Howard Fineman's (Newsweek) take on the OHIO fraud

[RaulVB]

As told to Keith Olbermann earlier tonight in "Countdown":

"The problem — as Howard Fineman puts it — is that even acknowledging the delicate position Kerry finds himself in, and the easy target he would make himself by openly investing in an Ohio recount/investigation/protest, this all still smacks of “I didn’t care about the recount before I started caring about it.” Howard continues: “If Kerry and his lawyer really thought there was real mischief going on, they should have had all their guns out there investigating what happened in Ohio and they should have been strong and vocal.”

Fineman also reminds us that it is noteworthy that, with the voting machine disparities and the potential disenfranchisement in urban communities so superbly documented over the weekend by The Columbus Dispatch, this is a minority voting rights issue, and Kerry needs to play it perfectly. “It’s not insignificant,” Howard said, “that the Ohio Secretary of State, Representative Conyers, and Jesse Jackson are all black politicians who are caught in this power struggle.”

I do not agree with all of what Fineman says, but at least he understand the HUGE implications of this crisis and how Kerry needs to act, very, very cautiously but with great resolve at the same time.

[eleny]

1. So what he's saying is...

No matter what Kerry does, organizations like Newsweek would kick him in the teeth. Gee, thanks for your patriotisam, Howie.

[RaulVB]

4. Fineman acknowledges that OHIO's result are rigged

It is very important.

[eleny]

10. Fineman flip flops like a fish on a pier

I've watched and listened to his interviews for years. He reminds me of Chris Matthews. I've learned to take him with a grain. He plays to both sides of the fence. I'm not placing any emotional stock in him.

[KoKo]

11. I didn't hear him acknowledge that and I heard him on Olberman. He

downplayed it and took a "flip/flop" shot at Kerry while he was at it. Perhaps in a Newsweek Magazine article he said what you are reporting, but I didn't hear that on KO. It was "slitherman" at his best. The only decent thing he said was at the end when he said how important voting rights were for all Americans...but it was diluted by his downplay of any significance of voter problems in Ohio. :shrug:

[RaulVB]

12. Olbermann and Fineman actually talk more "off the record"

But if Olbermann wrote this, Fineman said it.

[The Backlash Cometh]

19. Kerry is a man of integrity, and that's his weakness. Because he

expects others to be playing by the rules, and I hate to tell him, but they haven't been for a very long time.


He needs to know when the rules of civility need to be broken and when outrage needs to take over. He was a prosecutor, so I know it will come to him.

[jamboi]

2. Thank you Raul. My sentiments exactly. If Fineman comes out it will start

an MSM avalanche IMO. He's Newsweek for goodness sake!

[RaulVB]

6. Yes, and Fineman is close to the Republicans

His statement is valuable.

[unblock]

3. of course, they have to smear kerry

i just love it when banana republicans think they can dictate proper behavior for democrats. if kerry had gone full throttle from day 1, well, of course, he would have gotten the al gore sore loserman treatment.

kerry played it far better, conceeding when it looked like shrub won, but quietly investigating and reserving the right to say, hey, wait a minute, look at all this NEW evidence that wasn't clearly out there when i conceeded.

harping on the flip-flop meme is childish, but then, what's new with the banana republicans?

[knowbody0]

5. i had not given thought to the three being black

historical days, these

[Griffy]

7. This is good news no doubt... another notch in the awareness of the ppl nt

[november3rd]

8. Fineman sounds like a spin man

Is he reporting on his investigations or on his opinions of other people's efforts?

I haven't read his article or watched his interview, but he sounds like a windbag to me so far. MSM BS!

[Blue in the face]

15. Fineman is definitely a spin master

The last time I heard him, he was downplaying the whole idea of fraud. This time he seemed sympathetic. While he's certainly not investigating anything (he is an "analyst" so maybe that isn't in his job description), but he did strike me as singing a different tune today.

But I'm not holding my breath on him...

[mmiixx]

9. Whack -a-mole

Like one of the other posters said "Its a game of CHESS , not Whack-a-mole."

"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it." Mark Twain

[ClintCooper2003]

13. The fact that Kerry thinks he must tread cautiously is in and of itself

a total misconception. He doesn't stand a chance in hell of winning the nomination in 2008, so why not come out with guns blazing?

[RaulVB]

14. He doesn't quite understand it yet

Listen, he must have a "full ear" right now.

He'll do the right thing.

[roseBudd]

16. I agree that this has to be cast as a civil rights issue. We need an

angry/tearful African American face on this issue. We must recruit politically active and especially young African Americans to speak out.

Central State University is a black college in Greene County and they were disenfranchised as documented by Katrina and Joan. If you want press you have to know how to get press. I think Central State would be an ideal place to start.

We need a coordinated PR campaign.

[IndyPriest]

17. Useful? For the sake of noise from MSM, But...

it just pisses me off that people like F can tell Kerry what he SHOULD have done before he has a clue what he IS doing! - I'm going to have to get over that, I suppose, because there's probably another few tons of it coming...

[roguevalley]

18. Thank you, Howie the duck Fineman. Of course, he's still using

the club of waffler that Bush concocted.