Black Leader, a Clinton Ally, Tilts to Obama
Hillary's plan to win the Democratic party's nomination through the votes of super delegates rather than by winning caucuses and primaries appears to be coming off the rails. Hillary has long argued that super delegates should vote according to who they think would be best placed to defeat McCain, rather than simply endorsing the candidate who the public had chosen.
However, several super delegates are making it very clear that they would not be comfortable in taking such an undemocratic stance with Representative John Lewis hinting that he would endorse Obama:
Nor is he the only super delegate to make clear that Clinton's plan is not acceptable:“In recent days, there is a sense of movement and a sense of spirit,” said Mr. Lewis, a Georgia Democrat who endorsed Mrs. Clinton last fall. “Something is happening in America, and people are prepared and ready to make that great leap.”
Mr. Lewis, who carries great influence among other members of Congress, disclosed his decision in an interview in which he said that as a superdelegate he could “never, ever do anything to reverse the action” of the voters of his district, who overwhelmingly supported Mr. Obama.
“I’ve been very impressed with the campaign of Senator Obama,” Mr. Lewis said. “He’s getting better and better every single day.”
Representative David Scott of Georgia, who was among the first to defect, said he, too, would not go against the will of voters in his district.Clinton's plan - to rely on the votes of the super delegates to go against the wishes of the voters - is really one of the most astonishingly undemocratic things I have ever heard of from a senior Democrat and it is heartening that certain senators are making it very clear that they will not go along with such a scheme.
However, Lewis is also hinting that pressure may be put on one of the candidates to step down after Texas.
“If I can be used as a mediator, a negotiator or a peacemaker, I’d be happy to step in,” Mr. Lewis said, adding that he intends to speak to both candidates in hopes of ending the race amicably in the next month. “I don’t want to see Mrs. Clinton damaged or Mr. Obama damaged.”However, even Lewis's endorsement of Obama does not seem to have had any effect on Clinton's basic strategy:
Jay Carson, a spokesman for Mrs. Clinton, said Thursday: “Congressman Lewis is a true American hero, and we have the utmost respect for him and understand the great pressure he faced. And Senator Clinton enjoys incredibly strong support from superdelegates around the country from all regions and races.”She is still, bizarrely, hoping that super delegates will propel her to the nomination.
And she has now started attacking Obama's greatest attribute, his ability to move crowds, as a weapon against him.
She then repeated her complaint that Obama refuses to debate her and implied that he was "chicken" for refusing to do so:“Speeches don’t put food on the table,” Mrs. Clinton said at a General Motors plant in Warren, Ohio, on Thursday morning. “Speeches don’t fill up your tank, or fill your prescription, or do anything about that stack of bills that keeps you up at night.”
“My opponent gives speeches,” she added. “I offer solutions.”
Obama easily flicked away such a charge with a TV campaign of his own:“The last time we debated was in California, and I convincingly won California, which may be why Senator Obama doesn’t want to have a debate in Wisconsin,” Mrs. Clinton said in a telephone conference call with reporters.
“A refusal to debate one’s primary opponent is always seen by regular voters as being chicken,” he said. “And voters, especially Democratic voters hungry for a general election win, want a candidate who is tough and ready.”
“After 18 debates, with two more coming, Hillary says Barack Obama is ducking debates?” the advertisement says, showing images from their debates over the last year. “It’s the same old politics, of phony charges and false attacks.”Looked at in that light, Hillary's complaint does seem ludicrous. But we can expect much, much more of this as Texas approaches.
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