Bonnie Erbe

Fixing the Democratic Breach

June 4, 2008 RSS Feed Print

My blog posting of Monday prompted this quick response from Brendan Daly, press secretary to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. I asked for and was given his permission to reprint it and would love readers' thoughts on same.

Hi Bonnie:

Saw your blog the other day. Agree that Obama will need Clinton supporters in a big way in November. Just wanted to see these points we are sending today on the need for unity and how the primary process has been good for the party and how we are in good shape heading into November.

All best.

Brendan

• Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who will serve as chair of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, applauds the electoral process that has brought in millions of new voters who have energized our party and are crucial to our victory in November.

• We have two outstanding candidates for President, Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama, who have attracted the support of 35 million voters. Both represent historic firsts in our electoral process—for women and for African-Americans.

• We have seen record turnout from all parts of America, including new voters, women voters, African-American voters, Hispanic voters, and young voters.

• Throughout this long process, the Speaker has worked to provide critical leadership focused on the needs of the party—to win the November elections—to bring a new direction for the American people.

• The Speaker is focused on expanding our majority in the House and ensuring a big Democratic victory in November. We are on track to do that—Democratic Party identification is up more than 11 percent over Republican Party identification and this spring, we won three special election victories in House districts formerly held by Republicans.

• We will work quickly to keep this momentum going as House Democrats will work together with our presidential nominee to put a Democrat in the White House and strengthen our majority in the Congress.

Well...thoughts?

Tags:: presidential election 2008,; Nancy Pelosi,; democratic party

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The perception outside and inside of the Clinton camp was
that they would have this election in the bag by Super Tuesday.
If that had been the case, we wouldn't be having this discussion.
The Clinton camp approached this election by believing in the
hype. The reality caught them flat footed.
They lost in part because of their own significant missteps.
After all, we're not talking about some bush league inexperienced
politicians, we're talking about a former, very popular and well though
of two term president and his wife a two term senator.
Because this didn't turn out as many had hoped or believed they
had a right to expect it to turn out. Because they miscalculated,
misjudged, made mistakes and nonetheless, threw the book
at this junior senator who dared to challenge them and STILL
lost is not something which should be placed entirely at the feet
of Barack Obama.
There's a saying, "Someone who thinks something can't be
done, shouldn't interrupt man (or woman) doing it". I would take
that a little further and submit that "Someone who thinks something
can't be done, ought to have a good backup plan in the event that
fate disagrees."
The Clintons are as guilty as our current president was in
overestimating the outcome of the Iraq war. "We will be greeted
as liberators. It will take a small and mobile force to bring it about.
It won't last long or cost much." But, suppose none of that
proves to be true. Then what.
Super Tuesday was supposed to be doomsday for everyone else.
Apparently neither the country nor Obama saw it that way. Then
what?
Hillary Clinton's team didn't have an answer for that. Barack Obama,
who was not as enamored of his inevitability, did.
Still, this was a very close election. Credit to Hillary Clinton for that.
But, to suggest she was robbed. That this was stolen from her,
misrepresents the facts.
She had help from the problems of her own campaign.
It might not be a pleasant truth, but, it's true nonetheless.
Nothing sexist in that, just political reality.
If it had been some man instead of Hillary, that wouldn't change
that truth. Maybe it would've been a completely different outcome.
No denying that gender and race have played and will continue
to play a part in this election up until the day after the election in
November. Both Obama and Clinton and their respective supporters
need to be honest and not want to deny race or gender when it hurts
and look the other way when it helps.
Hillary is a woman. Barack Obama is black.
And they were and are exceptional candidates who happened to
pick this election to run against each other.
Someone had to lose.
If Hillary is everything her supporters believe she is, we shouldn't
be having this discussion. Apparently not enough voters believed
so. I have no doubt this may change how future primaries are held.
And if the Clintons could do it over, there's probably some things
they'd do different.
But, that's a different discussion.

Mike of WA 11:35PM June 06, 2008

...just as he has been doing. Just 4 years ago there was a very different & independent thinking senator named John McCain who didn't have the money to win the Republican nomination even if he had Karl Rove on his staff. He had his own vision though & stuck to his guns. Now there is a quite right leaning John McCain who has compromised beliefs but money to boot. I respected John McCain before this election but he no longer garners the respect he deserved since he no longer sticks to HIS beliefs. He has flip-flopped to his financiers beliefs & vision. He will do anything it takes to get in office even if it means he has to alter his core beliefs? That's just sad. That's just what we DON'T need in office right now.
I voted for Clinton & still support her but I will never vote for someone such as John McCain who will so easily give in. Clinton appealed to me with her experience & vision. Obama, for the most part, shares her vision & my vision of how America should handle itself. I would be very happy if Obama picks Clinton as his VP since she would do well in that influential position. We do need change. We need to better ourselves but we need to be responsible. Bush has degraded our image throughout the world but even worse he has lessened our own self-worth. McCain has alligned himself with Bush's people & doesnt seem to mind to lessen himself so far. What do you think he will do to the rest of us?

Chris V of WI 1:34PM June 04, 2008

You lost. Keep repeating...you lost. No matter what you did, you lost.
Now you must atone. To do this - 1) acknowledge defeat and stop blaming others for your loss 2) decide in your heart how you want your grandchildren to live in this country 3) put nation over petty personality differences 4) organize and start to work toward turning this country around.
Nation over petty partisan bickering...Nation over your since of loss.

Lisa of TX 11:17AM June 04, 2008

Fixing the Democratic Breach

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