Where are Dem "Leaders" While Barack Twists and Hillary Burns the Party Down?

For four days now Barack Obama has stood all but alone, valiantly defending himself against charges of elitism from multi-millionaires Bill and Hillary Clinton and dozens of their surrogates, untold numbers of Republicans, and the bulk of the media.

Where has the leadership of the Democratic Party been during these relentless attempts to slander and destroy the electability of their likely presidential nominee? About the only Democrat to publicly step forward to defend Obama is Bob Casey. Where is Nancy Pelosi? Where is John Edwards? Where is Al Gore? Where is Ted Kennedy? Where is Howard Dean, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, Bill Richardson, John Kerry, Rahm Emanuel, Jim Webb, Chuck Schumer, Wesley Clark, and untold others.

It's not a matter of whether a Democratic leader has endorsed Obama, Clinton, or is still officially neutral. The son of an absent father and a single mother -- a man who, despite massive student loans, graduated from one Ivy League college to take a job for $8,000 a year helping unemployed steelworkers in Chicago; who chose to go from Harvard Law Review, not to a Wall Street law firm where he could soon earn millions advising corporation on how to offshore jobs and avoid taxes, but to a small civil rights firm in Chicago; who has devoted his entire adult life to helping the underdog -- stands accused by the wealthy and powerful of elitism while leading Democrats stand silently by.

Democratic "leaders": If you want to save the party, now is the time you must stand up and tell the truth. You can support Obama for the nomination, support Hillary, or remain neutral, but you must defend Obama from the slings and arrows of these outrageous charges. John Edwards can continue to maintain his neutrality as to an endorsement but he must say that he knows Barack Obama and Barack is a man who stands with John Edwards in fighting for the rights of the middle class and poor. Same for Al Gore. Even Clinton supporters like Chuck Schumer, Wesley Clark and Ed Rendel must stand up and say that they may back Clinton as their first choice for the nomination, but Barack Obama is no out of touch elitist. Stand up and speak to the media one by one. Better yet, hold a mass press conference with dozens of leading Democrats, regardless of which candidate they may endorse.

If Democratic leaders fail to come to the defense of one of their own, one of their best and brightest whether they support his nomination or not, then the Party will be torn apart and there may be little left of the Democratic Party to defend. We can all look forward to four or eight more years of McSame.

Comments

[AlphaDoc]

My biggest question is, "WHERE IS HOWARD DEAN?" I recall, during the '04 primary, when Dean was taking shot after shot from his Democratic rivals, he asked Terry McAuliffe to put an end to the madness before it damaged the party. McAuliffe declined to get involved, and we all saw the result. Now that Obama is suffering far worse attacks by his opponent, Dean seems to be sitting back and letting it all happen. Et tu, Howard?

[NYC07]

The Dem Leaders are like freighted children who are living with Abusive Parents i.e.: The Clintons. You don't want to get Mommy and Daddy angry , the last thing you want to do is misbehave yourself in public.

[mredder4]

People aren't born "elite", they grow up to be that way. It doesn't matter how Barack Obama was raised. That's the past. What matters is the now, and some of how he got here. He went to Ivy League schools and it obviously rubbed off on him. And you can't deny that Obama is no longer in the same economic class that you use as the reference of his childhood. He lives in a million dollar home and his kids don't go to public school. Now, Barack Obama looks down on people. Now, Barack Obama says one thing in the open square and another behind closed doors. His messages to the multitude of voters aren't the same as his message to the better-off minorities of rich fund raisers.

It may be a bitter pill to swallow, but Barack Obama is not the man he used to be. He sold out.

[NYC07]

People aren't born "elite", they grow up to be that way. It doesn't matter how Barack Obama was raised. That's the past

Isn't that when " Growing up" occurs ???

[TinaFreeman]

Insiders say that Hillary has a reputation for gutting her adversaries if she doesn't get her way.

I would suspect that a lot of Dem "leaders" are afraid to make her angry and if by some miracle she wins, have to deal with her wrath.

They know Obama can handle himself and would rather not risk it.

[wildgeeseNC]

Miles-

I've wondered the same thing. John Edwards' electability in NC is going down like the Titanic. Obama doesn't need their help but if they want to keep up this image of spineless drones who run for cover when Hillary throws a tantrum, they aren't doing themselves any favors.

[c1ee]

I think Obama has handled it pretty well, and he will be using it to his advantage. This could be another Wright episode, where he will come out of it stronger and with more people sympathetic to where he's coming from.

[Heartlander]

This is a Democratic party primary election, not the general election. The candidates need to be able to defend themselves. it seems to me to be highly unlikely that Obama's position would be stronger if a bunch of prominent Democrats started speaking out in his behalf. Indeed, I think that it would possibly weaken him as a candidate in the general election.

[AnninCA]

I think people will decide for themselves. I've long thought Obama was a typical elitist. :)

[OliviaRee]

What is a "typical elitist"? I love these idiotic labels bantered about.

[ObGyn]

AnninCa, here is what you actually wrote: "The more objectionable I find Hillary"s character, the more I support her." With this kind of irrational devotion to one candidate, you are a true enemy of America. Though it is clear to you that Hillary is bad for the country, you want her to be president simply because she is a woman like you. You are a disappointment to women everywhere and you are no patriot.

[ObGyn]

AnninCa, there you go again. You come to this site and sit at your keyboard all day and all you do is spew venom against Obama. Do you have a life. Who was the man who stood you up. It is not Obama's fault that you cannot find a man.

[greejambri]

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!!! Poor AnninCA is a might "bitter," isn't she?

[northeast73]

UHHH NO. Sorry I will NOT defend those comments, and HRC did NOTHING but Q U O T E Obama verbatim.

He was asked why he cant get ahead in PA and his answer, in a nutshell, was to call PA voters "bitter religious zealots, gunnuts, bigots." Well, if he were running in a general election, there MIGHT be some trught to that....but this is a DEMOCRATIC primary....democrats voting.


Sorry but those remarks are inexcusable and a pretty pathetic attempt for Obama to explain WHY he cant beat a fellow democrat among fellow democrats.

[oneviciouslife]

Uh, no. He was asked if there were any specific things a volunteer should be talking to voters about, not "why he can't get ahead in PA". Try reading the whole transcript, or reading the article posted yesterday by someone else who was there.

[c1ee]

You must think we are pretty thick if you think that we are outraged over Hillary quoting Obama verbatim. Do you even know what that means? She added commentary that she thought they were elitist. Notwithstanding whether she genuinely felt that way or not, that is pretty despicable behaviour against a fellow democrat. Now, i don't agree with the OP on this one. I think she has every right to do what she wants, and i don't think Democrat leaders should try and protect Obama, as that will probably harm him more than help him. You can put a highly biased spin on what he said as much as you want, that doesn't make what he said false. It's your choice if you feel that dumbing down political discourse is a noble cause.

[abigail1]

if you are going to use quotation marks you should actually quote a person not just make stuff up. That is not what he said, not remotely.

[atila]

Fortunately,Senator Obama strenght comes from millions of people around the country ....i'm pretty sure this is going to end after Indiana and NC........the problem for Hillary is going to be if she can save her seat in the Senate after her pro gun fest...

[northeast73]

after her pro gun fest
===========

That is EXACTLY the kind of twisting of fact that you accuse her of. She did NOT say she was progun...she said she understood the culture, as it was a part of her youth. Big difference.

[BenMurphyNYC]

My goodness Drama Queen. The party is not burning. Obama made a poor choice of words, defended those words over the weekend, then apologized and now is using them in a new ad.

If Obama wants this issue to go away he can stop using them in his PA advertising.

[winin08]

The big party dems will wait now until it is clear who the nominee will be.

In the meantime, what has become of Oprah, Carolyn Kennedy and Maria Shriver. They too have been very, very quiet.

[OliviaRee]

It's *Caroline* Kennedy. These woman do have 'lives'. They can't be on the campaign trail 24/7 with Obama. Oprah is still taping her shows. I know Caroline has introduced Obama at events that weren't splashed all over the media. Maria Shriver is the First Lady of California and an activist in her own right.
I suspect you will see more of them in the general election campaign, once Barack ties up the nomination.... shortly.

[AnninCA]

Yes, the superdelegates all lined up to storm over has suddenly evaporated as a hot rumor. This is twice now. :)

[ObGyn]

AnninCA It is amusing that you are investing this much energy to show you hate of one man whom you have never met. The same man who is loved by a majority of the American people. Ann, why are you so anti-social?

[Cedman]

Obama can take care of himself just fine and if he is gonna be President he will deal with the Clintons as effectively as he has to this point.

[winin08]

In addition, I would ask where is Oprah, Maria Shriver and Carolyn Kennedy.

Why have they become so silent?

[gtt]

The Clintons have shown how they treat those Democratic leaders that dare to oppose them, just ask Gov. Richardson. I always vote Democratic, but I have a memory like an elephant. My money and support will go to that opponent of Senator Clinton next time she runs for re-election in New York. The last politican that did such damage to our party was Richard Nixon, with his the Southern Strategy of 1972.

[northeast73]

Gov. Richardson
============

The obese one sold out to obama to get his campaign debt paid off. The clintons wouldnt promise that to him, so he went for the "30 pieces of silver"

THAT is the truth.....why do you think he has become so quiet all of a sudden....he knows people know the truth.