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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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riley, you can't be serious. Please look up McCain's flip flops, they are numerous.

Posted by: erin | Jun 28, 2008 11:49:41 AM

dl,
I really don't care because I don't like either of them so I guess I either won't vote or I will vote for one of the other candidates that are running.

I refuse to fall in line just because he is a democrat, but I also will not vote McCain either. If this is the best we've got this country is in deep doo doo.

Posted by: J | Jun 28, 2008 11:48:07 AM

Any of the posters here who are trumpeting Obama's experience in the Illinois State Legislature as proof that he is qualified to lead our country should read the Boston Globe article regarding the deplorable housing projects in and around his former district.

The article is quite specific on how millions upon millions of taxpayer dollars were poured into private property management firms for the purpose of providing mixed income housing for many of Obama's former constituents. Many of these property firms were headed by past and present political and campaign finance supporters of Obama, who did nothing to alleviate the deplorable living conditions that existed in these housing developments.

Of course Obama's campaign insists now that he knew nothing of these terrible conditions within his own district.

If this is exemplary of how the problems of his state legislative constituents were overlooked and ignored while he was their representative, I fail (and dread) to see how this candidate is going to be an instrument of positive change for the entire country.

Posted by: Lee | Jun 28, 2008 11:45:27 AM

Obama voted present 130 times.

He simply cannot take a stand on difficult issues. Even his extreme left supporters are turning on him.

They put Obama on a pedestal as a different kind of politician. He completely fipped on FISA and gun control. They're angry and stuck with Obama.

Hope and Change---a tired gimic.

Posted by: riley | Jun 28, 2008 11:36:34 AM

If Obama is so pro women's issues, why did he vote "present" on them?

Posted by: Texas LIl | Jun 28, 2008 11:32:12 AM

Women are not single policy voters--so the RoeVWade scare tactic will not work.

It is being played about as much as the race card.

We have come to our senses and will fall in line--25% of Hillary supporters will vote for McCain.
McCain is not afraid to take a stand on difficult issues--unlike Obama who straddles the fence and cannot take a stand. Obama is too weak to lead this country.

Posted by: riley | Jun 28, 2008 11:18:11 AM

Hillary has NOTHING going for her. Nothing! She is Bill Clinton's wife. That's it! Anyone who campaigns for 18 months against another candidate borrowing millions of dollars to convince us why she should be president and certainly why Obama shouldn't and then overnight decides that she supports the guy is not only probably a psychologist's dream but also demonstrates an inability to believe in something and stay comminted to it regardless of party politics. She is a politician folks. Just admit it. Let that weight be lifted off your shoulders and feel how liberating it is to think for yourself. The only change she or Obama stand for is the change in their lives, that's it. Neither have shown the slightest bit of integrity or character or honor that I want my president to have. How many times has Hillary been caught with her hand in the cookie jar? Have those of you that say she "shines" forgotten about planting reporters in the audience with preprepared questions at news conferences? She'll beg, borrow and steal to get in the whitehouse just like Obama and McCain and we'll end up paying for it monetarily and otherwise.
Google Ron Paul. You remember him? The guy who won't support McCain because he doesn't agree with him and doesn't think he should be president. He's the guy with the courage and intelligence and integrity to stick with what he believes in regardless of what the capital hill gang says or does. Ron Paul '08

Posted by: Don | Jun 28, 2008 11:14:59 AM

In watching these two candidates together in New Hampshire, it is inconceivable to me how ANYONE could have preferred Obama over Hillary.....

I wholeheartedly agree with the poster here who stated "no wonder his people wouldn't let him debate her more often."

She outshines him in every way.

Posted by: Lee | Jun 28, 2008 11:00:33 AM

J

Puma can have a million people ...that amounts to exactly the numbers that were at the rally (which I was at...you obviously were not) where unless you looked really hard you would not find the single digit amount of people who sound like all the America haters on here that put there own self frustration over the issues that keep people alive, healthy and fighting for issues.

so I have been to the site...there are millions of sites that hate all of the candidates...Hillary has more sites against her (rightly or wrongly) than the people on sites against obama.

This is all dumb and childish.

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

I don't see how "eyes wide open" can call Obama divisive when it was the Clintons slinging mud, twisting facts.

I voted for Bill, both times. And I admire Hillary. But they both made crucial errors during this campaign. It isn't Obama's fault, or his doing.

How badly are you wanting your friends to tell you, "You did this, happy now?" when in a couple of years (if it even takes that long) McCain has us in a bigger mess than Bush managed? And it has to be bigger, because he LIKES what Bush has done so far, so he isn't going to correct any of it.

Posted by: AmericanMom | Jun 28, 2008 9:59:50 AM

I'd just like to know what some of you have been smoking. PLEASE site any respectable source showing where Obama is unAmerican?

Lewis said, "I think she has to say that right now, because I think what’s going on right now is politics,"

Yes, my dear, it is politics. That's what happens during a political election. What were you expecting, a beauty contest?

If these folks would quit complaining because we didn't get a woman in office this time, and actually look at what the candidates are promoting, they'd see that Obama and Clinton were running very similar promises.

What do you think you're doing, teaching the democratic party a lesson? Teaching America a lesson? You bet you are, you're showing the world that you're more concerned about the gender of your leader than their ability. But news flash, McCain doesn't have estrogen either. If you vote for McCain over Obama just because he isn't Clinton, you're showing your ignorance and selling your nation down the river.

Hillary may not be happy about not getting the nomination, and I don't blame her, but I'll bet ya she votes for Obama.

Posted by: AmericanMom | Jun 28, 2008 9:29:04 AM

w,
It's funny that people can't stand them but when they are quiet they want to know where they are and what they are doing. I missed them myself.

Posted by: J | Jun 28, 2008 9:08:19 AM

j
well the msm sure cannot seem to get enough of the clinton', the people cannot even go on vacation, or mind their own business without someone asking where are the clinton'

people were calling bill the missing man yesterday, the man was not missing he was in europe.
ac360 had the nerve to say "well there are phones in europe"

i can remember after all of the ways the msm treated bill clinton and sen. clinton, trying to run them out of washington on a rail.
after 911, (even with us having a new president) what were many of the msm saying and asking-"what does president clinton say?-where is president clinton-this was said on msnbc and cnn.

Posted by: w | Jun 28, 2008 8:55:27 AM

I am glad Hillary is back in the news. It was getting boring here when she wasn't.

Posted by: J | Jun 28, 2008 8:41:49 AM

steve,
the dem. party betrayed sen. clinton, not the other way around.

your voting against sen. clinton will be nothing new, and you are not alone.
the poor black, working class blacks,voted against their economic interest this primary season. by blindly voting for obama.

so you can vote against sen. clinton and bill being members of their neighborhood watch, it will not make a bit of difference to what will be written (good and bad) in the history books about the clintons.

Posted by: w | Jun 28, 2008 8:34:40 AM

sen. clinton, can retire from elected office tomorrow, or any other time and her good works legacy will be INTACT.
If people worried so much about what mccain will do, they sould have gone for the stronger candidate to come up against mccain.
people will vote for mccain, because unlike people were convienced in the primary, by the msm and the obama people with help of dnc bigwigs,
experience does matter,
people will vote trusting in mccains rather than obama and his lack of experience.

Posted by: w | Jun 28, 2008 8:28:27 AM

Why are the media so consistently focussing on this disunity in the Democratic Party? Where are the stories of the right wing social conservatives unhappy about supporting McCain? In the end the Democratic Party will be united and the worries in some circles about McCain will either continue or he will have to alienate the center ground.

Obviously there are some Clinton supporters in a denial phase about what has happened and that is fine, but wait till after convention season, and you will see most Clinton supporters back in the fold. I reckon the 'outlying' polls recently that showed a big Obama lead may well be more commonly reflected after the Conventions.

Posted by: markymark | Jun 28, 2008 8:28:26 AM

If McCain wins and the Supreme Court gets screwed up because the Hillary supporters where too selfish to care about the good of the country, I'm going to go out of my way to anti vote Hillary in everything shes in for the rest of my life. I will also convince everyone I can to vote against her in 2012 as well, if she even has a chance by then after betraying her party.

Posted by: Steve | Jun 28, 2008 8:17:36 AM

It's pretty simple: the more Obama supporters insult Clinton supporters, the further they drive us away. I'm tired of being told to "get over it" and that we'll "fall in line." Not gonna happen. PUMA.

Posted by: PuppyDogMom | Jun 28, 2008 7:58:26 AM

For all the Hillary supporters who clain they will vote for McCain...

Should he win, I hope Roe v Wade is overturned and then you or someone close to you needs to terminate a pregnancy.

Horrible, right? Absoultrly.

But if you are going to be such miserable sore losers and so moronic to vote against EVERY SINGLE SELF INTEREST you have, then you deserve everything you would get- no rights of the womb, more tax cuts for the weathly, more religious influence in government, and so on and so on.

Just grow up and act like the adults you claim to be.

Posted by: oxfdblue | Jun 28, 2008 7:43:20 AM

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