Obama, McCain Fight Over Clinton Supporters And Crossover Voters

This week Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain are fighting hard to win support from independents and uncommitted supporters of Hillary Clinton. At a Philadelphia fundraiser, Obama shared with voters the same sentiment he shared with Clinton during their much-touted (and still quite secretive) private meeting. Obama told Hillary:

"You're the only one who knows what I've gone through and I'm the only one who knows what you've gone through."

And while many Clinton supporters and surrogates have fallen in with the Obama camp since the end of the primary, a few public defectors are making waves. The McCain camp has proudly touted one Wisconsin Democratic superdelegate who has promised to vote against Barack Obama:

In an interview, Bartoshevich expressed lingering unhappiness over the Democratic nominating process, said Clinton was treated unfairly by the party and said she has deep reservations about Obama's lack of experience and his judgment.

"I'm kind of disenfranchised," she said.

She said she planned to vote for Clinton at the convention, but in an Obama-McCain matchup in November, "I will not be voting for Obama. I will cast my vote for John McCain.

Still, to this point, Bartoshevich is the only superdelegate that both sides acknowledge has flipped sides.

Meanwhile, McCain's camp is pushing to the press a Clinton-oriented virtual town hall, as well as a list of "prominent Democratic and unaffiliated leaders" who have joined Sen. Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) in a group called 'Citizens For McCain.' In 2000, Bush had great success with a similar organization: Democrats For Bush. Of course, Ben Smith notices that the members of Citizens of McCain come up short in one respect:

What they could use: a bit more prominence. Beyond Lieberman, most are out-of-office local officials; only one, former Rep. Tim Penny of Minnesota, ever held federal office. Some are quite obscure, to wit: Commander of Newport Memorial-VFW Post 1119 Francis Harding Jr. and former State Chair of Environmentalists for Clinton-Gore 1992 Roberta Weisbrod.

And Obama is having his own luck tempting crossover voters, particularly with black conservatives. The Associated Press runs through some of the most prominent officials who are publicly wavering between McCain and Obama, including former Secretary of State Colin Powell and former Oklahoma Rep. J.C. Watts:

J.C. Watts, a former Oklahoma congressman who once was part of the GOP House leadership, said he's thinking of voting for Obama. Watts said he's still a Republican, but he criticizes his party for neglecting the black community. Black Republicans, he said, have to concede that while they might not agree with Democrats on issues, at least that party reaches out to them.

"And Obama highlights that even more," Watts said, adding that he expects Obama to take on issues such as poverty and urban policy. "Republicans often seem indifferent to those things."

Comments

[jdenham]

Gee a Hillary supporter that wants to vote for McCain. Why is this a story? If you have 40 or 50 Superdelagates that want to vote for McCain there is a story. Superdelagates have a right to vote for McCain, no matter how dumb an idea that is.
Appears we have another, what about me, I did not get what I wanted American. I grow tired of these selfish people that feel the world has wronged them and they are going to make everyone else pay. Life is not a bowl of cherries, we don't always get what we want. Most of us get back up and move ahead, but we will have some that will whine and complain. These are the selfish Americans.

[BlueAsh]

HuffPost has gone mainstreat--it needs to keep stirring up the pot to keep itself in business.

[repugnicansfearme]

You know Hillary, you sitting there in this candle light, wearing that purple pantsuit, well, and staring into those eyes. .... Starting into those eyes, I see, OH MY GOD NO!!!---- you can't have my soul......­...

[blastocyst]

If Mr. Obama needs to stay true to himself about change. If he is going to go on out of the Bush play book of politics then I can just stay home. I was under the impression that Mr. Obama was about being fair and just!you really do favor Hillary's views, why would you vote against the one remaining candidate that has views that are most like Hillary's view the purpose of a political party or group is to support what eight years of college will do for a person. So like I said if he does not stand for what he said he was, as an American I am well within my right as a citizen to do what I please with my vote set of ideas and values. It is not a social organization. People don't join the Republican Party because they like women with big hair. People don't join the Democratic Party because 2004 was for Al Gore to run again. I was physically sick when I learned he was not going to be the Democratic nominee after four years of utter disappointment. Whether he ran or not, it was the same feeling that HRC supporters have now. You go through an extended period of mourning and then you buck up and like I did, you work hard for the Democratic nominee they find donkeys so sweet.

[blastocyst]

It cracks me up. I'm guessing that if they supported Hillary, they are pro-choice. Yet they are voting for a man who will nominate the justices to the Supreme Corot. First we demonize one of our own using totally sexist apparatus to dismantle her denomination and The party could have the Chairman pick a name from a hat. It would be every bit as legal and vole as what So like I said if he does not stand for what he said he was, as an American I am well within my right as a started to rethink my vote. I will not support anyone who will condone apartheid in any form or fashion with all of that I am sure most of you will try to make some attempt to why Obama should not pick Clinton but the way things are going, it looks like he might need her.. Mr. Obama needs to stay true to himself abstain to do what make her out to be a republican mole?

[dawlishgal]

So McCain is touting some turncoat diehard Hillary-supporter super-delegate in Wisconsin as somebody who will vote for him instead of Obama.

He must have forgotten how his captors brainwashed captured US military into capitulating to the enemy.

[hope]

It's a small world after all.

:)

[ChangeNow]

What is Clinton doing to end all this? One speech isn't enough; she needs to personnally go after her former supporters and get them onboard.

BTW, the story yesterday on Huffpo said that Bartoshevich was an elected delegate. Which is it?

As for LIEberman: can you imagine how we managed to vote for him as VP. It boggles my mind now.

Sorry for the random post. I'm a little thick this morning.

[robodweeb]

In a desperate effort to get McClone elected Bush has turned to the British special forces to get bin Laden before he leaves office.

I guess he's given up on our army.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article4138791.ece

[dac253]

Contact the Democratic Party in Wisconsin and urge them to strip Ms. Bartoshevich of her delegate vote. The woman has the right to support who she wants, but WI wants Barack.

222 W. Washington Ave. Suite 150 · Madison, WI 53703
[phone] (voice) · [phone] (fax) · wisdems.orgms.org

[piul05]

Ms. Bartoshevich is perfectly entitled to have her opinion.

Having said that, one wonders about her critical faculties as soon as she utters that sentence that betrays any intelligent argument: "I'm kind of disenfranchised". No, dear, you're not - your candidate lost in a fair competition, that's all. Then she proceeds to voice all those half-baked arguments the blogosphere has to offer - McCain's military experience (does that mean that every single soldier is automatically qualified to be commander-in-chief; where does it leave the clear , desired separation between civilian and military powers when one clearly favors sitting one of the latter in a quintessentially non-military position?) and the "sexism" against Hillary (yes, she was treated differently: with kid's gloves, lest she were upset/cried wolf - a disservice to women everywhere).

Ms Bartoshevich -still annoyed that her candidate isn't the nominee - sulks and plans a protest vote, regardless of the consequences it brings to her country and to her party (that is, I'm generously starting from the premise that she's a democrat because she shares their values, not because it adds another dimension to her social life). And she's free to do so, as long as she relinquish her position as delegate - it's called incompatibility. And it wouldn't be a bad thing to turn in her membershio card either.

[MrHumidty]

"I'm kind of disenfranchised" WTF?! She's a goddamned superdelegate! Disenfranchised my ass!

But now that's she's admitted she's voting for the GOP candidate, and doing it publicly no less, perhaps the DNC can strip her of her superdelegate privelages.

[TN60]

The Press are liars.....­..The Press are liars.....­The Press love McCain and give him free passes!

Last week, just after the new polls came out, I posted that I sat, intentionally, and watched the line up of MSNBC TV starting with Chris Matthews, David Gregory and keith Olberman. You want to talk about switch and bait, take a look at these shows objectively to see how the MSM works its bias. I wrote that Gregory's "Barack Problem" was a 360 to Olberman's reading of the same polls.

Today, I was heartened to see that Frank Rich of the NYT put it even more succinctly:

"“NBC Nightly News” was so focused on these supposedly devastating Obama shortfalls that there was no mention that the Democrat beat Mr. McCain (and outperformed Mr. Kerry) in every other group that had been in doubt: independents, Catholics, blue-collar workers and Hispanics. Indeed, the evidence that pro-Clinton Hispanics are flocking to Mr. McCain is as nonexistent as the evidence of a female stampede. Mr. Obama swamps Mr. McCain by 62 percent to 28 percent — a disastrous G.O.P. setback, given that President Bush took 44 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2004, according to exit polls. No wonder the McCain campaign no longer lists its candidate’s home state of Arizona as safe this fall."

Go read his whole post to see how the MSM mislead us !!!

[greenwitch]

Yes, Frank Rich's column is eye-opening.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/opinion/15rich.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

[JiminNC]

http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/life/video/index.html

Off subject but you've got to see this. The White House web site with Dubya giving a tour of the oval office and stumbling over his words (as always). Apparently he was expecting this to get edited as you will note but as usual, the concept was bigger than the delivery. Everyone else's presentations are professional and clean except Georgie's. Also, note that Scott McClellan is still giving the tour of the press room! I guess their webmaster has deserted the sinking ship too.

[blastocyst]

For many years I have enjoyed watching Tim Russets almost every Sunday. He loved life
and lived it to the fullest, he was a terrific journalist, a man of faith, a great father, a
scholarly person with the knowledge of law, and an All American. He was the most
informed and fair moderator as he hosted his two programs, The Tim Russet Show and
Meet The Press, he was tough and fair and cut strait down the middle and he embarrassed
and rightly so several politicians who know little about what they where getting in to. Meet
The Press will never be the same without him and the next host will have very big shoes
to fill, Tim will never be replaced.L­ittlemast known Big Russ outlives his son? This is horrible. So young and full of lust for life. He brought a lot of passion and drama to this political stuff. I'm really saddened by this news. heart attack symptom many people tragically ignore.
Tim was a giant of a journalist but humble. A person of his
stature and character did not come from nowhere, Big Russ

[mathme]

Why on earth is this person a superdelegate to begin with? If she can be one, why can't I? Certainly her status will be stripped for publicly going against the party, right? Or will Democrats be "fair" and let her remain a super? Absurd.

I agree that the process for choosing a nominee is flawed, or at least part of it is-- the superdelegates are flawed and she has just presented herself as a prime example of the flaws.

I'm tired.

[mathme]

Thanks to info further down, I see that she is not, in fact, a Super and that she has had her delegate status stripped. I guess that settles that. I hope that this doesn't get picked up by MSM as a flipping super because of a hastily-keyed headline!

[Insideout143]

Correct! She didn't just defect, she was eliminated!