chris Lehane is a cancer of the Democratic Party, and he represents what should be cut out and destroyed.

Whoopie, CLark got Graham's national press secretary and Kerry's NH press secretary-- talk about failing upward. Kim only brought Kerry from a 55% grab of the NH vote a year ago, to a current 10% NH vote.

[VolcanoJen]

38. I'm inclined to agree with you, Vis_Numar...

.. and I'm very, very disappointed in Clark's decision to bring on the poisonous, albeit overrated, Chris Lehane.

Should be interesting... and the second the smears start, I think we'll know where to point the finger.

Saddened, but not about to drop my support yet,
Jennifer

[Vis Numar]

40. From Dan Conley:

Coincidence?

The Clark campaign is riddled with stories of internal dissent. Chris Lehane joins the Clark campaign. The very next day, there's a story in the Washington Post about internal dissent in the Kerry campaign -- the former employer of who else, Chris Lehane.

Yeah, this is how Lehane plays. He schmoozes political reporters, he leaks, he attacks. The more personal the attack, the better.

So get ready everyone. Do you really think Chris Lehane left all that Dean opposition research (and Kerry for that matter ) behind with his old teammates. Puhleeze. I can just see Lehane taping photocopies to his wimpy torso before heading out the door the final time.

It's sad what these evil bastards are about to do to General Clark, who I think is a good and decent man and a welcome addition to the Democratic Party.

Posted by danconley at October 9, 2003 02:19 PM

[DoveTurnedHawk]

41. UPDATE: THIS CLAIM IS FALSE

Lehane has NOT joined in any official capacity whatsoever:

http://www.prospect.org/weblog/archives/2003/10/index.html#001661

DTH

[Vis Numar]

42. yea right, how's the Cool Aid?

"Chris Lehane will be joining his wife Andrea Evans and his partner Mark Fabiani in the Clark campaign. I caught up with Lehane by cell phone while he was tooling around Little Rock with his wife looking at apartments."

Sure, he's just going to be cooking dinner, right?

But Lehane is right here, and it's what the Clark campaign is ignoring:

"I can tell you from experience that all campaigns take on the character and personality of the candidate. The consultants, the staff, the volunteers -- all reflect the spirit and personality of the candidate."

Words to live by.

--Garance Franke-Ruta

[DoveTurnedHawk]

43. He's Out of a Job

Where else would he be, but by his (employed) spouse's side?

Sheesh!

DTH