Dukakis: Obama likely to win; must gird for smears
Twenty years ago it was Mike Dukakis who broke out of the Democratic pack to capture the presidential nomination. This cycle, Dukakis believes -- like many other observers in the party -- that Barack Obama is poised to do the same.
"If you were to say to me, 'If you were a betting guy, Dukakis, what do you think?' I'd say he's going to get the nomination within the next month or so," said Dukakis, who is publicly neutral in the race. (His wife, Kitty, has contributed money to Obama.)
Dukakis is quick to add that politics -- as the 2008 campaign has repeatedly shown -- is an unpredictable business, and that Clinton is not to be underestimated. "She's worked hard," he said. "She's been a damn good candidate under very difficult circumstances."
His advice for Obama at this stage is two-fold: First, build an organization broad enough to have a precinct captain in every voting precinct in every state -- something Dukakis says Obama, more than any candidate in decades, is capable of doing. Second, Dukakis says, Obama and his campaign must devise a sound plan for hitting back hard when the right starts throwing mud -- something he said neither he nor John Kerry had.
"It happened to me, it happened to Kerry, here we go again," he said, predicting that Obama's being African-American will attract scurrilous attacks. "He is the first of his race to be a serious candidate for the presidency, and we all know what that means."
It will be incumbent on Obama's campaign, he said, to hold John McCain accountable for what his surrogates say and do. "They can't let him get away with this," he said.
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
Send your comments to masspolitics@globe.com
INside Boston.com
- Party photos
See who was out on the town in Bill Brett's latest photos - Veterans Day in Mass.
Local ceremonies honor sacrifices of service members - A very pregnant Gisele
Supermodel and Tom Brady's wife is clearly expecting - Season's sippings: Fall 2009
Bar maestros around town are switching up their drink menus -
Plus...
- Home
- |
- Today's Globe
- |
- News
- |
- Business
- |
- Sports
- |
- Your Life
- |
- A&E
- |
- Travel
- |
- Cars
- |
- Jobs
- |
- Homes
- |
- Local Search
Dear Mr. Helman,
My name is Christopher Fedor and I wanted to share with you an e-mail that I sent Lanny Davis last week. It moved him so much that he posted it on a few sites. It would be great for the uncommitted Superdelegates and for all of them in general to hear what an average every day citizen has to say. Obama is clearly the weaker candidate and has a serious problem with the rust belt swing states and Florida. John McCain can snatch Ohio, Michigan, Florida, and possibly Pennsylvania from the Democrats this year if Obama is the nominee. That will be a SURE win for McCain. Is there any way for Michael Dukakis to receive this? I was a supporter of him in 1988, even though I was only 10 years old at the time. Anyway...
Lanny writes,
During the course of the Democratic presidential campaign, I have received hundreds of emails from people I don't know -- many of them supportive of Senator Clinton's presidential candidacy (and saying nice words to me regarding my support for her on various TV programs) and many not supportive (and not so nice words about me personally).
But the email message I just received from a young man from Pennsylvania so moved me that I thought it was worth sharing.
I have called him and asked his permission to reprint it and to share his email address. He agreed.
So here it is. Read on below. I know he would welcome comments from those who agree as well as disagree. So would I.
--Lanny Davis
(Mr. Davis is a supporter and fund-raiser of Senator Hillary Clinton for President).
Dear Lanny,
My name is Christopher Fedor and I live in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. I apologize for writing to you at your law office, but I could not find any other contact information for you. I have also e-mailed Senator Clinton and Governor Rendell, but I have not found any contact information for Terry McAuliffe. I wanted you to know that I admire your support for Senator Clinton and how you make the case for her on the cable news shows, including Larry King Live and Hardball. You really know the reality of this election year and how important it is to have a Democrat in office. I had one thing on my mind when I went to vote in the Pennsylvania Primary: Who can beat McCain more easily!!! The answer is Clinton!! If Obama was considered the stronger candidate and it was proven in all the polls I would have picked him. I am a Clinton fan to begin with, but I really want a Democrat in office and my personal bias toward Clinton did not affect how I voted. We simply need a Democrat in office.
I am astonished at how the media and the supporters of Barack Obama are disregarding the whole rust belt working class argument of the swing states. How can a 41 point win in WV be overlooked? Before I go on, I must state that I am a loyal democrat and will vote for the democratic nominee in the fall no matter who it is, but I do think that nominating Obama is a HUGE error. He and his support team claim that they can expand the electoral map and make up for swing state losses by turning some of the red states to blue, like CO, VA, etc. However, that is not a given. They are simply hoping that he is able to do that. Well, it IS is a GIVEN that Clinton is stronger in the swing states like OH, PA, FL, and MI and that has consistently been proven in the polls and averages of polls. Shouldn't you go with what's GIVEN, and not just relying on HOPING. Why is this argument failing with the Superdelegates? I look at the electoral map, especially the one on www.electoral-vote.com. Check this one out because the owner of the site does a great job at matching up Obama and Clinton against McCain. Obama is clearly the weaker candidate and I don't know why the Superdelegates seem to overlook this. He has a lot more risky baggage than Clinton has as well and I'm afraid that the Republican attack machine will slaughter him in the summer and fall. What exactly are people afraid of if they do not nominate him? More Clinton supporters say they will vote for McCain or not vote if she is not the nominee than Obama supporters who say they will do the same thing if he is not the nominee. I think Obama will have a tough time in unifying the party. Fortunately I am not someone who would vote for McCain or not vote at all, but I do believe that many people will.
What else can be done to make the case to the Superdelegates? According to CNN there are only 231 Superdelegates left to make a commitment. Will a big victory in Kentucky do anything to veer them Clinton's way and take Obama's momentum away after the Edwards endorsement? Again, I will vote for Obama if he is the nominee, but I have major doubts on him being able to defeat McCain and this can be a major year for Democrats especially since significant gains are expected in the House and Senate. I just think it is a grave mistake to let Obama get this nomination. I think it is ok to overturn the pledged delegate lead that Obama has. If it were a winner take all primary, Clinton would be ahead anyway. The flawed democratic primary system has been totally advantageous for Obama, along with the media bias. It seems like everything out there is geared against Clinton, starting with the MI/FL fiasco.
I just thought I would try to get my opinion known to people that I admire like yourself, Senator Clinton, Governor Rendell, and hopefully Terry McAuliffe at some point. I feel very passionate about this. However, if Obama is the nominee, I really do hope that I am proved wrong with McCain's defeat, but at this point I feel I'm right and I have to voice my opinion in this election year. Maybe this e-mail could be sent to many people in the Obama campaign, but they probably have heard this defense of Clinton a million times and hopefully they have. Who knows, I know I'm about 1 in 301 or so million people in this country, but maybe I can help make a difference.
Thank you Lanny for reading this and hearing a voice out there that admires you and everything the Clinton campaign is doing to defend Senator Clinton's path to winning the Democratic nomination.
Sincerely,
Christopher J. Fedor
724-272-6744
cjfedor711@comcast.net
Lanny posted the e-mail on the following websites:
http://pundits.thehill.com/2008/05/19/one-e-mail-worth-reading/
http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-fedor/the-need-to-nominate-the_b_102278.html
My name is Christopher Fedor. I am 29 years old and I grew up in Wexford, PA, a northern suburb of Pittsburgh. I majored in Communication at the University of Pittsburgh and participated in theatre, as I like to act. I have aspirations in political writing, commentating, or campaigning. I have not ruled out pharmacy school either because of my love of science and medicine. I may pursue film and television as well. In my free time I enjoy running, swimming, and lifting weights.