SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Then Senate Democrats John Kerry, Carl Levin, Majority Leader Harry Reid and Joseph Biden take part in a news conference on March 14, 2007 following a procedural vote on Iraq. (Photo: Karen Bleier/AFP via Getty Images)
John Kerry Heard Weighing Joining 2020 Race as Establishment Panic Over Sanders Reaches Full Meltdown
"Maybe I'm fucking deluding myself here," Kerry said on a phone call overheard in an Iowan hotel by an NBC News analyst.
Feb 01, 2020
Former Secretary of State John Kerry is considering throwing his hat in the ring for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination if Sen. Bernie Sanders cannot be stopped.
That's according to NBC News, which reported Sunday that one of the their analysts overheard a phone conversation between Kerry and an unknown second person in the lobby restaurant of the Renaissance Savery hotel in Des Moines, Iowa.
"Maybe I'm fucking deluding myself here," Kerry said as he tried to figure out the logistics of such a move.
The fact that the former secretary of state would have that conversation in earshot of reporters was surprising to NBC News reporter Alex Seitz-Wald.
"If you're John Kerry in a Des Moines hotel the day before the Iowa Caucus, assume people will overhear you loudly spitballing about entering the presidential race!" tweeted Seitz-Wald.
\u201cIf you're John Kerry in a Des Moines hotel the day before the Iowa Caucus, assume people will overhear you loudly spitballing about entering the presidential race! Great @jonallendc scoop. https://t.co/HZkFtXS70G\u201d— Alex Seitz-Wald (@Alex Seitz-Wald) 1580678161
Kerry said in the conversation that he feared "the possibility of Bernie Sanders taking down the Democratic Party--down whole" and that billionaire donors would have to "raise a couple of million" for such a bid.
Sanders leads in polling in Iowa, New Hampshire, and nationwide and is close to the lead or within the margin of error in other important primary states South Carolina, Nevada, California, and Texas.
As NBC News reported, Kerry would have to disentangle himself from a number of commitments in his private life such as a lucrative speaking career and his position on the board of Bank of America.
Kerry is in Iowa campaigning for former Vice President Joe Biden, who has seen his once-sizable lead over the rest of the Democratic primary field shrink. Biden is now polling in second in Iowa in the Real Clear Politics average of polls, and lower in some individual surveys.
If Kerry was serious, his entry would mark the latest in a series of moves by the party establishment seen by Sanders supporters as trying to game the system to deny Sanders the nomination.
The former secretary of state denied considering a run on Twitter Sunday.
\u201cAs I told the reporter, I am absolutely not running for President. Any report otherwise is categorically false. I\u2019ve been proud to campaign with my good friend Joe Biden, who is going to win the nomination, beat Trump, and make an outstanding president.\u201d— John Kerry (@John Kerry) 1580680466
Progressives were unimpressed by the report.
"John Kerry, you had your chance," said New Deal Strategies founder Rebecca Katz. "Please take a seat."
The New Republic's Libby Watson curtly dismissed the news.
"Pathetic," said Watson.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Former Secretary of State John Kerry is considering throwing his hat in the ring for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination if Sen. Bernie Sanders cannot be stopped.
That's according to NBC News, which reported Sunday that one of the their analysts overheard a phone conversation between Kerry and an unknown second person in the lobby restaurant of the Renaissance Savery hotel in Des Moines, Iowa.
"Maybe I'm fucking deluding myself here," Kerry said as he tried to figure out the logistics of such a move.
The fact that the former secretary of state would have that conversation in earshot of reporters was surprising to NBC News reporter Alex Seitz-Wald.
"If you're John Kerry in a Des Moines hotel the day before the Iowa Caucus, assume people will overhear you loudly spitballing about entering the presidential race!" tweeted Seitz-Wald.
\u201cIf you're John Kerry in a Des Moines hotel the day before the Iowa Caucus, assume people will overhear you loudly spitballing about entering the presidential race! Great @jonallendc scoop. https://t.co/HZkFtXS70G\u201d— Alex Seitz-Wald (@Alex Seitz-Wald) 1580678161
Kerry said in the conversation that he feared "the possibility of Bernie Sanders taking down the Democratic Party--down whole" and that billionaire donors would have to "raise a couple of million" for such a bid.
Sanders leads in polling in Iowa, New Hampshire, and nationwide and is close to the lead or within the margin of error in other important primary states South Carolina, Nevada, California, and Texas.
As NBC News reported, Kerry would have to disentangle himself from a number of commitments in his private life such as a lucrative speaking career and his position on the board of Bank of America.
Kerry is in Iowa campaigning for former Vice President Joe Biden, who has seen his once-sizable lead over the rest of the Democratic primary field shrink. Biden is now polling in second in Iowa in the Real Clear Politics average of polls, and lower in some individual surveys.
If Kerry was serious, his entry would mark the latest in a series of moves by the party establishment seen by Sanders supporters as trying to game the system to deny Sanders the nomination.
The former secretary of state denied considering a run on Twitter Sunday.
\u201cAs I told the reporter, I am absolutely not running for President. Any report otherwise is categorically false. I\u2019ve been proud to campaign with my good friend Joe Biden, who is going to win the nomination, beat Trump, and make an outstanding president.\u201d— John Kerry (@John Kerry) 1580680466
Progressives were unimpressed by the report.
"John Kerry, you had your chance," said New Deal Strategies founder Rebecca Katz. "Please take a seat."
The New Republic's Libby Watson curtly dismissed the news.
"Pathetic," said Watson.
Former Secretary of State John Kerry is considering throwing his hat in the ring for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination if Sen. Bernie Sanders cannot be stopped.
That's according to NBC News, which reported Sunday that one of the their analysts overheard a phone conversation between Kerry and an unknown second person in the lobby restaurant of the Renaissance Savery hotel in Des Moines, Iowa.
"Maybe I'm fucking deluding myself here," Kerry said as he tried to figure out the logistics of such a move.
The fact that the former secretary of state would have that conversation in earshot of reporters was surprising to NBC News reporter Alex Seitz-Wald.
"If you're John Kerry in a Des Moines hotel the day before the Iowa Caucus, assume people will overhear you loudly spitballing about entering the presidential race!" tweeted Seitz-Wald.
\u201cIf you're John Kerry in a Des Moines hotel the day before the Iowa Caucus, assume people will overhear you loudly spitballing about entering the presidential race! Great @jonallendc scoop. https://t.co/HZkFtXS70G\u201d— Alex Seitz-Wald (@Alex Seitz-Wald) 1580678161
Kerry said in the conversation that he feared "the possibility of Bernie Sanders taking down the Democratic Party--down whole" and that billionaire donors would have to "raise a couple of million" for such a bid.
Sanders leads in polling in Iowa, New Hampshire, and nationwide and is close to the lead or within the margin of error in other important primary states South Carolina, Nevada, California, and Texas.
As NBC News reported, Kerry would have to disentangle himself from a number of commitments in his private life such as a lucrative speaking career and his position on the board of Bank of America.
Kerry is in Iowa campaigning for former Vice President Joe Biden, who has seen his once-sizable lead over the rest of the Democratic primary field shrink. Biden is now polling in second in Iowa in the Real Clear Politics average of polls, and lower in some individual surveys.
If Kerry was serious, his entry would mark the latest in a series of moves by the party establishment seen by Sanders supporters as trying to game the system to deny Sanders the nomination.
The former secretary of state denied considering a run on Twitter Sunday.
\u201cAs I told the reporter, I am absolutely not running for President. Any report otherwise is categorically false. I\u2019ve been proud to campaign with my good friend Joe Biden, who is going to win the nomination, beat Trump, and make an outstanding president.\u201d— John Kerry (@John Kerry) 1580680466
Progressives were unimpressed by the report.
"John Kerry, you had your chance," said New Deal Strategies founder Rebecca Katz. "Please take a seat."
The New Republic's Libby Watson curtly dismissed the news.
"Pathetic," said Watson.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.