Braley: let Clinton/Obama clash last 'til convention

[Algorem]

http://www.radioiowa.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=F658A32B-0798-09C0-9AF775387DAE33A7
Friday, March 28, 2008, 12:01 PM
By O.Kay Henderson

Congressman Bruce Braley of Waterloo says Democratic Party leaders should let the nomination fight between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama last until one of them drops out -- or until the fight's resolved at the party's convention in late August. "I think that the reason you have a convention, even though this has been rarely true in modern times, is to nominate your candidate," Braley says. "My preference is we let the system play out and we go to Denver (the site of the Democratic National Convention). If it hasn't been resolved, then it gets taken care of there."

Other party leaders suggest the battle should be settled by July 1 and while Braley admits the hostilities between the Obama and Clinton camps may soon reach a "tipping point," he is reluctant to have party leaders step in and force someone to drop out. "Listen, I went through a very contentious primary election myself and I worked very hard after I won my primary to build relationships with people who supported my opponents and with my opponents and I consider them my friends and people who have been very helpful to me," Braley says. "I think that's what's going to happen after Denver." The 2008 Democratic National Convention will be held during the last week of August.

Braley, as a member of congress, is one of the "super delegates" to the Convention. Braley backed John Edwards in the January 3rd Iowa Caucuses, but is currently neutral. "This has been an exciting year for Democrats because in state after state we've seen record turnouts of Democrats participating in the caucus and primary process, so what I'm doing is continuing to assess the situation. We recently had our county conventions in Iowa and I looked very closely at what happened in my district," Braley says. "That is one of the significant factors that I'm looking at." Braley says he's also evaluating which candidate will be the best "top of the ticket" for other Democrats on down the ballot.

A group of Clinton donors wrote a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week. The group vowed to withhold contributions from congressional candidates like Braley if Pelosi didn't backtrack from her public statement that super delegates should follow the will of the people. "I'm very disturbed...when people use the specter of money as a leverage device to try to influence how you might choose to support a candidate," Braley says. "I think that has no place in politics."...

[TwilightGardener]

1. 2 months to run a general election campaign? I don't think so. What an idiot.

[Life Long Dem]

3. What would my donation toward her go to if I were to donate?

Those people must be asking that queston.

[SoFlaJet]

2. ya see?

Randi is right these "insider types" are friggin IDIOTS

[redqueen]

5. Stunning ignorance / recklessness...

simply stunning.

[Autumn]

4. Another smart man

let it play out.

[cali]

6. He's a moron

and fortunately he's an inconsequential back bencher. His words hardly have the weight of Pat Leahy's.

[Autumn]

8. Well I pefer Al Gores opinion but this one works too

"What have we got, five months left?" Gore told the Associated Press after delivering a speech at Middle Tennessee State University. "I think it's going to resolve itself, but we'll see," he added.
As far as I'm concerned Leahy's words hardley have the weight of Al Gores.

[cali]

16. To me, Leahy's have a lot more value

He's always been who he is and he NEVER had anything to do with the DLC. Leahy's record in the Senate is a lot more liberal than Al's.

[Autumn]

17. We will have to disagree on that

I don't have to share your values and I don't expect you to share mine. We are all individuals after all.

[Quixote1818]

7. Democrats need to change things for the future. That will only leave us two months

to fight John McCain. Meanwhile we will be wasting money fighting one another while he is making money for the General. This is a complete mess.

[Autumn]

13. I really think it will take nothing for a

Democrat to beat McCain. I know military people who are planning on voting for either Obama or Hillary because of McCain's support for this cluster fuck we call Iraq, the warriors are growing weary and do not want another 100 years of war.

[Justitia]

9. He's from 'Waterloo'??? Ha! I thought this was satire - LOL. -eom

[terrell9584]

10. Every day that the primary goes forward

McCain slips into further obscurity. Why do you think he's starting to run ads. Because all news coverage is about the Democratic primary. He is going to have to pay for press and he won't get much, while everyone talks about Hillary. His numbers will go up as he's not in the fray, but it also means that the fall could be harder when the general election comes forward.

[John Q. Citizen]

11. He's just saying the typical uncommitted super delegate shuffle.

He sounds to me like he's leaning Obama. but doesn't want to commit yet since the voting continues. It's a perfectly acceptable line until at least NC and OR.

At that point I bet we see enough supers go to Obama that he wins it numericaly in either Puerto Rico or MT/SD on June 3rd.

That way, Dean comes in early on his pledge of a united party, and by July 1st everyone will be pulling against McCain.

That would also be the absolute best scenario for the party, for Obama and for Clinton. Clinton won't have to conceed before Obama reaches nomination number, Obama will have won it on a state vote, the Dems will be united behind a single candidate, and the Supers won't be accused of having overturned the will of the people.

Sounds like the best possible outcome.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

12. Hopefully It Doesn't Go Past June

Five months is enough to conduct a campaign...Two months is ridiculous...

[susankh4]

14. He's right!

Let's have a REAL convention!!

:woohoo:

[cbayer]

15. I know that some will vehemently disagree, but it occurs to me

that having the democratic primary unsettled actually works against McCain and the Republican party. Without a clear candidate for him to compare himself with and having to take a position against two candidates, it is more difficult for him to hone his message. It's also more difficult for him to determine which portion of the electorate he needs to focus on.

I feel fairly secure that the bulk of the democratic electorate will endorse either of our candidates. McCain does not have that luxury.