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Will Democratic Party Leadership Confront Hillary Over Her Campaign Tactics?
What are the chances that a group of Dem party tough guys can force Hillary to stop her collateral damage campaign? Is it possible that Howard Dean, Al Gore, Nancy Pelosi and others could force her to halt her current mode of operation?
Even with all of the posturing, hedging and manipulation, Hillary isn't winning. Her most recent 2 losses now have her 700,000+ votes behind in the popular vote, and 160+ delegates behind with fewer races left. Meanwhile she is running an Archie Bunker campaign that threatens to fragment the Democratic Party at a time when they were virtually guaranteed victory. Can the leadership allow this to continue?
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Comments (8)
Number one, there aren't any "tough" leaders in the Democratic Party. If there had been, they never would have rolled over in 2000! Much less in 2004!
Secondly, the Clintons don't give a rap for the party leadership or for other candidates for Senate, Congress, etc. It's all about winning, but just for them! It was under their watch that the GOP took over Congress.
Third, Hillary is behind. In order to get the nomination, now, she thinks there is only one path left--not to defeat Barack, but to DESTROY him. Or rather, ONLY by destroying him, can she overtake him.
Read Robert Caro's description of how Lyndon Johnson ran his campaign against Coke Stevenson in 1948, in the book "Means of Ascent." There you will find a story which explains what Hillary is doing and WHY.
This is not "civics book" politics. This is about POWER. Senator Obama needs to show that he is no neophyte about the nature of power. I hope that having been schooled in Chicago politics, he will be up to the challenge. I don't mean he has to resort to smear and fear in retaliation, but his response needs to be something that re-frames the narrative and shifts the ground in this campaign.
One thing is certain. No kibitzer from the sidelines will make any impression on the Clintons. They are the Democrats' version of Nixon.
March 12, 2008 5:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
No. The Dem Party is due for a good split and realignment. The Democratic Party should not attempt to be all things to all people, nor should we cater to a single voting group at the expense of the overall good. This fight is wonderful, keep it up. Hopefully the Obamaistas will start their own party, caucuses only please. I love a train wreck and this is 1968 all over again. Country #1, Party last. If not Hillary, McCain 2008!
March 12, 2008 8:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
Marginal Player indeed. What a perfect example of somebody who supports the Clinton Party, NOT the Democratic Party. That, folks, is what this is all about.
March 12, 2008 9:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
F the Democratic Party. It has no higher moral ground than the GOP. I am completely amused by that the straight arrow moral compass, Spitzer is another hypocrite. God Bless America, and if the DEM nominee is Obama, I and millions of over 50 year olds will gladly vote McCain and not Obama. It's called splitting our ticket.
March 12, 2008 9:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
Somehow I don't think that Dean, et. al. are even paying attention. They spend all day in FL or MI and have no idea what she's saying.
You're right though. They need to step in sometime or we're going to wrap this up nicely for McCain.
March 12, 2008 10:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
There's no hope for any leadership from Pelosi or Howard Dean. That's been obvious from the last year in Congress.
But where are Richardson, Gore and Edwards? They could take a stand against all of this. And they're not.
That's my new sadness for the day.
March 12, 2008 10:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
What Nancy Pelosi actually said yesterday is that the PEOPLE are the only ones who can stage an intervention here. Go back and listen to her comments again. 'These things never just resolve themselves. Someone has to do something. Usually, it's the people....'
So, what are we going to do?
March 12, 2008 11:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's ridiculous. Give her the hell Florida. A mail-in ballot? IN FLORIDA? What are these people smoking?!?!?!
In Oregon, there are verified signatures on file to keep fraud to a minimum. With no safeguards in place, it's meaningless.
And a full re-do in Michigan. Obama needs to say, "bring it on" and go fight for Michigan and win it. And win North Carolina, keep her numbers down in Kentucky, fight to at least a draw in Indiana.
He also needs to come out, make a big deal out of getting the campaign out of the mud, so that every racist comment out of Ferraro/Bill/Hillary and surrogates is seen for what it is.
Talk one-on-one in PA to those working class people. He did a great job with them in Illinois. Yeah, yeah -- he was running against Alan Keyes. But he actively won the downstate Illinois vote. He could have ceded it, and still won in the big population areas. But he didn't. He won that election, fair and square, talking to people who never believed they could vote for a black man. They like him, respect him, believe him. Remember, he won Illinois by 32 points. Hillary won New York by 17 (Less, I'm sure, if they ever find the votes in the black precincts that seem to have disappeared). He just has to do that in PA.
And if Gore, Richardson and Edwards don't speak up this week, they have lost all respect. The cowards. The sheep. I'm disgusted.
March 12, 2008 11:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
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