Clinton-Obama Grudges Linger

Washington Post: Divisive Battle Threatens To Leave Bitterness That Could Hurt The Winner In The General Election

(Washingtonpost.com)  This story was written by Krissah Williams.

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Lifelong Democrat Kathleen Cowley watches with disdain as huge crowds hang on Sen. Barack Obama's every word. She dismisses Obama's "intolerable logic." She turns the channel on pundits who chalk up Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's primary victories to little more than racism. And she doesn't much care for the notion that while Obama is fresh and inspiring, Clinton is, by implication, old and mean.

"There's just been an attitude that if you aren't voting for Barack Obama, then you're a racist," said Cowley, 49, a mother of four from Massachusetts who has vowed to never back the senator from Illinois. "I just find that intolerable. I feel like when the members of the media talk about how [Obama's supporters] would react, they say, 'Well, we can't take the vote away from African Americans.' Well, excuse me, there's a higher percentage of women."

A Democratic race that a couple of months ago was celebrated as a march toward history -- the chance to nominate the nation's first woman or African American as a major-party candidate -- threatens to leave lingering bitterness, especially among Clinton supporters, whose candidate is running out of ways to win.

Some women, like Cowley, complain that Clinton has been disrespected and mistreated by the media and the political establishment. Many see Obama as equally condescending, dismissing Clinton's foreign policy role as first lady, pulling out her chair for her at debates and suggesting offhand during one debate that she was "likable enough."

"The sexist crap that comes out of people's mouths is really scary to me," said Amilyn Lanning, 38, a Zionsville, Pa., voter who supported Clinton in last month's primary. "There's a lot of the b-word being thrown about, even in jest by comedians. There's a lot of comments made about her pantsuits, and the way she dresses. There's a viciousness."

With equal ire, many African Americans complain about Clinton's negativity and have accused her camp of using Obama's race against him. Her comment that his "support among working, hardworking Americans, white Americans, is weakening again" was just the latest in a series of over-the-line comments, some said.

And many among the legions of young voters who have flocked to Obama say their enthusiasm is more about him than about the Democratic Party and it would not necessarily transfer to Clinton if she won the nomination. In Indiana, about six in 10 Obama voters under age 30 said they will be dissatisfied if Clinton is the nominee and about half said the same in North Carolina, according to exit polls.

Nationally, about a quarter of Clinton supporters in a Washington Post-ABC News poll said that if she loses they will ditch the Democratic Party and Obama for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). A similar number of Obama backers said they will pick the Republican this fall if Clinton becomes the nominee. In both Indiana and North Carolina, majorities of African American voters said they will be unhappy if Clinton is at the top of the ticket.

Acutely aware of these dynamics, the campaigns have sought to balance tactics against tact, so that the rift between the two Democrats -- and their backers -- doesn't grow so wide that the winner can't pull the party back together. Since the May 6 contests in Indiana and North Carolina, Obama has tried to ease much of the animosity by turning his attention to McCain, highlighting differences with Clinton only in responseto voters or the news media. Clinton has also shifted some of her strategy, running positive ads in West Virginia rather than the negative ones she aired in previous states.

Put together, Clinton's coalition of women and working-class white voters along with Obama's alliance of African Americans and young voters could be a potentially unstoppable Democratic force in the fall. But, at least for now, many on both sides said they have been too put off and have become too embittered to pull together for the party if their candidate isn't on the ballot.

To Veronica Tonay, 48, a psychology professor at the University of California at Santa Cruz and a Clinton supporter, Obama has become a pop star, the contestant on "American Idol" who wins votes because he's cute, while the best singer is eliminated.

"We are electing the leader of the free world, and that person has a finger on the nuclear launch code," she said. "It's not about likability." Her stance was cemented when a young woman in one of her classes declared that she wouldn't vote for Clinton because "she is not a beautiful woman."

If Obama is the nominee, Tonay said, McCain will be just fine with her. "In the end, I won't vote for Obama because I don't know who he is, and I don't trust him," she said. "If McCain gets in, he would have a weak presidency, and we would have a Democratic Congress anyway. Obama could do more damage."

Divisive primary fights followed by a period of kissing and making up are something of a ritual in presidential campaigns. It happened in 1860, when Abraham Lincoln brought his three challengers for the Republican nomination into his Cabinet. One hundred years later, John F. Kennedy won the Democratic nomination and avoided an intraparty feud by picking Lyndon B. Johnson as his running mate, though in the late stages of the primaries they had been fierce rivals.

In this year's Republican race, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney became an active supporter of McCain after the two campaigned against each other with open antipathy. Romney is now thought to have an outside chance of being McCain's running mate.

But the Obama-Clinton fight has gone on so long and the ill will has become so intense that even if the candidates can heal the party, as both have vowed to do, they will have to spend critical campaign time dealing with those wounds rather than taking on McCain.

"You can't afford to leak away all of these Democrats come November," said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center in Boston. The Democratic nominee "will have to spend weeks solidifying the base," he said. ". . . Now you're cutting into the time you have to begin making the case to independents, because first you've got to take care of business at home."

Patricia Sparrow, 53, said there's nothing Clinton could do to win her over. She changed her registration from Republican to Democrat this year to cast her ballot for Obama after her son started talking about him. But she said a Clinton-McCain matchup in November would send her back to her old party -- even though she disagrees with McCain's position on Iraq -- because she finds Clinton so divisive.

"With Hillary Clinton, it's politics as usual -- old-school backbiting. I have no use for [her]," said Sparrow, who runs a soup kitchen near her home in Norfolk, Mass. I would probably vote for McCain even though I don't want to. . . . I would hope he would be swayed by public opinion on the war."

There may not be enough time to win over Cowley, who calls Clinton "brilliant" and has spent two hours a day for the last three months calling voters to talk about Clinton's health-care plan, her experience and her plan to end the war in Iraq.

"In my heart I just can't bring myself to [vote for Obama], and I feel like a schlep," she said. "I'm not going to be voting for him, and it irritates me. Nobody's concerned about the women. I don't think I can vote for McCain. I guess I'll have to sit it out."

Polling director Jon Cohen contributed to this report.

[pepperwood2]

Sources with direct knowledge of the conversation between Sen. Clinton and Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., prior to the Governor''s endorsement of Obama say she told him flatly, "He cannot win, Bill. He cannot win."

Don''t you see, Bill - It''s not fair, I''m the Queen Bee & It''s suppose to be all about me. I''m just warming up. Show me more of your money. I''m in it to win it. I flatly dare you to support him. I don''t get mad I get even. Just so you know The feminists are all behind me and we will stop at nothing to further divide the Democratic Party just to keep Obama from winning the presidential election. So Sad, but what did we expect.

Richardson, who served in President Clinton''s cabinet, disagreed.

[b-easy63]

The bitterness will be on the part of people that want to vote Democratic, but will NOT vote for Obama. It is not the color of his skin, but the content of his character as Martin Luther King would say. He is too smooth with words and short on substance and experience.

Posted by sjc_1 at 12:46 PM : May 20, 2008


Say what you will, but regardless--if McCain is elected and Roe v Wade gets overturned and civil rights get rolled back and as the Iraq war continues and the economy continues to tank--know that it is on your own head. You can speak of content of character, but the fact is, we all know what a 3rd term of Bush will be like and so do HRC supporters. If they let their emotions lead them to that choice--then on their own heads be it. Then, if/when they run their candidate (HRC in 2012) the rest of the country should give them what they gave out in 2008 in spades. (that means no HRC and she can owe it all to herself and her supporters) Like I said, women are too emotional and childish to seriously try for the highest office in the land--not the individual woman, but the throngs of women who support her and then react to the loss in such a childish and vindictive manner.

[b-easy63]

HRC has enough negatives and has made enough missteps to justify her sinking of her own candidacy. From her lies on NAFTA and Bosnia, to her resume padding and nasty robocalls, to snide remarks that have come back to bite her in the buttt. She is her own worse enemy and it is a mark of the nature of many of her supporters that they do not recognize that fact. I am a woman and support many endeavors of other women. But I am honest enough to admit that in this particular venue--women have fallen short--from endorsing a candidate just because she is a woman, to threatening to destroy their own party if the woman they want is not "allowed" to win. Try some honor and self respect people. Hillary lost, she ran a divisive and ugly campaign and she mismanaged money, made verbal gaffes and told lies--she wasn''t the only one--but she was the one who started out as the perceived heir apparent and botched it and she was the one who used certain tactics and whose supporters loyalty to their own party stops when they don''t get their way.

[b-easy63]

The negative and vindictive reaction of many Hillary supporters only underlines the idea that women should not run for POTUS. This is a contest and the best or most effective person wins and the party Not this time. In time honored fashion, women are getting upset that they have been thwarted and are reverting to poor sportsmanship, emotional and vindictive responses and wanting to "make the DNC pay or Obama pay, or the Country pay" for not letting them have their way. Definitely a lot more growing up is in order before women can join the men as viable candidates. And for the record, just because voters do not want Hillary does not mean all women are not wanted.

[sjc_1]

The bitterness will be on the part of people that want to vote Democratic, but will NOT vote for Obama. It is not the color of his skin, but the content of his character as Martin Luther King would say. He is too smooth with words and short on substance and experience.

[b-easy63]

Hillary lost not because she was a woman, but because she told lies relevant to the job that defined her as dishonest, ran a campaign that stayed perpetually in the red, that defined her as financially incompetent, and made the strategy of using race and gender to define her run, which made her seem more divisive.

Many people of either gender of and of any race would support a woman candidate--but the things that made HRC lose are the very things her supporters are in denial about--and that their allegiance to this race or this person transcends the potential to roll back Roe vs Wade and other gender successes only underline the adage about women being too emotional. With declarations of revolting from their own party, HRC supporters are saying that they take this race sooo personally, that they are ready to strike back and destroy everything just to "get revenge". Brings to mind the old phrase "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" Too bad their actions and reactions make such an old cliche, appropos.

[jld1959]

Hillary%u2019s supporters are so totally bitter they cannot even think straight anymore. It is sad to see people behave this way.

Two people competed for the same job and one lost. It was their candidate but, they blame Obama and everyone else when in fact in was the candidate. She began with every advantage and was coasting to the nomination. She blew it. She allowed the campaign to be badly managed by people who were not qualified, the money mismanaged and the failure to plan after Feb 5th. Instead of replacing them it took until things got so bad she was forced to. and they did not learn from the mistakes like Obama did.

Blaming Obama is stupid because it is not his fault he ran a better campaign. If they want to blame people then, point it at the ones who let your candidate down. Mark Penn and Bill clinton are good for starters.

And Hillary is ultimately responsible for her campaign and did not take charge and control of the situations.


The fact that he was able to run a much better campaign, learn from mistakes and make corrections and plan and be in control of his campaign shows someone who is able to manage the job. Hillary failed in this so, I do not see how she can be concidered the one who is a better choice. Hillary was the one not up for the job.

It is best to face the reality of this.

[dotindixie]

What part of stupid does the Democratic ''leadership'' and the mainstream media not understand?

They are (or at least it seems to me) pushing Obama down America''s throats. No real American would put up with that. It''s just not our style.

Nevermind that Obama is half white, a little bit African and a lot Arab by birth. Born to an American makes him American, but that is just a tecnicality. He grew up everywhere BUT America. His mother married two Muslim men. The Muslim world will see him as Muslim, not American. And if he continues to espouse Christianity, they will see him as an infidel. That''s gonna be real good, ain''t it?

BTW, all my ancestors date back to colonial America.

I would love to see Hilary Clinton president, she can speak in whole sentences without a teleprompter. And, that''s more than Obama or McCain seem to be able to do.

But because I am an American, I will not vote for someone like Obama. I''m may be middle class, religious and own a gun, but I am not stupid.

Put that in you mainstream media pipe and smoke it.

[pepperwood2]

A top Hillary Clinton adviser on Saturday boldly predicted his candidate would lock down the nomination before the August convention by definitively winning over party insiders and officials known as superdelegates, claiming the number of state elections won by rival Barack Obama would be %u201Cirrelevant%u201D to their decision.

Hillary says bigger is better. I''ve won all the big important states. It''s all about me, myself & I. Just show me more of your money.

Obama cannot, will not & must not win the nomination. What? Me carry a grudge? Me Lie? How elite can you people get? I''m in it to win it! CACKLE CACKLE CACKLE

[truthyness]

CBS/AP) Barack Obama was poised to reach a major milestone Tuesday in the Kentucky and Oregon primaries - a majority of the pledged delegates offered in the Democratic presidential contest". YOU MEAN THIS IS "MAYBE", "ONLY THE FIRST TIME" HE HAS HAD a majority of the pledged delegates offered in the Democratic presidential contest???

ONLY THE FIRST TIME????

MAYBE????????!

In other words, *HILLARY IS WINNING* !!!!!

[truthyness]

CBS/AP) Barack Obama was poised to reach a major milestone Tuesday in the Kentucky and Oregon primaries - a majority of the pledged delegates offered in the Democratic presidential contest". YOU MEAN THIS IS "MAYBE", "ONLY THE FIRST TIME" HE HAS HAD a majority of the pledged delegates offered in the Democratic presidential contest???

ONLY THE FIRST TIME????

MAYBE????????!

In other words, *HILLARY IS WINNING* !!!!!

[truthyness]

CBS/AP) Barack Obama was poised to reach a major milestone Tuesday in the Kentucky and Oregon primaries - a majority of the pledged delegates offered in the Democratic presidential contest". YOU MEAN THIS IS "MAYBE", "ONLY THE FIRST TIME" HE HAS HAD a majority of the pledged delegates offered in the Democratic presidential contest???

ONLY THE FIRST TIME????

MAYBE????????!

In other words, *HILLARY IS WINNING* !!!!!

[truthyness]

CBS/AP) Barack Obama was poised to reach a major milestone Tuesday in the Kentucky and Oregon primaries - a majority of the pledged delegates offered in the Democratic presidential contest". YOU MEAN THIS IS "MAYBE", "ONLY THE FIRST TIME" HE HAS HAD a majority of the pledged delegates offered in the Democratic presidential contest???

ONLY THE FIRST TIME????

MAYBE????????!

In other words, *HILLARY IS WINNING* !!!!!

[riptide213]

The Story of Goldilocks and Two Candidates.

Once upon a time, there was an obsolete candidate named Goldilocks. She went for a walk in the national political forest.

Pretty soon, she aspired for ultimate reign in an elusive Whitehouse wonderland, again.

She did knock at the door, but when not enough voters answered, she just tried to walk right in to this residence again, as if was a bequeathed entitlement.

On the tilting table in a political kitchen; there was a scalding bowl of political power porridge.

Goldilocks was hungry. She had tasted this sort of addicting porridge before and blatantly wanted more.

This porridge is in vogue she exclaimed.

Ahhh, this political power porridge is just right, she said happily as she attempted to eat it all up.

After she devoured lots of porridge she decided her campaign was looking a little tired.

My political opposition may be too extraordinary she exclaimed.

Goldilocks fell asleep.

As she was sleeping, the new impressive candidate lit up the stagnating political scene.

Someones been wooing my supporters growled Goldilocks.

Someones been taking away from my campaign and broke it all to pieces, cried Goldilocks.

Someones been winning my superdelegates and they still are shrieked Goldilocks.

Just then, Goldilocks woke up from her political pipedream and realized it was over and jumped out of the race.

THE END

[bjrober]

Lets'' realize that we will have World War III no matter who the president is, I believe in the Bible and all things are pointing in that direction. This World is in a mess and only the people who turn from their wicked ways can help, God said for us to turn from our wicked ways and HE would HEAL our land. Until then, vote for whomever you want, it really doesn''t matter. A 69 year old white female from South Carolina.

[agog2]

This is scary. Obama is sponsoring bill S2433 in the US senate. If passed, Obama''s bill will commit America to pay 845 Billion dollars to the UN over the next thirteen years for the UN Global Poverty Act. This money can only come from more taxes being levied on American citizens. Obama''s S2433 Senate bill will consume 0.7 percent of the US gross nation product.The UN Global Poverty Act also commits signing nations to ban their citizens from possessing small firearms. Goodbye second amendment. It also put''s parental right''s under UN supervision. Barack Obama is a global Marxist who wants a one world government that will be UN ran. Are you ready to pay even more sky high taxes and give up your national sovereignty for Obama''s change? Stop Obama''s madness, call your senator and demand that Obama''s bill S2433 be killed. Look the bill up on the web...

[samthetvcat]

The mistrust runs pretty deep, even from the Obama supporter side... aren''t a lot of us still suspicious that Hillary maybe thinks her best path to the White House will be to ''Tonya Harding'' her way to the White House by making ''gaffes like she did in her CNN interview after WV where she said something like that ''it''s IMPERATIVE that everybody vote for McCain in November, er make that Obama, that''s right Obama''?

I didn''t bother to scroll through the 56 pages of comments because Hillary supporter complaints about Barack are generally the same, and they all tend to come from Hillary''s talking points. That''s telling, and it also points to how key Hillary''s role will be in getting her supporters back into the fold.

Hence the bitterness and grudges do indeed still linger, only it cuts both ways and doesn''t just hold the potential to hurt the winner. We Barack supporters are going to be watching Hillary like a HAWK for any hints of deliberate attempts to undermine Barack''s chances to secure her own in 2012. We''re also going to be watching and expect to see her specifically argue against all her own primary talking points - that Barack lacks experience, that Barack hasn''t past the CIC test unlike McCain, that Barack is ''all talk'', that Barack doesn''t care about the working class, that Barack lacks substance, that Barack couldn''t handle a 3am phone call, that there was something wrong with Barack not getting up and leaving his church, that Barack''s foreign policy is not naive, etc

[berthaw51]

BS. Senator Obama has not divided anything in this country. Face it people we live in a racist country. The Clinton''s are racist and most of you that are against Obama. You say you don''t know who he is. Did you know who George Bush was? Who is Hillary Clinton but a back biting old bitty that lies every opportunity she gets. She does not care about this country. She just wants to go down in the history books as being the first woman president. If I was as old as she and had her money I would be on a island enjoying life. Being president is a hard job. The woman is over 60. She can''t remember if a nice little girl recited a poem to her in Bosnia or if snippers were shooting at her. She is too old just like McCain. The *********** of a husband she has I would never want his lying, self-centered, pathetic A in the White House again. The Clinton''s are not people that you can trust. Just google Clinton scandals and see what you come up with. You will find out soon enough that the Obama''s are decent, god fearing, concerned individuals. I am honor that Senator Obama wants the job. George has sold our American A ''s through the tubes. I would not want to be president behind him. Had his parents not had money he would have ridden the yellow bus. It would be great if the face of America had no color but it does and it always will because we live in a racist country.

[edenman622]

Well it is done. Now everyone says Mr. Obama is the candidate. Those who don''t like hime and make comments about him are considered racist. He himself has said that comments about his wife are off limits. The press has ordained him, and for the sake of ratings continues to focus on, and lever the divide between his suporters and those of Senator Clinton.

His handlers have made a mockery of what could have been a shining light for democracy in this electoral process, and now wonder why the divide exits. DUH...You made it.

It was easy to throw out the racisim issue, and blame it on the Clintons, but in doing so, you and you alone brought out the racist who then made this their race/election. If Mr. Obama and his supporters wonder WHY THE RACISM EXIST, they need to look no further or higher that his on handlers and stategist. IT WAS THEIR IDEA, and unfortunately IT WORKED WELL. George Bush started the divide in this country, and Mr. Obama has widened it.

Now based on what you have done, why are you surprised that Senator Clinton''s supporters say they will either not vote, or vote for McCain. Did you not factor this into your strategy.

As I said before you have unnecessarily thrown mud into a process and time that could have shown the world just how great this coutry is......I HOPE YOU ARE PROUD OF YOURSELVES

[mercurygrand]

I love CBS news. But Roy Romer is just a bad pick to put on the air. The Democratic party has too many Roy Romers. The republicans of course have their own fakes also. I do not care what goes on in a persons bedroom. But when they put their girlfriends in government jobs. As a tax payer it makes me sick!