WisPolitics: Clinton delegate loses convo spot over McCain support
7/25/2008
By Greg Bump
WisPolitics.com
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin’s administrative committee voted unanimously this afternoon to strip a Racine County woman of her credentials as a Hillary Clinton delegate for the national convention, despite her pleas to keep her seat.
Following the vote, Debra Bartoshevich said in a phone call with WisPolitics the result was no surprise to her.
“This was all pre-planned, everyone came in with the notion that they weren’t going to listen to my argument,” she said.
DPW chair Joe Wineke said afterward that the outcome might have been different if Bartoshevich had admitted she'd made a mistake and added that she signed two different forms stating that she would support the party's nominee in the fall election.
"The bottom line is simple," Wineke said. "She has refused to support the nominee of the Democratic Party, and our state administrative committee ... felt that the person that should represent the 1st Congressional District for Hillary Clinton should be someone who backs the nominee -- as Hillary Clinton has requested."
The state party filed a formal complaint with the Democratic National Committee after Bartoshevich publicly stated her support earlier this summer for John McCain in this fall’s presidential race. The national party then kicked the issue back to the state party for a vote.
She has since backed off those comments and refused to be pinned down during a conference call this afternoon on who she planned to back this fall, saying she made her statements about McCain at “an emotional time” following Clinton’s announcement that she was suspending her campaign.
She said Clinton was the candidate that inspired her to become involved in the presidential primary. She said that she’d still like to go to the convention as a Clinton delegate to hear Obama’s platform and to support Clinton. The nomination isn’t settled until the convention vote, she said.
“I am truly a dedicated Democrat,” she said.
But Bartoshevich’s comments about McCain, which broke as the state party was headed to its annual convention in June, created a national embarrassment for the party that also did damage to Obama’s campaign, committee members told her today.
During the conference call, committee members tried to pin her down on whether she'd vote for Obama after she publicly expressed questions about his experience earlier this year.
"Are you going to vote for the eventual nominee of Democratic Party, irrespective of who it is?" asked Gary Sherman, a state representative from Port Wing.
"I’m making no comments on who I’m voting for in the fall election," she replied, saying she want wants to hear platforms of candidates and that she is "still getting to know Senator Obama."
“I like to be an informed voter,” she said, adding that she can't just “flip a switch” and change her allegiances. “I want to take the time to make an informed decision.”
“You’re saying you can’t flip a switch and jump to Senator Obama, but you certainly were able to flip a switch and jump to Senator McCain,” said Les Nakamoto, the DPW’s 5th CD chair. “I find that to be a very serious flaw in your argument.”
Bartoshevich said she didn’t receive rules or bylaws from the party, something she expected as a new member. And she said there was no communication from the party, wondering why no one from the DPW called following her comments to the media.
“How do you know it wasn’t just a momentary exclamation at the time?” she asked.
Wineke said all the information was available to her on the state party's Web site.
Several committee members identified themselves as fellow former Clinton backers and wondered why Bartoshevich was unable to heed Clinton’s words to her supporters to back Obama.
“She reached out to us and told us to get behind Barack Obama,” said Jan Kelton, DPW’s 7th CD chair.
Throughout the call, Bartoshevich continued to refer to the party as the “Democrat Party,” a reference that some Dems consider a slur, and some on the call were riled by it.
“Can you say Democratic Party? Rush Limbaugh calls it the Democrat Party,” one committee member said. “You’re using Rush Limbaugh’s talking points.”
Bartoshevich said she didn’t understand the distinction.
“Some people don’t like the ‘Democrat Party’ because that’s what Rush Limbaugh and the Republicans use instead of Democratic,” Wineke explained. “It’s sensitive with some people.”
“OK, the Democrat Party I will use,” Bartoshevich said as she continued.
After booting Bartoshevich, the administrative committee appointed Marilyn Nemeth to take her spot as a Clinton delegate.
She said comments during the conference call, including them correcting her on calling it the “Democrat Party,” were “totally unprofessional.”
“I’m done. I will never support the Democrat Party again, not after how they treated me,” she said. “If you don’t drink the Kool-Aid, I guess you can’t be a Democrat.”
Listen to a portion of the conference call, including Bartoshevich’s statement and some questions from members:
http://wispolitics.com/1006/080725dpwcall.mp3http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=132045:eyes:
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