Domenico Montanaro at First Read (MSNBC) is echoing what I said about Hillary's scorched earth tactics with regard to Bill Richardson and his endorsement of Obama in this post:
But one undeclared delegate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the recent tactics are turning her and other superdelegates off. "I don't think anybody's saying 'step aside,' but 'stop with the garbage' is what people want to say," the delegate said. "Just chill a little bit." As activists committed to the party, they said, they have been impressed by Obama's ability to bring new Democrats into the fold, and they worry that Clinton is threatening that. "We like the fact that there is a candidate that has won so many states overwhelmingly," the delegate said. "We're feeling her advisors are leading her in a path that diminishes her as well as him."
Clinton proxy James Carville's vicious and personal attack on Bill Richardson hasn't done Hillary's cause any good:
Several said they were angered by comments from James Carville, who called Bill Richardson "Judas" for backing Obama after serving in the Clinton White House. One delegate said Richardson's rationale for supporting Obama, and his implicit frustration at the Clintons' heavy-handed approach to garnering his support, was echoed among superdelegates.
James Carville says that we should all stop our whining about negative campaign tactics and act like grown-ups. I couldn't agree more. And as an Obama supporter, I'd like to give James a big heart-felt THANK YOU for helping us to win over the superdelegates. Your help has been invaluable!
In fact, James, if you're out there, I'd like to offer you the opportunity to pen a guest post right here on Wizbang Politics. You can further explain to all of our readers why you think Bill Richardson is a "judas" and why you feel so good about "branding" him as such. Maybe you could also provide us a list with all of the other Democratic politicians out there (some of whom are undoubtedly superdelegates) who you would consider traitors if they endorsed Obama. Please...do tell.
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2008 Presidential Race
Tags: Bill Richardson, Democratic presidential campaign, James Carville
Comments (4)
I love the anonymous source... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Jim Addison | March 26, 2008 9:10 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
I love the anonymous sources. At least Todd is honest enough to describe them as "undeclared" rather than "undecided" or "uncommitted," which they clearly are not.
Where would Bill Richardson be today if not for the Clintons? Probably not Governor of New Mexico, definitely not taken seriously as a national candidate.
1. Posted by Jim Addison | March 26, 2008 9:10 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on March 26, 2008 21:10
2. Posted by Larkin![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://wizbangpolitics.com/nav-commenters.gif)
| March 26, 2008 10:46 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Where would Bill Richardson be today if not for the Clintons? Probably not Governor of New Mexico, definitely not taken seriously as a national candidate.
I don't think his uneventful stint at the UN and his scandal-marred tenure as Energy Secretary have done all that much for him. He got elected Governor of New Mexico because the people there knew him from his 14 years in the Congress.
If he hadn't served in (Bill) Clinton's cabinet he might have run for Governor in 1998 or the Senate. He had plenty of options.
And besides, he served under Bill Clinton who is not running for president, Hillary is. Hillary hasn't done anything for Richardson in his entire career so why should he feel any loyalty to her?
Ultimately, I think Richardson's motivation here is to stop this ruinous battle and help the Democrats win in November.
2. Posted by Larkin![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://wizbangpolitics.com/nav-commenters.gif)
| March 26, 2008 10:46 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 26, 2008 22:46
3. Posted by Jim Addison | March 27, 2008 1:37 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Richardson wasn't going to run for Senate against Bingaman or Domenici with any chance of success, sorry. Neither would he have had any chance at all against Gary Johnson, who comfortably defeated the Democratic incumbent for Governor and also won reelection by 10% in 1998, a generally Democratic year. Without the national exposure and gravitas of being UN Ambassador and Energy Secretary, he didn't have the rep.
Richardson never attained any great level of respect in the House. He chaired the Natural Resources Subcommittee, not exactly the most influential spot. The only legislation associated with his name deal with Indian issues, which were of importance in NM, but not the sort of bills a congressional leader would be known for.
Despite his seniority, at the time Clinton plucked him from obscurity, that obscurity was well deserved.
3. Posted by Jim Addison | March 27, 2008 1:37 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 27, 2008 01:37
4. Posted by Jim Addison | March 27, 2008 1:39 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Oh - and ultimately, I think Richardson's motivation here is to promote his own Veep chances.
The Clintons demand loyalty of their sycophants until THEY decide it is time to throw them under the bus.
4. Posted by Jim Addison | March 27, 2008 1:39 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 27, 2008 01:39