Former DNC chairs: Hillary would beat McCain today — Obama wouldn't

[BigBearJohn]

Seven former Democratic National Committee chairs who support Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid, and the family of one who is deceased, released a letter Friday arguing that she is the candidate best-equipped to beat John McCain in November.

The letter was signed by former party leaders Kenneth Curtis, Charles Manatt, Debra DeLee, Don Fowler, Steve Grossman, Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell, and Clinton adviser Terry McAuliffe. It was also signed by the family of the late Ron Brown, who served in the Clinton administration.

They write that “if the election were held today, Hillary would beat Senator McCain, but Senator Obama would lose to the presumptive GOP nominee.”

“Hillary has run one of the most formidable campaigns in the history of our Party,” the chairs wrote, listing Clinton’s primary season victories. “Her base of support includes women, Hispanics, seniors, Catholics, middle and low income Americans, and rural, suburban and urban voters. That’s a formidable coalition tailor-made for victory in a November general election.

“…We encourage you to continue to fully consider Hillary Clinton and the fact that she is qualified and accomplished. Too much is at stake for us not to consider deeply the choice we must make for our Party and our country.”

SOURCE: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/05/02/former-dnc-chairs-hillary-would-beat-mccain-today-obama-wouldnt/

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

1. I fail to understand how she's so formidable if she can't even beat Obama

Here we have one of the most powerful women in Democratic politics, with all the brute force of the Clinton machine behind her, presumed front-runner status for an entire year until the Iowa primary, and she is being beaten by a relative novice who has only won one federal election and who had to build his entire campaign from the ground up.

Am I'm expected to believe she can beat McCain in the fall? :think:

[mrreowwr_kittty]

3. Not to mention how the hell she can win without the support of black and young voters. nt

[MidwestTransplant]

9. Or when ~50% of people say they absolutely won't vote for her.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

11. If my mother had wheels, she'd be a go-cart

n/t

[cliffordu]

21. If my mother had balls she'd be Hillary

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

26. maybe thats what's wrong with Hillary, she's confused

she kept thinking that snipers had fired on her in Bosnia at the airport.

Maybe she was dizzy or something.

[question everything]

13. Or how the hell can she win without the support of rural and old time

loyal Democrats?

Obama's winning in caucuses came from first time voters, including Independent and Republicans. How can you be so sure that they will come again in November?

[kerry-is-my-prez]

17. It's a whole different ball game in the general. You have to be much more centrist.

The label that Obama has as being the most liberal senator will come to bite him in the ass....

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

34. Clinton too, then, since we keep hearing how her voting record is so similar to Obama's

:eyes:

[countmyvote4real]

2. Wow. That's ultimately a great Obama endorsement.

Thanks for posting and keep it lit.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

4. Seriously. The very people who have been LOSING elections for us the past 3 decades

Think that Clinton is a winner.

That's all I need to know.

[question everything]

12. What elections have they been losing?

Or did you forget that we held the White House in the 90s? That Bill Clinton is the only Democrat to be re-elected since FDR?

[mrreowwr_kittty]

18. Bill never won a popular majority

Only pluralities because there were strong enough 3rd party candidates to siphon off Republican votes.

And do you wanna talk about losing Congressional seats throughout the 90s and until 2006?

How about all the Governorships and state legislatures?

Not a record to be proud of.

[Justitia]

24. ....and the only to be impeached since Johnson.

[question everything]

25. Right. Spending $70 million to prove that he had an affair

How can you possibly hold this - a sheer Republican vendetta - against him and consider yourself a Democrat?

Do you realize that he left office with the highest approval rating of any other President?

Don't count on President Obama to come even close.

[Justitia]

27. He LIED to cover his own ass, not very presidential. He dragged the rest of us down w/him.

If he would have been any kind of leader, it would have been "the buck stops here", he would have put an end to the nonsense by telling the truth and taking his lumps.

How can you defend what he did to Our Party?
His bullshit sent us wandering in the wilderness for the following 12 years.
We lost the White House and both houses of Congress.
All because of the enormous fucking ego of one incredibly flawed man, who when he had the chance to make things right, continued to put his own interests over the interests of the American People.

That albatross hangs around his neck forever, but WE paid the price.

[countmyvote4real]

29. Harry Truman and Jimmy Carter are somewhere in between FDR and Big Dog. n/t

[MADem]

5. WOW. That's a sweet letter. I miss Ron Brown. He was a good soul. NT

[otohara]

6. Left Out AA Voters

“Her base of support includes women, Hispanics, seniors, Catholics, middle and low income Americans, and rural, suburban and urban voters.

Unless "urban" is the new buzz word for African American's.

[CalGator]

7. “Hillary has run one of the most formidable campaigns in the history of our Party.”

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Who can say that with a straight face? From inevitable to needing a miracle.

[anigbrowl]

19. So right...On Jan 1 she was still the hot favorite

Money1 Superdelegates! The Clinton name! It was hers to lose. And then she came in 3rd in Iowa. THIRD. Think about it - they got more exposure to the candidates than pretty much any other state.

[Political Heretic]

8. "fomidible." Popular vote? FAIL. Pledged Delegates? FAIL. Most States? FAIL. Money? FAIL.

Beating candidate rivals? FAIL.

How exactly is it a formidable campaign when she can't be a first time junior senator from Illinois?

[Submariner]

10. Win after the Bosnia sniper story lie?

Get serious. That was a campaign ender. Hillary just doesn't know it yet.

[Yukari Yakumo]

22. "War Hero" McCain would constantly evisercate her on that. {nt}

uguu

[Carrieyazel]

14. She wouldn't win either. And she's run a lame mistake-filled campaign

Full of ridiculous moments that has made her look like a blithering idiot.

These people who claim otherwise are to be ignored.

[MattBaggins]

15. Good thing they cherry picked

one of the few days she was actually winning in National Matchup polls.

[global1]

16. Just One Small Fact Here - The Election Is Not Going To Be Held Today.......nt

[Triana]

20. She can't beat Obama. How is she going to beat McCain?

SO. HOW MUCH DID THE HILLARY CAMPAIGN threaten, cajole and PAY these people to write her a reference letter?

Oh and yes she's run "one of the most formidable campaigns in the history of our Party,” alright.

That's pretense-speak for: "she's run one of the NASTIEST, most DISHONEST, SCURRILOUS, DESPICABLE, ROVIAN, REPUBLICAN, DIVISIVE, IN-THE-SEWER, WIN-AT-ALL-COSTS, LIE, CHEAT, THREATEN, WHINE, STEAL, DISENFRANCHISE VOTERS, campaign in the history of our Party."

In other words: REPUBLICAN

Oh THAT's something to be proud of, innit?

Pffft!

Furthermore, the REPUBLICANS HAVE WAITED OVER TWENTY YEARS TO FINISH OFF THE CLINTONS. DO NOT ASSUME they're going to blow THIS chance to do it once and for all. They won't. They are CHOMPING AT THE BIT for us to string that Clinton Piniata up so they can start whacking away at it. And they won't STOP until it's ground to dust and entrails.

[Lyric]

32. Come on, Triana. You know that's a silly comparison.

The primary is all about Democrats, but when it comes to the general election, we have to worry about impressing centrists, moderates, "independents", political discontents who don't bother voting in primaries, and even a few Repukes who aren't particularly loyal.

If the Democrats could win the general by appealing to the left, we'd never lose another election--but that's not the case and you know it. There are a hell of a lot more centrists and moderates out there than there are passionate lefties--more than enough to send us back to DU to blame each other for November's loss, even if every eligible progressive in the country turned out to vote for our nominee.

McCain is perceived as a "rebel"--someone who's nothing like Bush. You know it's bullshit and I know it's bullshit, but a laaarge chunk of "I don't care about politics" America doesn't know and doesn't particularly care to educate themselves to find out. If given a choice between someone perceived as a radical partisan and someone who's widely perceived as a moderate, common-sense type, middle America is going to go for McCain in droves. Mark my words. They're tired of "partisan politics", and they aren't particularly interested in facilitating yet another administration that cares only for the opinions of one side.

Obama isn't even close to being a progressive--he's as much a centrist as Clinton is, policy-wise. But that's not how other people see him. They judge him by the people who support him. "If all those lefty crazies and college punks are this nuts about him, he must be some left-wing radical" is how they'll think.

And I'm sorry, but using the excuse that "Ooooo, The Repukes will come after us if we nominate a Clinton! :scared: " is both cowardly and pathetic. You once questioned the integrity of ANYONE who supports Clinton; well I question the integrity of ANYONE who uses the spectre of angry Repukes to try and scare us into voting against what we truly believe is right. You honestly think they'll hit Obama any less hard? Are you living on another planet?

Fear the Repuke backlash if you will, but don't expect the rest of us to cower quite so easily. I'm FAR more concerned with holding the moderates. McCain will have an awfully hard time trying to paint Hillary with the "typical Liberal" brush after our own party has spent months accusing her of being a Republican in everything but name (a.k.a., a moderate). With the economy in shambles, people are remembering what the Clinton economy was like, and that's nothing but Good for us come November.

And please, stop with the frantic claims of "Disenfranchisement!!111". The system is what it is--primaries are not general elections, and the party has the right to ignore every single vote if it so pleases. Disenfranchisement occurs when people's general election votes are not counted--not primary votes. You want to gripe about liars? Then stop lying.

I remember admiring the hell out of you once. Not so much anymore, because you've become just another Bully for Obama.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

37. Tell the Hillbots to stop crying about FL and MI then.

Oh, and where have you been all this time? The Bullies for Clinton have been concern trolling all over this board about how Obama isn't "electable" (hint: he's black!) but I guess you haven't noticed that.

[Justitia]

23. Seriously? Proxy Support from a dead guy? Talk about jumping the shark - LOL

[TwilightGardener]

28. Stupid. Obama, with a unified Dem party backing him, wouldn't lose.

The reason she is still hanging in there is because no one is focused on building up her negatives--same as with McCain right now. They're both getting a free ride. Except for Snipergate, which was so unbelievably fucking stupid and embarrassing on Hillary's part that the media had no choice but to cover it for a little while.

[LVjinx]

30. There's not going to be a unified democratic party. 35% of Clinton voters will go for McCain

Hell, Hillary might even back McCain... To hear Obamites talk she's already endorsed him anyway.

[C_U_L8R]

31. Terry McAuliffe, Ed Rendell and a dead guy ???

I love the 'quote' attributed to the anonymous 'chairs'.

That has the mark of McAwful all over it.

[Freedom Train]

33. K&R!

If you still don't get it, there's no hope for you.

[RBInMaine]

35. SPIN SPIN SPIN. So now she has morphed from "inevitable" to "formidable"????

[RBInMaine]

36. The only way we can lose is if the sour grapes Hillary voters won't back Obama.

[JoFerret]

41. Urge Obama followers to keep up their

all so effective charm offensive.

[PM7nj]

38. Last week it she was losing, the week before she was winning, and before that she was losing.

I bet next week she is losing again.

[BlueIdaho]

39. All of this puffery because she won ONE primary

with half the lead she should have? Yeah - that's impressive...

[uponit7771]

40. riiiiiiiiiiiiight, because black voters don't matter in the GE right now.

[JoFerret]

42. You think they are stupid enough

to vote against their self interest in November?
Gosh.