Democratic Unity?
June 13th, 2008 at 11:21am Mark Noonan
From the Miami Herald:
So much for party unity: As Florida Dems prepare for Saturday’s Jefferson-Jackson dinner aimed at bringing the party “together once and for all,” a spat over the Obama campaign’s decision to replace some already-designated Florida delegates with Obama backers has intensified.
And how. DNC member Jon Ausman late Thursday e-mailed Dems (and reporters) choice sections of what he says were e-mails from Obama’s Florida finance chair Kirk Wagar — in which Wagar curses Ausman out and criticizes Sen. Bill Nelson and party director Leonard Joseph.
The highlights: “You (Jon Ausman) f***ed us. We are dealing with it. You need to accept the fact that you f***ed us.”
And of Nelson: “I am getting very sick of (Senator) Nelson making a bad situation worse.”
Said Ausman to Wagar: “We are at a point in time when we need to heal and come together. Help me understand how these messages, which you have sent to me in writing, help Senator Obama’s campaign.”
Wagar sent out an e-mail shortly after, apologizing for the profanity, but suggesting Ausman had used “out of context snippets from some ongoing and sometimes heated arguments we have had over the course of this campaign.
“I apologize for the profanity that you were subjected to,” he said in the e-mail. “It is a vice of mine that I try to minimize but seems to rear it’s head with more frequency when I deal with Jon.”
Of Nelson and Joseph, Wagar said he disagreed with them on seating the delegates, but “did not malign them in private nor in the excerpts Jon blasted out. I have worked with Leonard for years, long before he came to Florida, and I have worked very hard for and with Senator Nelson. On this issue we disagreed and despite Jon’s effort to twist it into something more, it isn’t.”
Just one, big, happy family all united behind Obama and ready to take on the GOP…yeah, and I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn for sale.
The fact that these were released to the press shows that there is a chasm between some Democrats and their presumptive nominee, and this casts doubt on Obama’s ability to really get the entire Democratic coalition behind him in the fall for what will be a very close race.
Entry Filed under: Campaign 2008, Democrats
10 Comments
1. Kahn | June 13th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Ignoring the actual will of the people as decided by election. Democrats, defend it. Better take a shower afterwards, you’ll need it.
2. hermie | June 13th, 2008 at 11:32 am
There are candidates who won in 2006 professing to be more center or center-right; in line with their districts. To first let Pelosi lead them by the nose and pass left-leaning legislation, now to be forced to back Obama and his candidacy, is making these Dems nervous.
3. Casper | June 13th, 2008 at 11:42 am
According to today’s presidential tracking poll from Rasmussen:
“Obama attracts 84% of political liberals while McCain is supported by 76% of conservatives.”
In addition:
Daily Presidential Tracking Poll
Friday, June 13, 2008
“The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows Barack Obama attracting 47% of the vote while John McCain earns 40%. When “leaners” are included, Obama holds a five-point advantage, 49% to 44%. These results have been remarkably stable since Obama wrapped up the Democratic Presidential Nomination just over a week ago.”
4. SEW | June 13th, 2008 at 11:47 am
More “snippets”. Distractions. Hilarious.
5. Casper | June 13th, 2008 at 11:49 am
I meant to also include this:
“While there are more conservatives than liberals in the nation today, Obama also enjoys a twenty-eight point advantage over McCain among moderates.”
6. Mark Noonan | June 13th, 2008 at 11:52 am
Casper,
Nice, but not on subject - which is the quest for Democratic unity.
And, polls I’ve seen show McCain with the advantage with independents…boiled down, Obama should be ahead by at least 15 percentage points, and he’s not….
7. Casper | June 13th, 2008 at 11:58 am
The subject is Democratic unity.
How is showing that Obama has the support of 84% of political liberals, not on subject. It anything it shows Obama has better support from his base than McCain does.
8. Pauli | June 13th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Deleted - off topic, and irretreivably vulgar.
9. Kahn | June 13th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Well we’ll just have to see how it looks in November won’t we?
On one hand, a proven get-things-done, war hero, compromiser.
And on the other, a socialist, determined to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the mid-east, 100% liberal voting only - or actually voting only “present”, partial term Senator.
Now that Iraq is looking better, liberals are praying to Marx that the economy stays stagnant.
10. Jim | June 14th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
As for polls, I’ve seen them with Obama in a definite lead among Independents.
Although i personally would have been disappointed if Clinton had become the nominee (though I supported her early on), I NEVER intended not to vote for her if she won the nomination. Other Dems should take the same attitude.