Reggie Whitten from Oklahoma.
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Another Superdelegate for Obama
17 Apr 2008 09:28 am
Comments (13)
Well, there's one superdelegate who disagrees with your take on last night's debate. Frankly, Marc, I think you got this one wrong. You're intelligent, informed, and follow politics obsessively - that's your job description. As such, you're highly attuned to the nuances of the debate. But debates, for most voters, are more of a gut check. The affect of the candidates, their mien and bearing - these are the things that tend to matter more.
It's going to take a day or two to sink in. But last night, Clinton blew it. The moderators signalled early on that they were going to spend their time grilling Obama on anything and everything that seemed controversial. All she had to do was sit back and rise above the fray. A little bit of magnanimity wouldn't have hurt her cause, even coming to Obama's defense on some of the more outrageously slanted questions. Instead, she opted to pile on. And every time she scored points, she fell a little bit further behind.
Agreed Cynic. I think there is a huge disconnect on this score between the Beltway pundits and the average people on the street. The pundits enjoy tough and personal gutter politics, while most average people abhor it.
Obama really struck a home run with me with his response to all those distraction questions by refusing to take the bait when it came to attacking Clinton and making the point that what we really care about are the issues that affect us at the kitchen table, not who the candidates are associated with or what gaffes they made on the trail.
I think when Obama takes a hit, his supporters just dig their heels in harder. We want change, especially change in the way politics is carried out, or "played".
Michael Grunwald has a great read on the debate last night.
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1731655,00.html
Here's a paragraph for context:
Last night at the National Constitution Center, at a Democratic debate that was hyped by ABC as a discussion of serious constitutional issues, America got to see exactly what Obama was complaining about. At a time of foreign wars, economic collapse and environmental peril, the cringe-worthy first half of the debate focused on such crucial matters as Senator Obama's comments about rural bitterness, his former pastor, an obscure sixties radical with whom he was allegedly "friendly," and the burning constitutional question of why he doesn't wear an American flag pin on his lapel — with a single detour into Senator Hillary Clinton's yarn about sniper fire in Tuzla. Apparently, Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos ran out of time before they could ask Obama why he's such a lousy bowler.
Add Harry Thomas, Jr. of D.C. to that list as of this report from last night. (Bold mine.)
You heard it here first. Council member and newly elected superdelegate Harry Thomas Jr., initially a supporter of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, is announcing in minutes that he will cast his vote at the Democratic National Convention in Denver for Sen. Barack Obama.
Thomas received more than 100 phone calls and e-mails from constituents who feared that he would use his power as a superdelegate to vote for Clinton despite the city's overwhelming support of Obama in the Potomac Primary.
"After meeting with the candidates and listening to my constituents, I have to honor the 83 percent who support Barack Obama," he said in an interview, referring to the results of the Democratic primary.
Thomas will make the announcement at 10 p.m. at a debate watch party.
The mass media and some of the bigger media type pundits, like this, have been wrong this entire Primary. They are going to have to try and make up for it in the General by doing some serious reporting instead of side taking. Fact is, they really look embarrassed over 'bittergate' when us here in rural Pennsylvania embraced Obama's tone and comments. People like Ambinder had theior butt's handed to them by polling data this week. The stroy fo the debate last night was rather simple. Obama was not his best, but he got the valuable yes yes yes and raised a heckuva lot of cash last night out fo anger. Will the polls move? Likely. I think the DEMs will begin to close ranks, a 5-0 Super D advantage over the past week spells it out.
Sorry Marc, not meaning to be harsh, but you all dropped the ball and failed to try and understand Pennsylvania. Egg on your face. Your reliability in reporting, repuation wise, has taken a beating.
drip, drip, drip.
All that Obama needs is a handful of superdelegates in states that he either got less than 60% in or states that he lost like Oklahoma. This lowers his magic number by 1!
I'm thoroughly disgusted with the debate and will never watch ABC again. While I hoped it would be a debate of issues, it focused almost entirely on stupid issues most Americans care nothing about.
ABC did a great job in hammering Obama and giving Clinton a pass. I don't think the American people or the superdelegates will "buy" anything she tried to sell last night. They were mean and Obama managed to stay above the fray and concentrate on his message of new politics, not the same old nasty "gotcha" crap. If I'd been him, I would have walked off that stage and said, "If we can't discuss issues, I'm gone"
ABC owes America an apology for such a dismal display of trivial nonsense.
I'm thoroughly disgusted with the debate and will never watch ABC again. While I hoped it would be a debate of issues, it focused almost entirely on stupid issues most Americans care nothing about.
ABC did a great job in hammering Obama and giving Clinton a pass. I don't think the American people or the superdelegates will "buy" anything she tried to sell last night. They were mean and Obama managed to stay above the fray and concentrate on his message of new politics, not the same old nasty "gotcha" crap. If I'd been him, I would have walked off that stage and said, "If we can't discuss issues, I'm gone"
ABC owes America an apology for such a dismal display of trivial nonsense.
For the past week (plus one day to give Hillary a boost of 2) the pledged superdelegates have lined up like this:
Clinton - 3
Obama - 7
This is exactly the ratio that Clinton needs, only in reverse.
I'm guessing that Hillary Clinton would rather have the four supers (plus Springsteen) that Barack Obama racked over the last 24 hours than a cheap, unearned post-debate news cycle that will have worn itself out by the end of today.
To the degree that either candidate can be judged to have "won" last night's ridiculous charade, Obama will quickly be seen as having benefited the most from last night's ordeal.
A TPM diarist points out:
there was no news.
Hillary Clinton needed news. On that fundamental level, Barack Obama won tonight debate.
Another TPM diarist makes what could be an even more important observation:
...the attack "game" played for irrelevant issues like Ayers and Bittergate is where Clinton wants to take her campaign into these waning hours, as she feels the negative way is her only way to the GE.
Obama, on the other hand, facing a fellow Democrat with voters he will really need in November, holds back and doesn't drum us in Clinton-like fashion with snide remarks about her Bosnia gaffe, Penn's disgraceful Columbia activity, her campaign mismanagement, etc.
He had to stay above the fray because he is not facing a Republican. He is facing a fellow Democrat with an important group of supporters for whom he must maintain respect!
A debate of Democrats is not the same thing as a debate of a Democrat and a Republican, and certainly not when the end is so very near for the Dems and a frontrunner must keep an eye on the Big Picture. Obama did that last night and I think it was a very smart move.
Indeed, Obama has the nomination nearly in his grasp precisely because he has refused to play the debased game with which Gibson and Stephanopoulos were trying to bait him.
Why should he start playing the game now?
Looking at the superdelegate count for April, Clinton picked up 5 new endorsements while Obama picked up 14.
Unfortunately for Clinton, she also lost two. Harry Thomas Jr. not only just pledged for Obama, but he actually switched FROM Hillary (OUCH!). She also lost Mary Lou Winters who was replaced as a superdelegate by Elsie Burkhalter, who is uncommitted.
So for April, Obama picks up 14 and Hillary picks up a net of 3.
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Need I say this...
THIS IS EXCELLENT NEWS!!FOR HILLARY CLINTON!!!
P.S. Samantha Power was right
Posted by Lloyd Webber | April 17, 2008 9:38 AM