Dems Fret Over Prolonged Bitter Fight

The Associated Press has noticed concern among Democratic party loyalists over a long, possibly hostile, nomination process:

"Despite Obama's impressive victories in February, Clinton's comeback is based on sowing political seeds of doubt," said Donna Brazile, a Democratic strategist and one of nearly 800 party leaders known as superdelegates for their ability to determine the nomination. "In order to clinch the nomination, he must anticipate the worst attacks ever."

Consider that a shot across the bow to the Clinton campaign because Brazile -- like many other superdelegates -- worries that Clinton's only hope for victory is tearing down Obama and dividing the party. Party chairman Howard Dean recently told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that he was concerned about the possible impact of a nominating campaign that stretched through the end of the primaries in early June.

Some superdelegates are bracing themselves to intervene on Obama's behalf if necessary.

"If these attacks are contrasts based on policy differences, there is no need to stop the race or halt the debate," Brazile said. "But, if this is more division, more diversion from the issues and more of the same politics of personal destruction, chairman Dean and other should be on standby."

Comments

[mix2007]

Try these:
http://www.hillaryproject.com/index.php?/en/story-details/hillary/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/21/AR2007102101069.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/31/us/politics/31donor.html?adxnnlx=1201813847-PK2N6inWdCnvviOLah4V/w&pagewanted=all
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/14/AR2007121402124_pf.html
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/02/29/717817.aspx
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1998/clinton_scandal/49771.stmhttp://www.capitolhillblue.com/Feb1999/022599/clintonwomen022599.htmhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/broaddrick022599.htmhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/25/AR2008022500791.html
And finally:Juanita BroaddrickPaula JonesMonica LewinskyGennifer FlowersElizabeth Ward GracenSally PerdueDolly Kyle Browning

[nancy50]

Looks like Huffpo relegated this thread to the hinterlands - too many Hillary supporters for her liking?

[joanno]

Ease up fellow dems...every state this campaign has gone into has experienced new legions of psyched up voters...now every state will have that explosion of interest...how great! As far as going negative...we can be assured repubs will do that as soon as our candidate is decided...so by throwing the book at each other now, they both gain the skills necessary to deflect the big ones that are coming...and skill and finesse are what a good defense is all about. Hillary may have weathered a lot, but not as a candidate for the presidency. Barack has proven to be a quick study and would profit immensely from being deeply tested. Both also get a chance to sharpen their core messages. There is nothing to lose here and everything to gain. We're Democrats afterall, not pundits who I think are growing weary and testy...their problem, not ours. We will prevail....

[ergoth]

donna brazile should STFU. worst attacks ever? any word against this big pussy obama is considered an abomination. he's been protected like a kid tied to his mommy's apron strings.

he grew up a pampered little wimp and can't stand up for himself. he's weak.

[RodgerLodger]

You have something there. Since Tuesday night he's looked smaller, like the air is leaking out of his balloon. What is he, anyway, but a smooth talking multi-racial jazzy dude with enough experience to chair the city council.

[hoodrat]

you both have something - fortunely it's treatable, if caught in time - truth is not abominable, if it is indeed the truth. i love it when pot calls kettle black, speaking thru a yeast infection must be difficult. haven't called a woman the b-word in yrs. why!? got so many hardleg alternatives......what tricks

[Independent voter]

The rules for Florida and Michigan were well known to all. Their delegates do not count.

The harpy from hell decided that it didn't have to play by the rules. It never did before, why should it now? It has it's own set of rules:

#1 screw everybody anyway that you can
#2 see #1

But if the DNC decides to change the rules in the middle of the game by either counting those non-votes or with some kind of petulant child like do-over, I believe that there will be hell to pay. The convention in Denver will make Chicago 1968 look like a day at Disneyland.

Wake up Howard and friends. The rules were set. Honorale people played by the rules.

NO changes to the rules after the game starts!

[Independent voter]

Sen. Hillary Clinton has declined to return $170,000 in campaign contributions from individuals at a company accused of widespread sexual harassment, and whose CEO is a disbarred lawyer with a criminal record, federal campaign records show.

The federal government has accused the Illinois management consulting firm, International Profit Associates, or IPA, of a brazen pattern of sexual harassment including "sexual assaults,” “degrading anti-female language" and "obscene suggestions."

In a 2001 lawsuit full of lurid details, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claims that 103 women employees at IPA were victimized for years. The civil case is ongoing, and IPA vigorously denies the allegations.

"This is by far, hands down, the worst case I've ever experienced," said Diane Smason, one of the EEOC lawyers handling the lawsuit. "Every woman there experienced sex harassment, they were part of a hostile work environment of sex harassment. And this occurred from the top down."

Sen. Clinton’s spokesman, Howard Wolfson, told NBC News in a statement that the senator decided to keep the funds

[Cathexis]

While I respect your assessment, Mr Drum, might I suggest that "Humphrey would have lost by at least 50 points" is one scenario.

Another possibility: Without such prolonged, ugly infighting, Humphrey (or some other Dem candidate) may have ended up beating Nixon by 49 points, rather than losing by 1%.

[VivaZapata]

decision by the superdelegates will take many of the new Obama voters right out of the process; they are young and grew up cynical of politicians. Obama has a difficult decision. If he matches Hillary negative blow for negative blow, he will look like just another hack, what the young and impressionable want to get away from. If on the other hand, he allows the Republican playbook that Hillary is now running off to continue unchallenged, he will face the same kind of problems that he did in Ohio when he campaigns in Pennsylvania. come convention time no matter what the outcome, the party will lose its attractiveness.

[Didi47]

Viva...:

Your post is full of contradictions, filled with more of the same anit Hillary attack, whilst trying desperately to detract the public from vetting Obama; with your preliminary claim... that if Hillary attacks Obama will look bad if he responds. How pathetic is that? How stupid do you think the public is?

And as for the young voter YOU are claiming will opt out of voting unless Obama is given a free - non-vetted ride to the nomination: I would think they'd be insulted to be described as first, being young and grew up cynical of politicians.. that does not make sense.. being young and cynical.. about no experience with politics??? Or are you implying that the young voters parents have been too cynical to vote and taught their children to do the same? Or are you doing what all the other Obama posts are doing, not answering any Obama questions with anything other than the typical THREATS!

[VivaZapata]

Didi147,
I think what I said stands on its own. There are no hidden issues, no implications. There also are no threats. I was simply expressing a dilemma in strategy for Obama, given the probable expectations of more telephone-in-the-night type advertisements. I was referring to the cheap shots and dirty tricks (see the post about making Obama's skin darker). As for Obama and answering questions, he has been as specific as Clinton. The lie about vagueness is nothing more than Clinton spin.

[seejake]

Just reading all the comments on all the posts, it looks like the Democrats are destined once again to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. No matter how many times that expression has been used, is seems so relevant right now.

I will take a stand that this is all the fault of the Hillary campaign and their supporters. You couldn't stand to put the party, the people, the country, before your own self interests. You adorned the same blinders and narrowed focus as every other politician and their supporters over the past half century in order to satisfy a personal endeavor. You've all very much prefer that one last green tree over the forest now lost.

So to that I'd like to congratulate you all on another four or more years of Republican decimation of our Constitution and raping of our economy, along with the loss of our civil liberties that it seems we'd so long taken for granted. Thanks Hillary and your supporters. You've all "done a heckuva job!"

[Didi47]

seejake:

There you go... another Obama supporter's threat. No questions answered, just threats and lies.

[Effymens]

Donna Brazile is another racist and nothing but a hypocrite that nobody should pay any attention to. This is the same woman that ran President Gore's campaign.But for this woman's incompetence , there is no President bush.I am so sick of her threatening to leave the party if she does not get her way.Please leave and dont let the door hit you on your way out.I cant believe this people. Is my way or the highway. Barrack Obama's wife is proud of America as long as he is winning.They are even stupid enough to compare that empty suit to MLK.One of the greatest American if not the greatest.I am sorry to say this but when are white people going to say enough is enough.Black voters , Oprah and Donna Brazile have made it about race.Obama and his campaign have managed to use race to get blacks to vote for him .Superdelegates are supposed to be independent and their main job is to make sure that the Party has the best candidate.Please folks this is not American idol.

[ncvoter]

Billary left the Whitehouse broke, the democratic party in shambles and the name "Democrat" an embarrassment. We lost congress for Pete's sake.

Hillary had two opportunities to get health care for all and screwed it up big time.

Was that on purpose?

Now Hillary and Bill have an un-Godly personal fortune of $54 MIllion, and want to come back to the well for more.

We're on to you.

[jrterrier]

Are you kidding? Bill Clinton's 8 years in the White House is the only thing that broke up the uninterrupted Republican occupation of the White House from Ronald Reagan to the present.

[AceInTheHole]

I hate to have to inform you , that Oprah and Donna didn't make this about race to get blacks to vote for Obama, those dumb ass instituions called Slavery and Jim Crow, along with the fact that Blacks don't want anyone to try to push Hillary down their throats, was more than enough to get the Blacks to vote for Obama. And I can't blame them for that.! And the rest of us don't feel like Hillary will be representing the interest of the majority of us, because she is to indebted to, to many special interest groups that don't enclude most of us in their agendas and even Stevie Wonder can see that.

With that said, how come so many so called smart people in the Hillary camp , don't seem to be smart enough to realize that the majority of Americans are not stupid? And can see the games that they are trying to play on America, all I can say is, that in the end it will all backfire on the perpertraitors ,even if it take years to do so because evil can not triump in the end because I have read the Book and I know ends.

[Didi47]

Hey AceInTheHole:

Still having to resort to stealing pro Hillary posters phrases I see. Again, just like Obama, not bright enough to come up with your own.... No change, no change... copy cat, plagiarizing, copy, copy, copy. Is that the change Obama speaks of? Sure looks like it to anyone who can read!

Go with the REAL thing... not a copy... Vote HIllary!

[hoodrat]

I may agree on the hypocrasy of Ms. Brazile - but these bald-faced lies on Obama himself has got to stop - if you heard "Race", if it wasn't the political one, was never mentioned by him. A tiring litany for fearful White folks. And I, like Mrs. Obama, am also, for the first time in my life, was proud to be American, because I never thought I'd see it in my lifetime, that a Person of Color would be a serious contender for the Presidency. There isn't a "Great Nigger Mind Meld" going on, this "empty suit" inspired us EXACTLY because of the no-color concept of his POTUS campaign. There are those that always will align themselves with the "flavor of the month", But this one just might be the one that can deliver you from mindless fear, and maybe as a sidenote work to unf**k this country. If my almost 50yrs. of observing, those that came before - he certainly can do no worse. Relax! We shawre wills gets it raght - mizz effy, but I'se bin roun' longa than ahhs votin' lawz, an its jus painin' mahs head mahm! jus gets confused thas all, wit tha fightin' yo wars a such, don seems iffin' weez does anythin' raght. Oh, I was an Army brat in Germany in the 60's, where they were calling MLK, a rabble rousing/trouble making Preacher from the South, who was a womaniser with possible communist ties, and they would pull some "porch monkey" out the closet, calling him a pariah to the negroe community at large. So ma'am say enough all you want, until last year, the last 28, have been abysmal...

[drheelin]

Just quickly,since it was refered to in this post, everyone always seems to forget, or not report the actual words Michelle Obama used, the words she used are "REALLY proud to be American". everyone leaves out the "Really" because, it changes the entire meaning of the story, and makes the spin on the story go away. This is actually really important to me anyway, because I think you can remove one word from a lot of content and completely change its meaning. Yet no one is calling anyone on this.
fun examples are: (I am making up the quotes here,except for one, all examples remove the word not)
Hillary clinton said "Barack is a terrorist! "
Barack said "Hillary is a lesbian "
Bill Clinton said he "did have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewenski "

[Didi47]

hoodrat:

No color POTUS with the Obama campaign????? And then you go on to insult us with your country folk.... racially skewed gibberish???

At your age you obviously know better and obviously prove the point.... that it's all about race with the Obama camp.

[theuniversal]

I can hardly blame blacks for being excited about the possibility of the first black President. I certainly wouldn't call them racist for it. Obama never says "vote for me so we can have the first black President". And important to note that if he did, his campaign would be over. (It's also interesting to note that although Obama never says this himself, Clinton frequently makes a point of saying it for him. Hmm, is she doing that to be nice?).

On a related point, Hillary Clinton says almost daily "vote for me so we can have the first woman President". That statement, which she repeats over and over, is an explicit appeal to make this election about gender. So are you angry at Hillary Clinton for making this nomination about gender? I'm guessing that you are not. The question you need to ask yourself is why you are so angry at blacks for supporting Obama and yet you are not angry at Hillary Clinton for shouting "It's time to put a woman in the White House!"

Disclosure: I'm a white male.

[LeftVetPatriot]

Some blockbuster disclosure.

[Didi47]

theuniversal:

Would you be kind enough to show me where Clinton has said: "Vote for Obama so we can have the first black President" ?? and/or "Vote for me so we can have the first female President"? I've never heard her say that and I've been listening very carefully to BOTH candidates. I do suggest you NOT continue to follow suit with Obama posters on this site.... and twist and skew what Hillary says... in order to defame her. How about trying the truth for a change? It would be a much needed breath of fresh air and benefit the voter who's been cheated and lied to enough, by the non stop anti Hillary media pundits - who have been bombarding a trusting audience with the biggest pile of scamming bullshit I've ever had the misfortune to experience!

[nancy50]

Thank you, you voiced my thoughts exactly. Brazile is holding a grudge against the Clintons because she mismanaged Gore's campaign. She should have had Bill campaign for Gore - his favorables were high despite the republican witchhunt of impeachment. Now she wants to end the nominating process before either candidate gets to 2025.

Superdelegates were created to prevent an unelectable candidate from being nominated. The McGovern nomination was the impetus - an idealistic candidate with a huge youth following during an unpopular war (sounds familiar). Superdelegates should all be neutral until the people have chosen their nominee - or if they don't have a nominee with the 2025 delegates than it goes to convention. Brazile is in a perfect position on CNN to huff and puff and get the Obama people all riled up but the rules don't back her up and she should know them by now.

[sebocd]

Why why would Donna Brazile have a grouge against the Clintons. She rightly felt it wasn't worth the risk to involve Bill Clinton and that Gore could make it without the president's association. Brazile was right. Are you forgetting that Al Gore won the election? . Brazile's only incompetance was not including a statergy early in the campaign to blowup the Supreme Court.if necessary. She admits the omission and says she'll know better next time.

[anythinggoes]

BILLARY SLOGAN IF I DONT GET IT,AND U DONT GET IT,POWER AND MONEY FREAK!!

[ragtopdodge]

W/Clinton sowing the seeds of doubt about Obama being a Muslim: "As far as I know...I take his word for it." then more talk like that will have the Supers jumping towards Obama.

They want this over quick if Hillary's going to get racist/xenophobic/Karl Rove on Obama.

[MPeter]

The Clintons have shown how racfist they can get despite denials and claims that they could never be. They have shown us how dirty and corrupt they are. They are now on a mission to burn down the party and to destroy the youth passion behind Obama. If they use their crooked insiders, racism, smear and fearmongering to impose on us an old, mean and corrupt blonde, we will sit this election out and Rethugs will take the WH. Dems have to stand up and stop this revolving door of exchanging corrupt Rethugs for rotten Democrats. The window is closing fast.

[Didi47]

MPeter:

Time to put your money where your mouth is. Grow up and do your homework or go vote Republican if you can't bring yourself to have Obama face the same scrutiny Hillary has. If he is not subjected to the same scrutiny then he is NOT Qualified to run for the Presidency... and certainly cannot be trusted! How can you profess to trust someone you know NOTHING about??

And the blah, blah, media promoted... destroy the party bullshit phrase.... is making people sick with disgust and contempt for the clowns who pretend they are the ones that are obligated to tell the public how to interpret what the candidates have said!
Given how the media has decimated any semblance of truth and skewed and reported what we've heard with our OWN ears.... totally out of context.... and spun it back at us into ...devoid of all reason.... is a clear demonstration of how clouded the media's skills are at reporting the truth. One would think they're all on drugs or something... with the outrageous bullshit they're shoving down our throats every day, while pretending to be 'the experts' at interpreting what the candidates have said.

[Didi47]

ragtopdodge;

You only wish Hillary was using the 'muslim' thing. The TRUTH is, it's ALL the Obama supporters who keep bringing up the Muslim thing. You guys are really desperate aren't you.

Hey we don't need you to tell us what we saw on the interview. That you have to spin it into something dirty that it wasn't..... we all saw her defend him, you fool... shows the depths you will go to to smear Hillary.

[anythinggoes]

clintons DONT CARE about party or destroy eveybody ONLY FOR THEIR SELF this is the most 2 evils hungry power freak !!

[sarobinson4320]

I agree with Donna and I'm concerned it may already be too late. This race has exposed the racism and sexism that is rampant in the party and the country. I've read horrendous things that have been said by "feminist" that were utterly racist and the sad part was they didn't realize it. I am an black, middle aged, educated woman. I believe Obama is qualified to lead this country. I made that judgement after listening to him and reading his positions. I supported and voted for Bill Clinton twice. While I started out liking Hillary I'm appalled by her blatant position that she should be president because she would be the first woman.
I don't think the Democratic party will recover from having the first female and black candidates. Regardless of how this ends people will walk away disgusted. I've already decided to change my registration to independent. I can no longer be affiliated with people who are so close minded.
We should all get prepared for the third Bush term because that what's coming in November.

[ChezMJ]

Gee, I'm shocked at the sexist things being said about Hillary. Why is THAT ok??? Racism bad, sexism good?

[hoodrat]

Neither - progress comes when pigeonholing recedes,

[theuniversal]

Since you're replying to sorobinson4320's comment, could you point out the "sexist things" in that comment for those of us who can't find them? All I see is "I can't find any sexist comments in sorobinson4320's comment.", which suggests that sexism and racism are both rampant and bad. Where in this particular thread are the sexist comments?

[theuniversal]

Correction ... All I see is "This race has exposed the racism and sexism that is rampant in the party and the country.", which suggests that sexism and racism are both rampant and bad.

[neocon43]

You should vote republican.You sound like a lady with core values.Why waste them on a party who does not care about life or the protection of it!

[sarobinson4320]

Neocon43,
Thanks but no thanks. I do have core values and as such I find the republicans repugnant. I'm going to be an independent.

[BeyondGoodAndEvil]

Obama will win the nomination and the Presidency. There's no need to worry about all the infighting going in the Democratic Party. While Clinton's campaign has been doctoring ads of Obama to make him darker, while simultaneously lying about him,

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/3/4/21311/85811/447/468408

and sending pictures of his trip to Kenya to Drudge and circulating emails falsely claiming Senator Obama is a Muslim:

http://www.drudgereport.com/flashoa.htm

the DNC and super delegates are taking note of this and defecting from Clinton. It won't be too long before they send her the message that her candidacy is finished. She hasn't got the numbers and she can't win. When her tax returns are released in April, that will be the nail in her political coffin.

[Didi47]

Speaking of tax returns and records.... what happened to Obama's suddenly missing records??????

First caught in multiple lies... now his records are missing...

I think those super delegates should wait a minute or two before jumping ship. They may find themselves in a very leaky life raft indeed.

[Didi47]

sarobinson....

You say you supported Bill twice and you 'used' to like Hillary... but because she said history was being made... with a woman running for president?

First of all... you deliberately FAIL to mention... Hillary said she was thrilled that history was being made because it's the first time a black American (I'm paraphrasing here... in case you want to label this as some kind of racist remard0k) and a woman were running for president.

She never said she should be president because she'd be the first woman!! MORE LIES from the Obama camp! More spin... more racist innuendos... to defame Hillary. Anything to detract from asking Obama questions.. right?

What you're doing is not only shameful - you're also cheating the voter of the truth. That does not bode well or instill confidence in Obama, my friend. LIE'S don't cut it. The people aren't as stupid as the media pundits and Obama's Hillary defamers think they are.

[sarobinson4320]

Didi47,
You really need to chill out. I have a life so I don't have time to memorize everything Hilary or Obama says. I'm not trying to persuade any voter nor am I trying to instill confidence in Obama. I'm expressing an opinion. Do you remember what those are? I hope Hilary's paying you, otherwise I fear for your sanity.

[nene]

In all honesty, she came out with that dream ticket idea today because she knows she can't win in November without him. She does not have the African American vote and even if Barack was no longer in the race she damaged her relationship with us and if she is the nominee, look out for a lot of African Americans to stay home in November and no democratic president in many decades has won the white house without the African American vote. Because nationally if people look at exit polls only about 10% of African Americans approve Hillary, the other 90 just might stay home and that would be bad.

[Didi47]

nene:

You say African Americans will stay home if Hillary wins the nomination? And then accuse Hillary of racism? Well if that's not ironic and totally racist then I don't know what is.

[sarobinson4320]

Didi46, Nene's comment is not racist. It's realistic. Democrats have taken the black vote for granted for years. However, given the tactics that have been employed and the bigotry that has been exposed, black people will let the party know we can no longer be expected to toe the party line. When LBJ signed the civil rights act he remarked that he was deliverying the south to the republicans for a generation. Nominating Hilary means that blacks will be through with the democrats for a generation. Oh, and see if you can win without us.