March 27, 2008
Hotline After Dark -- Calling All Delegates
Hillary Clinton went "On the Record" last night:
On her Rev. Wright comments: "I was asked ... very point-blank yesterday what I would have done had I been in a position where someone was, you know, making those kinds of comments, and I said I would have left. ...I've spoken out against all kinds of words that I thought were inappropriate. ... About a year ago, I was very outspoken about Don Imus and what he said on his radio station. And I went to Rutgers, and I made a speech about how, you know, we've got to end demeaning words and ... the kind of inflammatory words that Don Imus and others have been known to utter. And it's a very personal decision. ... You don't get to pick your family, but you do get to pick, you know, the church or the synagogue that you attend, and I ... said that I would have left, and that's how I feel about it."
On misspeaking about her Bosnia trip as first lady: "Obviously, you know, I'm a human being. I made a mistake and owned up to it. But that's not what people talk to me about. When I'm out campaigning ... people want to talk about the economy and health care."
On Iraq: "Senator Obama has said he was opposed the war. He opposed it in '02, '03, '04, '05, '06, '07 and '08. But the fact is, when he came to the Senate, he and I have voted the same, except for one vote. And that means to me that you want to go with someone who has said, Look, I know how to get us out of Iraq. I know the tough decisions we have to make. I've laid out a comprehensive plan for doing just that. And Senator Obama has basically run his whole campaign on a speech he made in 2002."
On the campaign: "I don't think that the nominee of the party will be considered legitimate if we don't figure out how to count those votes for Michigan and Florida."
After the jump, Clinton on calls for her to drop out, pledged delegates and a convention battle. Also, TN Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) discusses his proposal to pick the Dem nominee.
(EMILY GOODIN)
More Clinton: "You can always go to the convention. That's what credential fights are for. You know, let's have the Democratic Party go on record against seating the Michigan and Florida delegations three months before the general election. I don't think that will happen."
On pledged delegates: "Delegates are free to exercise their judgment, all delegates, whether you are from a caucus or you are from a primary or your so-called appointed delegate. This is a very fluid race. And I see it changing every day."
On calls for her to drop out: "What is important about this ... is that people don't want this to be over. There was some poll today somebody told me about where, you know, 22 percent of people said I should and 22 percent of the people said Obama should quit, and 62 percent said, let it go on. That is what people are telling me. That is what we have to do. Let the voters have a chance to be heard. Nobody should be, you know, writing obituaries on this race, because it is a long way from being over" (FNC, 3/26).
IT MAY TAKE A SWISS CONVENTION TO SOLVE THIS THING
TN Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) made the media rounds to discuss his proposal for picking a Dem nominee:
Bredesen: "I think there's a big danger in these delegates being seen to be in a back room somewhere and making decisions and making deals with the candidates, and that's why I'd like to do it out front in the sunlight and get it done in June."
More: "You take someone like myself. Barack Obama is ahead nationally. Hillary Clinton won my state. ... Where do you go with that? I think You have to exercise some independent judgment. You have to be prepared to explain why you did that. And whatever happens at this point, I mean, there's going to be hard feelings. This thing has already gotten very difficult in the Democratic Party. I'd much rather have those things happen in June, when we have a summer to repair it, than have it happen, you know -- suddenly, it's Labor Day and it's two months until the election."
MSNBC's Matthews: "Do you think revenge voting is going to be a problem in November, Hillary people voting for McCain, Barack people voting for McCain in either case because their candidate lost the nomination?"
Bredesen: "Yes, I wouldn't know as I'd call it revenge voting, but I think that if you feel strong enough against one of those candidates, there are plenty of swing voters in the middle in this country that, you know, are going to decide which way they're going to go based on which candidate they prefer. And I'm afraid that's what's going to happen, especially if we spend all summer in the party with each candidate explaining all the reasons why the other one isn't qualified to be president and can't be elected and those things. It's hard to dig your way out of in September."
Asked his solution: "I think you wait until the primaries are over. That's June 3. I think the DNC needs to convene a meeting of the superdelegates. It needs to be done in the open, so there's no back room deals going on, and ask them to put themselves on record and let's see if we can't decide who the nominee is" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 3/26).
Asked if he's discussed this with the Clinton and Obama camps: "Yes. I certainly gave them a heads-up when I did the piece in the New York Times putting the idea on the table. And there have been some conversations since then. One of them, I guess Senator Obama has come out moderately warmly, said something nice about it at the end of the week. And, certainly, in the conversation I had with Senator Clinton, she wasn't trashing it at all. She's saying she had to think about it, but asked a number of, I thought, intelligent questions about how it might work. So, I wouldn't expect them to weigh in on it within a day or two, but I hope that they're thinking about it, because we have got to find some way to get out of this mess that we're in."
CNN's Blitzer: "So, just to be precise, you spoke with both Senator Clinton and Senator Obama personally?"
Bredesen: "No, I spoke with Senator Clinton personally. And Senator Obama and I traded calls a couple times, but then we talked to one of his chief staff people and made sure they had all the information. He and I have not talked personally about it."
Asked DNC Chair Howard Dean's reax: "Well, when I spoke to him about it on Wednesday morning, I won't say he was real warm about the idea. And, you know, he's not been incredibly supportive. But I would just say, you know, if you agree something's got to be done, what's your plan? If there's a better plan, believe me, I'm all for it. I just want to put a bookend on this thing in the middle of June, so that we don't have a disastrous summer for the party" ("Situation Room," CNN, 3/26).
Posted at 08:49 AM
Comments
A word to the wise...a day without makeup is
is a week of dropping poll numbers. The "fallen
souffle" look is out. And smile more (as you
slide the verbal knife into your opponent).
hombre | 03.27.08 06:33 PM
 |
A word to the wise...a day without makeup is
is a week of dropping poll numbers. The "fallen
souffle" look is out. And smile more (as you
slide the verbal knife into your opponent).
People respond well to a rosy disposition.
hombre | 03.27.08 06:36 PM
|
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