The Democratic Body is Starting to Reject the Unity Transplant…

I guess we’re not the only ones who have smelled the Kool-Aid and, in the immortal words of Nancy Reagan, “just said no”.  Obama is having a little problem with some of the more conservative members of the Democratic Party.  For them, he is a liberal nightmare.  Once again Obama proves to be nothing more than a Will-o’-the-Wisp, a sort of ethereal other-worldly presence that either possess you fully a la The Exorcist, or he creeps the s*#% out of you a la …um…The Exorcist.  For some people he is too liberal, for others too conservative.  I think this is mainly due to the fact that he really represents nothing.  You can either project your hopes and dreams onto him, or your worst nightmares.   Many of us however see him for exactly what he is, an empty suit.  When I lived in Spain they had a word for someone like Obama.  Someone who you can never quite pin down, who is always changing to suit the environment he is in.  They call such people fantasmas–the Spanish word for ghost.   Charles Lemos was asking yesterday if anyone knew of SuperD’s that were rejecting Obama after Ted Strickland’s unequivocal statement yesterday:

Hailing from one of the most important swing states, Strickland had been one of the most talked about VP possibilities for Obama, but asked if he is auditioning for the job, he was Shermanesque in ruling it out.

“Absolutely not. If drafted I will not run, nominated I will not accept and if elected I will not serve. So, I don’t know how more crystal clear I can be,” he said.

Other SD’s have even gone so far as to say they will not endorse Obama at all (at least Strickland has agreed to stump with Obama–according to the above article).   We learned yesterday that Rep. Dan Boren (D) of Oklahoma will not endorse Obama:

We’re much more conservative,” Boren said of district. “I’ve got to reflect my district. No one means more to me than the people who elected me. I have to listen them.” He called Obama “the most liberal senator in the U.S. Senate.”

Hillary Rodham Clinton carried Boren’s district with 66 percent of the vote in the state’s presidential primary in February.

Boren said his endorsement became a moot point when Clinton suspended her campaign, making Obama the presumed nominee.

“That process is really over with,” he said. “Our nominee is not my first choice.”

I told Charles yesterday to keep an eye on Rep Heath Shuler (D) NC.  He is a freshman who won in 2006 but is from a very conservative district in the western part of the state.  He endorsed Hillary Clinton on May 8th, two days after she lost the NC primary.  I checked his website yesterday and there is no mention of the general election at all.  Today the Politico pointed to him as a holdout as well:

Rep. Heath Shuler, a freshman Democrat from right-leaning North Carolina, has also been too busy to endorse. After Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton carried his district in the North Carolina primary, Shuler said he would cast his superdelegate vote for her at the Democratic convention. 

Now that Clinton is out of the race? “We’ve gone back to his work up there in the House,” said Shuler spokesman Andrew Whalen. “We’re not really too focused on the presidential [race].” 

For its part the Obama camp doesn’t seem too concerned, which is familiar to us.  They seem to think that we will ALL eventually come around:

Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor noted in an e-mail that “Obama has a long history of working across the aisle to get things done and … he’s worked with some of the most conservative members — including Congressman Boren’s Republican colleague from Oklahoma, [Sen.] Tom Coburn.” 

“Obviously this primary process was long and highly competitive, but we’re confident that the party will come together to beat John McCain,” he added. 

There seems to be a steady leak from the Unity Tent though, as Politico goes on to point out.

A spokesman for Rep. Tim Mahoney (D-Fla.) told Politico on Thursday that Mahoney will remain neutral. So will Rep. Jim Marshall, a Democrat in a conservative Georgia district. … “Jim, as a rule, doesn’t get involved in other people’s campaigns,” said spokesman Doug Moore. 

And remember that special election in Mississippi a couple weeks back that Dem. Travis Childers won?  the Obamoids claimed it was a sign that The Precious already was providing coattails to downticket Dems.  Well, maybe not so much:

Rep. Travis Childers, elected just weeks ago in a Mississippi special election, hasn’t endorsed anyone in the presidential race yet. “We have had our head down at work, trying to get our feet on the ground up here,” said Childers’ chief of staff, Brad Morris. “The presidential politics just has not been on our mind.” 

Normally I would not be a big fan of some of these more conservative Democrats, but I have to hand it to them for standing by their principles.  Many of them claim they are not endorsing Obama because he is too liberal for their constituents.  Although I disagree with that assessment, I do honor their commitment to doing the work of the people they represent.  Obama’s post-partisan world is also post constituency as well it seems.  Artur Davis (D) LA makes my case:

Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.), a longtime Obama backer, said that he harbors no ill will for Democrats who stay on the sidelines. 

“People’s responsibility, first and foremost, is to get reelected,” Davis said.

No, Rep. Davis, their responsibility is not first and foremost to get elected, it is to represent and be a voice for the people who elected them.  Democracy works from the bottom up, not the top down, and if you don’t even get that, then maybe the people of your district should take a second look.