Air America: Howard Dean Says Democratic Race Should Be Resolved By June
By Nicole Belle Tuesday Apr 22, 2008 5:00pm
Howard Dean appeared on Air America's Rachel Maddow Show (with guest host David Bender) to assure listeners that he hopes to have all the loose ends -- unpledged delegates and the issue of whether or how to seat Florida and Michigan delegates -- dragging down the primary process tied up by June.
DAVID BENDER: Senator Clinton said, I think just yesterday to Keith Olbermann, that she was committed in staying in this race until Florida and Michigan are resolved…ahhh…
HOWARD DEAN: I think that's going to happen in June.
BENDER: You do? You think that will happen in June through the- through the bylaws and through the…
DEAN: Yeah. I'm hoping- I mean, I believe that there will be a rules committee meeting and we'll take up the question of Florida and Michigan. Michigan has just sent in a challenge and we hope to do that- hope to take up them both in the same meeting. So, you know I think that will happen, I think that all the pieces will be in place by the end of June...
Mr Obama’s campaign emphasises repeatedly the remorseless mathematical logic that, barring “tragedy or travesty”, points to him being the nominee. He has five times more cash on hand to spend on the coming contests than Mrs Clinton and there is a growing sense of exhaustion among Democrats who just want this once-exciting but now damaging race to be over.
But the reluctance of hundreds of other super-delegates to declare for him just yet reflects nagging doubts about whether he can win in November against John McCain, as well as residual loyalty to the Clinton brand.
Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, wants super-delegates to make up their minds by July 1, leaving the party with almost two months to heal its wounds before the convention in August. This still gives Mrs Clinton time to find a good argument for why super-delegates should risk accusations of overturning the will of voters in primaries and caucuses.
I was a big Deaniac back in 2004, and I really think this is the time for Dean to step up to the plate and bring his fractious party back together. There's just too much as stake in this election. (thanks to S for the audio)
Login or Register to post comments.
frankly, i don't believe a goddamn thing either party says.
Yeah #1.
Wow, that's fantastic. "I think", "I believe", "I hope".
Sounds like we got our shit together.
Did Howard Dean just say that by June FL and MI will count?
"We Believe"
I think Clinton has about 23 million for the general and Obama 8 mill. She just got around $10 million overnight with 50,000 new donors. Money might not be a problem.
She has a good caucus argument with the state of Texas. How many other states would have gone her way had they been a primary instead of a caucus? Plus the general isn't a caucus.
If it's not resolved by June 1, Dean will have as much blood on his hands as anyone else.
Dean should resign. This job is obviously way beyond him IMHO.
goober & the peas @ 1:
I hope the democrats come in and change things; but realistically, I know it is just going to be business as usual.
I'm not holding my breathe on anything.
I guess the silverlining in all of this is; these corporate types can only push things a little bit further until it all unravels.
Our government economically collapsing wouldn't be the end of the world. People would just pick up the pieces and start over. Lot's of countries and people have had to do it. In the long run, it might be better for us if this thing goes full cycle.
It might be worse to have someone come in and band aid our government so that it lasts another 8 or 10 years before it goes belly-up.
Blue Lensman @ 6:
If this is resolved on June 2nd or July 4th the world will definately end.
Is there anything worth looking forward to anymore?
Besides empty promises?
He's right...as long as Hillary gets exactly what she wants. Otherwise its scorched earth to the convention and probably Armageddon at the convention if someone doesn't stop her. Lets not kid ourselves, political terrorism is part of the "threat" by this bitch. Talk about narcissism.
Kathy @ 3:
No, he said that the problems in those states would be resolved.
Could be that the national party office will accept delegates chosen in the two states' party conventions. If so, that would probably be good for Obama, at least here in Michigan.
upchuck @ 9:
The odds of a McCain victory increase markedly if this drags into the summer. Then after he becomes the next POTUS, the world ends.
I'm looking forward to Bush's legacy - Madame President.
L.A. Confidential @ 10:
I gave up on politicians offering anything to look forward to a long time ago. I leave that to my family and friends.
as long as hillary is entertaining scenarios, if the israeli government was behind a nuclear device being detonated in california, would she obliterate israel? i would bet, no.
I don't know how the people in Mich feel but I have heard no one down here in florida raise any sort of hell about our primary not counting. We've accepted it and are ready to move on.
Every state gets to vote. What a concept. Something we've wanted for a long time. Every state in the union gets to know our candidates. Why is that a bad thing? If they get to know our candidates and it hurts the candidate, then that person didn't have a chance in the general anyway. I personally think my candidate looks strong for the general - with or without Obama supporters.
Hey did anybody see the article today on McCain asking the NC GOP to stop an Obama smear ad from running?
I know the guy sucks balls, but it almost seemed...classy to me. Now that's a word I haven't used to describe politics for a long time.
Pissed off - you must have missed the big donors in Florida asking the DNC for their money back. Florida has to be count, and it will.
Dean needs to take a stand , and so do many of the Superdels- including Edwards, Gore etc...IT IS TIME....otherwise we just face more and more weeks of Bill and Hill dishing out their negative bashing distortions, distractions- Away from Issues of the Real People.....This must be wrapped up by June- we need the Summer to heal, unite and get ready to beat McShame...
Hillary, please just do us all a favor and go the way of the Dodo.
jmac @ 18:
Do you get paid to shill for HRC or is it just a hobby?
Here's our supreme court at work.
Here's the story on McCain and NC. Read it and tell me what you think? Classy or calculating?
She's not going away. Neither are her supporters. If I'm shilling, what are you doing?
And we can pick a nominee in June but it can still be overturned at the convention.
Ash"Hussy"Williams @ 24:
My friend, this is all part of the dance. They're chomping at the bit to run against HRC.
jmac @ 25:
One thing I'm not doing is repeating talking points that we've all heard ad nauseum as though they were some fresh ideas that possibly hadn't occurred to anyone here.
Ash"Hussy"Williams @ 19:
But this mousey looking chairman of the Republican party in N.C. is ignoring all requests and putting the ads on. You guessed it..Rev. Wright shit again...
Dean is just incompetent, way out of his league. If he's got a plan to resolve things, why not say what it is.? It's amateur hour and he's jeopardizing the party's chances of success in November.
Well, I'll leave then. I liked the post. I enjoyed reading it.
Blue Lensman @ 27:
But somehow you've never succeeded in answering those points.
Dean has been a disgrace. He's been in the tank for Obama since day one. Now the party is more divided than ever. Way to go Howard. Dean, Pelosi, Brazile have been more concerned with their power within the party than they have with the members of the party. Dean has been sitting on his hands with regards to MI and FL because Obama doesn't want the votes counted. Instead of trying to protect Obama, Dean should have demanded that the voters in these states be heard. They could have both been revoted by now. If Obama won't allow a revote then the votes should be counted as they were voted. Both of these primaries have been certified by their states. I know on Planet Obama they'll whine, "but his name wasn't on the ballot in MI." Well, that was his decision. He knew he couldn't win so he pussied out. Just like he pussied out of the NC debate. What's he gonna do in the GE, take his name off the ballot in states he can't win and then insist that those states shouldn't be counted? He could have put his name on the ballot in a revote but he didn't have the balls to do it then either.
Sue @ 28:
[Three weeks before the primary] The excuse he's using for defying the RNC and the Republican Presidential candidate?
It's an ad that attacks the democratic governor, not Obama!
Awhaaaa?
Peter G @ 31:
What the heck, I'll give it a shot.
Hillary will never have more delegates or as much money as Obama. End of story.
How's that?
Sue @ 28:
Of course he asked them to "NOT RUN IT"; what ever you do; don't run it; wink...wink...hint...hint...
Like a guy running for President would really run a sleazy attack add and want his name attached to it.
That was why Rove decided to create the "Swift Vote Vets".
He could run all sorts of sleazy adds and at the same time pretend it wasn't from the Bush campaign.
pissed off: you must have also missed the Florida Democratic campaign to write in Mickey Mouse if the DNC doesn't count their votes BEFORE the nominee is selected.
Blue Lensman @ 34:
Depending how Florida and Michigan go and the superdelegates she may get 2025. If the candidate with the most money wins then it's not much a system is it. Rich people can just bid for the job. How about that Mitt Romney?
upchuck @ 35:
I thought that too, but then came to a different conclusion.
But it didn't have his name on it. It wasn't about him or by him.
And that was my question: classy or calculating?
I came up with classy.
Peter G @ 37:
Well, Peter G, I won't defend the system but it's gonna take a boatload of cash to go up against McCain and the McMachine this fall.
Chuck U @ 15:
No doubt this is getting pretty ridiculous though.
upchuck @ 35:
I have to add; this is why the democrats lose elections.
They never once aired an ad with Bush and his Saudi friends.
What the democrats need to do; if they are serious about winning; is find a bunch of people that lost money in the Keating 5 scandal.
Call it "the Keating 5 victims for justice".
Then they secretly funnel money to this organization they created through various sources of private donations.
Then they run campaign adds from "the Keating 5 victims for justice".
Show little old ladies that lost their life savings and now can't afford medicine.
Just say things like: " he stole our life's savings and now he wants the keys to our national treasury... do we want this man to steal our grandchildren's future...can we really trust John McCain?"
There you go... the mud has been slung and the democratic campaign can say we aren't running sleazy attack adds.
That is how the Republicans do it; and it works.
Blue Lensman @ 39:
That it will. And I've always said I'll support whichever candidate wins the nomination. Frankly I think the whole concept of superdelegates is asinine. I don't blame either candidate for the current mess. That blame belongs squarely with the rules committee and Dean.
Ash"Hussy"Williams @ 38:
Well it has Karl Rove written all over it. I'm sure we can agree on that. I think Karl is hoping beyond all hope that Hillary is the nominee. I bet they dug up all sorts of dirt on the Clinton's, during Bush's illegal occupation of the White House. I don't know if John McCain is just playing the role or being sincere. Judging by his past associations with the Keating 5 I am willing to bet he is just as crooked as the lot of them.
The only reason this has not been resolved, is that there is still a majority of Americans who have racist tendencies, even within the Democratic party.
Americans should feel ashamed that they are considering giving the boot to the best qualified and reasonable man, only because he is black.
Hang your heads America!
If you choose any candidate other than Obama, you are all fools.
jmac @ 5:
I don't believe your money numbers. I heard that Clinton had less than 10 million on hand and got 3.5 million overnight. And I heard Obama had around 40 million on hand.
The Clinton camp has put the goal posts on roller skates.
I know the Democrats are supposed to be better than the Rethuglicans, but if they can't even manage their own primary elections, can they manage the country?
Peter G @ 42:
[emphasis added]
You can't lay this on Dean or the current rules committee. The superdelegate rules were introduced in the mid '70's after McGovern found a way to win the nomination in '72 without obtaining what you could call a real groundswell of support, then winning Massachussets and...nothing else in the general election. The system has worked since then only because we haven't seen the type of race that we're seeing this year.
Now had you or anyone else raised the point last summer that the selection process needed to be fixed, I'd say that you were right, and that you have the right to lord your foresight over everyone. But I don't recall anyone, anywhere, saying that the process was going to be a problem.
jmac @ 5:
yes the moneys rolling in for our gal hillary, sent a hundread myself today! all the old farts i know are forking over the green , thanks steve , im doing it for you!!!! oh and never mind my grass!
tyree at 73 @ 48:
tyree-
I noticed this last night...what the hell's up with directing your comments to someone named steve? Am I missing something, or, at 73, have you just given up on even trying to to remember who you're talking to, instead calling everyone steve?
You ever stop to wonder why Republicans are running attack ads now on Obama and ignoring Clinton?
Did you? You micro-brains.
Because they have years and years of stuff on her, not to mention the backlog on Bill.
You cretins.
The Republicans WANT to run against Hillary because they know they can beat her. Because they
know they have the material.
They can't find a damn thing on Obama and it scares the living shit out of them.
But oh no, you MORONS think somehow that a candidate who would have been drummed out
of the campaign if she were ANYONE else, she's so far behind, has a shot at the nomination.
Dean and the DNC's M.O. is whatever it takes to rid the party of Obama and the phenomenon that surrounds his rise.
Clinton is the DNC's anointed one and sacrificial lamb to a McCain ascendancy to the White House. The Dems will control both Houses of Congress while the Republicans once again own the White House.
Prepare for more of the same. War, faulty economy, deteriorating infrastructure, failed education system and health care unattainable for 60 million Americans. The Republicans will continue unabated the push of the Bush Doctrine while Democrats fein outrage all the while signing over checks.
Democrats are pathetic and Dean a clown.
pissedcanuck @ 44:
yeah dam whitey
Andy K Jong Il @ 49:
yes
Dateline Baghdad 2108 @ 51:
Are we talking about the same Howard Dean here? Because this Howard Dean is left of both of the remaining Democratic candidates, and got screwed over by Hillary's DLC in Iowa in '04.
Now I'd ask you to link something like facts so that you can show me how you got on this line of thinking, but something tells me that you just made it up in a fit of madness and rage.
But something else tells me that you're actually just agitating from the right.
[FIFY. Site Monitor]
tyree at 73 @ 53:
Well thanks for the explanation, Ed.
*to other person in the room* Yeah, Ed, Ed's just goin' senile. Tell Ed, wouldjya?
Andy K Jong Il @ 49:
no andy not flipping my gord yet! just paying my respects to good steveram the old generation hater , who undeservedly unloaded on me on the old fart mccain thread night before last! before he unleashed his spittle on me i was leaning towards obama , but he helped me make up my mind by trying to hummilate me , well he screwed with the wrong old pooch , so now im backing clinton ,thanks to steve!!!!
Hey Dems w/o a clue....
Dean is doing *exactly* what the DNC bylaws say. Rules are rules. MI and Fl knowingly
*violated* those rules. Their 'primary election votes' will NOT count, period. The Rules meeting in June(which has been scheduled for months!!!!) gives both states an opportunity to reach a settlement and allow their delegates to still attend the convention..attend yes, but not as alloted per candidate as determined by their *fraudulent* primaries. My guess would be a 50/50 split.
Andy K Jong Il @ 55:
thanks steve jr
Dean a clown? That's the thanks he gets for standing up when these three candidates where voting for the Iraq invasion in the Senate?
My how people forget in this country.
Oh by the way, were occupying two countries, one had nothing to do with 9/11 and the other has Osama bin Laden in the middle of it. "Mysteriously", bin Laden manages to escape capture under the Bush administration.
Oil has doubled, food is being hoarded by Wal-Mart, and our current government is reaping what they've sown for deregulating the banking industry.
One of these two are going to final democratic delegate. Judging by the money coming in. It ain't gonna be that pant-suit cankled bitch.
to me, deans weak leadership in the dnc proves that he never shoulda been prez
uncle joe hussein mccarthy @ 60:
Are you a republican ??
do you worship authoritarians?
sure sounds like it.
The DNC has rules,and Dean is following them. he does NOT have the authority to
'decide' this one way or another. Its not a matter of 'weakness' on his part. Thats
absurd. He stood up against the invasion of Iraq, the Bush tax cuts, and numerous
other absudities of the last few years when almost nobody else was...and you call him
'weak'? LOL!!
Republicans are the one's who think 'playing by the rules' are for weaklings.
thats what i like about the obamanians they stab you in the back in the blink of an eye! thats the reason your going down the toilet , howard deans going to get thoes two states for clinton and wrap this thing up by the way my names not ED got it!
The super stupid delegates aren't sure if Obama can win against McSame? What f*cking planet are they on?
Oh, I forgot, excuuuuse me, they're Dems. Genetically spineless and given to losing.
tyree at 73 @ 62:
'..get those states for Clinton??'
!!!!!LOL!!!!!
W-R-O-N-G !!!!
tyree at 73 @ 56:
Got it!
I don't know the factor of snarkiness you've got going on right now, but if you're being serious, a bit of advice (if you'll accept it from a whippersnapper like me): don't let asshole supporters of either candidate sway you. It should be a personal decision between you and the candidates. But I'm sure you know that, Navy.
Andy K Jong Il @ 65:
andy youve never been unkind to me before that senile remark, my motto is never leave a wounded enemy behind put one in his brain! the reason i didnt fully answer your question was private i didnt expect that from you, so im over it!
I am sure that Obama has the "Tom Bradelly" syndrome all wound up and ready to pitch if he looses either the Nomination or the General Election..They already used it in New Hampshire when he was supposed to win there...." Oh those New Hampshire folk they just can't vote for a black man they said they wanted to but then when they got in the booth their racist tendencies just took over and Poof...we lost because of the racists....I am so sick of this guy Obama already the thought of him pontificating to us for four years makes me want to take serious drugs...when ever I see him about to speak I have to turn off the tube or radio can't umm ahhh ahhh stand umm ahhhh well ahhh I just can't see ummm stand ummm ahhhh to listen ahhh ahmmmm to him!
"Hey Michele you proud of America now that I am a somebody?"
Oh yeah Dean sucks and Dean hates Clinton so he is not a good arbitor in this situation we need a neutral who knows how to keep his bias out of the process.
sheesh.
Look, Dean is NOT acting as an 'arbitor. The DNC rules will do that.
..and thats all he's ever really said.
cubejockey @ 59:
You mean TWO candidates that voted 'yea' to the Iraq War Resolution. Obama was not even in the Senate in 2002.
Learn a little history first before entering any debate, please.
Andy K Jong Il @ 54:
Agitating from the right? I blow my bong in your general direction...
What, you would never venture to imagine that in the holy Democrat Party that the "fix is in" is not on page one, in bold italics, of the play book?
You're naive.
woo hoo whoopi yea! errrghhh I'm Howard Dean.
dipshitwinkerwanker I'm in charge of the DNC woo hoo!
we will have this wrapped up ny June. deebledumberdorffffff.
What amazes me so much is how the Obama supporters (including the people running this site, although they are mostly fair), think that Dean should just give the nomination to Obama.
See? Therein lies the heart of the problem. People . . . tons of us . . . millions of us, don't think Obama is the best candidate. We have voted for Hillary in the swing states and yet, we get marginalized by the bloggers and Obama supporters (who are not doing their candidate any favors by bashing her).
And for the record: That somehow Hillary is the basher is ridiculous. This is a campaign and Obama has done enough of his own right along with the media who supports him.
If you continue marginalizing us, McCain will be the big winner. I sure hope not, but when you keep saying Obama is this amazing uniter, you better find a better adjective, cuz' he can't even unite the Dems, let alone the country.
The Democratic Convention is being moved up to June??
tyree at 73 @ 66:
Its never my intent to hurt your feelings, tyree. I was just inputting the "steve" thing and the fact tat you added the "at 73" to your handle, and came to that conclusion. That is, I thought you were ribbing someone out there who really was goading you about your age and you were putting them on.
Please tell me that you didn't bite your tongue. A little bird told me that your ability to lick your eyebrows has played a big part in your "social" life. I wouldn't want to feel responsible for ending all of that.
The race is already resolved. And Obama has won it. Hillary is just being a...bitch. The whole system, Democrat and Republican, is trying to steal it for?Zionist sucking Billary or McCain.
Gee, I wonder if the American people know what's going on.
Obama should offer to pay Clinton's debts to small businesses!
Obama's cash means nothing. He keeps losing in all the big states where he outspends her.