the gospel, according to mary
Numerous publications digging deeper this week into why New Mexico Governor and former Clinton Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson turned on his old bosses and endorsed Barack Obama. The Los Angeles Times piece is here.
Nothing new or surprising in any of the reports that I can see. Richardson was moved by Obama’s speech on race, didn’t particularly like the Clintons’ approach.
There was that “3 a.m.” TV ad, in which Clinton questioned Obama’s personal mettle. “That upset me,” Richardson said.
There were some ham-fisted phone calls from Clinton backers, who questioned Richardson’s honor and suggested that the governor, who served in President Clinton’s Cabinet, owed Hillary Clinton his support. “That really ticked me off,” Richardson said.
But what’s largely missing from the public record since Richardson announced his endorsement of Senator Obama, amid all the finger pointing by both sides regarding who said Obama couldn’t win and the numerous op-eds defending both side’s positions, is a more fleshed-out version of events regarding what could possibly have led the Clintons, and their surrogates, James Carville most notably, to push back with such hostility at Richardson’s endorsement of Obama.
Missing until now, that is. Carville’s wife and former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, Mary Matalin, speaking on the born-again Imus in the Morning radio show, now simulcast on RFD-TV, last Friday morning offered the following:
I think what got everybody most juiced up… is when he asked President Clinton to come out and fundraise for him on the Super Bowl (??) and the President said…
“Don’t ask me to do this… I’m on the road with Hillary… if you’re going to go support Obama.”
And he gave to President Clinton and many other fundraisers his assurance on the grounds that Obama wasn’t experienced enough and he was going to support Hillary.
Matalin adds, “It’s just over the top.”
I would have to agree with her assessment.
Filed under: politics | 12 Comments
Tags: carville, clinton, democrats, hillary, imus, matalin, obama, president, primary, richardson
jammer blogs politics 
Not sure but I think she said “juiced up”, not “jizzed up”.
Thank you! I think you’re right.
Thank you, jammer, for posting this analysis. Thank you especially for the links to the L.A. Times report and Mary Matalin’s report explaining Carville’s judgment of Richardson’s endorsement of Obama and his op-ed in the Washington Post.
Carville, when last I checked in on his op-ed, had gotten over 1700 comments, largely negative, responding to his op-ed.
Interestingly, the next day, Richardson responded to Carville’s condemnation, and he got substantially fewer comments to his op-ed, and most were negative toward his defensive, self-justifying reply to Carville.
Thanks to the L.A. Times, we find that Richardson has a very selective memory.
I’m not surprised.
This is my first visit to your blog.
I will definitely check in more often.
Thanks, again!
(Just to let you know where I come from, I’ve been a staunch supporter of Hillary Clinton since she decided to run for the Senate. I do believe she is the best choice for president and the very organized campaign of vilification against her in the press and on blogs truly saddens me.)
Judy in the Big Thicket of Texas
We are seeing what a bunch of cowards and panderers the Dem “leadership” are. They have completely lost my respect and support. Howard Dean, Pelosi, and the elitist senators trying to engineer the election for their own purposes are going to be in for a rude awakening if Obama is the nominee. They call and ask me for money, and I laugh. They are also “out of touch.”
An open letter to all of us following this historical and spirited race for the Democratic nomination, with a type of excitement and passion that has not been seen in recent years:
First off, each one of us here believes in our heart that our candidate provides the best chance for the future of this country.
We are all aware of the critical challenges this country faces and understand how much THIS election matters.
I certainly admit that I have let my heart and my passion for the candidate I support cloud my judgment and cause me to say stupid things about the other great Americans running for president – who, along with supporters all over – are working their asses for for what they believe is in the best intersts of this country.
I support Barack Obama for President of the United States because I think he is the best President for these times.
I have serious questions about Hillary Clinton’s ability to get things done in the White House. Let me be clear – I like and respect Hillary Clinton and believe progress would be stifled not because of a lack of effort or ability on her part, but rather because of short-sighted obstacles placed in her way by Rove’s henchmen and the Americans are still caught up in the partisan battles that reached a boiling point in the nineties (and which have gridlocked Washington ever since).
I also think Hillary is polarizing. Clinton supporters ardently disagree and about 50% of the country agrees – that sounds pretty divisive to me. You can blame it on the right-wing attack machine, or the media, or now even the Obama supporters. But it is REAL. Whether her high negatives are fairly-earned or unfairly-fabricated can be debated – but that debate does not change the fact that they exist.
There are also serious questions about Clinton’s electability in THESE times and in THIS race. I base this on the points discussed above and what we have seen in this campaign. Obama has handled himself with grace and determination, won support all over the country and is building a new generation that actually cares about politics.
The Democratic base is already energized. I discount the notion that the fights between Clinton and Obama supporters will cause people to stay home. Those supporters are just becoming more and more invested in this process and they will unite to stand against the GOP. Clinton’s ardent supporters will not simply walk away – they will bring the fight to the Republicans.
A few other points:
-Obama will attract anti-war Independents and Republicans, whose numbers are significant.
-Obama will be able to draw a sharp contrast with John McCain so that the Republican attack machine cannot blur the lines.
-Obama is the strongest to debate McCain on Iraq. Most observers agree that this has been Obama’s greatest strength in the debates with Clinton.
Clinton supporters: Do you really want to go over to the other side and start paroting back the conventional wisdom that the youth vote can’t make a difference? The youth does not make a difference when it is disaffected – it needs to be INSPIRED. (And from what I’ve seen . . . it is not only young Americans that Obama is inspiring).
But Obama IS calling a whole NEW generation to arms. This will not only impact this election – it will CHANGE the future. Both in terms of new voters and public service. I believe that the energy shown by the Clinton and Obama supporters alike (as well as those for all the candidates) – can be parlayed effectively after the general election. Not everyone of course – but even a percentage of that energy could do the world a lot of good.
How can Obama make a REAL CHANGE to the way politics is conducted in Washington – you ask?
Because the new American Majority that votes for him in this election – including Democrats, Independents and Republicans and first-time voters – will all make sure that politicians who get in the way of OUR mandate will be cast aside – no matter who they are.
And that mandate is quite simple:
-END the Bush Doctrine and EVOLVE American foreign policy
-Make HEALTH CARE more affordable and accessible
IMMEDIATELY and get us on the road towards UNIVERSAL health care
-Stop the trickle down ECONMICS and open the
floodgates through TAXES and EDUCATION
-Pass a comprehensive IMMIGRATION bill and ensure that our boarders are SAFE
-LEAD the world on fighting terrorism, speading human rights and protecting our environment
President Obama will implement that mandate with familiar names such as the Clintons, Biden, Richardson and Edwards – along with the growing cadre of new leaders like Webb, Casey and McCaskill. I am also confident that Obama will enlist the support of the best and the brightest leaders from the GOP.
Vote Obama and the join the New American Majority. And don’t worry, the Clintons will join us and BOTH will play key roles in guiding this country’s FUTURE.
If Barack Obama’s “brilliant” campaign is any indication of his leadership – count me and my famiy out! BO’s smear campaign has been brutal and though the media won’t report it – you can research and find the truth yourself.
He cannot win in the general – his negatives continue to rise – and are close to Hillary’s already. He offers little relevant experience and is nothing more than a media created candidate. Had he run as a politician, there may have been a chance. His running as something different is the lie.
We are not racist – we are not white – and we do not trust Barack Obama to lead this country.
Check out this chart!
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/select.asp?Ind=K02
JAMES CARVILLE AND “HIS ILK” AND I COUNT MYSELF AS ONE OF HIS ILK, WAS ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. BILL RICHARDSON IS A “JUDAS”. BUT, WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND!
The back-to-back body language between Richardson and Clinton during the ??Super Bowl was telling. I’ve got to say I liked Richardson until he pulled this switch. Nothing is worse than a turncoat. A person has a right to be for whom she or he pleases, but not in such a public way or public display of disloyality, betrayal and desertion.
I am a huge fan of Carville. I stop everything and hang on his every word when I catch him speaking on any show. Love the Ragin Cajun.
Somehow i missed the point. Probably lost in translation 🙂 Anyway … nice blog to visit.
cheers, Prussian.
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