NDN -- formerly the New Democratic Network -- is a leading Democratic think tank and advocacy organization. Its founder and president, Simon Rosenberg, is very popular among progressives. Usually, Rosnberg's very mild mannered. But now, he's miffed -- at the Clinton campaign:
...what exactly is Hillary doing by going to Florida to declare victory, pushing her way into whatever is the big Republican story tonight? Somehow given the events of the last few weeks this move just feels wrongly timed. Too many questions are being raised about the Clinton's integrity, their willingness to do whatever it takes to win, even sacrificing long held values and beliefs in the process.Having worked on the New Hampshire primary and in the War Room in 1992 for the Clintons, I was present at the creation of the famous "rapid response" campaign style and fierce fighting spirit of the Clinton era...So I understand as well as anyone that this is a tough game, not for the faint of heart.
But there is a line in politics where tough and determined becomes craven and narcissistic, where advocacy becomes spin, and where integrity and principle is lost. I am concerned that this Florida gambit by the Clinton campaign is once again putting two of my political heroes too close - or perhaps over - that line. So that even if they win this incredible battle with Barack Obama they will end up doing so in a way that will make it hard for them to bring the Party back together, and to lead the nation to a new and better day.
I agree with Rosenberg that politics is tough, that politicians fight hard to win. Let me be clear: to a point, there's nothing wrong with that. Go beyond that point, however, and it's a different story. The question is, when has a campaign gone too far?
In my mind, if there's any point to our dysfunctional system of choosing a nominee, it's to see -- tested under fire and extreme degrees of scrutiny -- what the potential president is made of, what their character is all about, what type of White House they might run if elected. Unfortunately, in the case of the Hillary Clinton campaign, what we're seeing is not comforting or attractive -- endless spin that's so detached from any reality it makes Alice in Wonderland look like a Discover Channel documentary (that the Florida vote now "matters," even though the rules have been clear for months -- no camplaining in the state and no delegates selected); a willingness to play whatever "cards" need to be played (including, sadly, the "race card"); fake moments of "emotion" (Hillary in NH: sniff sniff..."it's not about me"...sniff sniff); and so on and so forth. Is THIS the kind of White House you want for the next four years? I'd suggest that we all think about this long and hard before we cast our ballots next month.
P.S. Here's the best summary I've seen, courtesy of the Washington Post, of the Clinton campaign's staggeringly dishonest spin about Florida: "In every statement about the race, Clinton and her surrogates repeatedly insisted that Florida's "votes count" -- despite her earlier agreement to honor party rules."
What is it about PARTY RULES (that they agreed to) that the Clinton campaign doesn't understand?!? Typical.
...elections without campaigns don't count. Hillary Clinton won big on the Democratic side. I still think she is the Democratic front-runner (she's got huge leads in the big states), but this win doesn't mean much. In other states many more Democrats voted than Republicans. But not in Florida. Seniors turned out, which is good for Hillary. But younger people and minority groups didn't so much. In short, Florida is not a test of where the Democratic race is.
Why didn't young people and minorities turn out on the Democratic side? Obviously, because they knew that this election didn't really "count," thanks to an arcane (albeit important) dispute over the rules. And the fact is, in spite of their desperate attempts to stop Barack Obama's momentum and make people forget about the Caroline and Ted Kennedy endorsements, the Clinton campaign knows that too.
Yet a closer look at the exit surveys shows some notably positive trends for Clinton's chief rival, Sen. Barack Obama.Despite losing the state overall by 17 points, Obama actually won more support than Clinton from voters who made up their minds in the last three days (46 percent to 38 percent), in the last week (39-31) and in the last month (47-40).
Clinton did defeat Obama among Floridians who decided on a candidate on the day of the primary. But overwhelmingly, Clinton's support came from those who made up their minds over a month ago (63 percent to 27 percent), and from early voters who used absentee ballots (50-31). Floridians began receiving absentee ballots in late December.
According to the exit polls, those early deciders and early voters made up fully 59 percent of Florida's Democratic electorate.
In other words, the Florida Democratic vote yesterday was like an old, graying photo in the attic -- this is what things looked like a long while ago, but certainly not anytime recently.
... now Super Tuesday is a contest between those who are mired in racial division and those who are willing to transcend it.The massive outpouring of criticism of the Clintons for their tactics in South Carolina is withering fire which may take a serious toll among Hillary's voters. Caroline Kennedy's invocation of her father in endorsing Obama seems right on the money. Ted Kennedy's support for him legitimizes white backing for the Illinois Senator and could have a big impact.
The Clintons were banking on a silent invocation of racial division stemming from a massive Obama win in South Carolina among black voters and a last place finish among whites. Their hopes were that whites would note the racial split in South Carolina and react by voting for Clinton.
But this racial divisiveness can only take place in the dark, out of sight. With the glare of Obama's idealism shining on the dialogue, conscience comes into play and the American electorate may overcome the divisiveness of the Clintons.
Will Obama's move trump the Clinton strategy? A lot hangs in the balance. Ultimately, the choice will say more about our soul as a nation than about the candidates in this election.
The boldness of Obama in accepting the Clintons' injection of race as an issue and his insistence on an enlightened answer challenges us all. Even as one's head warns that the strategy will fail, one's heart hopes that it will succeed.
Either way, Obama has made the Super Tuesday vote more about who we are than who the candidates running for president are.
Obama - And Kennedy - Raise the Stakes
A Commentary by Dick Morris
What a great column. Americans are better than the Clintons think we are.
Frankly, I think it made sense to run ads because the reality is that there was a primary. That meant that a lot of people were paying attention in this time period. I think that Barack Obama's campaign did respect the Democratic Party's ruling on Florida's violation of the rules.