A Majority of One: On Losing the Democratic Base
By Bud White on May 22, 2008 at 4:06 PM in Bill Ayers, Clinton, DNC, Disenfranchisement, Electability, Florida, Gavin Newsom, Geraldine Ferraro, Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean, Jeremiah Wright, Media Bias, Michigan, Rezko, Sexism, Superdelegates, hate speech, women
A friend returns from the Colorado Democratic State Convention and announces that she will not support Obama if he’s the nominee. If Obama is losing women like this, I think, he is doomed in November.
This is how she describes the Convention:
I listen to the leaders of our party talk about us all “coming together” when a candidate is chosen, fully understanding now that perhaps it is a forgone conclusion that nominee will be Obama based not on what the people want, but on what the party leaders want.
My friend has been a loyal Democrat for over 30 years. She has lived in Denver and Boulder, and has spent her life committed to progressive causes and equality. I am stunned when she tells me she can’t support Obama. This is a voice the super delegates need to hear, I think. I ask her to give me a brief biography. Here’s how she describes herself:
49 year old white female…Lived in Colorado for 21 years. In a committed relationship for nine years. Veteran of the US Army. Undergraduate degree in Sociology. Police officer for 13 years. Currently employed as a criminal investigator. Prior to that, worked as a volunteer, counselor, management in domestic violence shelters. Have also previously worked in the education field at the collegiate level for three different colleges/universities. I consider myself a Democrat and have primarily voted for Democratic candidates since I began voting at the age of 18…Very patriotic, believe it is my right and responsibility to vote.
It is one thing for on-line activists to write posts saying we’re not supporting Obama; we’ve been abused, cursed, and banned from every progressive site but a handful. It’s another thing for a progressive like my friend to say she can’t support Obama:
I have given a lot of thought to whether or not I could support Obama for president and the truth is, I can’t. I don’t believe he is the right candidate. I don’t believe he can make the right changes and the immediate impact the Clinton can and I don’t believe that those supporting Clinton will vote for him. He has not been able to tell me what he will do, only “yes we can,” chanted over and over again by his supporters who when questioned cannot tell me why they support him. This is not about race and it is not about gender. It is about who is the right person for the job.
Powerful words spoken honestly. I could see that it pained her to say that she couldn’t support Obama; she knows she will be contributing to a likely McCain presidency. But at some point over these months there was a deal-breaker for her. Perhaps it was Obama smearing the Clintons as racists, or his silence on the rampant sexism, or Obama refusing to be photographed with San Fransisco Mayor Newsom. Maybe it was when Obama crudely equated Geraldine Ferraro’s under-the-radar comment with 20 years of hate sermons by his pastor, maybe it was bitter-gate and Obama’s elitist attitude, maybe it was Ayers, Dohrn, and Rezko. It might have been disgust at the media’s relentlessly biased reporting. Perhaps there was no one deal-breaker and it was cumulative.
The primary reason so many of us cannot support Obama, I believe, is our disappoint and disgust at the Democratic Party’s utter incompetence with the primary schedule. In the mind of Hillary supporters there is an alternate sequence of events: last summer Howard Dean finds a way for Florida and Michigan to vote and for their votes to be counted. Hillary wins those states handily and takes on a huge delegate lead. That lead propels her to other victories and the nomination.
But instead we’re stuck in Al Gore’s Twilight Zone, a place where the popular vote winner and better candidate is asked to give up what should rightfully be hers. Taylor Marsh writes about Clinton supporters in general but she could be talking about my friend specifically:
Clinton’s supporters don’t understand why the woman with the big vote total is being pushed out. Brokering a nominee who refuses to count Michigan and Florida is not their idea of democracy from the Democratic Party, which they’ve supported for decades. Barack Obama stands for everything they’ve come to loathe this primary season, the sexism, his silence about it, his own complicity in it, the disrespect of Senator Clinton, the list is indelibly marked in each Clinton supporter’s brain.
One voice can be dismissed as an anomaly. My experience from talking to other Hillary supporters, however, is that my friend represents many, many Democrats and the polling supports mass defections if Obama is nominated. We will not be blackmailed into voting for a candidate whose campaign tactics we despise and for a Party who has failed us.
Thanks, Bud! I don’t know that I can be a “good little girl” and step in line with the Democratic Party in November if Sweetie is the nominee either.
On a positive note…I just Just found out Reverend Wright will be speaking at a forum in Philadelphia, May 28-29, right before the DNC Rules Meeting. Is it my birthday?
Glad I’m leaving town - yes, I’m from the Philly area.
May 22 (Bloomberg) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said women won’t suffer a “step back” if Democrat Hillary Clinton loses her presidential bid, and rejected the idea of sexism in the presidential campaign.
Pelosi, 68, said the Democrats’ delegate-selection process, not the popular vote, will determine whether Illinois Senator Barack Obama or Clinton wins the party’s nomination this year.
“The person who has the most delegates becomes the nominee of the party,” Pelosi said. “It’s not been about the popular vote.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=aPwXyHat6×9A
Pelosi showed her incompetence today when the tacked on addenda to armed forces bill just voted on in dead of night without advising GOP senate members that was voted in…but guess what???
It was put on the wrong paper, sent to the printer incorrectly, and therefore NOT printed on as an add on to the bill. It was left OUT! The Democrats now highly embarrassed will have to revote on the entire mess AGAIN, AT A COST TO TAXPAYERS AND FINALLY will have to allow GOP members an opportunity to read it and vote on it. So their attempt at sneaking in their add- on has to be revoted and now given to GOP to see.
Pelosi was tittering with embarrassment when she heard about this debacle. This entire debacle reeks of incompetence and chutspah.
So this is the lady who keeps talking about DELEGATES and ROOLZ.
Someone should tell Pelosi that in the General Election it’s all about the voters.
The Voters decide the Electoral College votes and select the President. Pelosi’s ridiculous spin is a set up for Obama plain and simple as Pelosi can not keep her Speaker’s spot WITHOUT the Black Caucus.
Pelosi is terrified of Black Caucus as much as she loathes and fears Clinton power. Why? Hillary cannot be controlled by the party nitwits Dean,Pelosi,Kerry,Kenned, et al. Obama will play ball, and this insures Pelosi’s power.
This is a concerted effort to continue disinfranchising primary voters in Fla/Mi.
Donna Brazille, the other henchwoman in this deal is supposed to remain neutral until the convention as a paid official of the DNC that represents ALL democratic primary voters on both sides. She has worked behind the scene to challemge Clinton Supers and on CNN has played both sides so as to appear neutral.
That is until last week when she dissembled on TV when challenged about this and said the Party doesn’t need Latinos, older voters who are not the future of the party, and women. They’ll come around, or we don’t need them. She lost her cool and therein lies the story about Fla/Mi as she continued to use the word ROOLZ incessantly.
Pelosi is a loser.
Well I guess Nancy Pelosi is having a Senior moment like Mcain, because I distinctly remember hearing her say that the person with the popular vote would be the nominee. It had to in a CNN interview in March. I’m going to see if I can find it.
Pelosi is on crack. I have absolutely no use for her. It almost makes me want Democrats to lose the House.
I despise these people.
Bud, I feel at once sadness yet empathy for your friend, as she speaks for millions. We are witnessing the tyranny of a ruling class which is intent on tearing down and casting aside anyone named Clinton — party and country be damned. I too am a lifelong patriotic Democrat, but now must place principle above loyalty to party. I truly believe that the USA will be at risk under an Obama presidency. I would rather endure McCain, who at minimum does not view himself as super-human.
So you’re saying Hillary’s commitment to support & campaign for Obama (if he’s the nominee) is unprincipled?
If Hillary can support Obama, her true supporters should be able to as well.
Those who won’t never shared Hillary’s values or vision to begin with.
We’ll win without you anyway.
Don’t you understand? It is Obama supporters like you who have helped seal the deal. You and your candidate and the DNC should be VERY worried!
It doesn’t take a math wiz to figure out that you’re off by a few million votes when you “don’t need” women, white people, Jews, Hispanics, Asians, Catholics, PA, OH, WV…and all the bitter, gun-totin’ bigots everywhere in between. Good luck with that, sonny. You’re gonna need it.
There would be something at work in Clinton’s support of Barack Obama (should he be given the Presidential nomination) that most Obama supporters wouldn’t recognize — a commitment to the Democratic Party and to the people in it, as well as a commitment to something beyond her own universe and personal agenda. She can control what she does, she has no right to control what any of her supporters do. She can ask us - but she knows that Obama will have to win us over on his own merits.
my instinctive reply to you was FU, but I stopped myself before I spelled it out.
Hillary is a loyal Democrat and has promised to help elect whoever the nominee is, no matter how hopeless his attempt, I am a woman who has seen far too many more able women step aside for a lesser man and I’ll be dammed if I’ll vote for a man who would accept that.
Here’s why it will be fine to do so: the dems are set to take control of both house and senate, so
McCain won’t be too bad.
She is obligated to do it. I’m not.
Ditto….I refuse to vote for Obama and his new Demofascist Party….
And I will not Support The Demogliarchy in this Fraud….Never….
Good Post Bud…
Keep showing up Obama-sh*t heads! Thanks for all your efforts to remind us why we will NEVER vote for snObama.
Keep up the good work.
haha by hook or by crook eh>
follow hillary’s lead..you pompus ass..it is people just like you that are making sure i will never vote for Obama..Hillary has no choice to say what she is saying..but i sure as hell have a choice..and i will surely use my choice in November!
and it won’t be for Obama..that deal is a done deal for me!
fly a lifelong dem ..and a 2004 elected Dem delegate for the State of Florida
ahemmm..it is Obama and his surrogates that stole my vote..and you can take to the bank that i will never vote for that arrogant liar and cheat!
You’re damn right, you’ll have to:
WIN WITHOUT ME!!!!
Per Follow Hillary’s lead: “We’ll win without you anyway.”
Believe me, sweetie, you’ll have to win without me, because I will NEVER vote for BHO. I’m 54–I was an ardent supporter of McGovern the first time I voted in ‘72, and we can all see how well THAT turned out. As a matter of fact, the super-delegates were created as a DIRECT RESULT of the McGovern debacle. I learned my lesson then. In 1976, a sincere gentleman flashed a million dollar smile and drawled, “I’ll never lie to you.” Every time I saw him, I wanted to vote for him–twice. By then, I was 22, older and wiser, and I supported Mo Udall instead of Jimmy Carter. In a year much like 2008, when a canned ham could have beaten Gerald Ford, Carter took the nomination, and was elected. Unfortunately, Carter brought along the “Georgia Mafia,” who had no idea how to handle DC politics, which led to 12 lloonngg years of Republican presidents. I supported Harkin over Bill Clinton in 1992, because I feared Clinton lacked the experience necessary to lead the country. Although Clinton was to the right of me politically, I grew to admire his tenacity and grasp of what the majority of Americans believed. And what a campaigner Bill Clinton was! The “Comeback Kid!” You have to admire someone who overcame seemingly impossible odds.
Fast forward to 2008, when it again seems a canned ham could beat McCain. I was originally an Edwards supporter, but when he dropped out, I looked at nothing but issues and experience. For me, Hillary won it hands down. I live in S TX, and I was working at the local Democratic Party headquarters, when ObamaNation moved into the vacant office next door. After watching Team O’s sleazy, slimy campaign for a month, I decided I would NEVER vote for a candidate that encouraged such blatantly illegal tactics. I saw Team O hand out caucus sign-in sheets early; I saw them encourage out-of-town groupies to invade and take over local caucuses; I was personally threatened with lawsuits by out-of-state lawyers (I was the person responsible for delivering precinct caucus packages to each polling place, and Team O was horrified when they discovered that I had given specific instructions to election judges NOT to release the caucus packets prior to 7 pm.) Between the precinct and county conventions, I saw Obama supporters volunteer to “help” input names of convention delegates into a database, and then intentionally input incorrect names, in order to cause as much chaos as possible at the county convention. Fortunately, we caught the problem in time, but it delayed getting the correct list out for so long that we could not mail postcards to the delegates to remind them of the date and time of the convention.
I have resigned from my position with the local Democratic Party, and I WILL NOT VOTE FOR OBAMA, should he be the Democratic nominee. I cannot support a candidate who runs a dishonest, bullying campaign. Right now, I am leaning toward voting for the Green Party candidate, since Texas law does not count write-in votes unless a candidate has filed paperwork with the Secretary of State. Don’t tell me I’m not a true supporter of Hillary unless I do everything she tells me to do. I’ve seen the irreparable damage done by brain-dead Obama groupies up close and personal.
Go away.
stxabuela, as a fellow texan, i am sorry to see you out of your position, because we desperately need honest people like you. but i completely understand why you had to do it.
i find it hard to swallow that we have the ludicrous two-step system in the first place. i also despise the system of allocating more delegates to certain areas based on prior elections, - although i understand that turnout should be rewarded in some way, it seems to me that a vote should be a vote. period. but no matter what idiotic system we have, it should be run honestly. and this year the obamanazis made sure that did not happen.
thanks for fighting the good fight.
I guess you don’t know how to count. Get out your calculator and add up the many, many little states Obama has won in ELECTORAL VOTES. Now, add up John McCain’s. There are plenty of maps out there right now that clarify this, and they all illustrate the same thing: FAILURE. And this is before the Republicans have even started the annihilation.
And as far as “following Hillary’s lead” (as if we’d ever consider it coming from an Obamazoid) the difference between Hillary supporters and Obama cultists is that we are actually independent thinkers. We actually study the candidates’ positions, policies, records, and biographies. Then, we decide who is MOST QUALIFIED. We don’t follow along like mindless drones. As much as I respect and have confidence in Hillary, I “follow” my own guidance, and every instinct and ounce of integrity I have makes it impossible to vote for this fraud and enable the dysfunctional Dem Party.
Country before Party. This is about true democracy and principle, beyond a single presidential cycle. I will continue to support Hillary in whatever role she plays–independently.
Quite frankly sweetie, your candidate is so flawed (lacks energy, lacks focus, too weak, more baggage than a socialite on a world cruise) you won’t be able to win with or without us. When everything is said and done about 36 million (mostly Democrats) will have voted in the primaries and caucuses. The general will have over 100 million voters.
BO has big problems with 1/2 of the most liberal part of the electorate (people who vote in Democratic primaries). You can huff and puff all you want about WV, KY, OH, PA, and on and on, but those folks are DEMOCRATS and they are NOT racist. The racists decamped for the Republican party 2 generations ago. If your guy gets to the general he is going to come up against the other nearly 2/3 of the electorate who are A LOT less liberal then the Democrats he has failed to reach so far.
It only gets harder from here and there are neither caucuses nor proportional representation in the general. Its 50 state elections….WINNER TAKE ALL.
Barack doomed to fail.
Possibility of a loss of catastrophic proportions.
Could knock Pelosi off her perch.
A vote for Obama means all of his corrupt, strong-arming, race driven tactics work just fine, and we will be seeing even more of it in the next primary.
IT HAS TO STOP.
THIS IS NOT WHAT DEMOCRACY IS ABOUT.
Anyone shrugging and going along with this guy is condoning tyranny.
” I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of Tyranny over the mind of Man….” Thomas Jefferson
Hi — I’m a 48 year old woman who completely agrees with your friend. I couldn’t put my finger on it — the right word — but reading your take on your friend’s attitude, you used it: DEALBREAKER!!
Each of the women I know who liked Hillary at the beginning and are in AWE of her now reached a point with BO that became a dealbreaker. My sister hasn’t reached it yet. My other sister and I have. His SILENCE on her treatment, and his condescending attitude. Somewhere along the line he became repugnant to me and now I unequivocally will absolutely NEVER vote for him.
Wow! I wish I could have said that as well. I feel exactly the same way as your friend. I’m hurt and disappointed in the DNC and I will not be bullied into voting for a man who has done nothing to win my vote.
good article, bud.
am a proud texan who will be voting for mccain if obaby is nominated, my vote won’t matter all that much, since texas is a red state anyway. to me, it’s a matter of principle. but when he starts losing coloradans (correct term?), one of those states he thinks he can convert, it says a lot.
hillary or mccain. no other option.
44 Male …Dem since 81….Will not vote OBAMA.
Your friend’s reaction is similar to mine. It is no anomaly. I am a young progressive activist (also from Colorado) who has considered herself a Yellow Dog dem since birth, practically. But I can’t vote for Sen. Obama. For all the reasons you listed, but especially if he doesn’t welcome Hillary on the ticket with open arms. Anything less than VP is more than a slap in the face, he might as well tell her to sit down and shut up. They can scream SCOTUS until their heads explode - if they really cared about SCOTUS, they’d care about Obama’s significant electoral college weaknesses. I cannot vote for a man who (through his campaign) has told me I am racist for not supporting him, I am not a real progressive for supporting him and has drug the most inspriring female politician in American history through the mud. Calling her “likable enough” was one thing, but then strategically calling her out for having “political ambition” and that “she will do anything to win” is UNFORGIVABLE. Ripping a woman for having ambition is blatantly sexist, expecially since nobody is concerned about Sen. Obama’s obvious political drive. And don’t get me started on what they’ve done to Geraldine Ferraro…
I wanted to be able to support Obama… but I just can’t do it.
can’t go along with obaby even if hillary’s the vp. obaby and michelle would just use her to get her supporters to vote for him, then make sure to humiliate her as much as possible every day for their 4 or 8 years and make sure any future political career for her was ruined.
hillary or mccain. no other option.
i agree Saddened..i can not vote for obama even if Hillary is on the ticket as VP..that will never get my vote.. as he would neuter her and humiliate her every way he could….no way no how..i have seen enough of this pompus ass to last me a lifetime!
As a 33 yr flight crew of one of the Airlines involved on 9/11 i can not in any consiousness vote for this man ..he would be a disaster for this Nation’s national security..of that i have not one ounce of doubt…haven’t we had enough of an idiot for the past 8 years..why do we need another?????????
no way no how!
I will vote McCain if Obama steals the nomination with the help of the DNC!
fly
The DNC, Main Stream Media and Pundits, and Obama Supporters and Super Delegates.
It seems to me that you hear what you want to hear and you see what you
want to see, but let me be extremely clear on what has gone on during
this primary season and what will happen after it is over.
First of all to the Obama voters, I cannot speak for the White Obama
voters someone else would have to speak to them. However, I can speak
to the African American Voters because I am an African American. It is
easy for you to try to justify 90-92% of you voting for Obama, but the
truth is the truth. You are voting for Obama simply because he is an
African American. Let me ask you a question. How many of you did what I
did and researched both candidates equally; How many of you pulled down
the policy and voting records and evaluated them against each other?
How many of you sat down and thought about the things that are
affecting you on a daily basis and then took a good solid look at both
candidates and made a decision? How many of you, if your life or the
life or your children depended on it, can easily list two or three
bills that Obama has voted on or written? How many of you know his
stance on Healthcare, the Economy, and Education? If your life depended
on it right now today, how many of you know exactly what Barack Obama
stands for. How many of you know what the change is that he has
promised? If your life depended on it could you explain what the Change
actually is? I say this because I find it offensive that my own
friends, family members and co-workers choose to call me a sell out
because I am a Hillary Clinton Supporter and I simply say to them, I am
not interested in making History. I am interested in the future of this
country that my nine year old child will grow up in, period. I have
done the homework. I have made a decision and I am sticking to it. It
offends me even more when fellow African Americans feel that it is ok
to walk up to me on the street or at my Childs school and say to me,
’so do you think he is gonna do it? Do you think Obama is going to
win’? What makes them think first of all that I am an Obama Supporter;
and when I tell them I am not, why do they have the audacity to say to
me, ‘come on sister we owe it to him’. How can you just assume because
I am an African American that I will automatically vote for Barack
Obama?. Ask yourselves the tough questions. Step back and take a good
look at yourselves and see what you come up with. To those supporters
who have been so vile and disrespectful to Senator Clinton, you are the
reason why the party is being torn apart and it shows your lack of
knowledge in what your candidate stands for, because according to him,
he is the great unifier. But his followers seem to be the great
dividers. All you have to do is take a look at the blogs. Debating the
issues is one thing, but vile personal attacks and nasty rhetoric is a
sign of the characters of those who support him. This says to me that
if he were to be elected to office, you would not hold him accountable.
You would continue to bury your heads in the sand. How can you Unify a
country when you continue to use the Race Card. Everytime someone
disagrees with Senator Obama, they are labeled racist. His
Administration would be mired in constant back and forth about race. If
you do not agree or you speak out against him, you will be considered
racist. This is the type of White House we would have and nothing would
get done.
To Senator Obama: Your arrogance is not becoming. The way that you talk
down to people is not attractive. You are asking us to put you in
charge of the people of the United States of America, yet you act as if
you are Superior to us. You take us for fools, by expecting us to
believe that you had no knowledge of what your Pastor was preaching for
20 years. You expect us to believe that you and your campaign did not
inject race into this campaign, but those of us who viewed this primary
with clear open eyes, know what you have done and we will have our
voices heard in November. It is not your race, take it from me I am a
sister, it is your lack of substance and your inability to come up with
your own views and your own policies, and we will be heard in November.
You are supposed to be a Uniter, but you have caused more division in
this country than I have seen in the past 30 years.
To Senator Clinton: I support you 150%; I know in my heart of hearts
that you are truly a champion for the people. I have known your work. I
have researched your policies and I have watched you during this
campaign. In times of trouble you are the one that I would want to have
my back because I know that you would go down fighting for us. Thank
you for your body of work for the American People, although it may not
feel as though they appreciate it right now. Those children that have
healthcare because of you Thank you; those women that are able to spend
time with their children after their birth; or those children who are
able to take time off work to take care of their elderly parents,
without fear of losing their jobs due to your hard work on FMLA Thank
you. The people of New York Thank you. This country is lucky to have a
fighter like you, although they do not deserve it. Thank you for your
brilliance.
To the Main Stream Media and Pundits, you chose to praise this unknown
man without thoroughly vetting him and now it is too late. You, I hope,
will take full responsibility for this when he tanks this country. You
all do not even have the common decency to act as if you are trying to
be fair and balanced. Chris Matthews cannot stop salivating over Obama;
Tim Russett seems as if he gets angry every time Hillary wins, his eyes
just bug out of his head. It is a sad thing for me to say that I have
gotten all of my fair and balanced news from Fox News Network, which is
totally unbelievable. You have assailed Hillary Clinton and tried to
make a Mockery out of Bill Clinton. You along with Barack Obama and his
camp, have made the case that Bill Clinton is somehow a Racist because
he said something that was totally true. Because of your dislike for
the Clintons, you have trashed them constantly. and you are the ones
who started the whole ‘The Clintons’. I do not see the name Bill
Clinton on the ballot. It is totally disrespectful the way that you
have treated President Clinton and Senator Clinton; absolutely no
respect. You have failed the American People and it will come back to
haunt you; let me see you spin the disaster which is Barack Obama.
To the DNC: For 22 years I have been a loyal member of this party, a
party that I thought was the party of the people. But I now see that
you all are nothing but the good old boys club. You have totally thrown
Senator Clinton under the bus. Someone who has been loyal to this party
and fought for this party; someone who has shown so much strength and
passion for the people, because you cannot break away from the good old
boys club. It took this long Primary season to see just how flawed and
undemocratic your system really is. First of all you penalize the
American People, the voters, for what their legislators did. You did
not have the common sense to say, ‘ok we will fine the Michigan and
Florida Democratic Party monetarily for moving up their primaries’. No,
you chose to take away their right to have their votes counted. How
undemocratic is that at a time when we have soldiers coming home in
body bags because they are fighting in a country to give others the
right to simply vote. Yes the candidates agreed, but why should they
have had to in the first place. No one had the common sense to say that
we cannot disenfranchise millions of Americans? You have a system where
someone can win an entire state and come out with only 10 or 13
delegates more that the person that lost. How is that Democratic? That
means that the notion of one man one vote is not the what this party
runs off of. You have a system of Caucuses, which does not allow for
elderly and hardworking Americans to participate in; is that
democratic?, You put Super Delegates in place to make decisions and
vote how they want to, but mid game because it does not benefit the
candidate that you want, you strong arm them into voting how you want
them to vote. This is the party of the people? You have a system where
you have a number of 2025 delegates and neither candidate has reached
that mark; but you declare a winner and then the good old boy network
decides that they will come out in droves to back him up, even though
millions have not voted. So then you are saying that the Super
Delegates make the decisions? Which is it?
To the Super Delegates: There is something to be said about Character
and what I have seen in the last couple of months has no signs of it.
For those of you who backed Hillary Clinton in the beginning and then
felt it necessary to throw her under the bus when she was behind in the
delegate count or was being declared down and out by the pundits, you
are the reason why the Democratic Party is divided; those types of
antics are unprofessional and disingenuous. It is one of two things:
You were backing her because you thought she would win, or; You backed
her because you believed in her candidacy, her policies and what she
stood for. If it was the latter, no matter what the numbers said or
what the Pundits said, you would stick with her. It is called courage
and conviction, something that her true supporters have shown. For
those African American Super Delegates who have been threatened and
brow beaten by your fellow African American Colleagues, Talk Radio and
constituents, thank you for having a back bone and standing up for what
you believe in. That is what true Character is all about. I suspect
that the turn coats will hear from their constituents in the future.
Jumping on the winning bandwagon does not take any effort, but standing
firm to your convictions takes everything.
What will happen next? The Pundits, the DNC, and Barack Obama
Supporters have all said, ‘Oh people are just saying that they will
vote for McCain or stay home in November, but that will not happen. The
party will come together’. Understand this loud and clear. We did not
vote for Hillary Clinton because she is a woman. We did not vote for
Hillary Clinton because she is White We voted for Hillary Clinton
because we felt that she was the best person for the job and that she
would fight for the people of this country. We did not vote against
Barack Obama because he is Black or he is a Man. We voted against him
because we felt that he was not the right person for the Job. We felt
that he is not experienced enough; We felt that he was not honest about
the way that he feels about this country; We felt that he has no
substance; We felt that he gives great speeches, but has not backed
them up; We felt that he gets defense when he is questioned about his
policies and his way of thinking. What makes you think that that has or
will change? We will Not vote for Barack Obama. We will take our
chances with John McCain because at least we know that he loves this
country without a doubt. At least we know that he has the National
Security background in the event of any issue; At least we know that he
has a record of reaching across the aisle, even at the dismay of his
party. We know absolutely nothing about Barack Obama. We will not vote
for him no matter how you wave it off or dismiss what we would or would
not do. It will not happen. Common sense tells us that in the next four
years nothing but clean up will take place. I will take my chances with
someone that I know where he is coming from (McCain), as opposed to
someone who has shown no substance and only the promise of Change in
Washington (Obama). Obama? who is supported by all of the very
Washington Insiders that he chastises, Obama? who will be so indebted
to the old Washington Insiders he will not know which way is up. Now
you ponder that. Pundits, say what you must for ratings and see what
happens in November. And by the way, if and when Hillary Clinton gives
her Concession speech, it will be the last time that we will watch the
mainstream media again until election night. No convention, no
commentary, no Sunday shows. We are not interested in the Dog and Pony
show that the Democrats will make Hillary Clinton perform for the so
called good of the party, after the party turned their backs on her. We
love Hillary, but we will not vote for Obama because she said so. We
are not robots and we will not drink the Kool-Aid. Keep this in the
bank until Election day.
Sincerely,
An Ex-Democratic Voter,
Marla Jo
liar.
You aren’t black, and the desperation necessary to pretend you are is revealing.
Black people we’re never chastised for automatically voting dem year in year out, and NO African American would pretend to not understand or accept that we would support an AA candidate just as automatically.
You pretenders are being outed because you buy the claptrap susan is peddling that compares white people not voting for the black candidate with black people voting for the black candidate.
She calls them both racist.
Any self respecting black person knows this is a false equivalence on many fronts.
If she were to argue women voting for a woman = black voting for blacks she might have a point.
If she had exit polls that showed AA voters didn’t vote for clinton because she was white, she might have a point.
Anyone using these arguments is a fraud.
It’s like being in a roomful of farting doughnuts, I swear, you just can’t stop yourself, or understand the conversation, can you, down low?
There are not exit polls that ask AA’s if race played an issue in their voting choice. That would be racist.
Too bad you can’t simply honor a differenc of opinion. You can’t shove him down our unwilling throats. Get it?
Bill,
You are repulsive. Go to Hades. This thoughtful impassioned response rang true to me and it’s a journey out the door of the party that would be this hateful that is shared by millions.
That story, is close to my story with variations.
So, give it a rest. Obama’s record as anything, let alone a leader in the AA community is nonexistent and less than zero at the national level. Some of us have done our research, made our choice, and have found it offensive that race baiting, gender baiting, hate speech and whipping up tensions that are in the middle of setting this country decades backward for one person with no resume’s raw ambitions.
So…..go bait elsewhere.
But thanks to Cindie for telling your tale. It figures an Obamabot would try to discourage you from doing so.
The Obamabots are one of the reasons I will never, ever support this fraud Obama. But the other reason is Obama. And he only got worse upon further inspection.
Of course African Americans will vote for the first credible presidential candidate of color, and of course it’s not because of racism. It’s the white voters that his racism card appealed to, which gave some a chance to turn away from HIllary, even though she’d done the most to prepare for the job and was far better qualified, and feel high on themselves and superior, and as with the former point, black voters recognize this too. And, how many times has some new immigrant group used not-being-black to get ahead in line. If Barack has used misogyny to as a way of overcoming race and if by doing so he’s been able to compete, it would have a ring of justice, it’s always the one below you that you can use to distract voters from ones own shortcomings, to identify by finding a common enemy, and this is the first time it’s used to advantage the black job seeker. He chose wrong with girls though, he played to his hillary hating base too long, and now he’s stuck with them. The only way he has a hope of making his run in a way that I’ll see as legitimate is to stop it, he’s ahead in the delegate vote, he’s come very far on misogyny, like many before him went far on racism, but he’s going to have to show some humility, and he’s going to have to show some empathy and some better judgement. If he’s not stupid he’ll now agree to seat Florida and Michigan and he’ll announce to all that if he’s the nom she’ll be his first choice for vice president. He’ll need to be bigger than he is. They say the job sometimes makes the man, but he’ll have to be that man before the GE, because he won’t get another chance.
” Thought, like all potent weapons, is exceedingly dangerous if mishandled….Clear thinking is therefore desirable not only in order to develop the full potentialities of the mind…But also to avoid disaster…”
Giles St. Aubyn The Art of Argument
Been an active Democrat since 1979….Now I am a REFUSNIK !
I REFUSE TO VOTE DEMOCRAT UNTIL THE DEMOGLIARCHY THAT ARE DESTROYING THE PART BUILT BY FDR ARE REMOVED FROM OFFICE AND THE PARTY REGAINS SOME SANITY….AND REPRESENTS ALL IT’S MEMBERS
*** DOWN ! WITH DONNA PUTIN’S NEW DEMOFASCIST PARTY ! ***
Excellent!
We (my husband and I) are another two votes for McCain in November if B.O. is on the ticket. And no, we won’t vote for HIM even if Sen. Clinton is on as the VP (so I’m really, really hoping that he doesn’t ask her).
I didn’t know much about B.O. until January, when we had our caucus here in Nevada and boy, was that an eye opener. I started doing the research, and the more I’ve read about B.O., the more alarmed I am. And my husband, retired military, is much more against him, as he’s heard and read some extremely disturbing things about B.O.
I keep coming to sites like these, as it’s nice to know that there are other like-minded individuals in this great country of ours, that both my husband and I have supported (I’m a Vet, too).
It’s country first for us, so like others have said, Hillary or McCain.
Mary Jo:
The only good thing about the MSM turning against her to the extent that they have driven us to the blogs is that without their “help,” I would never have read your moving and thoughtful, empassioned post.
You rock. Your friends should be proud to know you.
What an absolutely WONDERFUL post.
Thank you for this wonderful, heartfelt comment. Your frustration at what is being done to Hillary Clinton, we who support her, and the party itself is shared by my family; and we will also be taking our chances with McCain if cooler heads don’t prevail at the DNC to give the qualified, electable Clinton the nomination that the majority of Democratic voters has said should be hers.
Okay people,
The above letter was posted on the abc blog website this past weekend and signed by someone named Kim. It was removed and I don’t know if this was the first place it appeared. Someone over at http://www.savagepolitics.com copied and pasted it over there in the comments section this weekend.
Whoever posted it above, removed Kim’s name and added Marla Jo. I can’t vouch for the veracity of the person above or if the original poster was in fact Kim or even AA.
But I can vouch for myself since I’ve been AA all my life. It’s a long letter, and certainly some of it resonates with me. I am a Hillary supporter and will not support Obama. I’ve posted my reasons on this site so many times and it’s getting to be tiresome. But in a nutshell:
Universal Health Care - deal breaker for me.
Irresponsible playing of the race card just to get elected has now threatened the real issue of racism.
Misogyny, sexism and unapologetic about it.
The DNC, MSM manipulating the Primary to Obama’s advantage and ultimately disenfranchising MI & FL.
Inexperience with Foreign Policy proven by not holding one meeting as Chair of his Foreign Policy/Nato subcommitte. He missed a HUGE opportunity there and for some reason no one thinks it’s significant. Sorry, but I do.
Wright/Farrakahn not an issue for me, I hear this kind of rhetoric daily, but Wright in conjunction with Ayres, Dohrn, Meeks, Rezko, Auchi - little bit too many types that are questionable. If anything it makes me question his judgement since he had national political ambitions. He could have remained a State Senator and swapped spit with all of these people on a daily basis. No can do as a candidate for POTUS.
Obama’s supporters- absolute deal breakers for me. Like Bill above questioning someone’s negritude with such absolute self-righteous indignation as if he knows the AA community better than most black people. It’s this kind of sudden sickly sweet concern for racism that I find vomitous. It’s offensive and has pissed me off to no end. The sexism from his supporters and overall nastiness and arrogance bordering on superiority. EVERYTIME AN OBAMA SUPPORTER PUKES OUT THEIR SUPERIOR SNARK IT STRENGTHENS MY RESOLVE TO NOT SUPPORT OBAMA. That they are in fact too stupid to realize this and can’t refrain from keeping their mouths shut, begs the question, why on earth would anyone want Barack Obama as president with supporters like these? And for that reason alone.
Whoever posted the letter above should be ashamed for not attributing the source. You can follow this link http://savagepolitics.com/?p=430#comments which is where I first read it.
But whoever authored it, I can vouch for the fact that there’s a lot of accuracy in it. Fuck what Bill thinks.
I’m living for the day when the AA community finds out that they (not me because I’ve known from the get-go) that they have been had.
my exact reasons as well. His supporters are the biggest turn off.
I too am patiently waiting for when all the black people realize they have been victims of the great con!
This very long letter, originally signed by “Kim,” first appeared about a week ago on ABC. I posted the link on SavagePolitics.com. Within a few hours, ABC had removed the letter. Fortunately, a number of people copied and pasted the letter elsewhere, sending it out to dozens of recipients. It would be courteous if people posting the letter used the author’s name, giving her due credit.
i have an idea…. why don’t you all start your own party and try and picking off the disaffected repugs unwilling to vote mcsame.
do something useful.
Money shouldn’t be a problem.
Have you read the Andrew Sullivan and Josh Marshall threads, yet?
Get the picture?
I was a Democrat long before your daddy lied to your momma and told he loved her …. you start your own party dickweed. We happened to work really hard for this one.
beebop you crack me up - go sister/brother go!
looks like it is bill’s “obama shift” time period..watch these jerks they come on in shifts…they are so damn transparent just like the asshole they work for!!
If Obama was such a sure thing Billllllllllllll
why does he have to pay you to come here ..on your shift..and annoy us????????????
Because one thing is for damn sure..you are making no friends for obama here…..no siree..all you assholes… only cement my resolve to never ever ever vote for that cheater and arrogant liar.
fly
Bill, you are so funny. Keep it up…John McCain thanks you.
Actually, John McCain is a very good second choice. He likes Hillary a lot. Many conservatives, including David Brooks, have said this many times. He has an excellent moderate record, he is always respectful to women possibly from his Navy training but possibly because he does respect women. McCain has promised to appoint many Democrats to his cabinet and administration. I wouldn’t be surprised if he appoints a few Hillary Democrats.
Actually, the Republicans need the influence from the Hillary Democrats. Their party has been bankrupt for at least 10 years with undue influence from right-wing evangelicals. Many Republicans, like Mitch Edwards, have been imploring party leaders to stop pandering to the religious right and re-learn the meaning of conservatism as mostly defined from Goldwater.
Actually, Hillary started out as a Goldwater Girl. Seems to me Hillary Democrats, some of which are considered conservative Democrats and some of which are Reagan Democrats could easily and comfortably support McCain.
McCain is a good one to vote for as well as to support. He is no McSame…that’s just silly…he’s no McBush…they don’t even like each other. According to Bill Cunningham, he will govern as a liberal.
Actually, concerning the money, I just read that McCain and the RNC outraised Obama and the DNC in April. Sounds like McCain is ramping up.
If I can’t have Hillary, then I’ll take McCain any day of the week.
So will I.
And frankly, if John Kerry thought John McCain was a decent enough guy to ask him to be his running mate in 2004, than that must mean he’s worthy of my vote in 2008.
Thanks for the recommendation, Kerry.
Who are the Super delegates? Elected Congressmen & Congresswomen, Governors, State Party Officials, Former High Ranking Party Officials, and State-level congressional leaders.
Despite all of the early talk about these leaders voting with the people, it is surprising how many of them have not. For Instance Below is the list of House Members, Senators, and Governors not voting along the lines of their constituents, along with any recorded contributions from Clinton or Obama. (Isn’t their obligation first and foremost to their constituents?)
Elected Officials Voting for Clinton Who’s Constituents Voted for Obama
Michael Thompson – California (Obama won by 500 votes)
Doris Matsui – Cal.
Lynn Woolsey – Cal.
Diane Watson – Cal .
Maxine Walters – Cal.
Laura Richardson – Cal.
Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger – Maryland
Gov. Martin O’Malley – Maryland
Elected Officials Voting for Obama Who’s constituents voted for Clinton
Robert Cramer – Alabama
Gov. Janet Napalitano – Arizona
George Miller – California
Gerald McNerney – California - Obama Donation $5,000
Fortney Pete Stark – California
Zoe Lofgren – Cal.
Howard Berman – Cal.
Adam Schiff – Cal.
Henry Waxman – Cal
Linda Sanchez – Cal
Joe Donnely – Indiana - Obama $7,500 Donation
Baron Hill – Indiana – Obama $12,500 Donation
Ben Chandler – Kentucky – wow Obama drew less than 10%
Bill Delahunt – Massachussetts
Gov. Deval Patrick Mass.
Sen. Ted Kennedy Mass. - $10,000 from both candidates
Sen. John Kerry – Mass.
Gov. Bill Richardson – New Mexico
Carol Shea-Porter – New Hampshire
Gov. Brad Henry – Oklahoma
Patrick Murphy – PA Donations from Clinton $2500 Obama $18,826
Sen. Bob Casey – PA
Patrick Kennedy – RI
Charlie Gonzalez - Texas
Eddie Johnson - Texas
Rick Boucher – Virginia
Nick Rahal – WV
Sen. Robert Byrd –WV $10,000 from both candidates
Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV – WV - Obama $5000 Donation
Here’s some interesting one’s that are undeclared whose constituents voted for Clinton (please note the donations):
Sam Farr – Cal.
Jim Costa – Cal. - Obama Donation $5,000
Bob Filner – Cal
Joe Courtney – Connecticut - Obama $5,000 Donation
Gov. Steve Beshear – Kentucky
Rep. John Oliver – Massachussetts
Rep. Niki Tsongas – Mass. – Obama $5,000 donation
John Tierney – Mass.
Ed Markey – Mass
Travis Childers – Mississippi
Sen. Frank Lautenberg – New Jersey - Obama $9,000
Gov. John Lynch – New Hampshire
Charlie Wilson – Ohio – Obama $7,000
Marci Kaptur – Ohio
Dennis Kucinich – Ohio
Zack Space – Ohio - Obama $7500
Sen. Sherrod Brown – Ohio $10,000 from both
Dan Boren – Oklahoma
Jason Altmire – PA - Obama $10,000
Tim Holden – PA
Gabriel Gifford – Arizona Obama Donation $9,000
Michael Honda – California
Sen. Jack Reed – RI – Obama $5,000
Lincoln Davis – Tennessee
Bart Gordon – Tennessee
Gov. Phil Bredesen – Tenn.
Nick Lampsen – Texas - Obama $5,000
Alan Mollohan – WV
Gov. Joe Manchin – WV
It’s important to note the donations above include disclosed donations by either Clinton or Obama.
If you’re a Democrat I would be outraged by the individuals in the above lists, especially Clinton Supporters. Just the floppers above represent a net of 20 Supers for Clinton OR a 40 delegate swing.
Furthermore, have Supers become so beholden to the DNC that they no longer remember that their loyalty is to their constituent first; or is it just about money.
If I were on the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee I would start dumping huge amounts of money into the districts above and start running the commercials.
But the Super delegate issue goes well beyond just the Federally Elected Officials. Many of the DNC member super delegates are high ranking elected State Office holders. We are currently working on that list
Additionally, there is also a large number of Supers that are high ranking state Democratic Officials like Arizona’s Yuma County chair Charlene Fernandez whose county vote over 60% for Clinton; and California’s State Vice-Chairperson Alexandra Gallardo-Rooker.
There’s no doubt that the Obama money machine is in full force. We know for a fact that through the end of February, Obama had contributed more than $710,000 to the campaigns of Federally Elected Supers, while the Clinton campaign contributed $236,000.
But this information is scarce as PAC’s tied to the Obama campaign have not updated their disclosures to the FEC since March.
Just think about how much money has flowed from Obama’s coffers, and the coffer’s of his primary supporters and 527’s like Move On, since March.
Obama’s campaign has suffered defeat after defeat since the end of February, he has consistently lost support among the very groups that make up the backbone of the electorate, yet Supers continue to flock to him.
I’ll leave you today with just a couple thoughts:
The RNC issued a press release yesterday pointing out Obama’s Hypocrisy on Lobbyists, check it out: http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20080521/pl_usnw/rnc__obama_s_lobbyist_hypocrisy
For the large number of environmental voters of Oregon who propelled the “Messiah” to his win in your state: consider the fact that since launching his federal –level political career Exelon Corp. (an nuclear energy subsidiary of ComEd) has been a top contributor to Barrack Obama, including over $229,000 in this campaign.
J Brown
May 22, 2008
Politically Drunk on Power blog
Please visit Politically Drunk on Power & donate for this comprehensive article.
link was originally posted by MB @ TaylorMarsh
Michael Thompson – California (Obama won by 500 votes)
What am I missing here Sen. Clinton won CA by 400K votes. Is that a district thing.
.
Today on CNN I noticed a comercial for nucular energy as “the future”. I guess they think Barock ‘let them drink radioactive water’ Obama is already elected.
Thanks Oragon, all the new nuclear power plants are going in by your house.
If Obama’s money is tainted, (ROTFLMAO) do they have to give the contributions back, how does that work?
Give it to charity?
Wonderful entry. The SD’s who aren’t looking ahead to the GE are walking us Democrats into a canyon with no way out. This failure to think strategically on behalf of the whole party can partially be attributed to their focus on the dollars they need and are getting for their own campaigns from the Obama campaign. That said, the logic demands again that we ask where the money is coming from. It is hard to believe that small donors would continually donate in the amounts that he has collected. There are many entries on this website and others that hypothesize regarding the bundlers who are being fed money by other sources than Joe and Mary Voter. What they have forgotten is that the shoe leather we party faithful have laid down in past elections is not going to be spent on this one. Personally I worked for John Kerry in four states. For this one, if HRC is not the nominee, the vote for POTUS will be blank. I might not go to the polls at all.
Thank you so much for putting this information together.
It is very telling.
I will visit the website.
I will never vote