ASHINGTON, July 14 - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said on Wednesday that she was not upset that Democratic Party leaders had not given her a speaking role at the Democratic National Convention in Boston later this month.Posted on 07/14/2004 9:24:54 PM PDT by conservative in nyc
ASHINGTON, July 14 - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said on Wednesday that she was not upset that Democratic Party leaders had not given her a speaking role at the Democratic National Convention in Boston later this month.
During an appearance on a radio show in Binghamton, N.Y., Mrs. Clinton laughed when asked if she was disappointed about not being included in the lineup of convention speakers.
"No," she said, "I've had many opportunities in the past."
At the same time, however, several of her supporters spent the day negotiating with convention organizers for a solution to the situation, party operatives said.
James Carville, a longtime adviser to former President Bill Clinton, predicted that top Democrats would ultimately accommodate Mrs. Clinton rather than allow the controversy to dominate the news in the days leading up to the convention.
"You want your convention to be about why John Kerry should be president, not why Hillary Clinton is not speaking," he said. "This will get fixed."
There has been widespread speculation about Mrs. Clinton's standing in the party since Mr. Kerry announced last week that his running mate would be John Edwards.
Many Democrats say the decision means Mr. Edwards could present an alternative to Mrs. Clinton in 2008, if President Bush is re-elected this year. Some Democrats wondered whether this potential rivalry was behind the decision to keep Mrs. Clinton off the list of convention speakers.
Mrs. Clinton seemed to try to tamp down such speculation on Wednesday, saying that the party's decisions over who will have a prominent speaking role are "made based on a whole raft of issues."
Mrs. Clinton, who has been raising money and campaigning for the Democratic presidential ticket, also said that the "real emphasis" at the convention ought to be on Mr. Edwards and Mr. Kerry.
The decision to keep Mrs. Clinton, the junior senator from New York, off the list caused a stir within Democratic circles, with many wondering why top Democrats failed to invite one of the party's most popular figures to speak.
Early in the day, for example, Judith Hope, the former chairwoman of the New York Democratic Party, said she would urge other female Democrats to boycott the convention unless Mrs. Clinton was allowed to speak.
Ms. Hope, who is now the chairwoman of the Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee, described herself as dismayed over the news in an e-mail message to reporters, observing that Mrs. Clinton is "one of the most admired and articulate Democratic women in the country."
But later in the day, Ms. Hope backed away from her threat, saying Mrs. Clinton's office had intervened and asked her not to go through with plans to organize a boycott.
"Senator Clinton's office has asked me to cease and desist," she said in an interview. "I'll honor her wishes, and that's the last I'll have to say on the subject." But Ms. Hope did send an e-mail message to at least 1,000 supporters urging them to protest the decision.
"If you are, like me, distressed by this news," she said, "I urge you to contact the Kerry-Edwards Campaign and the Democratic National Committee today and tell them that, without question, Hillary Clinton has earned a place on the podium and that this omission needs to be corrected immediately."
It remained unclear what the role of Charles E. Schumer, the senior New York senator, would be at the convention.
Thanks!
By the way, who writes the headlines at the Slimes? Hillary! better not get an "hour" onstage --- all the delegates will fall asleep.
I do not believe for one nanosecond that hitary is in any way upset. She probably welcomes avoiding the wacko leftist #1 and #4 in order to remain viable for 2008.
I am OUTRAGED! I DEMAND that Hillary be allowed to speak at the convention!
I plan to give the Democratic National Committee a piece of my mind!
I think you could actually hear the sound of Kerry's poll numbers dropping as she babbles on at the podium.
Once again the Clinton's are sucking the oxygen out of the Kerry campaign. hehehehehe
Accompanied by mucho "you knows" and vigorous "head bobbing"
OMG... they are stirring up the "Home Coming Queen" buzz around campus. Will they give her her tiara when she does? Oh boy. And this is their grand plan??? Does John Kerry get to be Home Coming King? So what's that make Edwards? The Littlelest Prince? Pelosi as "maid in waiting"? Who writes their scripting stuff? ick.
Her Most Royal Highness:"Fetch me, my pretty, our stolen FBI files on John Kerry
and his most recent PSA and pathology reports""
i suspect that many ashtrays and lamps are in orbit over xxxillary's house
Excellent photo, Diogenesis; encapsulates the "convention" perfectly. He's one of her flying monkey boys right? (wrong story) -- Or nono... he's the valet who parks the Royal Home Coming Queen's car. Bill Clinton will be her escort. Then as she receives her tiara, at the convention, her little minions in all sorts of dresses (men and women alike) will squeal with joy that their queen has been annointed. Daschle: Valet. Messenger. Fetch-it boy. mmmh.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.