Posted on 05/05/2008 2:31:48 AM PDT by KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle
(CBS) In states such as Indiana where open primaries allow independent and Republican Party members to vote for Democratic presidential candidates, right-wing radio commentators are exhorting their listeners to cross party lines and vote for Sen. Hillary Clinton, in the hope that she - and not Sen. Barack Obama - will become the nominee against Sen. John McCain, a supporter of Obama said.
Mayor Douglas Wilder of Richmond, Va., a former senator, said a concerted effort by right-wing media was driving voters to Clinton because, he feels, she is the weaker candidate for the Democratic nomination.
"Why are the poll numbers showing a certain element of the voter being unreachable as far as Barack is concerned? Let's get real. Who is running all of the ads on a regular basis? The bloggers, the right-wing commentators on the radio," Wilder told Face The Nation host Bob Schieffer. "Who are they supporting? Not Barack Obama. They are literally begging people - and these are Republicans - literally begging people, 'Please vote for Hillary Clinton.'
"They have no intention of supporting Hillary Clinton in November. And why are they doing that? Why is it Barack Obama can reach what some call the 'elite voter' but he can't reach the others? That's poppycock. There is a concentrated effort to derive those voters away from him and to drive them to Hillary Clinton, because many of them think that Hillary will be the weaker.”
Concurring with Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., Wilder said that the Democrats faced a "riotous" convention if the will of the people - in terms of a candidate with the greatest number of pledged delegates and primary or votes - was usurped by the party's superdelegates. "People would be tremendously upset," he said.
Clyburn, however, went further, believing that such a decision might inspire violence.
It would certainly breed discontent, he said, especially among younger voters, as he described his visits to historical black colleges and universities in his district: "That is what these young people were saying to me. They were very, very upset with all of this talk about superdelegates overturning their energies and overturning their efforts.
"A lot of them were saying that they felt that all of this talk about Senator Obama [was] just ways to damage him permanently for making it impossible for him to win even if he were to get the nomination.
"These young people have come into this party to the extent that I have not seen in 40 years. And we ought not be doing or saying anything to tamp down their enthusiasm."
Clyburn's message to the superdelegates who are free to vote their will? "They are free to take all of these things into account. And I think that they should. What they are not free to do, in my opinion, is to just outright reject or overturn without sufficient cause what may have happened in these various caucuses and these primaries.
"Be very, very careful. Don't do it just because you got the power to do it, but have good reasons if it comes to that."
While Clyburn and Wilder debated the impact or non-impact upon Obama's campaign by the recent remarks of Rev. Lawrence Wright, Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and a Clinton supporter, said that her willingness to stay in the race demonstrated a toughness and perseverance that is attractive to voters.
"She's a fighter," Bayh said. "And I think people know that it's not going to be easy to deliver the kind of results that they want. And it's her fortitude, in some ways the fact that she's been knocked down. There have been all these calls for her to quit, to go away, to disenfranchise the people of our state, for example. But she says, no, I'm in this for the American people. I'm going to stand strong for them.
"And so it's that grit and determination I think people like, plus the level of experience, the ability to deliver results.
"Barack is a very formidable person, a gifted candidate, and is very persuasive at any number of levels, but it's that between two good people, that perception that one has a little bit more experience and probably can actually deliver the kind of change that people are looking for I think that's resonating well here in the heartland."
No he was a former Governor. We know the AP is ignorant, but we did not know you were that stupid.
Hey, you forgot "bright, clean, articulate, and nice"!
Doesn't Wilder realize that this is the reason the "superdelegate" system was created by the Democrats after the disastrous '72 election? To choose a electable candidate in spite of the the vox populi? IMO, this system is nothing more than the liberal mindset personified. "Forget about what the people want, we know what's best for you."
Democratic party, my ass...
I think this counts as the author, essentially, acknowledging that “Operation: Chaos” IS, in fact, working like a freakin’ charm. ;)
Shiffer is an idiot ,the purpose of Operation Chaos is not to get a certain candidate over another ,it is simply to keep the process going so as to pit one group of democrats against the other to split the Party.
The Democrats like to whine that the mean ole’ Republicans are using evil tactics in prolonging their primary agony, but they themselves hold the key to their prison. All they have to do is to take Hillary, (or Obama) aside and gently tell them that it is time to get off of the stage. (Good luck with that).
The point of Operation Chaos is to keep the Democrat nominating process going - to expose the fault lines in the Democrat party. Democrats have exploited identity politics for decades and now they are stewing in their own noxious juices.
How casually Clyburn and Sharpton threaten violence if they can’t have their own way. This is just another of the Democrat chickens “coming home to roost”.
"Gander to goose: Enjoy the sauce."
Here's another thing that drives me nuts with ratlibs...These are the people that pretty much handed us the McQueeg $#!+ sandwich, laughing into their sleeves while they were doing it. Big frikking joke. Now that we are actually doing the same damm thing--throwing a wrench into the works, its time to whine about how horrible it is. Open primaries chumps -- after all, its the "democrtatic" thing to do. Go find your binky and quit whining.
Does anyone know if NC has an open Primary where Pubbies can vote in either Party’s Primary? We know Indians is “open” but what about NC?
While Clyburn and Wilder debated the impact or non-impact upon Obama's campaign by the recent remarks of Rev. Lawrence Wright
Could have sworn it was Jeremiah Wright.....
"And so it's that grit and determination I think people like, plus the level of experience, the ability to deliver result
I can't imagine anyone saying these things about Hillary Clinton while keeping a straight face...
Really. Makes her sound like some weird, improbable cross between Mother Theresa, Maggie Thatcher and Batgirl. ;)
And still the media can’t seem to get it right. We aren’t trying to crown Hillary the nominee. We want as much chaos as possible in the dem party. If it looks like she’s gonna pull it off, chaos votes will switch to the clean, articulate one.
Can't really frown too severely at the MSM, in this instance. Check out threads such as this one, and you'll doubtless be as dismayed as I genuinely was to discover that there's even a fair number of fellow FReepers too bone stupid to figure that much out for themselves, evidently.
Sad, but true.
I just read a report yesterday that claims the haloed one has received far more Republican votes than Billary. It went so far as to claim that she would be the nominee if not for GOP crossovers. So somewhere someway somehow there is a truth to be found about the effects of OpChaos. Just don’t ask a Dem to find it. Truth and modern Dems are mutually exclusive.
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.