Posted on 03/10/2008 2:54:27 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Democrats fear that civil war may draw crowds but end in bloodshed
While Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton go head-to-head to win the presidential nomination of the Democratic party, John McCain is busy uniting the Republican party
Tom Baldwin in Washington
Surging optimism among Democrats about regaining the White House this year has been tempered by fresh warnings that the battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama risks turning into a bloodbath before the Denver convention in August.
The Democratic race has already smashed all records for turnout and fundraising, with millions of new voters and hundreds of donors galvanised by the historic choice of picking either the first black or the first female presidential nominee.
Caucuses in Wyoming on Saturday had a sevenfold increase in the numbers taking part compared with 2004, while Democrats also celebrated winning the Congressional seat vacated by Dennis Hastert, the former House speaker a victory some compared to toppling Saddam Husseins statue in Baghdad.
Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, yesterday said that such results showed why his party was on course to defeat John McCain, the Republican nominee-elect, in Novembers general election. He added, though, that elder statesmen might yet have to talk to Mr Obama and Mrs Clinton about how to make peace and the convention work.
Nancy Pelosi, the House of Representatives Speaker, has urged them to keep their eyes on the main prize and not turn off the American people.
Gary Hart, a former presidential candidate, said that Mrs Clintons attacks on Mr Obamas credentials as a commander-in-chief have severely damaged the latter, whom he hopes will be the Democratic nominee.
Samantha Power, Mr Obamas adviser who was forced to resign last week for branding Mrs Clinton a monster, has caused further embarrassment by casting doubt on his plan for withdrawing troops from Iraq. The Clinton campaign spent much of the weekend circulating these comments as evidence that Mr Obama is all words, no action.
Mr Obamas aides have responded by accusing Mrs Clinton of telling lies about his foreign policy and running a scorched-earth strategy against him. A campaign memo describes her failure to disclose tax returns as confirming Mrs Clinton to be one of the most secretive politicians in America. It asked: You have to wonder whether shell be open and honest with the American people as president.
Although Mr Obama won Wyoming by 61 to 38 per cent, he made a net gain of just two convention delegates. Tomorrows primary in Mississippi, where more than a third of the electorate is likely to be black, should give him another win.
It is almost impossible for either candidate to win the nomination without support from a large portion of the 794 super-delegates, many of whom are now biding their time to see who is best placed to win the general election.
Mrs Clintons campaign is putting pressure on Mr Dean to allow a rerun of primaries in Florida and Michigan both of which she won in January but where the 366 delegates are banned from the convention because of a dispute over party rules.
Mr Dean suggested yesterday that he was sympathetic to the idea of a postal ballot in both states, which could help Mrs Clinton to take the lead in the popular vote. Mr Obama, although publicly promising to abide by whatever the rules require, is said to be arguing that the delegates for the two states should be split evenly with Mrs Clinton.
A new poll yesterday indicated that the candidates are tied in Michigan but that Mrs Clinton leads Mr Obama by 55 per cent to 39 in Florida.
Mr McCain, meanwhile, is concentrating on raising money for the election and working out how to maintain the visibility of his candidacy while the spotlight will be on the Democratic race.
But although his February fundraising total of $12 million (£6 million) is dwarfed by the $80 million that was generated by the two Democratic candidates, Republicans say that Mrs Clinton and Mr Obama appear intent on spending their money driving up each others negatives and doing our work for us.
Ken Mehlman and Karl Rove, who masterminded President Bushs victory in 2004, are now acting as informal advisers on Mr McCains campaign, it was reported yesterday.
"I did it! VICTORY!!!"
“There will be blood”... :)
I don’t care if it is rats killing rats.
BTTT
Just when we need a graphic of “Looter Guy”!
Howie should sell tickets to this bloodletting He might be able to fund their Boo-Boo Re-dos this way.
“It could shape up to be an ugly summer this year, literally creating heavy casualties (i.e. body counts.)”
I’ve laid in a supply of popcorn and may even charter a bus and take my friends to Golden, Co. so we can watch Denver burn from the mountain. :)
Ugly for who?
This is 5-star programming for all vast-right-wing-conspiracy members.
I'm getting popcorn reserved for the wondrous event. LOL
It will be fun to watch them fight, if only there was a republican running who could benefit from it.
Not much happiness in watching two of the three dems fighting while the third just goes quietly on to destroy the Republic.
Oh man, those images are precisely what drove me out of California in 1993. I’ll never forget how the police just stood by while the mobs ran wild.
I, for one, am thoroughly enjoying every minute of the DemocRat hysteria.
It's not like anyone needed more evidence of the corruption within the DemocRat party, but this is live, right out in the public spotlight proof of how corrupt the DemocRat party really is. If Hillary somehow manages to steal this nomination from Osama/Obama with Superdelegates, there are going to be riots at the DNC convention that will make 1968 look like a tea party.
The DNC made the rules well prior to the election. Two states refused the follow those rules and changed their election dates anyway, knowing full well what the consequences would be. Now, the Queen of Mean is in trouble and the "coronation" didn't happen the way they expected it to, and now they want a do-over.
This is priceless! No one could have scripted a better illustration of the corruption within the DNC!
These people can't even honestly elect their own POTUS candidate or run an election. What in the world makes anyone think these people are fit to run the country is well beyond my understanding......must be goobermint skools.....
I can’t help but feel like we are like the spectators who rode out from Washington to Manassas to see the First Battle of Bull Run, expecting good times, frivolity and a whumping Union victory. However, the Confederates did not cooperate and their entertainment turned out to be not quite what they expected.
We should not fall into the trap of thinking the Democrat National Convention is being scheduled for our amusement. They are meeting to come up with a way to kick our a$$es from Hell to breakfast. If they can figure out how to do that, it is not going to be fun times for us to watch.
Here’s one you MISSED: http://qconline.com/progress99/images/week2/chicago-lg.jpg
The 1968 Democrat Convention in Chicago. Makes me SO nostalgic.
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