A Follow-Up Zinger to TexasDarlin’s “Cash Woes for BHO and DNC”
By SusanUnPC on June 16, 2008 at 10:15 AM in Barack Obama, DNC, Ed Rendell
The following remarks were made, and reported by the Chicago Sun-Times reporter Lynn Sweet, at the Philadelphia fundraiser that an apparently cash-strapped Barack Obama insisted on holding even though Gov. Ed Rendell warned him it was a summer weekend. As TexasDarlin noted in her post immediately preceding mine, quoting USA Today, Obama’s insistence on holding the event was “a sign of the urgency to raise campaign cash.”
Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter and Pennslvania governor Ed Rendell spoke before Barack Obama, and said, Lynn Sweet reports:
“I gave Sen. Clinton $1,500 in the primary so I thought just for old-time sake I’d give Sen. Obama $1,499,” Rendell said, sparking scattered boos from the crowd. The governor calmed them by saying “that was before I drank the Kool-Aide.” He said that he has a check for $2,300 to give the Obama campaign.
Sweet then reports that this is what Barack Obama said immediately afterwards:
“We’re going to make sure this doesn’t bounce,” Obama said as he took the podium.
This is such a rude, classless remark, I am nearly left speechless.
What other descriptions can we come up with?
Tacky?
Tasteless?
Insulting?
Most of all, there wasn’t a word of thanks in that statement for the donation of the full amount that Gov. Rendell gave to this candidate even though the governor had worked his tail off for Hillary Clinton.
Well, we can look at Obama’s next remarks about Gov. Rendell:
He then said it was a “relief” to have Ed Rendell (“a man who has no shortage for words”) on his side. “How many cable shows can you be on at one time?” Obama asked Rendell, adding that he is “one of the finest governors in the country.”
Obama said Rendell’s presence was a “relief”? And that he wanted to know, from Rendell, “How many cable shows can you be on at one time?”
In other words, acknowledging Gov. Rendell’s affable and intelligent presence on numerous cable shows were a great asset to Hillary Clinton, Obama wanted to know how much he could use Rendell to do the same for him.
What can you do for ME, Governor Rendell?
Then, finally, he made a generic positive remark about him being “one of the finest governors.” After the insults about the check not bouncing, after the odd remark that Rendell’s presence was a “relief” to him, and after asking Rendell just how useful he’d be to Obama.
It’s just not the kind of class I expect in a candidate for the presidency, and almost all of it was said in the context of what Rendell could do to help him with only the slightest acknowledgement of Rendell’s considerable abilities as a governor, not any recognition of Rendell’s past fine works for the Democratic party or for Hillary Clinton.
Or any humble appreciation for Governor Rendell appearing at a weekend event after his own exhausting schedule as a superb surrogate for Hillary Clinton or his own personal sacrifice in not being with his own family that night, but instead sacrificing a weekend evening to help an ungrateful candidate solely interested in himself and what everybody else can do to make him more powerful.
(Does my disgust show? I hope so.)
, the basis for the Best Motion Picture Nominee (Golden Globes) starring Brad Pitt.
, the novel by John Le Carre, a new motion picture starring Gary Oldman and Colin Firth.
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.by David Fredosso who wrote 2008's 
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