Southern Dem Warns Party To Avert Disaster

Politico: Tenn. Gov. Phil Bredesen Counsels Divided Democrats To Pick A Presidential Nominee Soon

(The Politico)  This story was written by Jonathan Martin and Mike Allen.

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Democrats are increasingly nervous about their party’s protracted nomination fight, and some prominent figures are publicly warning that the party needs to act fast to avoid disaster.

Chief among these voices is Phil Bredesen, the two-term governor of Tennessee who is uncommitted to either Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) or Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

In an interview this week with Politico, Bredesen said flatly that if the contentious slog continues until the Democrats’ late-August convention in Denver, the party would have a vastly diminished chance of recapturing the White House.

“They have a much steeper, rockier hill to climb if it goes to the convention,” the governor said over a dinner of rockfish and red wine. “You’re going to spend this whole summer -- and lots of money and time and effort -- trying to convince people that whoever isn’t eventually nominated, isn’t electable.

"That’s a heck of a hole to climb out of come the first of September,” he added. “What’s been going on for the last 90 days just gets worse and worse as the summer goes on.”

Bredesen also joined House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in warning that superdelegates should not overturn the outcome from primaries and caucuses.

If Obama were denied the nomination by Democratic insiders after winning the party’s popular vote, Bredesen said, “There would be hell to pay in the party for a long time to come.”

Bredesen is doing something about his concerns. He was in Washington this week to promote his idea for holding a “superdelegate primary” in June, in which the 795 party bigwigs would gather to hear one last time from Clinton and Obama before casting a final vote.

Rather than allow the horse-trading and bloodletting go on all summer, he’d get it over with during a two-day business meeting in a neutral, easily reached city like Dallas.

“Invite the candidates to come and talk if they want, and then literally call the roll,” he explained. “We should not go through the summer and have a divided and exhausted Democratic Party. The inescapable conclusion is: OK, you’ve got to find some way to bookend and bring it to closure earlier. How do you do that? Do it in June rather than August."

The governor said he decided to push the plan because of what he called a “sea change” in opinion among Democrat elites. What once appeared to be a once-in-a-generation blessing -- having two strong candidates with significant appeal among Democrats -- seems more like a burden now, as the race drags on toward April and May contests that are unlikely to offer any more clarity than the muddled results of the last three months.

“Ninety days ago, everybody was talking in warm terms about both the candidates: ‘Isn’t it wonderful?’ ‘Whoever’s president is going to be great,’ ” the governor said. “It has gotten vastly more polarized now, and that really concerns me.”

To Bredesen, an even-keeled political pragmatist, superdelegates are certain to ultimately decide the nominee, so it makes no sense for them do later rather than sooner.

“The bottom line here is that we have a problem, and I think we need to take it off autopilot and try to find some way of resolving it,” he said. “I don’t know any way that is not going to generate some hard feeling and some divisions in the party. But if we do it early, we’ve got a chance to patch them up.”

Practicing his sales pitch, Bredesen added: “I think it’s an opportunity to show the public that we’re a modern party and when confronted with a problem, we don’t just have to glide along and hope for some seismic event to solve it all for us.”

The governor said he has spoken to Clinton about his plan, which he unveiled last week in an op-ed in The New York Times, and that she did not reject it out of hand. He said he had traded messages with Obama.

Bredesen gave a technocrat’s answer to why he made the proposal, calling himself “a problem solver" and saying it is “common sense.” He came to Washington to meet with Democrats about the idea, and has lobbied several fellow well-regarded Democratic governors -- including Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Janet Napolitano of Arizona and Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas -- about it over the phone.

The notion has found more favor among party activists outside Washington, he said, suggesting that Beltway Democrats and particularly Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean were not moving quick enough to recognize a growing problem.

“He certainly was not warm to it,” Bredesen said. “He was afraid that such a convocation … would present negative publicity for the party: the graybeards gathering in a back room to do it -- smoke-filled room, all this kind of stuff. My retort to that is: You’re going to have that anyway. The superdelegates are going to decide the thing. Better to happen in June.”

Then the governor jabbed: “Howard Dean’s not the whole party. They call it a committee for a reason.”

Bredesen said superdelegates should be independent agents and noted his own case to underscore the point that superdelegates should not necessarily be guided by who only has the lead in total delegates (Obama’s case) or who has won more big states (Clinton’s argument).

“In my case, Obama has a majority nationally and Hillary Clinton won Tennessee,” he said. “So who’s the majority for me?”

The governor did, though, say that if the winner of both the popular vote and leader in pledged delegates was denied the nomination it could prove disastrous for the party’s chances.

“This is really divisive, he explained. “If Obama were to have a clear majority of the popular vote and the superdelegates for some reason turned it around the other way, I think there would be hell to pay in the party for a long time to come. You’ve got to try to come out of this with some sense of fairness about it, to have any chance of putting the party together.

“If Obama has more delegates and has a clear majority of the popular vote and the superdelegates come together and pick Clinton, I think it’s a problem that going to take some time to work out,” he continued. There’s going to be a lot of hard feelings.”

Bredesen, who was re-elected with nearly 70 percent of the vote in 2006, is prevented by term-limits from running again in two years. He said his effort to broker a solution to his party’s nomination fracas isn’t connected to making a play for vice president.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “A couple of years ago, I gave some thought to: Do you want to try to be a player in that stuff -- Southern governor and all that kind of stuff. What I really decided is: If you do that, you’re going to get nothing done in your second term as governor.”

Bloggers, liberal-leaning journalists and Democratic strategists have all warned in recent days that their party, yet again, risks snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

“How Obama vs. Clinton Is Killing The Democrats” is the subheadline on the cover of the latest edition of The New Republic, just below “We Have To Choose One” and an arresting composite image of the two Democrats.

“All of which is to say that it’s about time for the Democratic Party to panic,” write the editors at the end of an editorial titled, “Bush’s Last Laugh.”

“If it wants to win this election, it needs this race to end as soon as possible. Every day spent on the primaries represents an opportunity cost and diminishes the chances for ultimate victory.”

[popstom1]

I hope she stays in right too the end the whole
systeam needs a bloodie nose

[demwatcher]

"Southern Dem Warns Party To Avert Disaster"

Too late.

[ioweign]

"Southern Dem Warns Party To Avert Disaster"

Too late.

Posted by DemWatcher at 06:57 PM : Mar 26, 2008

And the republican state parties have their ***** together...

Will the even have poll watchers ??

[blkpresident]

No problem. After PA. voters lil'' missy is out. Problem solved.

[demwatcher]

"And the republican state parties have their ***** together...

Will the even have poll watchers ??


Posted by IOWEIGN at 09:22 PM : Mar 26, 2008"

Of course they will, you dumbarse. The Liberal Media will do everything they can to interfere with the last honest and open election system America has.

[kevzgrl]

I was very sorry to hear that there are a number of Democrats (at least they claim to be) who answered a poll and stated they will jump ship and vote for McCain if their Dem candidate of choice is not the nominee - so you would RATHER vote for a LONGER war and MORE earmarks and MORE tax cuts and assistance to the rich and MORE benefits for corporations than vote for a woman or a black and MORE of the same failed policies we have had for the last 8 years??? Shame on you!!! That''s the kind of thinking that got us stuck with King George II - and these are the people who have been complaining about the last election being stolen. Mr. Bredesen is right - if this keeps up, we will have a heck of a hole to try to climb out of come November, and these idiots will have no one to blame but themselves - of course, they won''t do that - they will try to blame everyone else because they made such a stupid, unconsidered decision. Why not just HAND the keys to the White House over to McCain right now if that''s the way they want to play it??

[kmccliment]

BLKPRESIDENT,

Lil Missy is going to slap the BLK out of your BLKPRESIDENT name. Do you watch the polls. Do you listen to Obamas words. He has already conceeded the fact that he will lose PA and also MI if they allow a vote. I think your either blind or doing some very illegal drugs. You make me laugh at times. Bye for now.

[joelbuckley2]

The Clintons realize they have little chance of winning the Democratic nomination in 2008. They also realize that if Obama is elected, the Clintons will never have another chance to be elected President. On the other hand, if McCain is elected, the Clintons will have another chance in 2012. Seen in this light, their actions in praising Republican John McCain while attacking Obama (McCain is qualified to be Commander-in-Chief, and a patriot, Obama is not, etc.) makes perfect sense.
CLINTON 2012

[blkpresident]

kmccliment,

I''m not trying to hear that. Furthermore, until that lil'' woman actually has the nomination, I won''t believe the polls coming out of PA. or MI. The only poll that matters will be the poll taken right AFTER PA. votes--not BEFORE. Lil'' Missy may want to do herself a favor and fetch her apron out of the broom closet, so she can presie over her kitchen stove...I''m not trying to hear anything else!!!

[mjvw2]

The polls this. The polls that. Since only idiots answer their phones these days the polls are useless.

[rowdytexan2]

First of all, the DNC taking sanctions again Michigan and Florida in the first place is nonsense. This is America, we vote. All of us. To try to snitty a state out of their primary votes out of some stupid rule when negotiations are possible is seriously flawed.

The really ironic part of their ridiculous sanctions is that one, in Michigan, Obama''s name wasn''t on the ballot. Yet Michigan voters came out at 328,000 voters for Clinton and 257,000 for McCain. Michigan has already shown that democrats and crossover republicans will come out and support Hillary. And also in Florida. Despite the DNC''s snitty rules, the people spoke, and their voices are heard.

They''ll be taking a serious chance on the November elections if they don''t hear those votes.

[blkpresident]

Newsflash for all those folks who haven''t heard yet: Florida and Michigan had their chance. They blew it. The milk has already been spilt, so rather than continuing to CRY over it and ruining your mascara in the process, simply ask lil'' missy to don her apron and clean up the spilt milk and simply move on. Florida and Mihigan are water under the dam--have a nice swim up the river. Take paddles next time, but stop crying--we already have enough Great Lakes so we don''t need another one, especially one toxic with smudged mascara. Boo-hoo lil Hillary.

[gemstone1955]

Kind of sad that the people have been passing around the Pastors page pamphlets from the TUCC about anti Israel and pro Hamas views for a month now. There are 116 UCC churches in Chicago and dozen with in miles from Obama''s home. Why this anti American ideals church? WOW it takes Fox, ABC and MSNBC to all air it before we get one word on CNN. Also the news finally being reported about the anti American statements that America is run by white racists. Yet still he supports the pastor and this church. A MONTH, COME ON GUYS REALLY? ARE YOU A NEWS NETWORK OR A HIDE OUR HEAD IN THE SAND IF IT BAD ABOUT OBAMA CAMPAIGN HEAD QUARTERS? NO VETTING ALLOWED! NO HARD QUESTIONS OR NEGATIVE FINDING SHARED TO BE REPORTED TO AMERICA! SHAME ON YOU CNN! VERY SAD WHEN WE THE PEOPLE HAVE TO FIND OUR OWN FACTS AND GET OUR OWN NEWS!

[blkpresident]

CNN,

Contrary to a few detractors here and there, your news is top-notch. Keep the good news coming.

[b-easy63]

ONCE AGAIN....Obama may find himself in hot water--not for something he did, but for who he knows. Those Rezko indictments are sure to heat up and spill over and cause damage!!

Unfortunately for Hillary--she can''''''''t catch a break, soon to potentially break in the news is the story before the California appeals court which could DeLay her candidacy for good. this time evidence shows that Hillary (HERSELF ONCE AGAIN)was involved. At issue is a 250K donation made to her senatorial campaign. Her staff said she had no knowledge of it, so she was not roped into the scandal when her campaign mgr faced charges of hiding that money from the IRS.

Unfortunately VIDEO may again place Hill in deep doo, doo. It seems there is a video tape recording her discussing the fund raiser with the donors (on it, she talks about who would be there and what they will do) this means she performed what is known as a direct campaign request. donations from donors for that kind of request are limited to 25K. Since the donation was for 250K, that would be considered campaign fraud.

Woe is Hillary and Damnnnn those videos and tape recordings that make being a great liar so hard to keep up these days!!! ROTFLMAO.

Maybe Hill should quit, before she finds herself in court this time, with no way to hide her hand in shady dealings. Here''''''''s the Link: http://www.usjf.net/modules.php?op=modlo

ad&name=News&file=article&sid=344

[phillysage]

CNN,
Contrary to a few detractors here and there, your news is top-notch. Keep the good news coming.
Posted by BLKPRESIDENT

Is he blkprez talking about CBS or CNN--they both seem to be about the same, still throwing pillows for Obama and massaging his feet. While they misognynistically play to the old boys network of the Democratic Party to make it look like this mess is the woman''s fault!
Where''s the story on yet another Obama friend, the Gov of Puerto Rico now indicted on stealing bundles of money--all Hillary has to do is forget to cover her mouth when she sneezes and they come up with a negative story on her, or her daughter, whom they''ve in essence called a prostitute.

Anyway they should be glad and proud, i imagine that blkpresident, who constantly posts messages demeaning and belittling to women, approves of their biased coverage.

[phillysage]

"Florida and Michigan had their chance. They blew it. . ."
Posted by BLKPRESIDENT
We will have another chance come November, and Republican and Democrat, conservative and liberal alike will remember who really played dirty, the audacious candidate of change, who wouldn''t even let the people''s voices of Michigan and Florida be heard--yes we will have another chance on November 4th to make sure the Obamanable doesn''t make it to the White House. He IS the Unamerican, the Fraud, the Manipulator and the Undeserving, and many other names even more than Allah has, I suppose.