Has Barack Obama blown it with Bill and Hillary Clinton?

The Telegraph ^ | August 26, 2008 | Toby Harnden

[Schnucki]

Here in Denver, it's easy to blame the Clintons. Out on the convention floor, their diehards are there with their Hillary buttons, plotting to run in 2012, whining on about the 18 million cracks in that glass ceiling, secretly wishing John McCain will win in November. Truth is, the Obama people feel, they lost - get over it!

And Bill's all upset about being accused of being racist? Well, if the cap fits! And what about Hillary talking about hard-working white people? A favourite badge here for Obama loyalists is "Hard working white person for Hillary." The Clintons feel dissed? But they have half the convention! Hillary speaks tonight and Bill speaks tomorrow. She's getting a roll call vote. In her speech, Michelle Obama even talked about those 18 million cracks.

But this kind of thinking is exactly how to lose to McCain. It's the Obama people who need to get over it - and quickly. Continuing to bear a grudge will only help McCain. But since June it seems he's failed to take even basic steps to placate the Clintons and their supporters. He's given Hillary some public things he didn't have to do - such as the roll call vote - but missed out the small pleasantries and behind the scenes stuff that could have really made the difference.

At this stage, the rights and the wrongs don't really matter. Did Hillary demean Obama? Did Bill play the race card? It's of only academic relevance right now. Obama won and he needs Clinton supporters on board. Yet he's hardly spoken to Bill Clinton and he's made it clear by omission that he doesn't see a former two-term president as a potential wise counsel.

He let Clinton supporters believe that Hillary might be his veep choice when she wasn't

[Dilbert San Diego]

There was a Hillary supporter on TV this morning saying that Obama has not reached out to Hillary enough, and that he should do more to pay off her campaign debts. She said that’s what families do, and the Dems. are a family.

I think talking about the campaign debt is “inside the Beltway” stuff that average voters don’t care about. That’s a great way to connect with “middle America”, isn’t it? (sarcasm)

[TNCMAXQ]

This first paragraph sounds like the Dems have practically conceded already. It’s not THAT dire for crying out loud. Obama still is a favorite for the general election. But headlines like this sure must make them nervous.

[colorado tanker]

I think Carville’s right. The Rookie's wasting the convention and isn't getting a coherent message out.

[mrmargaritaville]

I don’t think she cares whether osamaobama wins or loses in Nov-she’s going to run in ‘12 regardless of who’s in the White House.

[blasater1960]

"18 million cracks"???

I thought she shattered the ceiling! That "just cracking it" statement will further tick off the crazy Hildebeast supporters....

[Wil H]

The Rookie's wasting the convention and isn't getting a coherent message out.

He's conceded the Pepsi Center to the clintons (he isn't ever appearing there) but thinks he wil have his own Rock and Roll show at Invesco Field.

Trouble is, he is repeating his Berlin recipe.

I bet he gets carried away with his own aura and people end up laughing at him.

[Polyxene]

“...how many think McCain is capable of picking the Hildebeest for Veep??”

If he did, he would be dead within a year! Arkancide, doncha know.

[RogerD]

Truth is, the Obama people feel, they [Hillary voters] lost - get over it!

Truth is, the Hillary voters already settled for the lesser of two evils when they took Bill over Hillary for 8 years. They're not willing to take Obama over Hillary as the lesser of two evils one more time.

[Soliton]

The Clintons have benefitted from Gore and Kerry losing in that they maintained control of the Democrat Party for her first run. She will work tirelessly as will Begalla, Carville, and company to leak, sneak and snipe at Obama. Don’t forget, she didn’t just lose the race but $10,000,000. This from a woman who claimed a tax deduction for donating used underwear.

[pieceofthepuzzle]

“Don’t forget, she didn’t just lose the race but $10,000,000. This from a woman who claimed a tax deduction for donating used underwear.”

I agree with your points, on multiple levels. The ‘underwear’ issue is just more evidence of the hypocrisy of the left (e.g. I’l give you the shirt off of ‘his’/’her’ back). Still. I believe that it is not power or money that drives the Clintons, but rather a narcissistic sense of ‘self’ as wold saviors destined and chosen for greatness.

[mc5cents]

Let’s have a show of hands...how many think McCain is capable of picking the Hildebeest for Veep??

But I could just hear it: Hillary was, after all, a Goldwater Girl so that technically makes her more conservative that McCain.

[colorado tanker]

My youngest daughter hasn't been indoctrinated into politics yet, but she's very turned off by Obama acting pompous, as if he's already won.

He is an arrogant son of a gun, considering how little he's accomplished.

[obamaNation]

Anyone else catch the low blow to the clinton’s of having the VP announcement call come @ 3am?? That is one more 3 am phone call that Hillary doesn’t have to worry about;-)

[Bean Counter]

The question is, can the Hildebeest bring more votes for McCain’s ticket than Lieberman can...

[BBell]

If McCain picks The Beast I know one fellow who will be very happy.

[HighlyOpinionated]

Obama doesn't have a true sense of who he really is. He's a Pretend Person. He's not "The Pretender" but he's a fakir, a whirling dervish, a snake charmer. Somehow, he didn't bond with Lolo Soetoro and have a healthy "father-son" relationship. He's proved it by writing about the absent (sperm-donor) parent and not the adoptive father. Obama wanted to connect with something and he created this "make believe, bigger than life" absent father, totally ignoring Lolo. He wanted his birth father's approval and recognition. He even went so far as to change his name to Barack Hussein Muhammad Obama, Jr (II) to please his fantasy-father. And he also felt disconnected in Hawaii because he wasn't a "real" Negro-African-American. Instead of enjoying his multi-culturalism, he tried to invent himself as a "black American." He had no history with Black Americans and the Civil Rights Movement. Instead he created a relationship with Frank Marshall Davis who was a friend of his grandfather.

I think that relationship confused Obama more than it solidified his concept that he was "black and proud." I think this is demonstrated in this quote: Davis said Obama's grandfather would never understand people like him because they hadn't experienced the humiliations he had, according to Obama's memoir. As he left Davis's house that night, Obama wrote, he knew he was completely alone for the first time in his life.

Obama did not have a structured nurturing relationship with any adult. He wasn't "black and proud" but rather he was "alone in the world." He felt abandoned at age 17-18. He became an "orphan" emotionally. He thought his grandparents couldn't understand the "black" part and he didn't want to discover the "white" part. His mother had shamed that out of him. And his mother didn't help him understand that it wasn't her "whiteness" but rather her politics that caused her to reject the USofA.

Much to his loss, he needed to know that "white" did not translate to the America she disdained. Which leads me to the discussion of Obama and the Clintons. Obama's fragile ego against the Clinton's inflated egos. Not a pretty picture. Now some will say that Obama has a huge ego, but as I have watched and listened and read, I'm of the opinion that he is very fragile. He puts on a huge big bright show for the people, but inside, he's still the abandoned 17-18 year old boy. I think he was attracted to Michelle because of her take charge personality. She's the stronger of the two. And she's the angrier of the two. The Liberal friends and mentors have always been "angry" with something, America, Whitey, whatever. He is more ashamed than angry because half of him is White. He's perplexed emotionally. How does a half-white man ignore that part of who he is? Obama over compensates trying to act the part of "the black American." Which he's not and never will be. He's an Arab-American.

The fragile ego of Obama will be at the coliseum. The huge egos of the Clintons will be at the Convention Center. No comparison of Place.

And it doesn't much matter because as soon as Barry Soetoro shows us his real birth certificate from Indonesia and his Indonesian Passport, it's all one huge crap-shoot for the DNC to choose another Presidential candidate. Blacks will be angry at Obama for giving them "hope" and then taking it away from them because he wasn't honest about his citizenship.

And from now on, Presidential Nominees will get vetted. Yeeeeehaaaa.

[jws3sticks]