Redstate

more surrogates, plenty of Dem hostility

By Mark Kilmer Posted in Special Features | Sunday Morning | Talk Shows | Talking Heads — Comments (15) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Leading off FNS, Chris Dodd, an Obama surrogate, declared that Obama had rejected his minister Jeremiah Wright. Schumer, for Hillary, excused Obama, saying that Hillary had a Diane Feinstein. They both agreed that we should drop this guilt-by-association and talk about the issues, such as that President Bush is really Herbert Hoover (d.1964).

Next on FNS, Hank Paulson said that his job was to promote "stability of our financial system." He also said that a strong dollar was in our nation's interest.

On TW, Nancy said that she wants to take a year withdrawing our troops from Iraq beginning now. She's sure that there will not be a Hillary-Obama ticket: "I'm just absolutely sure. I just know it."

Next on TW, Hank Paulson said that his job was to promote "stability of our financial system." The Bear-Sterns bailout, he said, was the right thing to do for this reason.

On MTP, Nita Lowey and Bill Bradley were the most polite surrogates, Hillary and Barry respectively, we've seen so far. Bradley suggested that if the Michigan/Florida problem ends up going to the Credential Committee, this could be another '72, when that committee handed the nomination to George McGovern of Hubert Humphrey. Lowey, the Clinton girl, wants to forget about this Jeremiah Wright stuff and get on with a discussion of the "serious issues." Instead of squabbling, the Barry and Hillary campaigns have to contrast their vision with that of "Bush-McCain."

On FTN, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said that he thinks the superdelegates will side with the will of Dem voters, and that the Hillary campaign keeps "moving the goalposts." Next on FTN, Leon Panetta said that the superdelegates should also consider who can win in November and who has momentum. He thinks that Hillary might have to put Obama on the ticket if it is a fiercely divided convention in Denver this summer.

On LE, Senator Leahy for Obama and Senator Feinstein for Hillary were in some zone of their own. Leahy called McCain's visit to Iraq today, a photo-op. Feinstein declared that he should have brought Senators with him who were not on his campaign committee. Leahy said that Hillary supported the war in Iraq while Obama opposed it, and Feinstein pointed out that Barry wasn't even in the Senate when the resolution was passed. Feinstein ruled out keeping the Bush tax cuts while Leahy said that tax cuts should be targeted. In response to McCain's stance against earmarks, Dianne said that her earmarks were "prioritized" and Leahy said that the Iraq war was the biggest earmark of them all.

The complete, show-by-show review begins on the next page.

SCHUMER AND DODD ON FNS. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York shilled for Hillary while Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut ran the swindle for Obama for host Chris Wallace on FOX News Sunday this AM. Of course, Wallace played that clip of the Minister Jeremiah Wright mouthing off in boisterous terms about how the United States has treated people of color how the "chickens is come home to roost" for our arrogant foreign policy on September 11, 2001. Dancing the dirty for Barry O., Dodd said that Obama has "totally rejected that." Dodd rejected "guilt-by-association" as Un-American. Dodd argued that Barry "wasn't aware" of Wright's racist tirades. Wallace pointed out that he had been, and Dodd seamlessly returned to his "Obama has rejected" line.

Dodd argued that one does not quit a church merely because he disagrees with a few statements made by the minister. Wallace asked Dodd if he would have quit, and Dodd didn't answer; rather, he proclaimed: "This is not Barack Obama."

Schumer agreed, pointing out that John McCain's campaign has a problem with televangelist John Hagee's anti-Catholicism and "we" [Hillary's campaign] have a problem with Geraldine Ferraro. But, he argued, you cannot blame a candidate for his/her supporters. Schumer, of the Clinton campaign, argued that Obama was not anti-Israel merely because Wright is.

Chris Wallace brought up Ferraro's statement that Obama's campaign was successful only because of his race. He asked Schumer why she keeps playing racial politics. Schumer answered that Geraldine had quit the campaign. Dodd agreed with Schumer, stating that this is not an issue. Schumer said that this election will be decided "on the issues."

Dodd said that this was President Bush's second recession, but this time, we lack the "solid underpinnings" we had in 2001. Schumer repeated his argument that President Bush is really Herbert Hoover, whistling while depression looms. Wallace pointed out that Schumer had blamed Bush for the 2001 recession for talking down the economy. Schumer argued that this time, "the economy is talking down the economy." The President could have stopped this recession, Schumer insisted, if he had listened to him last May.

HANK PAULSON ON FNS. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson was Wallace's next guest on FOX News Sunday, where he declared that "we're all over this" economic situation. We, the American people, are going to get our government-issued checks in May.

His main issue, he said, is the "stability of our financial system." He refused a lot of speculation,

Wallace asked him about the bailout of Bear Sterns and why the taxpayers should have to bail out these institutions. Paulson explained that it was for the stability of our financial system. Wallace wondered about bailing out other institutions, and Paulson objected to him "jumping to conclusions about how this plays out."

Paulson said that a strong dollar "is in our interests," and that we needed to enhance confidence in our markets.

NANCY ON TW. Nancy Pelosi told George Stephanopoulos, host of ABC's This Week, that "we have to life ourselves out of that" mind set which breeds controversy in a Geraldine Ferraro observation. We have to speak of "ideas, plans, and visions."

Steph asked Nancy on what she based her assertion that there would be no Obama/Clinton ticket this fall, and we were told to take her at her wise political instinct: "I'm just absolutely sure. I just know it."

Nancy talked about "redeployment of our troops out of Iraq" in a way which would not satisfy those on the unhinged left. She wants to begin soon reducing the troops in a measured manner. It "could take a year," she admitted, "but it must begin." Why? "This was is an embarrassment…. This war must end."

PAULSON ON TW. Paulson was up next on TW. He wouldn't speculate on the outcome of this situation, but his main concern is the "stability of our financial system." Steph suggested that he should have "made an example out of Bear-Sterns." Paulson countered that the Fed had made the right decision for the stability of our markets.

Paulson talked about the "necessary decline in home prices," in that we cannot have that kind of appreciation with recession.

Steph wanted more government intervention, but Paulson held that this would only cause more problems to the system.

Asked why the Administration never uses the term "recession," Paulson said that whatever Steph wants to call it, he had to decide what to do about it.

LOWEY AND BRADLEY ON MTP. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Rep. Nita Lowey (New York) for Hillary, retired basketball star and Senator Bill Bradley (New Jersey) for Barry. Russert's delegate count is: Barry – 1,409; Hillary – 1,250. Obama gained 10 in Iowa yesterday, which is one more than the nine Hillary gained in Ohio. The Russert superdelegate count now shows Obama with 217 and Hillary with 253. Obama's won 28 contests and 49% of the popular vote, while Hillary has taken 14 and 47%. Clinton is getting thrashed by the Obama juggernaut.

Russert asked Lowey what happens if "those trends continue and Barry goes to the convention leading in every popular measure, could Hillary deny him the nomination? Nita said that millions of people haven't voted yet and Hillary is shooting her marbles in Pennsylvania and the superdelegates (20%). Hillary, she said, would win the "key States." She called this race, "a tie." She wants to have a "really productive discussion." She thinks this period will not be a negative; rather, it will be one during which the Dems can contrasts themselves with "The Bush-McCain Plan."

Bradley thinks the candidate with the most elected delegates should be the nominee. "This is a ten State race all the way through to the convention." He pointed out that North Carolina and Indian combined have more total delegates than does Pennsylvania. He also threatened that any superdelegate who goes against the voters in his district who went for Obama "is risking a primary the next time. It's politics." (If a politician is primaried over which Dem candidate he/she supported, this is a serious, divisive issue, on a similar plane as the war in Iraq to the Dems.)

For Michigan and Florida, Bradley said that "the rules are the rules." He suggested a 50-50 division, and he blamed the State parties for any voter disenfranchisement.

Russert asked Lowey about Hillary's flip-flop on the Michigan primary, and Lowey answered that the votes should be counted. She thinks that there will be a revote but not a mail-in vote. Bradley drew a connection to the '72 Dem primary, where the credentials committee made some decisions which handed the nomination to George McGovern over a Hubert Humphrey retread.

On the matter of Barry's minister Jeremiah Wright, Bradley said that what is important is what Obama did when he learned of them. Obama condemned them as soon as he'd heard of them, Bradley claimed. (For how long as Barry known that the creator of the "audacity of hope" was saying such things?) Lowey said we should take Barry at his word and move on "to consider the serious issues."

PATRICK ON FTN. On CBS' Face the Nation, host Bob Schieffer had on Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick for Barry. He played a clip of Geraldine Ferraro's line and another of Jeremiah Wright denouncing the United States. Schieffer said, "This has been a pretty good campaign up until a few weeks ago, governor." Patrick argued that these supporters "are not the candidate."

Schieffer pointed out that neither will have enough delegates going into the convention. Patrick said that he thinks the superdelegates will "ratify the will of the people."

Schieffer asked him about Michigan and Florida said, "Good-ness knows!" He said that it was up to the DNC, adding that those two States had violated the rules.

He laughed that the Clinton campaign keeps moving the goalposts. Obama will compete for Pennsylvania.

Schieffer asked him if blacks will stay home if Obama loses the nomination, and Patrick said that he hoped not.

PANETTA ON FTN. Bob Schieffer spoke next to Hillary supporter and former Clinton (Bill) staffer Leon Panetta, live via satellite from Monterey. Panetta said that we should "take a deep breath and let the rest of this campaign play out." He said that Hillary had the endorsements of Al Gore and John Edwards.

He said that it is important who has the most delegates, but that it is also important to consider who can win and who has the momentum.

Schieffer asked him about the white Democrats taking the nomination from a black Democrat even when he's leading going into the convention. Panetta pointed out that Hillary was a woman and the party has to pull together behind whoever wins. "Or we'll pull defeat from the jaws of victory."

Schieffer brought up Mayor Doug Wilder saying on FNS that the '68 Dem convention in Chicago would be nothing compared to what would happen in Denver should that scenario play out. Panetta accused Wilder of "overstating" the case. He thinks the party will be unified.

Schieffer asked why this campaign had become so negative. Panetta said that he hopes that both candidates have to understand that this has to be on a higher plane. He said that we have "huge crises": two wars and the war on terror, high gas prices, worst economy since the '30s, etc.

He said that this has nothing to do with race or sex; it has to do with taking the country forward. Schieffer asked if Hillary had to put Barry on the ticket, and Panetta said that they have flexibility. If this is a divided convention, he said, it may take "some kind of combined ticket."

Schieffer's interview with Panetta was certainly harsher and more accusatory than that with Patrick, but in the end, he concedes that he has it in his noggin that Hillary will triumph.

LEAHY AND FEINSTEIN ON LE. Pat Leahy for Obama, Dianne Feinstein for Hillary, Wolf Blitzer hosting CNN's Late Edition. Leahy thinks that Senator McCain should answer for using taxpayers' funds to go to Iraq, he has two supporters of his campaign (Lieberman and Graham, who happen to be Senators on the Armed Services Committee) on the plane with him, and he's going to Britain afterwards for a fundraiser. He called McCain's trip a "photo top" and he declared that he war was not going as well as McCain says it is. Feinstein argued that McCain should have taken Armed Services Committee members who were "not so closely associated with his campaign."

Feinstein thinks Clinton "has been more attuned to some of the particulars" of troop withdrawal than has Obama. She called the Iraqi government "incompetent" and said that the surge is not working politically. She cited the New York Times as reporting that Iraqi oil revenue is funding the insurgency.

Leahy said, "Senator Clinton supported the war in Iraq. Senator Obama owns the war in Iraq." He declared that the Iraqis will do nothing "to put their country back together," so long as we're giving them our money. Feinstein disagreed. She further pointed out that Obama was not in the Senate when the Iraq resolution came up for a vote. Feinstein suggested that Hillary would be the same kind of President as she was a Senator for New York after 9-11.

Leahy argued that experience was not necessary to be President, as the two most experienced Washington hands he's seen in DC are Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld. He argued that their experience led them to make dreadful mistakes.

Feinstein said that the President, for the first time in history, has "fought a war not by raising new revenues, but on the debt." She declared that the tax cuts should not be renewed. Wolf asked Obama if it would be wise to raise taxes in a time of economic distress. Leahy talked about the "Bush debt and the Bush war in Iraq." Leahy said that Democrats will target tax cuts to the middle class, R&D, and small businesses.

Wolf asked about pork/earmarks, pointing out that McCain is set against them. Feinstein says she tries to "prioritize" her pork demands. She said that pork was the only way Congress is involved in the budget process. Leahy agreed that Feinstein is very responsible on her pork request. He called the Iraq war "the largest earmark." He defended earmarks by saying that we're spending money on Iraq when we're not researching Alzheimer's and cancer, we're not funding police forces in America.

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There's the review. Now have at it.