- Daily Photo: Obama Jokes Around at G-20
- Blackwater gets replaced in Iraq
- Daily Photo: U.S. Marines Look Out for Taliban in Afghanistan
- Hillary Clinton the Tomboy and Her "Ah-Ha" Moment
- Obama Administration Sudan Envoy Headed to Region
- Daily Photo: Potential Flashpoint in Iraq
- Clinton Says New Afghanistan-Pakistan Plan Depends on Diplomacy
- Exclusive: Three Israeli Airstrikes Against Sudan
- Additional 4,000 Troops to Be Ordered to Afghanistan
- Daily Photo: Navy Submarine Trains in the Arctic
- Alarm Over North Korea Missile Prep
- Anti-Terror Stimulus? US Offers Rewards for Top Terrorists
- Daily Photo: Pakistani Women in Refugee Camp
- Condoleezza Rice Appears on "The Tonight Show"
- Diplomat and Aid Group Sound the Alarm on Darfur Camp Situation
- auto industry rescue
- Ballotwatch
- Biden, Joe
- Bush, George W.
- Clinton, Bill
- Clinton, Hillary
- Dodd, Chris
- Edwards, John
- Giuliani, Rudy
- Gravel, Mike
- Huckabee, Mike
- Hunter, Duncan
- Inauguration
- Iraq
- Kucinich, Dennis
- McCain, John
- Obama, Barack
- Palin, Sarah
- Paul, Ron
- Romney, Mitt
- Tancredo, Tom
- Thompson, Fred
- Veepstakes
- Vote 2008: Democrats
- Vote 2008: Republicans
- Washington
- White House
« Previous | Main | Next »
Superdelegate Senators Assess '08 Race
Email
ShareMay 07, 2008 2:04 PM
ABC's Z. Byron Wolf Reports: There is a high-level meeting of 49 superdelegates going on behind closed doors right now.
It's the weekly party policy luncheon in the US Senate. And while there are a number of important legislative topics on the agenda (the war supplemental, a gas prices control bill, the farm bill and more) you can bet that last night's returns from Indiana and North Carolina are being discussed as senators queue up in the buffet line.
Going into the lunch, reporters asked senators for their assessments.
On his way to lunch, Sen. Teddy Kennedy, D-Mass, one of Sen. Barack Obama's, D-Ill., high profile backers said the Democratic nomination seems to belong to the Illinois senator.
"I pay tribute to Senator Clinton. She has been making her case and doing it effectively, but the outcome is very clear as to what's for the Democratic nomination. It's effectively Barack Obama's nomination. Its pretty effectively sewed up and I don't see any possibility of altering or changing that inevitable fact," Kennedy said.
Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., who was Hillary Clinton's, D-N.Y., chief backer in Hoosier State said he is operating on fumes after returning to Washington at 4am this morning, admitting that Clinton's path going forward is treacherous, but he that bringing state voters to the table for yesterday's primary was worth it.
"Obviously the numbers are what they are, but things can have a way of changing," Bayh said.
"Some of these voices say that was effectively over had been listened to we wouldn't have even mattered. Those 1.3 million people that went to the polls yesterday, they wouldn't have bothered to go vote. And that would have been a shame. It would have been a shame for them, for our state, and I think ultimately for the Democratic party. So I'm just a little reluctant to call for the disenfranchisement of the people in other states," Bayh said.
That is not an argument that works for Sen. Chris Dodd, the Connecticut Democrat who endorsed Obama after folding his own presidential campaign earlier this year.
Dodd pointed out that as the race is moving to West Virginia, a state Democrats may need in the fall. And the primary battle, he said, could confuse voters when Clinton makes the argument to voters they should cast their primary vote against Obama.
"To turn around and ask the very same people a few weeks later to reverse themselves and now vote for him on election day in a state you've got to carry as part of that electoral college map. I just don't see it," Dodd said.
Bayh put one caveat on how the race should continue: respectfully.
"As long as it is a respectable debate and doesn't become bitter or personal, I don't think this will be harmful for the Democratic party," Bayh said, speaking to party unity. "There are going to be some temporary hurt feelings. That happens in politics. That happens in life. But I think once people have a chance to take a deep breath, focus on the stakes of the election, compare our nominee to the other parties nominee, Democrats will come together."
UPDATE: Later in the day Dodd picked up the award for alliterative statement of the day when he predicted Sen. Clinton will bow out to avoid a "Donnybrook in Denver."
But he reiterated that the continued elections could confuse voters down the road.
"You go through a process where you ask somebody to vote against and 20 weeks later you ask them to vote for, that's a wrinkle in all of this. People are missing the point. Is my colleague likely to do anything that will damage the party? No. She will not allow herself to be an obstruction to a Democratic victory in November. That will not happen."
Dodd spoke at a press conference slamming President Bush for threatening to veto the House foreclosure prevention package, which proposes up to $300 billion to insure troubled mortgages and has the tacit backing of Ben Bernanke, Dodd was also asked about the Presidential election.
He said he has "Tremendous respect for her and her husband" and has faith that "At some point they'll make that right decision."
"There will not be a donnybrook in Denver," Dodd declared.
He said as a former candidate - though he did not reach the heights or the depths she has --"We should Giving her some space to deal with these issues is where we oughta be."
May 7, 2008 in Tancredo, Tom | Permalink | User Comments (107)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
And for all of you who think African Americans are only voting for Obama because of his skin color, I suggest you check the ratio's that voted for Clinton, Gore and Kerry. Are all the women who vote for Clinton allegedly idiots as well? I think you'd argue not. Please explain to me why he's getting the college educated vote. The elitists? You can't have it all ways. Lick your wounds and then get back to being Democrats...
Posted by: Lauren | May 7, 2008 3:11:53 PM
DiAnne read your own post... if that's not the pot calling the kettle black. and most of the obama supporters i know aren't nasty... there are always a few bad apples (and a few covert republican operatives) out there though. don't let them spoil a good candidate for you.
Posted by: z | May 7, 2008 3:14:42 PM
The reason why a lot of Hillary supporters would either stay home or vote for McCain is becuase they don't like Obama and they don't think he is qualified to be CIC and they think McCain would be better than Obama...
Obama looks to them not a convincing and capable candidate...
They put the country first instead of so called "Dems" party...
That is why...
Posted by: True Truth | May 7, 2008 3:15:56 PM
Kennedy? Didn't he lose in the primary? He's more of a Clinton loser no?
Posted by: Lauren | May 7, 2008 3:16:26 PM
I'm NOT voting for Obama. Neither are over 50% of the rest of the democrats. The DNC has to work something out - just telling everyone to play nice doesn't solve the problem.
Posted by: Griffin | May 7, 2008 3:17:36 PM
z
Glad to hear your reasoned assessments.
You should realize that BO has surrounded him by people like Rezko, Wright, Ayers, etc. for the past 20 years in Chicago. That's his circle of advisers, people he gain strength from, people he seeks spiritual and inspirational guidance.
Now, he is surrounded by a group of party losers and far leftists.
However, it is good to see that he has picked up most of HRC's idea of health care, although he fell short by 15 million.
Posted by: Olbermann3 | May 7, 2008 3:20:23 PM
Bayh's is an "IDIOT". Nobody can honestly believe the debate will be respectable from this point forward. That suddenly the bad blood will vanish, because he says so. The supers need to get off their collective butts and end this thing. And Bayh needs to shut his damn mouth, he has already said too much.
Posted by: James | May 7, 2008 3:21:17 PM
olbermann3- consider an event like 9/11... a tragic event, but also a major opportunity to unite this country and greatly improve our standing in the world... as well as rally the world around the cause of getting osama bin laden and al qaede... but bush just asked us to go shopping and otherwise not change our lives, and he got sidetracked from afganahstan with a stupid war in iraq. it's about what you do once you're president, not what you propose as a candidate. our founding fathers created a system that means policy changes happen slowly... it's the drawback and also major benefit of cheques and balances. so the president has to mostly deal with foreign policy and major issues. people are kidding themselves if they think policy from the government really has much of an effect on the economy (unless it is really bad policy like bushes that has driven the dollar way down and driven gas prices way up, and drastically increased economic inequality). so ask me some more relevant and educated questions about why i'm voting for obama and i'll answer them, but down ask me about his senate record (which is too short for much subtance anyway) or his supposedly stolen and unoriginal policy proposals... none of these candidates can come up with this stuff on their own.
Posted by: z | May 7, 2008 3:21:23 PM
After reading all of your comments, it is more than time for the Supers to end this. It should have been done after Super Tuesday. This is breaking up the party and it has damaged us.
Posted by: Becky | May 7, 2008 3:22:18 PM
We will be so confused if there's an election and won't know who to vote for?
:rolleyes:
Posted by: porkfrog | May 7, 2008 3:22:33 PM
Kudos to you Frank! Very well said.
Posted by: Dina | May 7, 2008 3:24:29 PM
There is nothing wrong for 90% AA to vote for Obama. It is people's right...
However, the fact is undeniable that Obama didn't win over white votes. Without support from majority of Dems' white, he may only win the states occupied by majority of AA... So how can he beat McCain in most states where the white is majority???
It is undeniable fact that Obama has offended some whites based on issues he had so how can he unite the Dems' white behind him??
Posted by: True Truth | May 7, 2008 3:26:15 PM
Wow - Emily - my sentiments exactly.
Posted by: Frank- South Hampton | May 7, 2008 3:26:47 PM
Unless you have benn living under a rock then you would realize the media has been all over Obama. Truth is you have no real reason for not supporting Obama as Hannity said there ain't a dimes worth of diff between Clinton and Obama on Policy so if you think Obama is a jimmy carter, then you think Hillary is to, the real reason you won't support the guy who wants the same things that hillary wants is because he is black!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Resp to Frank | May 7, 2008 3:27:59 PM
Outside of what candidate is the best blah blah - I think in the future, IF the primary vote is as important as the party poo-bahs claim it is - then EVERY state should hold their primary/caucus on the same day.
Have a campaign of about 5-6 weeks, then bingo, pick a date, then EVERYONE votes. No one will be influenced by any other state's vote, no one will be able to claim that they are part of "Rush's Army".
Then it will be all over on THAT day, and then the nightmare of a general election can commence....
Posted by: Ugh | May 7, 2008 3:29:31 PM
Anyone that voted for bush/cheney the last 2 elections should do this country a favor and sit this one out. Your total lack of good judgment is not good for the country. Obama 2008!
Posted by: pt | May 7, 2008 3:31:07 PM
idle, not ideal, sorry, typing faster than my brain
Posted by: z | May 7, 2008 3:31:15 PM
I really don't get all these threats about voting for other people or not voting. Its not going to change the outcome. Groups of people or certain states don't get to be counted more than others. Black votes have the same value as white votes. At the end of the day, Obama will have more votes and delegates. That's that. Both Hillary and Obama are better candidates then any of us have seen for quite a while, so why don't we just marvel at the primary season and hold off on the histrionics?
Posted by: Greg | May 7, 2008 3:31:58 PM
Obama is a disgrace! I don't care if they put Clinton on the ticket and she has his child.
I won't vote for this character on the top of a ticket.
It's hard to believe the judgment of the Dem. party.
Posted by: porkfrog | May 7, 2008 3:34:05 PM
Yap!!! There we go again.
African Americans are only good for America when they line up decade after decade behind white Democrats.
THE MOMENT THEY SUPPORT ONE OF THEIR OWN; THEY ARE BRANDED RACISTS.
...pure trash.
Posted by: Jake | May 7, 2008 3:35:44 PM
Post a comment
