March 28, 2008
Hotline After Dark -- It's The Economy ...
Barack Obama made the media rounds last night:
Asked if the party is hurt by the long-term battle between him and Hillary Clinton: "I don't think we are hurt long-term. I think short-term, there is gonna be work to do for the nominee to bring the party back together again."
More: "I think what's going to happen is, is that there are gonna be some bruised feelings, whoever the nominee is."
On Rev. Wright: "If all I saw of Reverend Wright were the 30-second or 1-minute clips that have been looped over the last 2 weeks again and again. You know, it's as if we took the five dumbest things that I ever said or you ever said in our lives and compressed them and put them out there, you know, I think that people's reaction would be understandably, upset" ("World News," ABC, 3/27).
More Obama, on Wright: "I've, I think, talked thoroughly about, you know, the issue with Reverend Wright. And, you know, everybody, I think, who examines the church that I attend knows that it is a very traditional, conventional church. Reverend Wright has made some, you know, troubling statements and some appalling statements that I have condemned. He's the former pastor of that church. And when I travel around the country, what people are really interested is making sure that, if I'm going to be the next president, that I can actually help them stay in their homes, get a job, send their kids to college. That's something that's shared by people across races, religions. And part of what I hope to do in this campaign and as president is to get us beyond these divisions that distract us from our common challenges and our common opportunities and move the country forward" ("Closing Bell," CNBC, 3/27).
On Iraq: "When the violence was high, John McCain and George Bush said we can't leave because the violence is high. When we reduced the violence, they said we can't leave because we've made progress. This is part of the problem that we have."
Asked when Clinton should leave the race: "I think that is something that she's got to make a decision about. And, you know, I have always said that I'm prepared to, you know, go and contest every single state."
More: "I think that what's going to happen is as soon as the nominee is determined, whether that is two weeks from now or in early June that there will be some bruised feelings. People are going to have to patch things together, and we Democrats have to get out act together and win this election" ("Evening News," CBS, 3/27).
After the jump, Clinton talks family with NBC and James Carville has more things to say about NM Gov. Bill Richardson (D). (EMILY GOODIN)
FAMILY TIES
NBC's Williams: "We are tonight here, beginning a special series of occasional reports on a side of these presidential candidates you don't always see. Viewed through their relationships with their own families. Beginning tonight with Hillary Clinton's parents."
NBC's Mitchell: "She was a child of the 50s from a typical middle-class household with depression-era parents who raised anything but a typical daughter."
Clinton, on her father: "He was gruff and he was tough and he was kind of a real no-nonsense sort of man."
Clinton, on her father being a GOPer: "He was until rather late in his life. I think my husband had a lot to with changing his mind."
Mitchell: "It was her soft-spoken mother who taught her how to fight neighborhood bullies."
Clinton, on her mother: "She met me at the door and she said, there is no place for cowards in this house. You have to go back outside and handle your problems" ("Nightly News," NBC, 3/27).
THE CAJUN CONTINUES TO RAGE
And Clinton supporter/Dem strategist James Carville charge NM Gov. Bill Richardson (D) with telling high-profile Dem contributors that he planned to endorse Clinton:
Carville: "My phone has been ringing off the hook with people, major, like, donors in the Democratic Party, telling me that he made representations to them that were not true. I'm obviously not at liberty to say their names, but their initials are Elizabeth Bagley, Haim Saban, Alan Patricof. People like that, who are very, very senior people, who Governor Richardson was not candid with. There are many other people that tell me the same thing. And I will allow their initials out at some future date. I think what the governor needs to do is say that he hadn't handled this very well and was not candid and frank with people, and I think this whole thing will go away. But I think he owes a lot of people in this party an apology."
More: "He made misrepresentations. He told people that he was going to endorse Senator Clinton, that he couldn't endorse someone else, and then at the same time apparently he was -- he was doing something else, and people are justifiably and understandably furious about this. And by the way, I have never attacked any other supporter of Senator Obama. Many of them are dear friends of mine. Some of them are some of my best friends. I thought that this was an exceptional case that merited special consideration" ("LKL," CNN, 3/27).
Posted at 08:51 AM
Comments
One wonders if Sen. Clinton took sniper fire from the neighborhood bullies.
Carville has lost his already tenuous grasp on reality.
Seth | 03.28.08 10:09 AM
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