Dems Say Obama Can Rope Independents
Why Obama is Winning the West
Western Democratic leaders give glimpses into why they -- and people in Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming -- have chosen Obama as their guy...By Matthew Frank, 5-15-08
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| Sen. Barack Obama at the Montana Democratic Party's Mansfield-Metcalf Dinner in Butte in April. Photo by Anne Medley. | |
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The Barack Obama campaign held a conference call this morning to discuss Obama’s electability and appeal to people in Montana and other Western states. On the call were former Colorado Governor and former Chair of the Democratic National Committee Roy Romer, DNC Committeewoman and superdelegate Jean Lemire Dahlman of Rosebud County, Montana, and Lewis and Clark County Commissioner and superdelegate Ed Tinsley of Helena, Montana.
Here are some choice quotes from the conversation, glimpses into why these particular Western political leaders—and Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming—have chosen Obama as their guy…
Roy Romer
“I think Obama would make the best president and has the best chance of being elected.... He makes tough, clear decisions [like his approach to the gas tax].... He’s cool under fire. He’s had a lot of attacks recently and it shows that he can handle that and he has been cool in that regard.... I think he has the proper vision of where this nation needs to go. He says he’s going to be a change agent and I believe that. There are many, many practices in Washington that need to be changed, particularly special interests.... I think he will be an independent actor, and I think the people of the West…know that we need to have a different kind of a government representing us than what we got now, and I think that that’s an attractive feature.”
“He has the skill of identifying with other people, listening to them whatever their positions are and finding a way—a pragmatic way—to bring them on board and get a compromise so we can vote. And I think that’s a Western way of doing things; that is, don’t get hard-edged ideologically. Find out what is the common thread that you can get a majority for and move with it. For those reasons, I thought he was the best candidate.”
Jean Lemire Dahlman
“I live in rural southeastern Montana, in Rosebud County, and if you look at it, it’s certainly a microcosm of Montana…. There are farmers and ranchers, there are also coal miners, railroad workers, small business owners, the usual array of professionals and the Cheyenne Reservation in the southern part of our county. I move in all those groups and talk to people constantly and my sense is that Barack Obama has the greatest and the widest appeal to all these different groups of people.”
“Another reason...is the way he ran his campaign. That is probably very indicative of how he might run the U.S. government, and it has been brilliant right from the get-go. Who would have thought that a freshman senator from Illinois would have been able to generate this kind of enthusiasm, this kind of fundraising, this kind of nationwide appeal? And he has done that.”
“He’s the kind of person, I think, who could bring together independents, Republicans and Democrats. We all have to work very hard. We’re in a terrible mess, domestically and abroad, and we need somebody bigger than life and I think he’s the man that can do it.”
“We have great respect and admiration for Sen. Hillary Clinton. She’s an amazing woman. I’m of the demographic of woman who are very proud of her and what’s she’s been able to do. But, in this particular case, it appears to be his time and his place.”
Ed Tinsley
“As a Lewis and Clark County Commissioner…I support him because he understands Montana and the rest of the West and our way of life out here. These old Republicans’ smear and scare tactics just aren’t going to work on him. He’s been very clear that the U.S. Constitution protects an individual’s right to possess and bare arms. I got to meet with him in Butte last month and he knows—he told me to my face—that for many families in Montana gun ownership is a tradition, and it’s passed from generation to generation. He has absolutely no intention of taking away Second Amendment rights.”
“Also, when we visited, he was very clear that he will protect access to public lands around the West…. That’s one of my big beliefs. He’s going to maintain habitat to make sure the wildlife is available to the next generation. He’s also supporting open fields legislation to provide incentives to landowners who voluntarily open their land to hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities. He has the right values and the right agenda here for us in Montana, and I appreciate that. He’s already carried other Western states in the primaries, and he’s bringing about the change that this country needs right now.
“I’ve met both Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton on a couple of occasions. I hold the highest regard for Sen. Clinton. But, frankly, he’s the candidate that I can enthusiastically run with on the same ticket, and not have to worry about some of the other stuff that other candidates may have, some of the baggage that other candidates may have…. I’d be very proud to be on the state ballot with him.”
Bits and pieces from the question and answer session that followed...
Q: Chuck Johnson of Lee Newspapers asked, Is Obama coming to Billings?
A: Dan Leistikow, Obama staffer: “Sen. Obama, I can tell you, is going to be campaigning aggressively in Montana and working very hard in the state, but at this point we haven’t made any final decisions about his schedule as far as specific trips.”
Q: Dan Testa of the Flathead Beacon asked, What’s up with the Clinton campaign’s position on seating the Florida and Michigan delegates?
A: Roy Romer: “Even as close as I am to politics, this goalpost-moving confuses me…. The party has got to maintain some discipline about its own rules. You just can’t allow every state to go set its primary date. It has to have some consequence for states that violate that rule. If they don’t have consequences, then next year…the democratic party will not be able to control any of its democratic processes….”
Q: I asked, Sure, Obama has appeal in the West, but how much of it is a general dislike of Hillary? Ed, what did you mean by baggage?
A: Ed Tinsley: “That’s hard to gauge. A lot of it is just anecdotal evidence being and living in Montana and hearing people talk. It’s really tough to measure. But she does elicit a certain response from certain people who might not otherwise be very engaged in the process this time around.”
Q: Matt Brown of the AP asked, How will Obama stack up in the West against McCain?
A: Roy Romer: “If you contrast Obama and McCain’s appeal to independents, Obama holds a 51 to 42 lead among independents [based on a national Washington Post poll]. If you contrast Sen. Clinton’s appeal…McCain wins 49 to 46. So Obama has a stronger appeal to independents, and I think that speaks a bit about the West; not totally, but some because there is more independent thinking, I think, in the West than most regions in the country.”
Q: Testa asked, Does the West Virginia outcome mean anything? Doesn’t it have a similar demographic to Western states?
A: Roy Romer: “Theses races go state by state. Right next door to West Virginia, Obama won Virginia very large, 20-plus points. If you look at Colorado, we had about the same ratio…except in reverse. It depends a great deal on the geography of these elections.”
Q: Johnson asked, With Democratic presidential candidates having won in Montana only three times, what makes you think this year will be any different?
A: Ed Tinsley: “The simple fact of having Sen. Obama on the ticket, even if he doesn’t win Montana, is going to raise the tide for other candidates, I think. It will help down-ticket races a heck of a lot—races like mine, for instance.”
Roy Romer: “The people in this country are really fed up with this administration in a whole host of ways, and that is going to help the Democratic candidate no matter who it is. That’s a very strong advantage to Democrats this year.”
“Secondly, I think the West is changing…. There used to be no Democratic governors in the West and now we have five. I think there’s a change occurring in the West that is, I think, very favorable to somebody who’s a new thinker and a bold thinker like Obama. I think the West, like the rest of the world, is becoming more cosmopolitan. We have more information. The Internet makes us have access to a great deal more information than in the past. I think all those things make us more open to different political policies and personalities.”
Jean Lemire Dahlman: “We have seen voter registration rise significantly, particularly among the young people, and I don’t think those people in Montana are rushing out because they want to vote Republican…. This is a time when I think Montana is likely to go Democrat.”
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Comments
IT'S ABOUT ELECTABILITY !!!
It's time for everyone to face the truth. Barack Obama has no real chance of winning the national election in November at this time. His crushing defeat in Pennsylvania, and loss in Indiana and West Virginia makes that fact crystal clear. His best, and only real chance of winning in November is on a ticket with Hillary Clinton as her VP.
Sen. Obama has zero chance of winning against the republican attack machine, and their unlimited money, and resources without Hillary Clinton. Zero chance.
It is absolutely essential that the democrats take back the Whitehouse in November. America, and the American people are in a very desperate condition now. And the whole World has been doing all that they can to help keep us propped up.
Hillary Clinton say's that the heat, and decisions in the Whitehouse are much tougher than the ones on the campaign trail. But I think Sen. Obama faces a test of whether he has what it takes to be a commander and chief by facing the difficult facts, and the truth before him. And by doing what is best for the American people by dropping out of the race, and offering his whole hearted assistance to Hillary Clinton to help her take back the Whitehouse for the American people, and the World.
Sen. Obama is a great speaker. And I am confident he can explain to the American people the need, and wisdom of such a personal sacrifice for them. It should be clear to everyone by now that Hillary Clinton is fighting her heart out for the American people. She has known for a long time that Sen. Obama can not win this November. You have to remember that the Clinton's have won the Whitehouse twice before. They know what it takes.
If Sen. Obama fails his test of commander and chief we can only hope that Hillary Clinton can continue her heroic fight for the American people. And that she prevails. She will need all the continual support and help we can give her. She may fight like a superhuman. But she is only human.
Don't be fooled by the pledged delegate, and math arguments. Neither candidate has the necessary pledged delegates. The entire delegates counts, and votes from Florida, and Michigan are not even being counted. Plus the democratic caucuses, and primarys have been heavily corrupted by fraud, and vote cheating. The only relevant question now is who can best WIN IN NOVEMBER and take back the Whitehouse for the American people. And the answer is HILLARY CLINTON. Everyone knows that now.
Sincerely
Jacksmith... Working Class :-)
p.s. Cynthia Ruccia - I'm with ya baby. All the way. "Clinton Supporters Count Too."
She can best win Appalachia.
Everywhere else she is either roughly 50/50 with Obama or worse.
P.S. I wouldn't bring up the money question. Clinton couldn't manage her campaign finances. Paying union buster Mark Penn more than one cent is wasting your money.
I don't want someone that is still trying to PROVE something. I want someone that already has a good (I didn't say perfect) record. Obama does NOT fit that profile. He has no clue what all is entailed in being a leader of a 'free' country. Yes, he has dreams, but dreams do not make a President.
Ban the sale or transfer of all forms of semi-automatic weapons.
Increase state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks with firearms.
Source: 1998 IL State Legislative National Political Awareness Test Jul 2, 1998
http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/barack_obama_gun_control.htm
As for gun control get real Montana. I have rifles, I have handguns and I hunt but I also believe in some restrictions on the sale of arms to help deter weapons from getting into the hands of criminals. The Democrats are not trying to take away gun ownership to law abiding citizens. Get real people. This stupid red-necked fear of the Democrats taking away your handguns is totally unfounded yet the GUN CONTROL MYTH continues. The Republicans have won over huge groups of voting blocks through using these emotional issues (i.e. gun ownership, etc.) in order to get elected. Then these same Republicans have shipped your jobs overseas and destroyed many of your opportunities to get ahead in life. It is fear that has driven many of the American people to poverty. I would seriously consider reading the book called What's the Matter With Kansas: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America by Thomas Frank.
This guy wants to be our President and control our government.
Pay close attention to the last comment!! Below are a few lines from Obama's books. His own words:
From Dreams of My Father: 'I ceased to advertise my mother's race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites.'
From Dreams of My Father : 'I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mothers race.'
From Dreams of My Father: 'There was something about him that made me wary, a little too sure of himself, maybe. And white.'
From Dreams of My Father: ; 'It remained necessary to prove which side you were on , to show your loyalty to the black masses, to strike out and name names.'
From Dreams of My Father: 'I never emulate white men and brown men whose fates didn't speak to my own. It was into my father's image, the black man, son of Africa , that I'd packed all the attributes I sought in myself, the attributes of Martin and Malcolm, DuBois and Mandela.'
From Audacity of Hope: 'I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.'
Congress passes laws, but it is the Administrative Rules printed in the Federal Register that govern the country. And the courts exist to decide if challenged ARs are legal, or not.
The most important thing the next President will do is appoint judges to the Federal Bench, including a couple of Supreme Court positions. So, the real issue on voting is who do you want appointing judges for life. Obama? Clinton? McCain? and "none of the above" is not an option.
I dread the process once again. Those Senators for Life, the Leahy, Spector, Levin, Kennedy crowd will pontificate endlessly, and do their thumbs up or down routine. Little big men. Wasn't that a movie?
You state "Dems taking away handguns unfounded" Really! Have you forgotten about Wash.DC, NY City, Chicago where they already have..Obama has either voiced support for, or voted to enact laws to:
ban all handguns
ban the sale or transfer of all semi-automatic firearms
ban Right-to Carry in everystate, Nationwide
ban firearms in the home, even for self-protection
Obama has supported bans on ammunition magazines, renewal of the Clinton gun ban He refused to sign the pro-gun "friend-of-the-court" brief filed by 55 senators and 250 house members for the DC v. Heller gun ban case
He voted against the "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act"
Obama proposed a Fed. Law banning licensed firearm dealers from operating within five miles of any school or park, Nationwide! When an Illinois lawmaker introduced a bill that would exonerate citizens for violating "local gun bans" if they used a gun to defend themselves in their homes, Obama voted NO!
You just keep thinking HE wouldn't take your guns, I know better...
I should be honest, I'm not from Montana, but my best friend is from Kalispell, and I love your state. I'm also curious about what people are thinking since the Montana primary is important this year, which is why I read this article. Thought I'd just mention that some of these posters (i.e. JackSmith-working class) have been cutting and pasting the same anti-Obama posts all over the internet for weeks now. Please don't fall for it---they are probably Republicans posing as HRC fanatics to try to divide Dems.
Sincerely, a pro-Obama cheesehead from Wisconsin