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Last Call

By dcmediagirl on March 28, 2008 at 4:13 PM in Current Affairs, Democrats, Howard Dean

So I guess it’s Howard Dean Day over here at No Quarter. I usually don’t post so often about a single subject, but he provides so much fodder that I can’t help it.

First off, please read this.

Now.

Pull quotes:

Democratic Party chief Howard Dean said Friday that the party leadership has had “extensive discussions” with the campaigns of Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to cool down their rhetoric.

Cool down their rhetoric? This campaign has been a pillow fight so far compared to what I’ve seen in the past, although thank the Lord that the press has been doing such a good job of covering the candidates’ positions on health care, the mortgage crisis and the economy comparing Sinbad’s recollections of the landing in Bosnia with Hillary Clinton’s statements.

The chairman of the Democratic National Committee also said he’s convinced delegates from Florida and Michigan ultimately will be seated at the national convention in August.

Really? Great! How? What’s the plan? Oh, there’s no plan? OK, no rush, since the convention is in August, which is so far down the road…


“It’s not a mess. It’s actually done much better than we have in the past,” Dean said. “Look, people are so excited in places like Texas and Ohio and Pennsylvania and North Carolina, where they’ve never had a chance in 30 years to say who they want for president.”

So, stripping two states of their delegations, disenfranchising voters, pissing off the rank and file and damaging the party’s reputation while expressing concern that a viable, legitimate candidate remains in the race is not a “mess”. I see. I wonder what this race would look like on the Democratic side if things went off the rails?

O.K., I’m done. I can’t take it anymore. I leave the rest of the commentary up to you.

  • John D

    Senator Obama yesterday said this primary is like Bataan Death March…I guess he really has no clue once he is the nominee.

    • dcmediagirl

      A grossly inappropriate analogy

      • AF catfish

        Senator Obama yesterday said this primary is like Bataan Death March…

        Tell that to John McCain, Barack.

    • TeakwoodKite

      John D…
      Please tell me where and in front of who he said this to? i would not want to take Senator “out of context”.

      He was joking right? Please, tell me he was!

      Has his Spiritual advisor made some analogy about that one too?

    • Kevin

      “For those of you who are just weary of the primary, and feeling kind of ground down or that it’s like a Bataan death march, I just want everybody to know that the future is bright,”

      Is what he said… come on people, there’s more than enough policy, substantive stuff to kvetch over than this…

    • hillarysmygirl

      Ugh, that’s so tasteless, comparing his minor discomfort to that atrocity…
      And you know if Hillary had said it, the Media would be all over it and there’d be a million Youtube videos about it…

      • Kevin

        you’ll note he said – for those of you… not I feel like. geez.

    • http://makethemaccountable.com Carolyn Kay

      Obama hardly knows what it’s like to face real opposition.

      He has, in the past, almost always been able to make his opposition disappear.

      Carolyn Kay
      MakeThemAccountable.com

  • GA Moderate

    His plan is most likely the same as N Polosi: Convince Hillary to withdraw before the convention then the delegates from FL/MI can be seated because then it will not matter. But my strong candidate has faced the camera and said: We will take this to the convention to get the delegates seated. She is not stupid and understands their game.

  • AF catfish

    In the interest of “working the refs” in reverse, I called Dean’s office two days ago and said the “Tonya Harding” comments coming from anonymous DNC officials were out of hand, were alienating voters, and I said he needed to do something about it. I also said I was really disappointed in how he was handling Florida.

    “Tonya Harding” was a pillow fight, but…
    I had, and still have, a feeling Obots have the time and sense of entitlement to make more noise than the Hillary supporters.

  • http://noquarterusa.net/ SusanUnPC

    In the post below, I put up the letter that Howard Dean just mailed me, asking me for money.

    I clicked the “unsubscribe” option at the bottom of the letter. i got directed to a page where I entered my e-mail address and was able to explain why I was unsubscribing. I wrote:

    Until you allow Michigan and Florida to revote — and force Obama to go along with it — I do not want any e-mails or requests for money from you.

    – Susan / Author,
    http://www.noquarterusa.net
    (where you can read all about people’s ANGER with you and the DNC).

    • Kevin

      No one has said the states cant revote. They’ve both chosen not to… DNC only said they wouldn’t pay for it.

      The DNC has said the states can come up with other approaches to seat delegates (revote) or appeal the rules committee at the convention.

      • Nellie

        I agree that Tax dollars of Michigan and Florida voters should not be used for stupid moves caused by others.

        The ones who should pay are Obama or the Congress Critters, or Donna Brazile (no I do not have link but read quite awhile ago) who messed this up in the first place.

        Old Pottery Barn Rule – He who broke it pays.

        Its late for me – if I find link I will post tomorrow.

    • PMS

      As I responded to Dr. Dean’s appeal…

      The way this primary season has been run, from the Obmama Campaign’s bullying in caucuses in Texas (my state), to the disenfranchisement of Florida and Michigan voters, makes it clear to me that the DNC is no longer interested in Democracy but pre-selection. You’ve lost this lifelong Democrat, and 1st cousin/twice removed of Harry Truman.

    • http://hillary-clintons-voice.com Sharon

      Absolutely. That is why the Dems are down. Too much not settled and it IS Howard Dean’s job to come up with a plan to settle it. But, Dean likes to pass the buck.

    • Nellie

      I like your style as always. Thanks for posting this note.

  • http://www.todayslies.com Will

    http://www.gallup.com/poll/105814/Gallup-Daily-Obama-Back-Into-Lead-Democratic-Race.aspx

    “Today’s Gallup Poll Daily tracking update finds Barack Obama with an eight percentage point advantage over Hillary Clinton (50% to 42%), this gives him a statistically significant advantage for the first time since before the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy.”

    Sorry…

    • PMS

      Hello, President McCain.

      Goodbye “Bataan” Obama.

      The ads write themselves.

  • http://noquarterusa.net/ SusanUnPC

    This is so funny:

    … the press has been doing such a good job of covering the candidates’ positions on health care, the mortgage crisis and the economy comparing Sinbad’s recollections of the landing in Bosnia with Hillary Clinton’s statements.

  • mathomas

    Susan,

    I got the email too, and I just unsubscribed. Here is what I wrote:

    The DNC and Howard Dean can go to hell for tipping the scales in every way possible for Barack Obama. Until you allow Michigan and Florida to have a re-vote, and count EVERY AMERICANS VOTE, I do not want to be part of the Democratic Party. I will never give the DNC money until you clean up this mess you have created. If you don’t allow all votes to be counted, then I’m changing my allegiance to Independent.

    Sincerely,
    A Life Long Democrat Who Is Seriously Pissed Off!

  • John

    The DNC wants “both candidates to tone down the rhetoric”- that means, it wants Hillary to lay down and play dead while Air Obama Radio, Ed Schultz, MSNBC and CNN throw Obama’s mud for him- and if she fights back, she’s “destroying the party.”

    I hope she tells them to go fuck themselves.

    • hillarysmygirl

      In her own classy way, she kind of did on Greta’s show…that’s why we LOVE HER!

  • CognitiveDissonance

    I’m glad I’m not the only one who smelled something stinky when I read about Dean’s proclamation.

    It sounds ominous to me, simply because it doesn’t include anything about FL and MI. It sounds to me like he is angling to get the SD’s to break for Obama BEFORE FL and MI are decided. I can only see this as a good move if FL and MI are first seated so that Hillary’s real support is seen by all. With FL and MI, she is very close right now. After PA and other states, she could actually pull even or even ahead. If you tell SD’s to vote before that is apparent, you know who they’re going to break for. So I really think this is Dean again angling to make it an uneven playing field for Obama.

    And incidentally, he shouldn’t be allowing Hillary or Obama to veto FL/MI. HE should tell them both to accept a revote or seat the delegates, no other choice. Because those are the only choices the democratic party has. He is supposed to be the damn leader, so how the hell does he get off letting a man who doesn’t even have one senate term under his belt dictate to the entire democratic party???? What the hell is going on with my party?

    • alexei

      And incidentally, he shouldn’t be allowing Hillary or Obama to veto FL/MI. HE should tell them both to accept a revote or seat the delegates, no other choice. Because those are the only choices the democratic party has. He is supposed to be the damn leader, so how the hell does he get off letting a man who doesn’t even have one senate term under his belt dictate to the entire democratic party????

      Absolutely agree. It is the DNC rules and since the DNC stated that the Michigan plan would be acceptable, Dean should have said that both campaigns should have accepted the re-vote. No leadership at all.

  • Shainzona

    AND DON’T BE FOOLED! “Seating” the delegates is NOT the same as allowing them to VOTE.

    I’ ve seen proposals that will allow MI and FLA to be at the convention (ah, gee, thanks, bloyz!) but only to vote on rules and party party party.

    But they would not be allowed to vote for the nominee.

    THAT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. So don’t get lulled into happiness if Howie says they will be seated…ask the tough question…CAN THEY VOTE?

    • hillarysmygirl

      Thanks for the heads up, Shainzona!

  • Catriley

    Well OF COURSE they’ll be seating those delegates in August… because part of the plan is what we’re seeing today. Force Hillary Clinton out of the race. The media, the DNC, fellow Senators, the Dem elite, well.. that’s their plan. Shove Senator Clinton out of the race, and the delegates can be at the stupidly ceremonial convention supporting Obama.

    What is the point of a convention anymore? Couldn’t the money be better spent than a Vegas-like review with no drama, no suspense, and no purpose? Yawn.

    The thing that seems to escape Dean, Pelosi, Daschle, Richardson, Kerry, Kennedy, Leahy (god, the “clueless r us”list is growing by the minute!), is that it matters NOTHING if the Obama supporters and the DNC think that Obama’s alliance with racist Wright, and sleazeball Rezko, and the ever-subprime Superior Bank, and Obama’s bff from Broadway Bank, (wow, another growing list!) is okey-dokey, those people would vote for him anyway. The ‘addicted-to-losing DNC can’t seem to grasp that Obama’s faithful are not the problem here. It’s the SWING voters, the Reagan Democrats, the Clinton Republicans, and the moderates, and the lunch-buckets, that are the problem for Obama and his electibility.

    It’s so fascinating to read McCain’s comment about Obama and Wright, and how he doesn’t think that Obama is anything like that! (said the spider to the fly.) Considering McCain said something so vile about Chelsea Clinton when she was younger, that it would almost qualify as hate-speech, does the DNC REALLY think that McCain is sincere? Or perhaps they believe that the GOP 527 and Swiftboaters are going to hold hands and sing “we are the world” because OBama is the nominee. They won’t need a swiftboat to take down Obama – a small row boat would suffice. The GOP and 527s took down a war hero without a blink. Think that Obama has a chance in hell of winning in November with no military experience, no-show on his own sub-committee regarding Afghanistan, his 20 year association with an America hater, (another growing list.)

    Oh.. but I’m being naughty according to Howard Dean and the others! How DARE I bring up Obama’s weaknesses that will preclude him from winning in November. Since when is politics all about tea cakes and pinky fingers? This faux chivalry (unless it’s directed at Clinton) is sickening.

    Let the thing play out! It’s not the Clinton Campaign, nor her supporters that are imploding the Party. We’re the ones looking toward November and seeing that the DNC is hellbent on losing again with a candidate that has more baggage than a socialite on a Dubai vacation!

  • Andy

    Have you seen this letter by Nancy Pelosi ?

    Could someone please please please tell her to stop messing around with the Presidential primary race?
    Seriously.

    http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/03/28/834204.aspx

  • John

    Thanks again everyone for ignoring Will and Kevin! It will probably take a long time- they are Obamabots, after all- but eventually they’ll get bored and frustrated and slink back to DailyKos if we just keep it up.

    • Kevin

      too funny, though I the fact that you know with certainty where anyone “comes from” is priceless.

      Hadn’t realized you only wanted lock step allegiance to the expressed view. No exchange or challenge of ideas John, didn’t mean to stress you.

  • mimi

    Did anybody hear about Dean meeting with Democratic latino leaders to get them to cmmit to unity in the Nov election? The idea being that he’s afraid that the latino vote may go to McCain.

    They are giving the nomination to Obama. It’s really that simple.

    • Andy

      mimi:

      I have the same impression. Why would they worry otherwise now about keeping the latino vote under
      “control” ?

      latinoDem yesterday put the link to that article in
      one of the afternoon/evening threads.

      But there are many “political lifes” between now and June. Susan posted earlier a link to Jerome’s note at myDD today where he has a link to Jay Cost at RCP
      tabulation of Clinton’s popular vote. Obama would be toast if were not for the disenfranchisement of FL&MI !!

      • mimi

        OK…. Now there’s no article. I know I saw this and it’s gone. It’s my fault. I was pressed for time this morning and didn’t go back for the link. But I know I saw this. This kind of thing keeps happening and it furthers my distrust of what’s happening. I wasn’t even thinking about Dean or the latino vote this morning. Believe me nothing could have been further from my mind.

        Just strange and my apologies. I will try googling it.

        • AF catfish

          I saw the article too mimi.

  • S. Markom

    Did he finish his lectures off with his infamous “Dean Scream?”

    This is THE most screwed up primary I have ever seen with either party.

    If he believes that this system is working then why stop it before it si completed? Let it go to the convention and let the delegates decide.

  • Andy

    When was the DNC changed to mean the Dean National Club?

  • Thrasyboulos

    My cat has a better chance of becomiing president than Obama. Big Media, busy leghumping him to the front of the line, will swiftboat him without raising a sweat.

    We’ll get to see than how much the Andrea Mitchells, the Chris Mathews, the Howard Finemans of this world love the guy. Lol!

    I’ve never seen turkeys (Dean, Pelosi, Reid, Kennedy, Kerry, Leahy), voting for an early Christmas with such enthusiasm, such alacrity, such utter disregard for the chopping blade.

    Dean meeting with Latinos! Lol! Lol! Lol!

    • Shainzona

      Now wait one second, Thrasyboulos.

      MY cat has to be at the top of the ticket!!!

  • John D

    Update about the primary.

    Yesterday it was the Bataan Death Movie. Today it is “a good movie that lasted about a half an hour too long.”

    According to ABC News –

    Obama said he and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, have been running in the Democratic primary so long that they could reverse roles and recite each others’ lines without missing a beat.

    “I think there are some people who felt like, God, when will this be over?” he said.

    • John D

      sorry, I meant “Bataan Death March.”

  • Gloria

    Well, we’re doing so well that the DCCC shoved the progressive who did so well (without $$) last time against Steve Pearce here in NM CD-2 out of the race!!!
    And the deal was done long ago, too…

    Check out the info here at my blog–already hearing about people not voting….

    http://insightanalytical.wordpress.com/2008/03/28/update-on-nm-cd2-dummy-me-the-fix-was-in-already/

  • skeech

    I got that Howard Dean money-begging email, too, and answered it, for all the good it will do.

    I’ve never voted for a Republican in my life, but there’s no way I will vote for a candidate that’s been shoved down my throat by extending the middle finger salute to Michigan and Florida.

    I seem to recall that in 2000, quite a few Democrats were hoping that John McCain would best George Bush for the nomination – under the theory that if we ended up with a Republican president, McCain would be far better for the country than Bush.

    Eight years later – and it’s almost deja vu all over again.

    Sad.

  • http://www.despair.com/idiocy.html Smilin’ Jim

    You and Dean really ought to get a room.

    There are still two items to mull here.

    The first is that the McGovern-Fraser Commission was a noble experiment that lead the Democrats over a cliff. There have been nine presidential terms since it’s reforms of the delegate selection process took place.
    The Republicans won six of those terms.
    The Democrats won three of those terms.
    Do the math, this isn’t rocket science.

    It’s time for another try, only this time make certain that this time the commission membership is not stacked. It will be too late to reconcile the Florida/Michigan clusterfuck but, what the hell, the Democrats allways screw the pooch, don’t they?

    The other observation that people should be making is NOT that the Democrats are demanding that Clinton, don her white gloves and cute hat, do the ladylike thing and step aside.

    To the contrary, Obama’s Bataan comment, the Dean’s jitters and Leahy’s surrender plea today should say just one thing to anyone who has been privy to negotiations:
    They are hurting. They are probably scared.
    The long war is working.

    Welcome to Stalingrad, Obama worshipers.

    • Toby

      Da. My thoughts exactly.

  • Gloria

    Re: Obama’s Bataan comment

    That will go down REAL BIG here in NM…where the Bataan Memorial March occurs every spring. The access roads next to Route 70 are called “Bataan Memmorial West and East” and the Veterans’ Park features a statue representing the march. A large number of NM soldiers were in that horrible march….

    What a total ASSHOLE this guy is…

  • Gloria

    I’ve just posted on the Bataan Memorial Death March which occurs THIS SUNDAY! Obama’s timing couldn’t have been better (sarcasm)!!
    Please stop by and read about the March…

    http://insightanalytical.wordpress.com/2008/03/28/bill-richardson-should-have-told-obama-about-the-bataan-death-march/

  • Dick Hertz

    I’m concerned at the froth I see here among the pro-Hillary camp. Granted, the Obamaniacs seem cult-like in their devotion, but with a two party system, are the “good guys” going to be able to kiss and make up in time to prevent McClown from taking the presidency? WTF, it seems like the only commitment the Democrats have is to the circular firing squad.
    Now people are threatening to vote for McClown? Nader? Gore? Ron Paul? Anita Hanchob? Jim Dandy? then what is the plan after that? 10,000 years in Irak? Then we deserve it and this is prima facie evidence of that fact.

  • http://www.despair.com/changewinds.html Smilin’ Jim

    “are the “good guys” going to be able to kiss and make up in time to prevent McClown”

    The Kennedys and Kerrys will stay out of the campaign much in the same way the Clintons stayed out (or were frozen out) of the Kerry campaign. This always happens.

    The youth that make up the Obama Borg will vanish the way they have since the 1972 campaign. They party but don’t vote. This always happens.

    The afluent white yuppies hear only the message of hope and change will stay with Obama if nominated, or go to a third party if not. This always happens.

    The rest of the public will forget about what happened six weeks before. This always happens.