A Majority of One: On Losing the Democratic Base

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.

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.

44 Male …Dem since 81….Will not vote OBAMA.

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

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

“Al Gore’s Twilight Zone”

I like that description. It is a nightmare. Putting up the weaker candidate (Obama), also, a nightmare.

I am a retired Government worker. I have been a commited Democrat and Progressive. Have marched for Women’s rights, civil rights, gay rights and against the war. I have volunteered for duties on many a Democrat campaign and given hundreds and hundreds of dolars. I am donating a significant amount to Hillary. There are so many reasons why I will not vote for Obama. The only decision left was will I write in Hillary or vote McCain. I have decided to vote for McCain, despite not liking McCain. I dislike Obama even more. He has highjacked the Democratic Party. That is reason enough to not support him, but the intimidation factor, the lies and the sexism and the tactic of smearing the Clintons is totally out of bounds. He deserves the ultimate in my sanction. I will vote for McCain. Better to have a Republican I detest than a faux democrat that I detest even more. Besides it will mean Obama will have to find 2 votes to cancel my vote for McCain out. And I do not want Obama to win. He deserves to lose and lose big.

Question: is the delegate voting in the Convention secret? This would give delegates shelter from pressure

I am a 52 year old third generation Coloradan. I’ve been a Democrat for 34 years. I have never voted for anyone who was not a Democrat. I will not vote for Obama. I am changing my registration to Independent.

I live in rural eastern Colorado. The only reason Obama won in Colorado is because for the first time we had a caucus rather than a primary. It snowed 15 inches on caucus day, so in rural Colorado very few voters were able to get to town. In my precinct 13 people showed up and selected 7 delegates to the county convention. The total turnout was thirteen people. The vote was 11 for Hillary, 2 for Obama. I beieve the turnout was probably the same all over rural Colorado. If more rural Coloradans had been able to vote, the result would have been different.

I attended the County convention, but I couldn’t go to the State Convention because my daughter graduated from high school last Friday. I have heard that the Obama people were rude and aggressive. So, I’m glad I wasn’t there.

So many eloquent responses; it is good to know that people can think for themselves and not choose a president based on habit, tradition, or guilt.

Thank goodness we still have our liberties, and the right to choose whom we think is the best person for that very important, most responsible job in the world. I know switching a life-long party is difficult, but the other option is a crisis.

Hillary shines and would make us proud… Obama is weak and would be an catastrophe!

I am a democrat for 40 years, but I will become an independent and vote for Hillary

I will vote for the one who “shines!”

Repugnant. Perfect word for how I feel about Obama. Repugnant. I actually feel an aversion for the man that built up over time. I didn’t always feel that way. In fact, I was rather impressed with him when he spoke at the 2004 convention. Over time, he has ruined it. Over time, all the things I revile in a person he has shown himself to be to me.

i am the mother of three children.they all voted for obama…..mom and dad did not..we are totally disgusted with the whole damn depressing thing this election has turned into….it is not OUR fault…it is the dnc, media…and obama and his followers…i see nothing in him at all…there used to be some respect as a good man…after almost 8 years of this crappy hell with the bush cabal we get this…NOTHING
no vote

Great! Bud, you know, Brazile said in that hearing they have to send a strong message to FL, what a performance? Well, I would like to send HER and Dean and everyone else a message too, come November.

Even though his supporters are rude, even though the DNC seems to want to crown him, even though the media falls all over him..The more I see the less I want.

It is becoming a visceral reaction and it has come from listening to him directly. It started when he accused Senator Clinton of only having tea with Bhutto. His ignorance of the issues and lack of any original thought. He is no champion of the citizen of this country. He did little for his own constituents under his watch, and indeed their life deteriorated because of his dirty dealings. He doesn’t posses the charitable principles of caring for the poor in either Islam or Christianianty so I don’t know why people even bother to debate it

The man has no business running the country. He simply has no leadership skill or potential. He refuses to do what it takes..work hard, to get the votes. If he fails he doesn’t try again. He has not improved by his previous mistakes..he simply continues to make in a different venue.

Actually I think he is less prepared and worse than George Bush.

Registered as a Democrat at age 21 in 1968. (Had to be 21 to vote in those days.) Have voted for a Democrat for President every election since then. Have voted for a few good Republicans, but most of the time voted Democrat. Was a local and county activist. Was an elected Carter delegate. Was active in the civil rights movement and the women’s movement. Worked on hundreds of local, state, and national campaigns, including JFK and RFK. Was a political action consultant/lobbyist at state and federal levels, a labor relations consultant, a union member. Always thought of myself as a liberal progressive. Never know I really wasn’t till Obama supporters told me I was a racist moron just this year. In July of 2006 I changed my political affiliation from ‘D’ to “I’ after sending a six page letter to Pelosi and Dean regarding the Democrats inability to counter anything Bush did.

I will remain an Independent for the rest of my life after this primary campaign.

I cannot in good conscience vote for Obama for so many of the same reasons others have cited here. Mostly he is too inexperienced and I don’t trust him. He is also the most divisive candidate in my life time bar none.

I am independent voter and Hillary supporter who absolutely positively will not vote for Obama.

I have been voting since 1968 and in those years I voted for Democrats for President each election except for Jimmy Carter. Instead of Carter, I voted for Ford and for Anderson. We don’t know what kind of Presidents the other Democrats would have been, but we do know what happened under Carter.

I don’t consider myself infallible, but every bone in my body tells me not to vote for Obama. With Carter, my decision was based on dislike as much as anything. For Obama, I would discribe my feelings as horror and foreboding.

Please come to your senses DNC.

Thank you Marla Jo for you thoughtful insight. I agree with all of your conclusions and will never vote for Obama. I give you credit for standing up to your family and friends for all of the right reasons. The Democratic party is lost to me. It is all about gaining power, the country be damned. This man should not be elected city councilman, let alone President of the United States of America, the most powerful job in the world. The mentors he has had over the years are very scary people. That alone should give every voter pause. McCain in 2008!