Red-faced (Bill) Clinton Tirade Stuns Superdelegates Behind Closed Doors

[tekisui]

A private meeting between Bill Clinton and California superdelegates erupted when the former president was reminded of Bill Richardson's decision to endorse Barack Obama.

"It was like someone pulled the pin from a grenade," according to San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross.

"'Five times to my face (Richardson) said that he would never do that,' a red-faced, finger-pointing Clinton erupted," the two write in Wednesday's paper.

Clinton "was a far cry" from the "congenial former president" who told fellow delegates to "chill out" over the race between his wife and Illinois Senator Barack Obama.

Excerpts:

"It was one of the worst political meetings I have ever attended," one superdelegate said.

According to those at the meeting, Clinton - who flew in from Chicago with bags under his eyes - was classic old Bill at first, charming and making small talk with the 15 or so delegates who gathered in a room behind the convention stage.

But as the group moved together for the perfunctory photo, Rachel Binah, a former Richardson delegate who now supports Hillary Clinton, told Bill how "sorry" she was to have heard former Clinton campaign manager James Carville call Richardson a "Judas" for backing Obama.

It was as if someone pulled the pin from a grenade.

"Five times to my face (Richardson) said that he would never do that," a red-faced, finger-pointing Clinton erupted.

The former president then went on a tirade that ran from the media's unfair treatment of Hillary to questions about the fairness of the votes in state caucuses that voted for Obama. It ended with him asking delegates to imagine what the reaction would be if Obama was trailing by just 1 percent and people were telling him to drop out.

"It was very, very intense," said one attendee. "Not at all like the Bill of earlier campaigns."

"It was kind of strange later when he took the stage and told everyone to 'chill out,' " one delegate told us.

"We couldn't help but think he was also talking to himself."

link: http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Redfaced_Clinton_tirade_stuns_superdelegates_behind_0402.html

[Drunken Irishman]

1. Her entire campaign is losing it.

[tekisui]

3. It Shows: PPP Poll in PA, Obama Up: 45-43

Barack Obama has taken the lead in Pennsylvania, a remarkable turnaround after trailing Hillary Clinton by 26 points in a PPP poll in the state just two and a half weeks ago.

Obama's steep rise could be a reflection of a growing sense among Democratic voters that a continued divisive nomination process will hurt the party's chances of defeating John McCain this fall. An Obama upset in Pennsylvania would be virtually certain to force Clinton out of the race.

Obama has his customary large advantage with black voters (75-17) and is keeping it relatively competitive with white voters (49-38)

He leads across all age groups except senior citizens and balances Clinton's 10 point lead with women with his own 15 point lead with men.

http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/2008/04/obama-takes-lead-in-pennsylvania.html

[lumberjack_jeff]

12. We're all losing it. n/t

[marmar]

2. In all seriousness, I think Bill is cracking up.....

n/t

[LakeSamish706]

5. Not trying to be sarcastic with this post, but I think both Bill and Hillary are having...

some difficulty with serious stress right now... Look at Bill, he looks 10 years older since this campaign began, along with the bags under his eyes... This is not good as far as his health is concerned...

[Texas Hill Country]

55. he campaigns more in one day than Hillary, Obama AND McCain... Combined. not joking...

you should see his schedule... it is friggin crazy... he is doing like 7-10 events A DAY.

[goclark]

57. I agree ~ the stress on both of them is showing

It must be hard knowing that the bills have not been paid.
Taxes are still in hiding.
Delegates are slipping away.
The Bosnia "misspeak" happened.
Chelsea is unfairly asked questions that should never have been asked of her.
People are realizing that Rev. Wright is not running for President, Sen. Obama is running.
Sen. Obama gave two extremely important and viewed by millions Speeches on RACE and the ECONOMY.


People who have loved them so much are seeing another side of them.
Bill is blessed that he was able to come through the Heart Surgery so beautifully. I'm sure that this stress is not what the doctor ordered.

Rocky lost and Hillary must not have remembered that when she read her prepared challenge to Sen. Obama.

She is a real fighter and so is Bill.

They are made of strong stock because I would have caved in on anyone of the above.

[John Q. Citizen]

10. I think he knows unleashing Carvelle on Richardson was chickenshit. So he acts angry. It's typical

stuff from these kinds of people.

Just more rightous indignation.

[polpilot]

15. He seems very frustrated. People keep remembering. That will be his next tirade.

Red-faced, finger pointing, "YOU'RE ALL A BUNCH OF 'REMEMBERISTS EVERY ONE OF YOU!!!

[atal]

52. Bill is becoming a Crack-Head as well...

I haven't been pleased by his attitude throughout this campaign.

[Hawkeye-X]

4. I expect SD's to start ditching Clinton en-masse

within the next 3 weeks and switching to/endorsing Obama - pulling the Huckabee Index lower to zero.

Hawkeye-X

[tekisui]

7. With Obama closing the gap in PA, they should.

They could end it if they help Obama upset Hillary in PA.

[John Q. Citizen]

11. The supers see the writing on the wall, they just don't want to appear to influence the race.

So I'm not sure if we will see a massive move or if we will see a steady drip. 2 a day through Jun 3rd is about 120 supers.

Although if Hill loses PA, I bet it will go quicker than that.

[tekisui]

19. If Hillary loses PA, it is over. Period.

[John Q. Citizen]

25. Maybe. But we are dealing with Hillary Clinton here. So don't count your chickens. I mean she lost

TX. She's the energizer bunny of zombies.

And unlike Kucinich,(another tenacious and hard to kill politician (My original candidate)) she doesn't spend her time talking about accountability, justice, or freedom.

She says stuff like "Americans are the hardest working people in the world."

But if Hill loses PA, whether she quits or not, I expect a lot of supers might be inclined to move Obama within striking distance of 2025. Enough might do so that he can win in NC or IN.

I also bet she doesn't quit, ever. I bet she suspends her campaign, just because she can.

[Cha]

37. And she says things like..

"Obama doesn't want the votes counted".. did she steal that from the bush Gore race in 2000?

hilary has nothing but negative energy..too bad she doesn't talk about her issues instead of lying about Obama's.

[Alexander]

24. I think Maria Cantwell is considering it already.

[still_one]

6. Bill Clinton is not helping Hillary's campaign. Months ago he should have

taken a very hidden role in the campaign

All he has done is bring adversity to the whole situation

He is actully hurting her campaign

[mod mom]

46. Bill, Mark Penn, Howard Wolfson, Harold Ickes..she sure has a knack at placing divisive people aroun

I believe when first strategizing the campaign these people decided on the rove method of slash and slam. They didn't take into effect that the American people are tired of division, gutter politics, and blatant lies. I also believe they under estimated the fast resposnse of de-bunking the BS and the ability of folks on the internet to get out the truth.

I believe their campaign strategy will be discussed for years to come, but used as a bad example of what NOT to do.

[PATRICK]

8. Interesting

but this makes me more eager to see some innocent triggers applied to McCain. All throughout the Bush Reign they had it much too easy. The Dems are far too polite for simple psychological pressure applied to
temper faultlines. An aging, increasingly drifty and crankish McCain would explode like that in public. I would love to see that finally moved from UTube to a reluctant, "shocked" MSM.

Face it. McCain hasn't been tested for a long campaign, not even a long primary campaign. Apply some gd pressure or timely irritants.

[tekisui]

9. The explosion, then implosion of McDubya is all I want for Summer.

[jalynn]

13. It is hard

To accept when a so called friend looks you in the eyes and lies to you. The betrayal goes deep.

[Cha]

36. bil clinton is known for "stabbing his friends in the back"

so save it.

[DEMocracity]

53. Sorry, but it's hard to muster much sympathy

for Bill when he's hurt because someone lied to him. (assuming it was a lie)

[hootinholler]

20. Um, let's save it for the General.

That would be great a huge McSame meltdown in a debate.

-Hoot

[samdogmom]

14. Wow! Remind me again why these "two" should be back in the White House!?!

Good grief! I just bit my tongue off trying hard not to respond to an obvious Hillary "plant" post that tops the DU front page. But I did it! I hit the delete button five times before I felt I got my frustrations out writing what I thought needs to be said.

If you find yourself in the same position--write away! Believe me, it helps! Get all of your feelings out! But then it's a good idea to delete your thoughts before you post--it tends to keep things calmer on DU and you can stay above the fray! I'm not willing to help Sen. Clinton in any way--so I'm not willing to post even a negative response in a "plant" thread!

That said, I must add that every day it becomes harder and harder to respect these two Clinton Clowns!

[joshcryer]

16. If it was anywhere near as "angry" as his "outburst" in SC...

...then good on him.

[tekisui]

17. I don't think he is winning over many SuperD's, regardless of how angry

he actually has been. And, at this point, Hillary depends on the SuperD's.

[joshcryer]

29. You don't understand, his "outbust" in SC was not an "outburst" at all.

This is innuendo that is being spread to soil the Clinton name even more.

They're just politicians, regular politicians like the rest of them, but they're being completely ostracized from the party for it.

[tekisui]

31. No, I know there was no "outburst" in SC.

What he said rubbed many the wrong way.

But, getting upset at a SuperD, amongst SuperD's isn't doing Hillary any favors.

[joshcryer]

32. Hillary is done, they're just playing the political game the best they can.

I wouldn't be surprised if it made them frustrated on many ocassions.

[NeedleCast]

18. Bill REALLY wants to get back in the white house

As a person who met him, if only briefly, this just doesn't seem like him.

[tekisui]

21. Why would he, or anyone, want to get back to that stress and scrutiny

that bad? Especially after an Impeachment and public humiliation.

For some reason, I don't trust that motivation.

[blm]

27. Clintons were groomed to cover for Bushes from the 'left'. You think Jackson Stephens spent

all that money bankrolling Clintons careers and underwriting his 92 primary campaign just so Democrats could get their issues passed and GHWBush's decades of government corruption could be fully revealed?

[Cha]

39. Jackson Stephens, eh? That's the

varmint's name.

[blm]

48. Yep - he staked WalMart and brought BCCI into this country for GHWBush.

The biggest move on this country the Global Fascists made - and we just....didn't...know.

They knew by buying control of the broadcast and print newsmedia, and top off with some cooperative Democrats they wouldn't have to worry about things like full exposure or criminal indictments.

[Cha]

49. You know so much

about it, blm..I'm guessing that good people who have some power know this and would be at least trying to eliminate their stranglehold?

[blm]

54. There is definitely an honest wing of the party and a complicit wing. When you become familiar

with the players in BushInc's criminal operations over the last few decades, it's a lot easier to read which Dems have been helpful to the Bush agenda and which ones have worked against it.

[Lautremont]

22. He's red-faced because he suffers from rosacea.

Well, also because things are not going so well for his inamorata.

[Ilsa]

23. "...questions about the fairness of the votes in state caucuses ..."

Yep, the Clinton team didn't do their homework in many places in Texas. They didn't get their members out to caucus after the March primary. Now Obama has five more Texas delegates than Clinton, and she won the Texas primary.

[Bake]

26. Peter only denied Christ three times. Richardson did his thing five times.

And some people wonder why we refer to Richardson as Judas.

Bake

[blm]

56. How many times did Bill deny access to documents proving Gary Webb's report on CIA drugrunning

was accurate assuring that Poppy Bush's illegal operation of dumping tons of cheap IranContra cocaine into black communities would have received fuller public exposure?

[kevinmc]

28. Clinton was being a Drama Queen .......

if he can snuggle up with Scaife he will get over this.

[FrenchieCat]

30. I can see it all now.......

[mdmc]

33. Bill ' s new zipper problem

loose lips

[Cha]

34. He just can't help wagging that finger in someone's face..

[Nine]

35. Good. I like a politician who gets angry.

And if Richardson really did go back on his word after making that promise 5 times, he is a Judas.

[bklyncowgirl]

38. I guess Bill Richardson's off the Clintons' Christmas Card list

They really are taking his defection seriously.

[Cha]

40. Way too seriously!

[bklyncowgirl]

42. That's a great cartoon. Oliphant's my cartooning hero. nt

[Cha]

50. He's been invaluble for

me, lately..just the right zinger with his political strips.

[Nine]

41. Reading this in more detail, a couple things struck me.

1. This is hearsay several times removed. One or more superdelegates (they are neither named nor enumerated) are quoted in the SFGate article. No journalists attended the meeting themselves since it was private. So it's already anonymous hearsay. Then Rawstory recycles the article and spices up the headline. I wonder why you didn't just link to the original article?

2. I find this "denial" by Richardson's people very interesting:

Still, word of Clinton's blast shot all the way back to the New Mexico state Capitol, where Richardson spokesman Pahl Shipley reiterated Tuesday that his boss had never "promised or guaranteed" Bill and Hillary his endorsement.

But wait. What did Clinton allegedly say?

"Five times to my face (Richardson) said that he would never do that," a red-faced, finger-pointing Clinton erupted.

Never do what? Endorse Hillary? No, endorse Obama.

Clearly Bill is referring to Richardson's endorsement of Obama, not his lack of endorsement of Hillary. They are two completely separate things. Richardson could have refrained from endorsing either candidate. So why did Richardson's spokesman choose to deny that Richardson had promised to endorse Hillary rather than to deny that Richardson had promised not to endorse Obama? Hmmmmmm...

[tekisui]

43. It is hearsay.

No names to go with the source. But, Clinton is quoted, and hasn't denied it.

As for the Richardson promise....They expected and demanded his loyalty, apparently they(the Clintons) were not willing to return that loyalty the way Richardson expected.

[marshall]

51. Bill has been stunning us for years

Surely those superdelegates couldn't have been so naive and insulated that they didn't know what to expect from him when he's backed into a corner.

[karynnj]

44. The counter to that is:

1) To my knowledge this has not been contested by the superdelegates yet. This is actually a surprise as many were HRC people and I expected a near immediate comment that the story was an exaggeration or totally false - even if true. That this hasn't happened yet is telling.

2) Even if Richardson had told Clinton 5 times he wasn't endorsing anyone - HE CALLED THEM BEFORE THE ENDORSEMENT to let them know that he was going to endorse Obama. His speech gives the reason - the recent actions of the Clinton campaign. That call is not disputed.

[Nine]

59. So what if he called them?

"Hey, guess what? Remember how I told you 5 times that I wasn't gonna endorse Obama? Well, I really am." You think that makes it ok?

[Pavlovs DiOgie]

45. The word petulant comes to mind. EOM

[saltpoint]

47. I buy Bill Richardson's version of events here and not Bill Clinton's.

[tilsammans]

58. Y'know, I used to respect the Clintons . . .

WHAT was I thinking?!

:banghead:

[Raine]

60. The Clintons are darned lucky that

no one captured his tirade with their cell phone camera. :freak: :nuke:

[L0oniX]

61. Bill Clinton "IS" a liar. Nuff said.

[bobthedrummer]

62. "Know Your DLC: Current DLC Leadership Team and other Democratic Leadership Council links"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5396391