Guest Opinion: Obama Campaign

Cecil Andrus: Hillary Should Apologize to Red State Democrats

By Guest Writer, Guest Writer, 2-18-08

	Former Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus introducing Obama in Boise (Feb. 08)

Editor’s note: This press release from the Obama campaign is published here as a guest opinion.

Today, former Idaho Governor Cecil Andrus called on the Clinton campaign to apologize for remarks made by Joel Ferguson, the Co-Chairman of the Clinton Campaign in Michigan for calling delegates in red states “second-class.” Ferguson said, “Superdelegates are not second-class delegates. The real second-class delegates are the delegates that are picked in red-state caucuses that are never going to vote Democratic.”

This is the latest in a string of attempts by the Clinton campaign to discount the votes of Democrats in the red states.  In an effort to spin their losses, the Clinton campaign has repeatedly criticized Senator Obama’s wins in red states. Governor Andrus said, “Today, a Clinton campaign surrogate took it to another level and said flat out the Democrats in Red States are second-class citizens. This is a step too far. Senator Clinton’s surrogates are telling Democrats in almost half the states in the country that they don’t matter, and that they are second class. Senator Clinton needs to immediately denounce these comments and tell her campaign surrogates to stop taking cheap pot-shots at committed Democrats across the country.”

Andrus added, “We have a senate race and a congressional race that we are going to win.  I have been elected four times so don’t tell me a Democrat can’t win. If we tell people that their votes don’t matter, of course they aren’t going to consider voting for Democrats in the general election. This attitude doesn’t just hurt us in the Presidential campaign, but it also hurts down-ballot candidates and our efforts to build the party.  We can’t have another polarizing election that starts with a candidate If you tell telling people living in smaller states that their voices don’t matter. Obama has been successful in earning support from voters of all races, genders, in red states and blue states. We need to continue those efforts and not stifle them before the election even begins.”

Clinton Criticism of Red States

TODAY: Clinton Supporter Calls Red State Democrats Second Class. “‘Superdelegates are not second-class delegates,’ says Joel Ferguson, who will be a superdelegate if Michigan is seated. ‘The real second-class delegates are the delegates that are picked in red-state caucuses that are never going to vote Democratic.’” [Politico, 12/18/2008]

Clinton Said She Was Winning The Big States Democrats Had To Win And Said “We Are Never Going To Carry Alaska, Idaho, It’s Just Not Going To Happen.” Clinton, on the states she has been winning in the primary, said “I have been winning the big states we have to win.  With all due respect, unless there is a tsunami change in America, we are never going to carry Alaska, North Dakota, Idaho, it’s just not going to happen, but we have to carry the states I’ve been carrying, the primary states, the states that have to be in the winning Democratic column. And if you look at my vote there, it is the voters we have to have: People making less than $50,000, women, Latinos.” [Politico Forum, 2/11/07]

Clinton Downplayed Red State Wins, Said “It is Highly Unlikely” Democrats Will Win Alaska, North Dakota, Idaho or Nebraska. “She also downplayed many of Obama’s Super Tuesday victories, describing them as states that Democrats should not expect to win in November. “It is highly unlikely we will win Alaska or North Dakota or Idaho or Nebraska,” she said, naming several of Obama’s red state wins. “But we have to win Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Florida, Michigan … And we’ve got to be competitive in places like Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma.” [CNN, 2/11/08]

Mark Penn Minimized Obama Wins In Red States. “Sen. Obama, in contrast, won with large margins in Alabama and Georgia, two states that have been in the Republican column in the last two elections. He also won with large margins in a string of caucus states with comparatively fewer voters - Alaska, Idaho, Utah, and Kansas - and have also been in the Republican column. Of course, he won his home state.” [Mark Penn memo, 2/6/08]

Harold Ickes said Idaho, Nebraska and Kansas will not vote for a Democratic president. “In response to a question from NBC’s Andrea Mitchell, Ickes acknowledged Obama has done well in some smaller contests like Idaho, Nebraska and Kansas, but said those Republican strongholds will never flip in November. ‘I agree he’s done well in those caucus states – we didn’t make as much of an effort as we probably should have,’ Ickes said. ‘But those states simply are not going to vote this year for a Democratic president, Andrea.’” [Politico, 2/16/08]

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