I just got off the phone with Michele Thomas of 300 Delegates and she and John West have some hair raising details about what went on with the roll call vote. The connection wasn’t great so the details are sketchy but here’s the gist of it:
- The Obama camp went after the swing states. Guess what? New Jersey is now considered a swing state. I’ve been saying this would happen for months. John McCain could snag this state. We have a history of electing moderate Republican governors. Plus we have tax issues and McCain could tie right into that. If he selects a female VP, it’s all over but the crying. When you think about it, NJ is a bellwhether state. It would be the height of irresponsibility for the Democrats to run a candidate who is in danger of losing New Jersey. He’s got his work cut out for him. The suburbs and asian community went for Clinton and my asian colleagues are not happy about having to vote for Obama. I dread the months ahead when he might start making appearances here after the DNC has ignored us for 8 years. And since Linda Stender is a likely congressional pick up in central NJ, we can expect to see our unoptimized roads clogged more frequently with his entourage.
- Delegates report that they were harrassed by Obama whips shouting at them in the hallways to get in line or their political careers would be over.
- This one is interesting: The Edwards delegates voted in the morning for Edwards to keep faith with their voters but were told that they could change their vote in the afternoon if it was in by 4:30pm. Some of them were planning to switch to Hillary. But when they went to change their vote as they were told they could do, they were told that they wouldn’t be able to do it. The roll call was moved up. It seems like there was a concerted effort by Pelosi et al to wrap it up as quickly as possible to prevent further defections.
And it all transpired on national TV where the whole world was watching. I’ve set up a segment of Conflucians Say scheduled for tonight at 8PM EST, 6PM MDT. We’re going to see if Michele and John can join us. And you too can call in and tell us if you are onboard Obama’s Love Train.
Filed under: DNC convention |
The Confluence 
Sadly, I’m not surprised by any of this — in fact, I expected it. So long democracy — it was nice while it lasted.
Thank you, Riverdaughter. Who these guys (and their supporters) think THIS is the way to win an election, I don’t know. It’s just nuts.
Are they making a mockery of the presidency because the Obama camp knows they are going to lose.
Whoo-hoo! There are McCain ads on Heidi Li’s Potpourri. I hope it’s just a way to make money and not an endorsement. But doesn’t that just speak volumes?
The new location for Democratic National HQ is in Chicago. Nothing more needs to be said. I spent the 70’s living in Chicago. It’s a great city, but if you want fair and open elections, you’re not in the right place. Obama has been groomed by the Chicago political machine. For him this is just politics as usual. When you think about “how terrible” it would be for McCain to be president, think about how it will be when the Chicago machine moves into the White House.
I have to run out ; but could someone post the e-mail for “300 delegates”?
I used to have it & I want to “THANK THEM” for all their hard work on this.
I will ALWAYS adore & support Sen. Clinton; but I feel
these people & all the others that gave so much of themselves to this, deserved better. I can’t even REMOTELY imagine the pressure she was/is under,
“I’m just REALLY SAD”!
**Bright spot over @ MessNBC, They are coming apart @ the seams. Keith “O” even thinks he’s bigger than Tom B. PLEASE…..!
RD, I thought I read a first hand account on one of the threads of a delegate re: the petition to get 20% and trying to voice vote no to acclamation. I have tried to find it and haven’t been able to. I thought I had made a note of time but can’t find that either.
What was done at this convention was probably the death knell for representative democracy in our country. The Democratic Party is now not one whit better than the Republicans in that regard. At least the Republicans only try to fix elections in necessary states; the Democrats rigged the entire process from the start. Neither Party has any right ever to criticize the other for cheating; it is now a matter of which side can cheat the best..
They had so liitle respect for all 18 million of us, that they couldn’t even let us have a fair roll-call vote. to reflect all the time, money and heart that went into winning those many states. All they care about is winning–for them. Every single one of them who participated in this–and that probably every single Party “leader”–is a disgrace to democracy. Of course, we knew it was coming, even if we wanted to still believe that some sense of fairness and equity would manifest itself.
The only conclusion I can come to is that if we allow this to stand, to actually be rewarded with victory, there will be no democracy left for any of us. Why ever be honest or fair or representative when you can pick the person who best suits you and then jam him down the throats of everyone else, with your pathetic calls for Unity and Winning? If Obama wins, he will be succeeded by a right-wing Republican who might make GW Bush look compassionate and fair-minded. The rest of us will be like feudal peasants who looked on as their corrupt masters slaughtered each other in their wars of greed and vindictiveness. Of course, the peasants didn’t get to just look on; they got slaughtered, too, serving their masters.
NEW JERSEY A SWING STATE???
Wow – that is just weird to read.
It’s always been blue as blue can be.
I love to hear John West & Michelle Thomas explain the delegate info – I’m anxious to hear what they discovered during the RIGGED roll call & hotel vote.
Wow, lots of new threads since I went to sleep down here in sunny Cairns.
I am SOOOOO glad this refuge isn’t going away – I feel like Barack and the DNC just kicked America in the gut. I don’t think they imagined that this is now only empowering the PUMAs more.
Where were the Hillary whips, and what did they do? Anyone hear anything from that mysterious fellow named ‘Paul’ who had been participating in the later PUMA radio call-in shows and web chats?
Geraldine’s Op Ed was interesting, but still missing a huge segment of the population. The elderly. My parents, and every single one of their siblings and friends (the over 78 set) are so appalled by the party and the way we are all being pushed into following that none of them are going to vote at all.
The people who know better how this process was supposed to go are being treating like cattle on their way to the slaughter house.
Great opinion piece by Ferraro. Of course she understands it all. Thanks Charles for bringing it here as I don’t have the courage to go look at mainstream news sites these days.
Has anyone seen Carol, she asked me a question but I was off on another thread?
I’m here.
It sounds like they turned the convention into a big caucus.
Charles, I remember their Repub. Governors, which are moderate, IMO.
But think about it – the O-bozos swear that NJ is their’s plus the West. I don’t think they forsee NJ turning red.
Great! Why shouldn’t New Jersey be a “swing state” when NY is – on some maps “weak dem”? (New Jersey has been more politically astute than NY for many years)
Those stories of the delegates need to be collected – in a book, a movie, a website – and be widely distributed.
I have been thinking of those brave people who signed the petition yesterday – I bet they were mot of the people who voted for Hillary in spite of everything. these people are heroes because of the unusual circumstances they were subjected to.
sm77
Obozos think that a primary win= a GE win. They totally forget McCain also won those states in the primary. Been having these stupid arguments with them back in February.
I understand there was a lot of pressure on Clinton delegates within all the state delegations. I have a good friend who’s a natl delegate. I’ll try to check in with her this weekend after she gets home. I understand there were some fireworks in the TX delegation. I guess my vote was not counted because they never got to TX. One more reason to say no way, no how, november, nobama.
Harriet on Fox
I gave a few hundred dollars to Linda Stender and boy do I regret it. I live in both Florida and New Jersey but I vote in Florida (that way my vote counts more).
Stender may be smart and good, but with Obama on the ticket, I bet she’s going to lose. She has tons more money than her opponent, but this nominally democratic district always seems to vote Republican. I’ve got to to believe that Obama will hurt Stender.
I am so pissed at Stender for not objecting to that abomination of a NJ vote yesterday that I am thinking of printing up a thousand or so signs with the same slogan that beat her last time; “Stender is a Spender.”
Does anyone know where to find a list of how the state vote went (primary and caucus ) versus how the delegate count went at the convention.
The very rushed roll call was for a reason. Now we know.
Usually, that is held at night.
Neither Geraldine Ferraro nor any other democrat with a voice in the media asked the obvious question on June 3. “Why is Obama the presumed nominee with only 1766 pledged delegates?” A perfectly legitimate question. Once Obama and the DNC got away with that without public challenge, as well as the redistribution of Michigan delegates on May 31, why would it be surprising to anyone to see them do what they did at the convention? Bad behavior unchecked leads to worse behavior. Since no high-profile democrats had the guts to stand up to the DNC on principle, none will be getting my vote this year.
NJ is a swing state! *boggle*
But at least DE is a sure thing!
(Though not really surprised about NJ, it’s got a very strong blue-collar demographic, and with lots of Asian & Hispanic voters. I bet they’re hating the disrespect for Hillary.)
I never thought I would live to see the day that my beloved Democratic Party would ignore the will of it’s people and “Nominate” someone that is not capable of running a Quicky Mart!
Obama fiddles while Rome burns.
Next week will truly be interesting as delegates show up here.
@Mike Marks
EXACTLY! I’ve had it with spineless worthless Dem worms.
Count me as another one voting AGAINST each and every one of them this year.
O/T, but a BIG kudos to Valhalla for fighting the brave fight over at Wikipedia for the PUMA entry.
I’d gone there a long while ago and tried to work some objectivity into the entry among all the cries of ‘PUMAs are Republicans!!!!!!111!!!, and now I see our own 🙂 Valhalla and Cc883 (dunno who), lone, brave patient, persistent warriors there.
* Clap, clap *
Cynthia McKinney info for those who can’t vote Mccain. I’m voting McCain to stop Barky. We need a huge turnout for McCain to offset the cheating.
Don’t be angry at Hillary. Be angry at Pelosi. She orchestrated this hijacking form the get-go.
http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=757&Itemid=1
Jon Stewart says Obama always looks as if he’s posing for a coin. Now we know why. He see himself as Caesar addressing the crowds on that cheesy Las Vegas set. It’s a circus.
How do we find out what the delegate vote really was? I understand they had to inform the group running the show who they were voting for in a signed form turned in before the the delegate vote so there should be a record somewhere.
From the frantic way they ended the vote it is suspicious that Senator Clinton was ahead of Obama. I do know Senator Clinton looked distraught surrounded by all those big men looking over her shoulder like they were guarding a captive. When she speaks, she never falters, but she DID last night when she suspended the rules to declare Obama the winner. It was obvious how nervous she was as she read that list. I’m beginning to think Stockholm syndrome.
Although it makes it legally harder to sue the Democratic party for breach of contract and/or corruption political parties operate in states as long as they allow it because political parties are not recognized in the Constitution. Both parties have proven that they need to be prevented from nominating a candidate in the future and states can refuse to allow both political parties to participate in state elections if they find them corrupt.
Are we ever going to get an accounting of the practice of forcing the delegates to vote beforehand in their hotel rooms, as I heard was done? Are we ever going to hear from Hillary’s delegates — the 300? We need a serious “de-briefing.” I am very upset, and I feel this is all going to be brushed under the rug and forgotten. I feel it needs some major airing out in public. It was sinful — a national disgrace. Please, please, delegates. TALK.
Gloria Allred, a California delegate, donned a table napkin as a gag in protest and got a short write-up. California “passed” — ostensibly because the Chairman ‘didn’t get the votes counted in time. (A story I don’t entirely believe since Hillary had over 100 votes in the final tally and thus no ‘unity.’)
Surely some other brave souls will come forward to cleanse the country of this corrupt convention.