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Disunity in Unity

June 27, 2008 6:17 PM

Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, and Barack Obama, D-Illinois, said all the right things today in their unity show in Unity, NH -- as if reading from a checklist.

(For Clinton: praise Obama, say he'd be a good commander-in-chief, tell supporters thinking of supporting Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., that would be a horrible idea. For Obama: show Clinton deference, praise Bill too, talk about how crucial both Clintons will be to progress in the U.S.)

But even here in Unity, lack of unity could be seen.

While working on spot for World News with Charles Gibson, Nightline, and Good Morning America, ABC News producer Andy Fies stumbled upon something of a rumble between Clinton supporter Carmella Lewis, who says she's a Democratic delegate from Denver, and Obama backer Elspeth Farmer.

Both women were at the unity rally today.

"She will be the next president," Lewis told Fies. "I feel it. I feel it strongly."

Fies asked Lewis what it meant to her that Clinton had said she supports Obama.

"I think she has to say that right now, because I think what’s going on right now is politics," Lewis said. "This is the candidate that won the swing states," she said, pointing to a Hillary Clinton for President sign. "This is the candidate that won the large states, and she has the popular vote! If the vote were taken today, hands down, Hillary Clinton would be the delegate winner."

Obama supporter Elspeth Farmer stepped in, arguing that the Clinton campaign's math when it talks about the popular vote doesn't add up. "What about the caucuses?" Farmer asked. "Obama won the Texas caucuses. The Hillary campaign always says Hillary won Texas. She won the popular vote in Texas, he won the caucuses. This is a system where we go by delegates."

"The bottom line is, this is the candidate that won," Lewis said, pointing to her sign

"She’s not the nominee!" Farmer said, interrupting.

"One minute! One minute!" Lewis said. "I know you’re an Obama supporter. We’ve got West Virginia, Indiana, Pennsylvania. Swing states, folks. It’s swing states! And Obama did not win the swing states! He did not win the large states!"

"He can win the swing states!" said Farmer.

"He will not win!" insisted Lewis.

"He can win the swing states!" said Farmer.

"He can not!" insisted Lewis. "John McCain will beat him. John McCain will beat Obama."

Just a random scene? Don't be so sure.

According to the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, 24% of Clinton's supporters are thinking of supporting McCain in November, with Obama only winning 62% of them as of now. That's why Clinton directly told them not to go for McCain today.

- jpt

June 27, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (192)

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Sad day for the democratic party....Hillary was your answer..

Posted by: gary | Jul 6, 2008 11:45:30 AM

and now we find obama pays the women on his staff less than the men.

obama will not win the presidency.

Posted by: w | Jul 1, 2008 8:10:14 AM

Mara,

Don't hang the Iraq war o n the Hillary supporters who will vote for John MCCain. The guilt of that lies on you and Obama and his supporters. He had our votes until he lambasted Hillary Clinton with the sexist comments and than disparaged her husband Bill's tenure in office. He has no one to blame but himself for losing our votes and support. So, if you want to lay a guilt trip on anyone lay it on yourselves and on Obama. Also, on people like Dodd, Kerry and Kennedy who stabbed Hillary Clinton in the back. And, he has not even had the decency to address this with the women voters. Until he does, our membership will just keep growing and growing. We are already past 3 million members. It is substantial enough that it can win or lose an election for someone. Check out the Boston Globe newspaper from June of this year and read the article about Obama and his community housing projects. All his developer friends got rich and the housing was condemned and he gave these people key positions in his campaign. It is hard to tell the Democrats from the Republicans anymore and this is another reason we are so up in arms about this matter.

Posted by: Mary Anne | Jul 1, 2008 12:56:47 AM

RMC: Unsavory people? Would that include men leave disabled wives for a rich woman 16 years younger than your wife, a wife who was an addict to narcotics, stole from the non-profit she worked for, and then didn't even spend a day in jail? WOuld that include CIndy McCain's daddy a felon who left her millions of dollars - all made through booze or racetrack deal? Can you get shadier than that? Well, yes you can. You can surround yourself with an ex-president who lied to his wife, his family and to the American people on camera - and an ex-president who sent Bernard Schwartz to China in 1994 - accepted millions in donations from him, didn't offer an explanation when Schwartz was fined $14 M for selling satellite secrets to China - and then turned around and made him one of the biggest contributors to both the William J CLinton Foundation and the Clinton campaign. Oh. And I forgot all those record Cindy McCain conveniently lost during the Keating 5 scandal. And how, exactly, is Honest John getting around these days? Oh, on a family jet - which is legal because of a very strange loophole Honest John wrote into his campaign reform legislation.

Posted by: rmc | Jun 30, 2008 2:16:00 AM

eyes wide open: that is a lovely dream, but hillary clinton 1) failed to get health care for 20 million uninsured Americans - with a Democratic president, house and senate. She said so herself in a letter to Moynihan in 2000. I honestly believe she wanted to - but after 16 years as a corporate lawyer, compromise wasn't in her vocabulary. She most certainly did not get health care for 60 million American kids. Kennedy and Hatch passed SCHIPS, Hillary supported it, and later gave a 15 MINUTE speech on the White House lawn as first lady. SHe did not visit a single state, work with a single state governor, or coordinator or even give a speech in some of the areas where kids desperately needed care. I believe she wished she had - but wishing doesn't count - and her letter to Moynihan is public record.

Posted by: mara | Jun 30, 2008 2:03:38 AM

mary ann - anybody's entitled to vote for whoever they want to - but unless you're independently wealthy you might want to check out john mccain's health care plan. it shifts power from employers to insurance companies and gives them the right to cover whoever they want to. got any kids? the most common cause for exclusion is being overweight - leads to almost all chronic disease. fits pre-exclusion. any depression? forget it. skin cancer? you've just signed your death certificate. got any kids who go to public school? got any kids who could are draft age? get ready - because they is no one left to fight mccain's wars and there is going to be a draft. American kids and going to die and become disabled for life to build islamic governments in the middle east, with chinese money. not what i want for my kids - but if that's the dream you have for your children - cast that vote and live with the body bags.

Posted by: mara | Jun 30, 2008 1:54:46 AM

carmella sure got a lot of coverage - all across the nation - which leads me to believe she was pretty vocal and there weren't a lot of carmellas - or we'd be hearing multiple quotes - not the same baloney from one woman.

and hoosier sue - i loved the real john mccain - before he decided he had to become george bush to win. can you cite ten real policy differences between mccain and bush? i know it's tough - but try finding ones where mccain is not ultra right-wing - like on education, health care and foreign policy. bush was an idiot - but he did have an education plan. what's mccain's? i'm not talking about the fact that he doesn't know how to google - and doesn't have the computer skills of a 4 year old. i mean policy differences.

Posted by: mara | Jun 30, 2008 1:47:37 AM

HoosierSue said: Thinking minds know that McCain isn't Bush II. They also know that Obama is a Carter/Dukakis hybrid, bearing the worst traits of both men.

No, that's where you are wrong. Thinking minds know that if you vote 90-95% of the time with George Bush you are his second coming. Most of us don't even remember Jimmy Carter's term as President so that is another dumb argument to use. I know as smart as you McCain supporters claim to be you can up with a better argument than that. That is pretty lame. Our Label of Bush II sticks. That's why your candidate wants Bush to raise money for him but doesn't want to be seen with him. Obama's not even wasting his time defending the Jimmy Carter label because it's pure nonsense.

Posted by: denden91 | Jun 29, 2008 8:44:06 PM

Thinking minds know that McCain isn't Bush II. They also know that Obama is a Carter/Dukakis hybrid, bearing the worst traits of both men.

Posted by: HoosierSue | Jun 28, 2008 8:56:17 PM

Awwwwww! What's the matter Obama junkies? You don't like it when a large group of voters object to your candidate and mobilize to block him from being reelected? Join the club, now you know how the Hillary supporters feel. Get over it! We are here to stay! Anyone who touts Barrack Obama's experience should check the newspapers with regards to the housing he worked on. His friends who are now on his campaign made a lot of $$$$$ on it. So, you tell me, who the slug is between Hillary and Obama! Don't make me laugh! I'd vote for McCain any day before Obama!

Posted by: Mary Anne | Jun 28, 2008 8:21:12 PM

Anyone who's touting Obama's accomplishments in the IL State Senate needs to learn who Emil Jones is.

Posted by: HoosierSue | Jun 28, 2008 1:45:21 PM
***************************************

Anyone who's touting Mccain's accomplishments in the Senate needs to learn who George Bush is.


Posted by: Mess Host Messenger | Jun 28, 2008 7:01:39 PM

John Mccain is a well wore contradiction. Many republicans will write in Ron Paul or vote for Bob Barr.

Posted by: Mess Host Messenger | Jun 28, 2008 6:58:12 PM

FARMER:

WE'LL SEND YOU OUR RESPONSE IN NOVEMBER WHEN WE ALL VOTE FOR JOHN MCCAIN! THERE ARE 3 MILLION OF US AND WE ARE NOT GOING AWAY!!!!!!!! THAT DOES NOT EVEN TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE CUT OF THE BLUE COLLARS, OVER 60S, THE POOR, ETC. WHO WILL NOW VOTE FOR MCCAIN BECAUSE HILLARY DIDN'T GET THE NOMINATION. WE'LL SEE WHO GETS TO PART IN THE WHITE HOUSE PARKING LOT IN NOVEMBER. IT WON'T BE OBAMA IF WE HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT!!!!! GO MCCAIN OR EVEN BETTER GO MCCAIN/HILLARY FOR PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT IN NOVEMBER. HILLARY SHOULD TURN HER BACK ON THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY LIKE THEY TURNED IT ON HER. NO MERCY FOR THEM JUST LIKE THEY HAD NO MERCY FOR HER! BUNCH OF LOSERS!!!

Posted by: Mary Anne | Jun 28, 2008 2:54:11 PM

SuzieQ, it's not up to congress or the republicans to overturn anything. The Supreme Court has basically been balance for years. If you think that McCain will never get a nominee through congress then you and everyone else that thinks that is being naive.

Posted by: erin | Jun 28, 2008 2:09:44 PM

Thanks katmandu for the info in the Boston Globe. Anyone who considers Obama to be a serious choice should read the article 6/27/08 "Grim Proving Ground for Obama's Housing Policy." Again we see that he surrounds himself with unsavory people.

Posted by: RMC | Jun 28, 2008 1:58:06 PM

Anyone who's touting Obama's accomplishments in the IL State Senate needs to learn who Emil Jones is.

Posted by: HoosierSue | Jun 28, 2008 1:45:21 PM

I'm sick of hearing about the Supreme Court. In case you hadn't noticed, the President picks the nominees and they have to pass through Congress to get on the Court. With a guaranteed Dem-controlled Congress, this is much ado about nothing. And the fact that it seems to be the best reason they can put forth to vote for Obama - that's scary!

Posted by: HoosierSue | Jun 28, 2008 1:43:15 PM

The Republicans had the Presidency and the Congress and did Roe v Wade get overturned? NO. It's a dead issue that just gets resurrected every election season for the benefit of whichever side you are on.

Posted by: SuziQ | Jun 28, 2008 1:01:47 PM

so get a grip...and a little reality in your life like most normal Americans do.


Posted by: dl | Jun 28, 2008 10:14:03 AM

-----------------------------
So learn to count...4000 does not add up to one million! You are so not normal!

Posted by: HP Boston | Jun 28, 2008 12:39:28 PM

Excellent point, J.

Obviously, MILLIONS of men also voted for Hillary, or she would not have won as many primaries and delegates as she did.

Posted by: Lee | Jun 28, 2008 12:24:21 PM

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