"Clinton voters are crucial" (St. Pete Times)

[Sancho]

Please don't flame me. I'll vote for either. I just thought this was interesting:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/national/article583510.ece

snips:

How Barack Obama navigates the next 10 days could be crucial in determining whether he can win the White House.

------------------

A nationwide poll May 21-25 by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press found that almost half of the white women surveyed now have a negative view of Obama, up from just over a third in February.

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State Democratic chairwoman Karen Thurman expressed confidence on Sunday that the party would unify, and spoke wistfully about an Obama-Clinton ticket.

"I still think they should band together," Thurman said. "They're both so historic and inspiring — the first woman and the first African-American — and it almost seems like they owe it to each other."

[flpoljunkie]

1. It is only the Clintons who can change this poisonsous atmosphere which, unfortunately, they created

It is up to them, not Barack Obama.

[Perry Logan]

2. Do some research. Obama's campaign has been nasty and divisive from the start.

[beetlejuiceonline]

4. Yes, the divisiveness started with the Obama campaign

[yourguide]

8. Provide us with this research perry

I call BS.

[flpoljunkie]

11. We will see what the Clintons do to heal the rift they have nurtured.

[rodeodance]

19. Its Obama's job to do that if he is a true leader.

[Turn CO Blue]

24. As an Obama supporter, I agree that it falls to Obama to

try to bridge the gap, but I also feel that Senator Clinton needs to address her supporters in a very straight-forward manner about defeating John McCain. She also should come out with some no-hedging criticisms of McCain.

[roguevalley]

25. no it doesn't. obama hasn't poisoned his supporters to howl like

monkeys in public and rabble rouse. she has the burden.

[Beacool]

20. They don't want to hear it.

They have blinders and only see what they want to see.

[Turn CO Blue]

23. I do not agree with that statement. When I was supporting Edwards

I felt it was Clinton who started it with Edwards and with Obama, and not just in the debates. I feel strongly that Senator Clinton hired the wrong people to run her campaign.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

31. Kitchen Sink.

They said they'd do it.

And they did.

[leftofcool]

3. It is up to Obama to unify the Dems

If he can not unify the Dems, how can he unify the country?

[rodeodance]

5. If Obama is the leader you think he is--then it is up to him to UNIFY his party-after all , it was

his surrogates and Obama himself who did the race baiting.

[datopbanana]

delusional.

[Window]

12. Bullshit.

[rodeodance]

17. think so?

[sfam]

18. Be honest, what could Obama say to make you support him?

You and I both know that you will listen to Hillary's words over the next week, not Obama's.

[flpoljunkie]

13. Joe Klein: "I believe the onus will be on Clinton to initiate the reconciliation process."

The Puerto Rico Primary

Posted by Joe Klein

San Juan

A Stockdale moment: What am I doing here? (Answer: I'm joining the Clinton traveling press for the last day of campaigning in South Dakota tomorrow.) But, really, what are we doing here? The Puerto Rico "primary" is a crypto-democatic act: We are selecting delegates who will be able to vote at the Democratic Convention even though they won't be able to vote in the general. At last, a political event even more ridiculous the Iowa Republican straw poll--at least, Iowans can vote in November.

And yet, there's Terry McAuliffe bloviating on CNN about how this adds to Clinton's popular vote "victory"--a victory only if you count states that violated party rules (Florida), didn't have Obama's name on the ballot (Michigan) or aren't even states (Puerto Rico).

This sort of thing is just plain annoying, and divisive. The impotent ferocity of the Clinton campaign over the past month has done neither herself or Barack Obama much good. I suspect the Clinton campaign will be over in a matter of days....and then, I believe, the onus will be on Clinton to initiate the reconciliation process. More on that later...

http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/06/the_puerto_rico_primary.html

[barb162]

14. Since more independents and women are leaving Obama

he is not off to a good start on that unifier thingie he talks about.

"almost half of the white women surveyed now have a negative view of Obama, up from just over a third in February"

[polmaven]

30. Exactly!

if he will be claiming to be the leader of the party, then it will be up to him to unify it.

From what I heard on the radio on my way home from work today, he may have taken a step toward that. The report was that there will be a meeting between himself and Hillary - ON HER TERMS - to discuss what her role will be.

All of this But daddy,sheee staaarrted it is SO childish....surprise surprise...

[sufrommich]

6. Even if one were to believe that "the Clintons" were

responsible for Obama's problems with female voters(which I don't),I imagine the Obama campaign is smart enough to realize he probably should play a prominent and proactive role in getting that demographic back.It's silly to imagine that any campaign would think otherwise.

[davidpdx]

7. I think most people who supported Clinton

are going to end up supporting Obama. Clearly 10% of her supporters in real life (including some on DU) won't support him regardless of what he says or does. Those people have resigned themselves to either not vote or will support McCain. What's kind of ironic is the fact they literally screw themselves due to the fact a McCain Administration will set back women's issues 25+ years.

[THUNDER HANDS]

9. what do they want, a fucking cookie?

you lost. get the fuck over it. jump on board and help us beat McCain.

Fucking christ. Petulant little babies.

[BigDDem]

21. Unity! Hope! Change! and

"get the fuck over it."

You sound like Team Bush in 2000, congrats!

[gaspee]

26. That's what kills

Me about half the Obama supporters on this board. They sound exactly like Bush and his cohorts - you lost, get over it, HAHA!

Not to mention the whole "with us or against us" mentality. Last time I looked, we were all Democrats. But the Obama people don't seem to want or think they need Clinton supporters. So be it.

[Sancho]

10. I also wonder about GOP soccer moms, especially those in the south...

my SC raised wife is convinced that a large number of GOP wives who normally vote republican (or "whatever their hubbies tell them to do" - not my idea 'cause I know better) hate the war and support education - so that they will quietly cross over to Hillary. I don't know how racist some state still are, but the women are a key to winning this election in some close states. I don't know if those housewives would cross to Obama.

The Times seems to imply some kind of joint ticket would be best and I've heard that from some local polls on TV and around Florida.

I really don't know. The pollsters have a pretty bad track record, and I think that this one is going to really hard to call. I fear that beating McBush will be harder than many think. There is still a big manipulation organization in elections for key swing states.

[paulk]

15. interesting that you feel the need to start a post with

"please don't flame me."

Says something about this website ... and the Obama bullies that have taken it over.

[Sancho]

27. I've been accused of favoring Obama or Hillary and caught hell before.

I simply want a Democrat in the White House and I'm glad that we have had five competitive candidates. Sometimes there are some pretty reactionary folks on GD:P. I've used ignore for the first time in 3 years.

The St. Pete Times has done some good work in the past, so I read it.

[sfam]

16. I think this has more to do with how Hillary will act than Obama...

Obama cannot bring them over in huge numbers if Hillary objects. So my disagreement here isn't that Hillary's constituents are critical - its that Obama controls whether they will vote for him or not.

Some will anyways, but others are controlled by Hillary.

[Imagevision]

22. Hey! how many times have we heard Hillary say she would support the nominee

[Spider Jerusalem]

28. Actually it has more to do with Clinton's behaviour; it's all on her.

She needs to call on her supporters to back the Democratic nominee, even though it won't be her, and needs to make a clear and positive endorsement. If she fails to do so then there isn't a lot that Obama can do about it. The premise here is flawed (and Obama has been very conciliatory; see hois comments praising Senator Clinton and the campaign she's run, not going for the 50-50 split of Michigan delegates despite having the votes for it, etc).

[PoliticalAmazon]

29. Not as crucial now that Bob Barr is in the race....

He will siphon off GOP voters who loathe what Bush and the neocons have done to our country and see McCain as more of the same.

I think there will be quite a few GOP voters who will like Barr's Goldwater-Republican kind of message, and will easily make the switch to vote for him.

So, yes, we need the Hillary voters, but we have the Barr Buffer now to offset the Hillary-or-no-one Dem voters.