From The Hotline Latest Edition for Wednesday, May 14,2008

THE FIELD

All Dressed Up And Nowhere To Go

Wed. May 14, 2008


Hillary Clinton won "a large but largely symbolic victory" in the WV primary 5/13.

Clinton's aides "contended that her strength with blue collar voters" -- already demonstrated in primaries in OH, PA and IN -- "makes her the more electable candidate in the fall." Clinton spokesperson Mo Elleithee "said the primary showed voters 'don't want to be told that this thing is over. The people of West Virginia rejected the rush to call this thing over. They sent a very clear message tonight that Hillary Clinton is the best person to take on John McCain in the fall.'" Clinton won "at least 15 of the 28 delegates at stake" in WV, with 13 more to be allocated.

Barack Obama, meanwhile, "conceded defeat in advance in the state as he looked ahead" to the OR primary and the campaign against John McCain. Speaking at a townhall in MO, Obama said: "This is our chance to build a new majority of Democrats and independents and Republicans who know that four more years of George Bush just won't do" (Espo/Apuzzo, AP, 5/13).

Although still "embattled," Clinton is "urging the party leaders" to take a "hard look" at her WV win and "slow their march" to Obama. During her WV victory speech, Clinton said to the superdelegates: "Choose who you believe will make the strongest candidate in the fall." More: "The White House is won in the swing states, and I am winning the swing states."

In light of Clinton's WV win, Obama, who is campaigning today in MI, is "keenly aware of the need to recapture the unifying promise of his earlier primary and caucus wins, which transcended geography, parties and even racial divisions at times."

Getting closer to the nod, Obama picked up the superdelegate endorsement of ex-Dem Chair Roy Romer, who said: "This race, I believe, is over" (Babington/Woodward, AP, 5/14).

But Michael Cohen writes in the New York Daily News, with her camp "on life support," Clinton "is making the one political argument that could hold the greatest sway" with national Dems: "She is more electable." But history "shows that this is a shallow and counterproductive game -- one that can and should finally be put to rest in this election cycle" (5/14).

Worrying Times

AP's Pickler writes, Obama "pretended the primary didn't happen" 5/13, "with no election night speech or any public appearance at all after the polls closed." While the Obama camp doesn't seem worried, maybe it "should be." The voters who "went against Obama" last night were rural, low-income, and without college degrees. "They live everywhere in the country in places Obama needs to win" (5/14).

It Ain't Over Till It's Over

Author Alvin Felzenberg writes in National Review Online, Clinton's victory in WV "made clear that, in order to get her out of the race," Obama is "going to have to do something he has been unable to do up to now:" He's going to have to "knock" Clinton "out" of the race. If he fails to do that, "Obama can expect Hillary to be on his heels all the way to Denver" (5/14).

The Hill's Fenn writes, Dems "need to step back" and "hold our horses and let the next contests" in KY, OR, SD, MT and Puerto Rico "play out." If Clinton end her campaign before 6/3, "that is her choice." But "I for one would rather see this work its way through and have a truly unified and committed party to win in November then an extra week of a general election race with angry and dispirited supporters sitting on the sidelines" (5/13).

Scripps-Howard's Thomasson writes, "Clinton supporters still hold out hope, slim as that may be, that" the delegates from MI and FL will be seated. But even "if that happened, it probably would not change the outcome of" the convo (5/13).

Race Inside The Race

Washington Times' Blankley writes, for a large number of voters "there exists some extra resistance to voting for someone who -- on the surface -- seems different." This is race "consciousness" but not "straight out bigotry." For these voters "they need more evidence to convince them that this seemingly 'different' kind of person is, under the surface, much the same as the voter" (5/14).

Columnist David Person writes in USA Today, if black politicians such as Obama "hope to succeed, they will need to convince fellow African-Americans it is time to move away from using agitation and confrontation as the primary methods for getting political and social change" (5/14).

Imagine

Following up on his letter published in the New York Times on 5/13, George McGovern held a presser in SD to outline "what he called a formula to unify the party and defeat" McCain.

McGovern: "We can reduce the danger of Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama criticizing each other for the next month and giving McCain a free ride." More: "They are constantly pointing out weaknesses in the opposing candidate, which is what politicians do when they run for office. You can't blame them for that. But meanwhile, McCain is free to go around the country talking about motherhood and the flag and all those non-controversial things and looking like a statesman who is above the hurly-burly of politics."

McGovern reiterated his plan for Obama and Clinton to make joint appearances for the rest of the primaries. McGovern: "So you capitalize on the popularity of these two great candidates. And I think they are great candidates. I like both of these candidates. That's why I endorsed Hillary in October and Barack in May. I've got 'em both covered now."

McGovern cautioned against having a "divided party" going into the convention. McGovern: "One of them is going to lose and this would send them out in harmony and place the party and country's interests above their own" (Walker, AP, 5/13).

T-E-D-D-Y!

Boston Globe's Lehigh writes, Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) recently "thwacked" Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) over his comments that Obama shouldn't pick Clinton as his VP. But "why did Emanuel feel the need to call Kennedy out in the first place?:" Here's one theory: "The ulterior motive for Rahm's eruption over Kennedy's comment might have been, oddly enough, remarks that Emanuel himself had recently made." Emanuel recently called Obama the Dems' "presumptive nominee."

Word is that "those comments displeased" the Clinton camp. So it "may have been an attempt to re-ingratiate himself with the Clintons that spurred Emanuel to blast Kennedy" (5/14).

No Seats Left In The Break Room

The Dem primary campaign "has left organized labor divided and with little to show for its anguish." And even as appears to wind down, "conflict continues to roil union ranks." The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees "is reported to be planning to continue to spend heavily on ads for Clinton in the remaining primary states." While the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) "held a conference call with reporters to discuss plans to more actively support Obama" now that the union believes he is the "presumptive nominee."

But while the battle continues, the spoils may be meager. Center for the Study of Work Dir. Nelson Lichtenstein: "There's no huge winner among unions" (Adler, Politico, 5/13).

  •  
  •