Heath Shuler Endorses Clinton
 |
James Joyner | Thursday, May 8, 2008 |
Always the master of timing, Democratic superdelegate Heath Shuler announced that he would support Hillary Clinton the morning after her poor showing in North Carolina convinced just about everyone that she was toast. This is especially interesting given that the first-term congressman represents North Carolina.
Don Frederick describes the play thusly:
A cynic might note that in announcing his support for Clinton, Rep. Heath Shuler of North Carolina was aping his ill-fated pro football career — joining the roster of a losing team.
But after washing out as a QB from the mid-to-late ’90s with the Washington Redskins, the New Orleans Saints and the Oakland Raiders, Shuler succeeded as a politician by making clear to the constituents of the western tip of the Tar Heel state that although he was a Democrat, he shared their moderate-to-conservative opinions on most issues. That enabled him, in the 2006, to knock off an eight-term Republican incumbent.
In endorsing Clinton, Shuler was hewing to the views of those who sent him to Washington. Although Clinton lost North Carolina to Obama by 14 percentage point, the results in Shuler’s district were almost exactly the reverse: She won it by 13 points.
Actually, this is a perfectly sensible move on his part under those circumstances. It’s still funny, though.
Howard Mortman, who agonized through Shuler’s Redskins days, isn’t the least bit surprised.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia.
Follow James on FriendFeed | Twitter | Digg
- More Bad News for McCain: Redskins Lose
- Jesse Helms Dead at 86
- Election Night Liveblog - Wrapup
- Actor Heath Ledger Dead at 28
- Schwarzenegger, Giuliani and McCain Republicans
- Clinton Wins Indiana, Obama Takes North Carolina
- If The Election Were Held Today . . .
- On “Moderate Islam”
- Romney Endorses McCain
- Strategic Voting in South Carolina?
- Jonesing For An Apology
- Geither at Treasury, Richardson at Commerce
- Hillary Clinton to be Secretary of State
- Terrorism Going Away?
- James Jones as National Security Advisor?
- Mark Cuban vs. SEC
- Spider Drawing in Lieu of Money
- Goolsbee Victim of Reverse Discrimination?
- Talk Radio Killed Conservativism?
- E=mc2
"Wadaya mean 46Blackjackon5 is not a double reverse???"
I hear the guy makes interesting movies, anyway.
He played for the Raiders?
Heath Shuler...
I see he is no more adept at politics than he was at college or professional football....
LOSER...
"He played for the Raiders?"
No, he just showed up and collected a check until Al Davis got rid of his ass.
"and in 2004 ESPN rated him the 17th biggest 'sports flop' of the past 25 years.[1] In 2008, ESPN rated him the 4th biggest NFL Draft bust of all time.[2]"
Wikipedia
He seems to be continuing the legacy.
I don't think I would put Shuler's name on the top of the list of the deposit ticket I would use for endorsements down at the bank of politics. He's OK, but so is Jed, his uncle who runs the local radiator repair shop.
Heath Shuler... not smart enough to be an NFL Quarterback... but smart enough to be my congressman.
For Hillary huh? It looks to me like the political version of the old "hidden ball" play.
Comments are Closed
