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The Campaign: Reagan v. Kennedy Legacies

They are the political embodiment of the legendary feuding Hatfields and McCoys, and their legacies are being played out in this year's presidential campaigns.

Since their first debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley last year, Republican candidates have all sought to invoke Reagan, referring reverently to the late president.

Meanwhile, the talk of change being championed by Democratic candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton harkens back to John F. Kennedy's vows to change the era with the "Let's get America moving again" slogan in 1960.

"We're in a very odd period of American history, and I think what it indicates is that we really don't know what direction we're going here," said Raphael Sonenshein, professor of government at California State University, Fullerton.

"It's funny, but it suddenly seems to be this resurgence of `I'm in the mold of.' I haven't seen this much of it ever in a campaign."

And the trend is certain to continue as California moves toward its Tuesday primary, with Republicans debating Wednesday night at the Reagan Library and Democrats holding their own debate tonight at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

Last week, Obama went so far as to mention Reagan himself and incurred the wrath of Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, for invoking a name that is anathema in traditional Democratic circles.

The incident underscores the fervor with which each party is trying to identify with Reagan and the Kennedys and how they will bitterly renounce any acceptance of the other.

"Is there ever any rationale for this type of feuding in politics?" said Carole Lieberman, a Beverly Hills psychiatrist whose latest book is on international politics and terrorism.

Past touches voters    

Yet it's the political fighting and rhetoric - politicians enveloping themselves in the mantles of popular past presidents and leaders - that often poignantly touches voters.

"One of the reasons I love Obama so much is that he reminds me of the optimism that President Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy used to arouse in me," said Peter Rothenberg of Northridge, one of the leaders of the Obama campaign in the San Fernando Valley.

"People really engaged and see him as a different kind of politician than what we've had."    

The similarities aren't lost on the Kennedys themselves. JFK's daughter, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, and her uncle, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the slain president's brother, endorsed Obama this week.

Younger Obama supporters such as Sandra Cuneo of North Hollywood - who weren't even born yet during the Kennedy years - are hearing of the similarities.

"My mom tells me he reminds her of John F. Kennedy," Cuneo said.    

"It's very strategic on the part of Obama to be running as Camelot, an idealist, patterning his campaign after the way JFK ran his, calling for change," said Jaime Regalado, executive director of the Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Institute at California State University, Los Angeles.

"It appeals to both the young and the old. It's smart strategy."    

Alluding to Kennedys    

In the most recent debate, Obama quoted from Kennedy's inaugural address - "Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate" - to justify why he would talk to such U.S. foreign critics as the leaders of Venezuela, Cuba, Iran and North Korea.

Clinton's own speeches have often alluded to the Kennedys, and she also is running with Kennedy backing, including that of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Political experts say that not only is the extent of the candidates' posturing with historical heroes unprecedented but it raises questions about the state of politics and the country today.

"Maybe it's a function of both parties for the first time in God knows how long having genuinely competitive open races that are going to wind up defining the nature of (each) party," Sonenshein said.

"There's no obvious successor in either party. I can't remember the last time that's been true. People seem to be grounding themselves in these historical figures, and it's very treacherous ground."

And all the political channeling for past political icons has left experts wondering where it will end.    

"If you really want to push this farther, (President George W.) Bush has been comparing himself again and again to historical figures trying to find some grounding for his policies," Sonenshein said.

"I don't think it's working too well, but he's Truman one day, he's misunderstood like Lincoln another day.    

"My guess is when that happens a lot, when everybody is talking about somebody else from the past, that it means that we are really unsure about where we are right now."

McCain Takes Command of GOP Race

SIMI VALLEY -- Sen. John McCain solidified his front-runner status for the Republican nomination Wednesday, sparring with an aggressive Mitt Romney in a feisty debate at the Reagan Library and securing key bicoastal endorsements from Rudy Giuliani and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In a debate dominated by attacks and counterattacks between McCain and chief rival Romney, McCain appeared to take the upper hand.

The Arizona senator launched an offensive against Romney's economic record as governor of Massachusetts, while Romney said McCain was out of the conservative mainstream.

McCain used the last debate before next week's Super Tuesday of primaries to reach out to the Republican Party's core conservative base, claiming the Reagan political mantle.

"I had the great honor of being inspired while I was in the prison camps of North Vietnam by the news of a governor and his wife who cared very much about those of us who were in captivity," he said, referring to President Ronald Reagan, when he was governor of California, and his wife, Nancy, who was in the audience Wednesday night.

"And when I came home, I was inspired by him, and I voted for him, and I supported him, and I was proud to be a ... foot soldier in the Reagan revolution."

Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, said McCain twice voted against President Bush's tax cuts and pushed campaign-finance reforms that restricted fundraising and spending. The Republican

"Those views are outside the view of mainstream Republican thought," Romney said in the opening moments of the debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The forum came 24 hours after McCain won the Florida presidential primary despite criticism that he is too moderate on several issues dear to party loyalists.

McCain's campaign got a double-barreled boost in California with the high-profile endorsements just days before the Golden State and 21 others cast primary ballots.

"He is an American hero, and America could use some heroes in the White House," Giuliani said of McCain, who was with him when the former New York mayor withdrew from the race ahead of the debate Wednesday afternoon. "He is a man of honor and integrity, and you can underline both."

Schwarzenegger's team said the governor would announce his endorsement today at a news conference with McCain after the pair tour a Los Angeles-based solar energy company.

The debate played out against a backdrop of the sleek blue and white fuselage of Reagan's Air Force One, which loomed as large as the legacy of the late president who has become the leading Republican icon of the past.

Other candidates    

With Giuliani dropping out of the race, McCain and Romney seized on the new dynamic to try to cast the race as a two-man contest, drawing a protest from former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who has struggled since his upset victory in Iowa.

"I want to make sure everybody understands: This isn't a two-man race," he said. "There's another guy, I would like to say, down here on the far right of the stage."

Rep. Ron Paul also struggled for attention during the 90-minute CNN debate.    

In touching on issues sensitive to conservatives, who have been critical of his positions on immigration, the environment and campaign-finance regulation, McCain said he would no longer vote for his original immigration bill, which would have provided a clear path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

"We will secure the borders first when I am president of the United States," McCain said. "I know how to do that. I come from a border state, where we know about building walls, and vehicle barriers, and sensors, and all of the things necessary."

When Romney sought to portray McCain as being out of step with Republican conservative philosophy and a liberal because The New York Times endorsed him, McCain shot back:

"Let me note that I was endorsed by your two hometown newspapers who know you best, including the very conservative Boston Herald. And I guarantee you the Arizona Republic will be endorsing me, my friend."

Looking confident throughout the debate, McCain even showed his sense of humor when asked whether he sides with Schwarzenegger on tougher environmental standards or with the Bush administration.

"Well, there's some physical danger," he said, smiling and looking at Schwarzenegger, which drew laughter from the audience. "I have to agree with the governor.

"And I believe the states should decide to enormous degrees what happens within those states, including off their coasts. The people of California have decided they don't want oil drilling off their coasts ...

"I applaud the governor's efforts and that of other states in this region and other states across America to try to eliminate the greenhouse-gas emissions that are causing climate change."

Negative ads    

McCain criticized Romney for his negative campaign ads against Huckabee and the extensive use of his personal fortune to support his candidacy.

About the only thing the two men could agree on was not blaming Bush for the country's economic conditions.    

Skirting that issue, Romney instead chose to focus on what he did for the economy while governor of Massachusetts, leading debate co-host Anderson Cooper of CNN to ask:

"Are you running for governor or are you running for president?"    

For McCain, the 71-year-old former Vietnam prisoner of war, his emergence as clear front-runner marks an extraordinary resurrection of his political fortunes from left-for-dead last May when the Republican campaign kicked off with the first debate at this very same location.

Veteran political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, senior scholar at the School of Policy, Planning and Development at the University of Southern California, said Giuliani's political collapse and McCain's quantum leap have dramatically changed the dynamics of the Republican race.

"Is this a hoot! About a month ago I thought there could be a brokered convention and, if there were a brokered convention, it would be on the Republican side," she said. "But now it is possible that if there were a brokered convention, it would be on the Democratic side."

Simi Valley, Hollywood: A Tale of Two Debates

SIMI VALLEY –- With a life-size replica of the Oval Office, the seal of power gleaming off Air Force One and reams of White House documents, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley may be the ideal setting for today's Republican presidential debate.

Just as Hollywood's Kodak Theatre - the site of the Oscars, next to the handprints of movie greats at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, with characters from Spider-Man to Darth Vader panhandling outside - may be the perfect venue for Thursday's Democratic debate.

From historic to Hollywood, the contrast between the venues highlights not only Los Angeles' own idiosyncracies but a culture of celebrity reflected in both campaigns.

"They really have become - on the Democratic side - celebrities in the truest form," said Elizabeth Currid, a University of Southern California professor who specializes in the sociology of fame and pop culture.

"When you talk about their charisma, when you talk about (Barack) Obama and you talk about his youth, his beautiful family, his ability to mesmerize a crowd - these are the same attributes that we bestow upon Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt or any other celebrity.

"Ironically, I think that in the Republican Party, the celebrity appeal is actually being used against Mitt Romney. He's the only one there that has that classic good looks and all-American, and with his hair that looks too perfect."

And it all makes the two settings perfect for the debates.

"Reagan is the iconic figure of the Republican Party, plus (the presidential library is) outside of town - it's away from the midpart of the city so they can all sort of worship at the shrine of Ronald Reagan," said Raphael Sonsenshein, government professor at California State University, Fullerton.

"That's kind of Republican L.A., on the outskirts of town, North and Northwest Valley. And the Kodak Theatre is right in the middle of Hollywood, which now is the most liberal voting area of Los Angeles, and it's in the celebrity crowd that tends to be drawn more to the Democrats and in the shadow of the writers strike.

"I couldn't imagine them, obviously, reversing the two locations. It wouldn't make any sense."    

For all their celebrity - or noncelebrity - the debates will be the last before next week's Super Tuesday primaries across the country when half of the delegates to this summer's national conventions will be chosen.

Democratic voters in 22 states will go to the polls Tuesday, and California stands to be the biggest prize of this primary season with a bitter showdown between the two most charismatic candidates in either race: New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, the leader in polls in California, and Obama, the fast-rising senator from Illinois.

"The Clintons - for all the good and bad publicity they are given - they are still a glamorous, charismatic couple," said Currid, author of "The Warhol Economy: How Fashion, Art and Music Drive New York City."

"They are a fixture in American life, and that is a part of who they are."    

The debates hit California after the most dramatic two weeks of the campaigns so far.    

With wins in South Carolina and Florida, Arizona Sen. John McCain has emerged as the front-runner in the GOP race, and he and Romney have become combative.

And after losing in South Carolina to Obama, Clinton has seen her front-runner status threatened while Obama has picked up endorsements including that of longtime party icon Ted Kennedy.

The drama is expected to continue at the Democratic debate in Los Angeles, where the ANSWER Coalition and other peace groups have planned an anti-war protest and picket outside the Kodak Theatre.

Families who have lost their homes or are facing foreclosure also have vowed to set up a "Save the Dream Tent City" a block from the Kodak Theatre, hoping to draw attention to their plight.

Among those involved is Tommy Beard, a cook at St. Francis Hospital, and his wife, Deborah, a teacher's assistant, who are threatened with the loss of their home.

Their adjustable-rate mortgage loan takes a big jump next year, and the Beards are already behind on their payments after medical problems forced Deborah to miss work for several months.

Their call for government action on interest rates and bankruptcy laws already falls on sympathetic Democratic ears.    

Obama, Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards all favor legislation that would ease the problems of homeowners suffering from mortgage and lending-rate exploitation.

But on Hollywood Boulevard, the tent city could just as easily be mistaken by tourists as simply another attraction amid the stars of Charlie Chaplin, Fred Astaire, Vivien Leigh and Tyrone Power immortalized on that particular strip of the Walk of Fame.

Still, the celebrity shine is not confined to the Democratic contenders. Among Republicans, McCain boasts the endorsement of Sylvester Stallone, and Mike Huckabee has the backing of Chuck Norris.

It is a phenomenon that extends even beyond Hollywood, says Currid.    

"We're not even talking about necessarily traits that we associate with good political leadership," she said. "This is certainly not to say that these politicians aren't good, because they are extremely competent.

"But to say that the things the media is focusing on is less about political traits and more about the ephemeral, charismatic traits that we also associate with celebrity."

Of course, tourists on Hollywood Boulevard won't see any real stars, unless they buy a $12.50 ticket for one of the flicks at Grauman's.

Or unless they hang out outside the Reagan Presidential Library - where Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who followed the route of Reagan from Hollywood star to governor, will attend today's debate and escort Nancy Reagan to her front-row seat, as he did at the first debate last May.

This time, however, there will be half as many candidates on the GOP stage as there were in the first debate and the scene will be different as well.

While the May debate took place in what appeared to be an airport hangar with the retired Air Force One dwarfing the scene, a new floor has been built to the level of the plane's fuselage and the debate will take place on a newly constructed tier.

The Reagan Library also will display to the public - for one day only - rare presidential and historical documents from George Washington and Thomas Jefferson to Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee.

At the Kodak Theatre, the closest thing to a historical document on display could well be the handprints of Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks in cement nearby.

In a town without an NFL team and with the finals of "American Idol" still weeks away, the debate at the Kodak could wind up being a hot ticket.

One buyer on Craigslist.org may have put it best:    

"I need a ticket to the Democratic debate next week at the Kodak Theatre. I work in entertainment, so I can trade tickets to other events or I can pay cash."

Giuliani Bows Out of GOP Race

SIMI VALLEY – His presidential campaign called him “America’s Mayor” after 9/11, but in the end that was a close as Rudy Giuliani would get to the Oval Office in the White House.

On Wednesday, just feet from where Giuliani distinguished himself in the first debate of the campaign last May, he graciously ended his run for the presidency and endorsed his friend, Arizona Senator John McCain, whose own remarkable political resurrection has paralleled the former New York mayor’s own collapse.

“John McCain is the most qualified candidate to be the next commander in chief of the United States,” Giuliani said at an afternoon press conference in the Spin Room for the Republican debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

“He is an American hero, and America could use some heroes in the White House. He is man of honor and integrity, and you can underline both.”

In endorsing McCain, Giuliani gave yet more momentum to McCain’s surge that began with winning the New Hampshire primary and continued with triumphs in South Carolina and Florida, where Giuliani, finishing a disappointing, far distant third, decided to bow out of the race.

Gracious to the end, Giuliani was humorous and self-deprecating in making his announcement with McCain and his wife Cindy at his side.

“When you run for president, you spend a lot of time thinking about what qualities you would want in a chief executive of the United States,” Giuliani said.. “Someone who can be trusted in times of crisis. Someone with a clear vision about the challenges facing our nation. Someone with the will and perseverance to get great goals accomplished.

“Obviously, I thought I was that person. The voters made a different choice.”

At another point, Giuliani said he had even indicated during the campaign that he would support McCain, should he himself fail in seeking the nomination. Then he joked that now he had no choice.

“If I endorse anyone else,” he told a room full of reporters and cameramen, “you would say I was flip-flopping.”

For Giuliani, the political decline came after employing a risky political strategy in which he passed on the early caucuses and primaries to focus on Florida and after revelations in the new media of his questionable activity and behavior while mayor of New York.

Giuliani had also suffered politically from the improvement of the U.S. position in the war in Iraq where the limited success of President Bush’s “surge” strategy of he past year also improved the political fortunes of McCain, a staunch backer of the war.

Giuliani and the McCains arrived at the Reagan Library early in the afternoon to anticipation that he would be making his withdrawal announcement and endorsement of McCain just hours before Wednesday night’s debate.

“It’s appropriate to make this announcement here at the Reagan Library,” Giuliani said in beginning his remarks. “President Reagan’s leadership remains an inspiration for both John McCain and myself.”

Veteran political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, senior scholar at the School of Policy, Planning and Development at the University of Southern California, said Giuliani’s political collapse had changed
the dynamics of the Republican race almost overnight.

“Is this a hoot! About a month ago I thought there could be a brokered convention and, if there were a brokered convention, it would be on the Republican side,” she said. “But now it is possible that if there were a brokered convention, it would be on the Democratic side.”

McCain called Giuliani “my strong right arm and my partner and my friend.”

“There will be a clear choice this November,” McCain said, “and I believe my life has prepared me, a life of service and a life of dedication, to lead this nation.”