JK salute at the Carpetbagger

When looking at the Democratic Party’s informal leadership, there are a handful of powerhouses whose endorsements every presidential candidate would love to have: Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, and Howard Dean come to mind. Clinton, of course, is clearly spoken for, and Dean, as chairman of the DNC, is committed to staying neutral. Gore, meanwhile, has been shying away from partisan politics, while Kerry, the 2004 nominee, has cast his lot with Barack Obama...

We’ll see if this has a significant effect; given Kennedy’s standing, it certainly won’t hurt. In the big picture, I suspect the real benefit here for Obama is one of stature. Ted Kennedy is a legend in the party, and helps represent the Democratic establishment, most of which has backed Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

It also points to a possible trend. Since the New Hampshire primary, seven Democratic senators (if we include Kennedy) have announced presidential endorsements — and six of the seven have backed Obama. (For the record, the six are Tim Johnson, John Kerry, Pat Leahy, Claire McCaskill, Ben Nelson, and Kennedy. Clinton’s came from Florida’s Bill Nelson.)

There may have been an impression among some that Obama was the choice of young people and some movie stars. Slowly but surely, it appears the party establishment is suddenly up for grabs, as well.

Stay tuned.