What do 15 Senators and 12 Govenors, NY Gov Patterson and Barbara Boxer know that we do not?

[grantcart]

Obama not only leads in delegates but he also leads in endorsements by Senators and Govenors (he trails her by 2 for congresstional endorsements). He has 15 Senators to her 13 (20 undecided) and 12 Govenors to her 10 (9 undecided).

I find this very odd.

The Clintons have had decades to develop these relationships and yet among their peers more choose Obama.


And then there is the very very strange case of Senator Barbara Boxer.

She has known the Clintons on an intimate basis for years - in fact her family and the Rodhams were intermarried.

She has given perhaps the most tepid endorsement of a candidate either. She will vote for her as a superdelegate, but refuses to endorse her or campaign for her?

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_8472501?nclick_check=1

What does Gov. Patterson know? Yes he has endorsed her as all the senior NY politicians did in mass. But when he had a chance to add a delegate for her and resign his DNC seat and go as the Govenor of New York so that the state committee could nominate another Clinton super delegate - he said "no thank you".

March 12, 2008: NY Governor Eliot Spitzer resigns. Down 1 to 795. Note that the DNC has now confirmed that David Paterson is not resigning his DNC seat
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5187317&mesg_id=5194720

And then there is Gov. Richardson, nice guy worked with them for a long time.


What do these guys know?

[Kittycat]

1. Same could be said of Sen. Kennedy

Of course SChip comes to mind.

[Honeycombe8]

27. This doesn't really respond to the main post, tho, does it? Anyhoo...Sen.K has campaigned for Obie.

So no, the same can not be said about him. He has fully endorsed Obie, did so before the national press with the bravado that only he can do before cameras, then traveled to CA to actively campaign on his behalf, along with his niece Maria Schwarzenegger.

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

2. They know more than our retarded MSM talking heads.

I swear, If ever I saw Morning Joe on the street, I'd whoop his ass. This from a 110# white woman. I Could Take Him.

[ms liberty]

7. This 125# white woman will hold his arms for you...please? Can I help? n/t

[FatDave]

16. Tickets! Get your tickets here!

Don't miss your chance to see two petite women kicking Joe Scarborough's ass!

(It's OK to say "petite", right?)

[ms liberty]

18. Yes, and thank you!

:D

[eridani]

30. Hey, at 210#, I'll volunteer to sit on him if you two knock him over n/t

[superkia]

9. LOL! I think you would have plenty of help no matter where it...

took place! Good one!

[Window]

10. LMAO! Too funny. I bet you could, too.

:rofl:

[iamjoy]

3. Why Assume It's Something Bad?

Why did Kerry endorse Obama over Edwards? Why did Gore endorse Dean over Lieberman in 2004?

I see nothing sinister in these endorsements - I like to think these politicians are okay with Clinton, but like Obama better. I also like to think that many of them recognize this campaign is getting dangerously negative and they don't want to do anything that will help further the party. As for Senators, they will have to continue to work with at least one of them (hopefully one in the Senate and one in the Oval Office) and don't want to do anything to make the relationship awkward. Governors and others may be hoping for a Cabinet position.

[karynnj]

5. I agree - in fact Kerry went out of his way several times to say the endorsement was not against any

He said the other two were well qualified to be president and that they would lead in the right direction.

[grantcart]

11. I didn't assume that it is anything bad or evil;

It could simply be that they don't think that she would be a good President. Nothing evil there. I don't know.

The fact that they don't endorse her is however significant.

I am particularly curious about Boxer who probably knows her better than anyone in the Senate.

[DJ13]

4. The Clintons didnt make many friends in the party when we lost Congress..

....during Bill's first term.

For all his popularity with rank and file voters he was never able (or really tried) to use his popularity to advance the Democratic party when he was President.

Many party leaders that were around (survived) in the 90's dont feel they owe the Clintons anything.

[Cha]

20. 'Cause it's all about them..not the party..

I imagine there're more than a few who are cringing at their bulldozershit campaign.

[Stephanie]

6. I guess they just don't like her.

Or don't trust her, perhaps.

[Voice for Peace]

8. Not necessarily something that we don't know too.

I'd say they know a good thing, a winner.

[jgraz]

12. I've been on the phone to Boxer once a week since the CA primary

The conversations have all been the same: "Is the Senator still supporting Hillary Clinton?" "What does the Senator think of <latest appalling statement from the Hillary campaign>?"

I think a lot of constituents have been calling.

[grantcart]

14. who do you talk to?

[jgraz]

15. Just whoever answers the phone. It's usually a young woman in her SF Office.

They pass the message on to the Senator. Or at least they say they will.

[Cha]

21. Thanks for doing that..

:patriot: :bounce:

[Ichingcarpenter]

17. Wow .... me too

I love talking to her office, they are great and even
take stories in that they don't know about.

[Scurrilous]

13. K & R

:thumbsup:

[Cha]

19. My Guv Patterson did that!!

Halleluja! I'm impressed 'cause I heard Spizter's support was more tepid than Patterson's. That the Guv went out and campaigned for hilary..maybe he's disgusted with her campaign since then?

[grantcart]

24. yes and if even a couple of NY super delegates were to switch the

Clinton circus would end

[Bonobo]

22. Richardon didn't just "work" with them, he watched the Superbowl with Bill! They're friends!

It should tell you a lot.

[grantcart]

26. And Boxer didn't just 'work' with them, isn't just long time friends but is related to her.

[book_worm]

23. Interesting how a freshman Senator who is so inexperienced seems more popular with her collegues

than Hillary.

[Cha]

25. They see a real person not a

hilary pod..not everyone's brain has gone to geraldine ferraro mush.

[Honeycombe8]

28. Interesting. But Boxer HAS announced that her superdelegate vote will go to whoever wins/won her...

state. She said that she believes that is her duty.

But you're right that it was odd.....when I heard her say that the second time on TV, she added, "But I'm neutral. I will be voting for Clinton, but I'm neutral." I took that to mean that she would be VOTING for Clinton, as a superdelegate, but that she would not be ENDORSING anyone. Two different things, I guess.

[grantcart]

29. Certainly you would think that if she thought that Senator Clinton was the person

who would be best for California and the country that she would express some enthusiasm for it.

[seaglass]

31. They may know something that I don't know but it does not

mean what they know is meaningful to me. Why would I ever substitute their judgment for my own?

I have long been a supporter of people who have not been supported by the majority and I'm OK with that.

Disclaimer: I am not a fan of either Obama or Clinton (though probably dislike Hillary less).

[grantcart]

33. That is a good point but in this case the people that are not supporting her

know her better than I do and are the folks that I normally agree with.

[seaglass]

34. Yeah, well I'm usually in agreement with Kerry and Kennedy

but I've also seen them both make some bad decisions (IWR, NCLB to name 2). Who is to know if this is one of those bad decisions or not?

[grantcart]

35. The final analysis is that they have known the Clintons for decades. It is as much a rejection

of the Clintons as it is about Obama. They have had 20 years to form their opinion.

[seaglass]

36. You're projecting. You don't know if it's him or her or both and

you don't know if the reasons are political, other or a mix. That's OK, you've accepted their judgment, I'd rather form my own opinion.

[susankh4]

32. They know that they are being bullied

and that only the strong are standing on their own convictions. Like Maxine Waters. Like Ed Rendell. Like Ted Strickland.

[AllentownJake]

37. Bullied?

Yeah,

John Kerry, Ted Kennedy, Patrick Leahy, Chris Dodd, and Ben Nelson to name a few are being bullied by the freshman senator from Illinois....I'm no super party insider but I highly doubt that a freshman senator can bully guys who have all been in the US senate for 20+ years.

[Garbo 2004]

38. Boxer had previously said she would not endorse anyone during race to nom. Obama was guest speaker

at Boxer's February 2007 kick off fund raiser for her 2010 reelection campaign.

Although Boxer had invited him to speak the year before, the fund raiser was held shortly after he announced his run for President and so his appearance at her fund raiser gathered a bit of attention in these parts. Boxer's comments at the event were quite supportive of Obama, although of course not in themselves an endorsement.

Boxer's speech & intro http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkoxmklsPRQ

Obama's speech at that event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CZvKtBRe3Q&feature=related