Clinton to Richardson: 'Barack Obama Can't Win'

[youbet]

Quote:

I'd sure like to see your evidence that Obama is personally directing any of the media and blogosphere uproar. I seriously doubt it.

I just watched the tape of Hillary's comments and then read Barack's personal response. His interpretation is troublesome. Imagine him dealing with international affairs and making those kinds of stretchy interpretations.....

I'm not worried about what Hillary said. She's not likely to wind up in office. But Barack is. And I'm trying to get a read on what makes him tick. This was a negative dot on the chart.

[ERD50]

I agree 100% with Gumby above. I think it is a real st-r-e-e-e-e-e-t-ch to lay this on the 'Obama camp'. Maybe, some over-zealous supporters, more likely some reporters/bloggers looking for a juicy headline, maybe both.

Gumby nailed it with the 'sensitivity' comments. Think about it - you just simply do NOT throw out the word 'assassination' casually, especially when your husband was President. You (or at least Hillary should) THINK before that word comes out. It's just not the kind of word that rolls off the tongue.

I'm willing to cut ALL the candidates some slack on their choice of words from time to time. They are under a microscope 24/7, any human will slip up when the microphone is on. But this is just weird to have been spoken twice.

You know, the more I type, the more I'm convincing myself that just maybe there is some subliminal meaning to her using the term, and thinking about that sad event. Let's face it, she is desperate at this point. It might be clouding her ability to keep it in check.

-ERD50

[samclem]

The DNC should be gleeful about the present state of things. Obama and Clinton are in the news every day. This is free publicity, and both Obama and Clinton are free to use their air time to bash McCain and put the DNC's talking points front and center with the American public--for free. Meanwhile, McCain would have to have a baby to get on page 8 of the Morristown Bargain Hunter Gazette.

Sure, the convention will be contentious--better TV ratings!

The only challenge is that the DNC leadership and the superdelegates will eventually need to make a decision and take a little heat. Seems a price they'd willingly pay if they were putting their party's interest ahead of their own comfort.

[TromboneAl]

After Clinton's initial remarks to the newspaper were reported, the Obama campaign issued a statement saying the comment "was unfortunate and has no place in this campaign."


But Obama himself later said, "I don't think that Senator Clinton intended anything by it," and that "we should put it behind us."

[clifp]

Personally, I am amazed and sadden but the hyper sensitivity shown by all the candidates. Compared to the nasty remarks made past all of the candidates have been on their best behavior. I remember lots of mean stuff said in the last 20 years about various Presidential candidate and have read various accounts of the vicious ad-hominem insults made in the 200 years before that. (Go back and read what they said about Lincoln in every election).

I don't see the need to for the constant apologies that seem be issued every week. Hillary said nothing wrong, there was a vigorous campaign in June and while Bobby was winning the issue was still somewhat in doubt. I am not entirely sure that Hillary didn't sell her soul to the devil early in her career, but even I don't think there was some veiled assassination suggestion.

The Presidency is a really tough and important job, if you don't have skin as thick as rhino, you shouldn't be running. I am reasonably sure both Hillary and McCain qualify, and I suspect Barrack is no thin skinned creature either. However, for some reason their campaigns are looking for any excuse to be victimized probably cause the media loves victims.

Of all the "scandals" I think the only two that are even vaguely important are: Hillary's lying about her experience in Bosnia, because it reflects on her truthfulness and Rev. Wright because it reflects on Obama's judgement. The rest are simply media inventions, with full cooperation by various campaigns.

[Texarkandy]

I can't help but wonder if Obama would have done as well in some of those earlier primaries had the whole Rev Wright, Afro-Centric church membership, & the Ayers connection came out.

& I wonder if some superdelegates might be pondering the same?

Perhaps that's what Hillary's banking on & perhaps she has a bombshell (or a bomblet or two) about Obama up her sleeve to leak out to her surrogates a couple weeks prior to the convention.

In any case - I still don't think it's over "till the fat lady sings" - or something like that.

[Wags]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texarkandy I can't help but wonder if Obama would have done as well in some of those earlier primaries had the whole Rev Wright, Afro-Centric church membership, & the Ayers connection came out. & I wonder if some superdelegates might be pondering the same? Perhaps that's what Hillary's banking on & perhaps she has a bombshell (or a bomblet or two) about Obama up her sleeve to leak out to her surrogates a couple weeks prior to the convention. In any case - I still don't think it's over "till the fat lady sings" - or something like that.

You may be right it is not over "till the fat lady sings" but the least she can do while we are waiting for her newest hit is ask Mr. Clinton to tone it down.

As for the bombshell who knows what dirt they might have on Mr. Obama. But they have tried to escalate the Rev Wright issue, and they have tried to insist that Obama is a Muslim, and thus far nothing has stuck.

It will be interesting to see what happens.

God Bless Us All

[Texarkandy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wags ...... As for the bombshell who knows what dirt they might have on Mr. Obama. But they have tried to escalate the Rev Wright issue, and they have tried to insist that Obama is a Muslim, and thus far nothing has stuck. .....

I disagree - I think the Rev wright issue has stuck & I has turned a lot of potential swing voters off who'll go for McCain, as will some Hillary voters.

I won't entirely count him out to win (provided of course he gets the nomination, which I think he will barring some bombshell about him coming out) - but I don't think Mr. Obama will exactly breeze through a race with McCain - he'll have to fight for it & make few mistakes.

[A854321]

With today's news that Nancy Pelosi has declared she will step in before the end of June to avoid a confrontation at the August convention, Hillary is now next to being declared brain dead.

The very best thing Hillary could do now is bow out on June 3, and heartily and convincingly campaign to support Obama.

Hillary has now started to write her own political epitaph. It's not looking very statesman-like. It's starting to outline a career of political manouvering, duplicity, and massive policital ambition.

[youbet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by A854321 With today's news that Nancy Pelosi has declared she will step in before the end of June to avoid a confrontation at the August convention

A "confrontation?" Whatever happened to the delegates deciding the party's candicate at the convention? Is Ms Pelosi's intended action the normal thing, that the candidate must be determined pre-convention to prevent the delegates attending the convention from determining the candidate?

I'm not a Hillary fan (understatement) but this movement to not allow a candidate, especially one with lots of support - we're not talking about someone with 5% - 10% of the delegates here - to take his/her case to the convention floor seems like an unsavory trend.

Is it just an effort on Ms Pelosi's part to save some of the superdelegates from having to go on the record with their choice?

This seems so strange........

[youbet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texarkandy I think the Rev wright issue has stuck & I has turned a lot of potential swing voters off who'll go for McCain, as will some Hillary voters. .

I don't think it's a matter of "sticking" or not. Obama has less known history than the other candidates, even for me one of his constituents. The Rev Wright revelation simply brought out some of Barack's life history relating to his religion, his church and it's minister and their philosophies, etc. Some of the extreme sensationalism is easily brushed away and doesn't "stick." For example, I can't really believe that Barack thinks the US govt invented AIDS to kill blacks, despite the Rev Wright taped sermon saying so. On the other hand, I do consider the fact that Barack attended that church with that minister, was married there, had his kids baptised there, etc. and that is one factor, among many, I use in trying to understand what makes him tick.

It would be analogous to my consideration of Mike Huckabee's status as an ordained minister. It wasn't a stopper for me in my evaluation of him, but I did consider it. With Barack, his church affiliation and the contentious (to me) minister is just one consideration of many.

[Texarkandy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by youbet ..... It would be analogous to my consideration of Mike Huckabee's status as an ordained minister. .....

Really! How so?

I don't see how the Obama/Rev Wright/Afro-Centric Christianity situation is at all analogous to the Huckabee's a preacher or Romney's a Mormon thing.

Now it might be analagous to the McCain/Hagee thing - IF - McCain had attended Hagee's church for 20 years, called Hagee his spiritual guide, and used excerpts from Hagee's speeches in his book. In that hypothetical situation do you think it would "stick" on McCain? Do you think that given that hypothetical situation people would be skeptical of McCain if he said he really didn't support Hagee's views?

Obama's die-hard supporters give him a pass on this - I don't think a lot of the swing voters will.

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texarkandy I disagree - I think the Rev wright issue has stuck & I has turned a lot of potential swing voters off who'll go for McCain, as will some Hillary voters.

Just my two cents, but I think it plays out more like this:

A) If a person is a hard-core Obama supporter, they see it as a non-issue and it does not sway them at all. Nothing changed, Obama has their vote.

B) If a person was hard-core against Obama, they see it as an important issue and it reinforces their beliefs. Nothing changed, Obama never had their vote.

C) If you are really a swing voter, you might look at the issue and try to determine if you see it a a problem for a President or not. I don't think we can make generalizations here. For some it will be an issue, for others, not enough of a single reason to vote one way or the other.

-ERD50

[Texarkandy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 Just my two cents, but I think it plays out more like this: A) If a person is a hard-core Obama supporter, they see it as a non-issue and it does not sway them at all. Nothing changed, Obama has their vote. B) If a person was hard-core against Obama, they see it as an important issue and it reinforces their beliefs. Nothing changed, Obama never had their vote. C) If you are really a swing voter, you might look at the issue and try to determine if you see it a a problem for a President or not. I don't think we can make generalizations here. For some it will be an issue, for others, not enough of a single reason to vote one way or the other. -ERD50

Though not a registered Republican (believe it or not I have voted Democrat in the past) I was a Ron Paul fan and not too thrilled with McCain during the Republican Primary. I'd have preferred the Repubs went for Romney instead of McCain. I've pretty much not liked Hillary since way back when she was first lady.

I was more opposed to Hillary than Barak Obama before the Rev Wright thing. (actually I found out about it previous to the media to-do when honestly & objectively researching Obama as he was being touted as a Dem somebody like me could maybe vote for) When I read the church website & learned more of the length of his involvement with this preacher it just screamed "racial politics" and turned me completely off.

I found he wasn't my kind of guy ideologically & the Rev Wright thing really sealed it up to the point that now if I had to choose between the two Dems I'd have to choose Hillary! (Which is saying a lot for me, considering my negative impression of many of her ideas since way back!)

So would you consider me in your category of A; B; or C?

[Texarkandy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wags You may be right it is not over "till the fat lady sings" but the least she can do while we are waiting for her newest hit is ask Mr. Clinton to tone it down. ....

Why should she have to do that?

[Letj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texarkandy I can't help but wonder if Obama would have done as well in some of those earlier primaries had the whole Rev Wright, Afro-Centric church membership, & the Ayers connection came out. & I wonder if some superdelegates might be pondering the same? Perhaps that's what Hillary's banking on & perhaps she has a bombshell (or a bomblet or two) about Obama up her sleeve to leak out to her surrogates a couple weeks prior to the convention. In any case - I still don't think it's over "till the fat lady sings" - or something like that.

His performance in later primaries was not impacted in the least bit. Let's see what happens in the last three but I don't think his core constituents would be too quick to ascribe Rev Wright's views to him. It seems like the only people that care are people who would not vote for him anyway and obviously have an agenda. As for the blue color voters that Clinton seems to be getting, no surprise there. In any society where multi ethnic groups collide, the working class majority tend to shift blame for theIR plight to the minority group. That in part explains why Obama tends to do well among the educated population (less likely to be prejudice) and in states with very little ethnic diversity.

[ERD50]

Libertarians pick Barr as presidential candidate | ajc.com

-ERD50

[youbet]

Maybe Hillary is smearing her face with camo makeup and checking her sniper rifle right now. Maybe Barack's fears are manifesting

Can you imagine Barack's handlers finding him sprawled on the floor, eyes bulging, tongue protruding and a pair of queen size pantyhose pulled tight around his neck?

Gives me the creeps just thinking about it!

I'm going to leave the night light on tonight!

Edited to add: The above is only my recollection of a nightmare. It is not intended to suggest reality. I have no clue what size pantyhose Hillary wears. I'm already beginning to be sorry for posting this. My own personal wish is that both Hillary and Barack can have their political dreams fulfilled and lead long, wonderful lives.

[Marquette]

How does a Huckabee comment morph into a McCain response?

[bright eyed]

the day that a rules committee meeting of any party is aired for hours on end - is a good day for democracy - how many of us knew or cared about this minutiae before? we're starting to pay attention.

i know some recent college grads who were very excited about trying to become delegates for the dem convention - that would have been unheard of and very "uncool" in my day.

this election will have a very good, long term impact on public involvement in future politics and elections - hopefully producing bettter and better candidates than the attention/ambitious/greed mongers who dominate now...