SAD AND PATHETIC

JACK KEMP


Ten years ago, Jack Kemp was the Republican Vice Presidential candidate. The Dole/Kemp ticket was one of the most unimpressive tickets for a presidential race in years and the two were quickly dispatched by Clinton/Gore in November 1996. Since that time, Kemp has done ... well, nothing that would make even a blip in the national consciousness.
That is, until earlier this week, when Joe Lieberman contacted the former Buffalo Bills quarterback and asked him to campaign with Joe in Connecticut. At first I thought, why? What's the draw? It's not like Bill Clinton, who can draw a crowd for obvious reasons. It's Jack Kemp. Big. Hairy. Deal.
Well, Kemp has apparently decided to up his profile in an effort to help his old buddy Joe, by appearing the GOP TV, aka the Fox News Network. He starts off by calling Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, "hypocritical, sad and pathetic," based on their support for the WINNER of the Democratic primary earlier this month in Connecticut, Ned Lamont.
"Hypocritical, sad and pathetic." Huh. That's kinda funny. Mr. Kemp, let me introduce you to a friend of mine; his name is Kettle. Notice any resemblance? Seriously, how sad and pathetic, on a number of levels, is it for Kemp here to be pulled out of mothballs and campaign for a supposed independent candidate? And here I thought Kemp was serious conservative activist - what's he doing campaigning for the "one true Liberal" in this race? To paraphrase a phrase that has been used a little too often in political circles, "Mr. Kemp, I have been sad and pathetic, sad and pathetic have been friends of mine, and you sir, are sad and pathetic."
But wait, there's more...
Kemp then goes on to claim that it is Lamont's intention to advocate for an immediate pullout from Iraq, or as Kemp put it, "Ned Lamont, who wants to pull out tomorrow[.]" Lamont is on record as saying that he supports a phased withdrawal of American troops over the coming year, and not "tomorrow," the standard talking point for those who advocate the "stay the course" strategy. Because, if you're not for "staying the course," you're for "cutting and running" immediately, because there is no middle ground. No sir, not with this administration.
Think Progress has the video and a partial transcript of the sad and pathetic affair.

I guess I can take solace in the fact that soon Kemp will do his little favor for Joe, then he'll return to the obscurity in which he's existed for a decade. Then, Joe will either drop out or lose in November, and Jack Kemp will become even more irrelevant than he was ten years ago. Kinda sad and pathetic, isn't it?