There’s a lot of news to cover since we talked last less than 24 hours ago. This is the second test segment in the lead up to hosting NO WE WON’T for Sheri Tag tomorrow. Sheri’s on vacation and she asked me to cover for her (Bwhahahhahahahhaahhh!)
Tonight, we’ll be discussing the heavy hand of Ed Rendell, the intimidation of Sacha Millstone, the delegate in Colorado. Plus, we’ll talk about what Obama was trying to accomplish with those non-flammable emails. Join me, Kbird, Gary, Mawm and BB as we are together again for the first time on Conflucians Say at 9:00PM EST on blogtalkradio.
An e-mail sent from the Political Director of the Colorado Democratic Party threatened the status of a national delegate, alleging she made “disparaging public remarks” about Sen. Barack Obama.
. . .
Millstone acknowledged she was frustrated over how the Obama campaign was treating delegates who supported Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and told a fellow delegate, in what she believed was a private e-mail exchange, that she was not sure she could vote for Obama at the Democratic National Convention later this month.
The other delegate apparently filed a complaint with the state Democratic Party suggesting Millstone lose her status as a delegate.
Apparently the Political Director of Colorado’s Democratic Party, William Compton, took the suggestion very seriously and told Millstone via e-mail, “You are directed to come in to the Party Headquarters and explain your comments and why you should remain a national delegate…”Millstone, who worked on the campaign for Hillary Clinton, considered the e-mail a threat.
We’ve all heard the story of Debra Bartoshevich a Wisconsin Hillary Delegate who was ultimately stripped of her credentials for rashly pledging to vote for McCain if Obama gets the nomination. And while I’m beyond saddened by the harshness of her treatment (as with all stories this one had wheels within wheels,) I can understand the logic.
But, with this development we learn that planning to vote for Hillary – the winner of at over 18 million Democratic votes – is an act of defiance. An act of Disunity.
Friends, we’ve never been here before.
In every other year contenders for the nomination have their name entered in nomination with little or no hoo-haw. They get a nice nomination speech. Their delegates wave signs and cheer. They cast their votes with lovely preludes (“We proudly cast 24 votes for the Great Senator from…“). We’ve never analyzed these activities. It’s always been a part of the show, part of the fun. Nominations are part the pageantry of the convention.
But not for Hillary Clinton. Not for Hillary’s delegates. Not for Hillary’s 18 million voters.
Looking back at the 2008 Primary season and the steady chanting of “When will that Stupid Bitch Quit” we should have foreseen this summer’s efforts. We should have known that we’d have to work for a presence in Denver.
But HOW could we have ever expected that Hillary’s pledged delegates would be threatened for wanting to stay true to their pledge?
I DO want Hillary back. But, even more, I want my party back.
So, here I am, waiting in breathless anticipation of the 200 emails from Clinton’s campaign, leaked by some well meaning campaign staffer who loves her country and only wants what is best for it, ie, a man who spent less time in the senate than most kindergartners spend in their first year of school before he decided he was ready to be president. And when the sucker finally hits the news stands I’m thinking “This is it?”. I don’t get it.
Where’s the fire? Where is the flaming “Oh, $%*&! Unsend!, Unsend! Unsend!” email from Clinton herself? Where is the email that shows that they were planning to sacrifice to Baal the many babies that were offered up by their all-too-willing parents at campaign events?
There was less panic and self-importance in these emails than you would see from the student director of a high school musical six weeks before the first performance. “Focus, people! If we don’t come together as unit, thinking, emoting, tap dancing together as one, what does that say about US and out committment to one another? We will become nothing but a bunch of selfish individuals throwing up on each other’s shoes at a cast party. Is that how you want to be remembered?!?!? I swear to God that if we don’t get it together in the next 24 hours and you don’t show a higher level of committment, I will just walk out on this production. ” (Oh, $%@&! Unsend!, Unsend!, Unsend!)
Jeez, Louise, if this is what passes for disarray these days, I have a bridge The Atlantic might want to buy. The person who cherry picked these beauties, and who no doubt did it for pure, selfless and patriotic reasons, has no eye for really juicy material. Where is the snark, the wit? What these emails say to me is that Clinton failed to hire anyone with that certain flair that would make these emails worth the time it takes to read them. The seller, er, archivist of these emails has no taste. She can’t spot the collectible from among the vast body of the ordinary that pass for art these days.
{{sigh}}
I suppose I shall have to go back to waiting in breathless anticipation of Obama’s VP pick, which he is planning to blast to my iPhone at any moment now.
The Confluence 