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Prevailing Winds

March 26, 2008 10:38 AM

* Gov. Phil Bredesen, D-Tenn., in the Politico: “They have a much steeper, rockier hill to climb if it goes to the convention. You’re going to spend this whole summer – and lots of money and time and effort – trying to convince people that whoever isn’t eventually nominated, isn’t electable. That’s a heck of a hole to climb out of come the first of September. What’s been going on for the last 90 days just gets worse and worse as the summer goes on.”   

If Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, did not get the nomination because of the voters of superdelegates -- even after winning the popular vote -- Bredesen said, “There would be hell to pay in the party for a long time to come.”

* Clinton superdelegate Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., in the Columbian: “I definitely don’t want the superdelegates to be the deciding factor."

* Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., in the Las Vegas Review Journal:

Question: Do you still think the Democratic race can be resolved before the convention?

Reid: Easy.

Q: How is that?

Reid: It will be done.

Q: It just will?

Reid: Yep.

Q: Magically?

Reid: No, it will be done. I had a conversation with Governor Dean today. Things are being done.

- jpt

UPDATE: Note that this original post, when quoting from Politico, used the Politico's construct "If Obama were denied the nomination by Democratic insiders after winning the party’s popular vote..."  some readers thought that a bit leading, and I saw their point, so I changed it.

March 26, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (108)

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Here's how I view it: Wright will not doom Obama unless Obama is proven to be a liar about not being in the pews during his controversial sermons. What could doom Obama, in the general although perhaps not against Hillary, is the perception that he's not tough enough to stand up against terrorist attacks. McCain doesn't have that problem. Neither does Hillary in my view. Obama had better hope that we don't have a major terrorist incident -- here or abroad -- before the general, if he's the nominee. If so, national security will again become the big issue, and he will lose.

Posted by: shellray | Mar 26, 2008 4:05:57 PM

pam say: "hillary, be like huckabee. stay in the race till a candidate gets 2025 delegates needed to win nomination."

Good idea. But she better start showing some class, because I seem to remember that Huck didn't pull a tonya harding on McCain.

Matter of fact Ol Huck only said nice things about McCain. So let's hope that at a minimum Hillary starts acting like Huck.

Posted by: The Commander Guy | Mar 26, 2008 2:59:08 PM

dem08, you call me "without a political conscience" and having a "lack of morality" if i vote mccain over obama. i could say the same for you if you vote for obama - see how that works? we each have our opinions.

you say the dnc doesn't want me. i said it before, but you seem not to have understood, so i'll say it again. the dnc DOES want my votes, and yours, and any they can get. they don't care who they come from. the dnc, however, has lost my vote if obama is nominated.
obama himself is the reason, but the pattern of his supporters insulting hillary's supporters simply adds to it.

Posted by: so saddened | Mar 26, 2008 2:57:24 PM

pt. Kerry won PA because Bill Clinton campaigned for him and got blacks to the polls. He did not use him in Ohio and he lost! Could this be the same Bill Clinton who Obamanians call the Devil! If you need him he is a friend it you don't then he is an enemy! Well I hope ole Bill just sits this one out!

Posted by: russell | Mar 26, 2008 2:37:33 PM

Not crying matt. Just stating a few facts. I sure hope you folks from Ohio don't screw op the election in the Fall like you did in 2004... At least PA was intelligent enough not to go for bush/cheney. Obama 2008!!!

Posted by: pt | Mar 26, 2008 2:33:20 PM

pt: Hillary was not lying when she said that she was under fire,because anyone who has seen Sinbads act knows how bad it is and one would naturally assume that the enemy would try to shoot the plane down just to keep Sinbad from torturing their people. Lucky for her they had not seen his act thefore no gunfire!

Posted by: russell | Mar 26, 2008 2:31:15 PM

pt-Politicians lie and exaggerate about themselves? Wow! Who knew? So, hang in there, pt. Have a good cry and it will FEEL a whole lot better. There, there, that better?

Posted by: Dogsoldier | Mar 26, 2008 2:27:59 PM

hillary, be like huckabee. stay in the race till a candidate gets 2025 delegates needed to win nomination.

Posted by: pam | Mar 26, 2008 2:26:29 PM

dl: Obama said that he never consulted Rezko before he bought his house, later he admitted that not only did he consult him he actually to him on a tour of the property, even though he knew that he was an indicted felon! Obama always maintained that he only received $100,000 dollars from Rezko, now he admits that he got $250,000 from him and that all of it has not been accounted for. I know according to Obamanians Hillary lies,but we know that ordinary lying is to BOURGEOIS for him no when he does it is what Obama calls VERBAL CAMOUFLAGE!

Posted by: russell | Mar 26, 2008 2:25:38 PM

pt: are you crying every night about Hillary's Bosnia comments? whiny baby

Posted by: MattOhio | Mar 26, 2008 2:21:13 PM

The sniper-fire comment is not only a lie, it's a bad lie. Was I supposed to think because she ducked her head and ran that she has at least some combat experience. This is such an insult to all the troops that are in danger everyday. This should change the polls in PA over the next few days. Obama 2008!

Posted by: pt | Mar 26, 2008 2:19:26 PM

II. Let Omaba use that anti-semetic rhetoric in FL and see how far it gets him.

Posted by: russell | Mar 26, 2008 2:17:05 PM

I believe the DNC will let everyone vote.

Split the delegates in Michigan 50/50

Split the delegates in Florida 51/48 tilting toward Hillary

After the Puerto Rico primary, majority of the SD's will go to Obama. Enough to get him the nomination.

By the convention, Obama will be the nominee

Posted by: Yes Yes Yes | Mar 26, 2008 2:14:17 PM

stop obama

Barack was a lecturer correct..."he has consistently said he taught Constitutional Law" it was CBS that first reported that he was a professor... so I am not sure how you get to say that is a big whopper...

...and taking a literal translation of being born out of something as a whopper...

or the Rezko thing where no one has shown him lying... even when a frustrated newspaper reporter trying to get all the details and interviews she can reports "it stretches the levels of incredulity'

in fact in research people saw that he was listed as a senior lecturer most of the time and that is how he referred to himself...

This is not like Sen Clinton who has vivid words come out of her mouth on important issues...where she covers stuff up or makes stuff up so she looks like she should be the nominee...

Think of all the scandals...the LISTS of scandals that you all say were created by the right wing... and here is this woman who it is now coming out has a problem that has raised it's ugly head many times... Think about all those vetted issues that you all say she has had vetted...go look at all those issues they have not...they were just "explained away" or went through huge legal battles...and in some cases witnesses died unusual deaths...(one of which before prosecutors could get into his office to investigate his suicide...Sen Clinton sent her chief of staff...Ms Williams in to clean up before and was roundly castigated because she did...and why?)

I have been saying this from the beginning ...you all are the ones who have been brainwashed from yuor own arguing with the republicans for 15 years...
and that is sad.

c'mon "we needed to duck our heads" "I am a yankee fan" "I played soccer" at a school that never had a soccer team... "I never supported NAFTA"...these are words directly from her mouth.

The clean up of that guys office after he commited suicide.

Lists...and this issue speaks directly to the subject matter of half of those lists.

Posted by: dl | Mar 26, 2008 2:13:55 PM

Me vote Obama if he wins? Perhaps in the teenage idiot version of myself.

Posted by: Dogsoldier | Mar 26, 2008 2:12:47 PM

Obama in Ohio: I don't see anything controversial about my church! Really? So in Ohio he says that there is nothing controversial about his church latter he admits that he heard Wright make controversial statements while he was in church. Of course he had to change that because he first said that he had not heard anything like that in church. Well he did say he was for change. I guess changing your mind counts as real change now! Now thats chnge we all can beleive in!

Posted by: russell | Mar 26, 2008 2:11:37 PM

Superdelegates,

I suggest that we call a special session of the previously elected Democratic state legislators in Michigan and Florida and let them cast the vote for Hillary or Barack, and that that vote be used to proportionately decide how the state's delegates will be split. At least you get representation by Democrats for the Democratic voters.

What's wrong with that approach? At least we do not disenfranchise the people of those states.
======================================
OBAMA is a compromiser
OBAMA wants to disenfranchise Fl & Mi
OBAMA paid $$$$$ to hateful Wright
======================================

Posted by: WestCoastMessenger | Mar 26, 2008 2:10:12 PM

Sorry dog I disagree, it's our foreign policy. It's what the US has done to the world in the past half century...bombings, depleted uranium, the overthrow of governments, the promotion of torture and more. The terrorist responsible for the bombing of the world trade center 1n 1993 sent the new york times a letter saying they did so because of our support in Isreal. I could go on and on about this.

Posted by: ll | Mar 26, 2008 2:08:48 PM

Let's see, Obama supporters accuse Clinton and us supporters of being racists, disenfranchise Michigan and Florida voters, give Obama a free pass when it comes to his anti-American nutjob mentor Jeremiah Wright and then expect Clinton supporters to support Obama if he becomes the nominee? Dream on, Obamabots, because at least half of us will not vote for Obama and almost a third will rather vote for cranky McCain than put another smooth talking fraud cut in the same mold as George W. Bush into the White House.

Posted by: Jason | Mar 26, 2008 2:07:39 PM

Yes Yes Yes-Sniper fire, Hillary? I'm a Hillary supporter and I say that was not only dumb but you can add stupid as well. See, that the beauty of being a Clinton supporter, we got the courage to call our own candidate out for stupidity and exaggeration. Make our candidate better and stronger and forced to the truth. However, if Hillary wasn't under sniper fire then she sure as heck is now.

Posted by: Dogsoldier | Mar 26, 2008 2:07:30 PM

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