New Haven Independent

GOP Could Have Scripted This Bar Talk

by Melissa Bailey and Christine Stuart | August 26, 2008 1:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

Denver — Republicans supplied the booze. Disgruntled Dems loyal to Hillary Clinton supplied the anti-Obama vitriol.

After 16 years of GOP Hillary-bashing — with the harshest attacks in reserve if she had become this fall’s Democratic presidential nominee — you might think that Clinton fans would find little to toast Republicans over.

But that was then. Before Hillary lost the Democratic nomination sweepstakes to Barack Obama.

One night before Hillary planned to take the stage at the National Democratic Convention and urge party unity, some of her supporters weren’t following the message. At least not the Hillary-backers found Monday night at Denver’s Paramount Cafe.

The Republican National Committee was hosting a happy hour for Hillary-ites, hoping to capitalize on polls showing as many as 50 percent of Clinton Democrats open to voting Republican this fall, for presidential candidate John McCain. The event drew about 30 people wearing “Nobama” stickers.

Looking For A Miracle

Over by the buffet bar, two northeasterners shared a table and a firm determination to vote against Obama.

Chloe Marchese, of western Massachusetts, picked at a plate of chips and salsa. Wayne Singleton, a Long Island business exec, finished a tall glass of beer.

Both flew across the country not to take part inside the Democratic National Convention, but to protest the treatment of their candidate, Hillary Clinton, by the party. Both have joined a pro-Hillary, anti-Obama alliance named P.U.M.A., which stands for “Party Unity My Ass.”

Singleton heads up a spin-off subgroup, POCPUMA, for People of Color P.U.M.A.

Both are holding out hopes that Clinton would still make it on the presidential ticket. That outcome is very, very unlikely: Clinton has pitched her support to Obama, and is directing her delegates to do the same. Meanwhile, Obama has named Joe Biden his running mate.

Clinton has assigned whips to make sure that her delegates don’t cause an insurgency during a roll-call nomination vote at the Convention Wednesday.

So some of the Hillary fans have pitched their support to McCain instead. “I’m definitely going to vote for John McCain if Hillary isn’t on the ticket,” said Marchese. “It’s Hillary first, John McCain second, and Obama never.”

Why never?

“Obama scares me,” replied the woman, because of his “black liberation theology.” While Obama has rebuffed the ideology, Marchese said she was suspicious because of his longtime association with the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright. She called Obama an inexperienced “flip-flopper.”

Marchese and Singleton said their main beef, however, was with the nomination process — the party’s initial exclusion of Michigan and Florida delegates’ votes, and alleged pressure put on Hillary delegates to swing for Obama.

“This is a statement about the process,” said a fired-up Singleton, saying his candidate had been “pushed out of the process” in an “abomination of democracy.”

How do the two feel about sharing drinks, and votes, with a party that for 16 years has worked to tear down their favorite candidate? Is the GOP profiting on their disgust by courting their vote at this point?

“Maybe,” said Marchese, “but that’s not the reason behind my vote.”

Recent polling data revealed that half of Hillary supporters do not plan to vote for Obama. McCain has been capitalizing on that demographic, disseminating a video of a Democratic defector now pitching support to the GOP.

“It doesn’t make a difference” if the GOP profits from his disgust, said Singleton. “I’m not going to reward” Obama or the Democrats, he said.

As they drank up, Jessie Cleaver, 35, from Manhattan, and Krista Duffy, 30, of Michigan (pictured), said they were on the fence.

Cleaver said her vote depends on whom McCain chooses as his running mate. The two people who would turn her off to McCain are Connecticut U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Regardless, “I really don’t think I could go for Obama,” she said.

Cleaver was a campaign volunteer for Hillary Clinton in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary; she said she doesn’t like how Clinton was treated. She said she thinks the Democratic Party is totally “fractured right now.”

Duffy said during January she voted for Clinton even though “I was told my vote wasn’t going to count.” She said she doesn’t think a national party should be able to dictate how a state can run an election. [Michigan had defied a national party order not to hold its primary that early.]

Duffy, who sported a black T-shirt she purchased from the Clinton campaign as a way to pay of Clinton’s campaign debt, said if she did vote for McCain it would be move of a protest vote than a vote of confidence. However, after McCain’s tough-talking reaction to the conflict in Georgia, she found herself thinking, “You know I could vote for this guy.”

It was Duffy and Cleaver’s first convention. Cleaver said she came to Denver to “see what’s really going on and show my support for Hillary.” She said even if she does vote for McCain and he wins the presidency, she’s confident Democrats will control Congress.

Cleaver said Clinton supporters are turned off by Obama because Clinton supporters are generally “policy wonks.” She said she was particularly upset with Obama’s flip-flop on the FISA, an act which gave telecommunications companies immunity from participating in government wiretaps.

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Posted by: MsSwin | August 26, 2008 2:11 PM

I've lived through the old days of sexual discrimination making it hard to get a decent job. I've lived through a lot of years struggling for what is fair and watching other women struggle as well, but I never thought I would live to see the day that Democratic women would throw away all we've worked for out of pettiness, bitterness or be willing to be used and abused by the Republican Party. I never thought Democratic women would throw away our pro-choice rights by voting for McCain or endorse another 8 yrs of failed policies which have harmed our families. I never thought I'd live to see the day when Democratic women would vote for a man whose mindset would lead us into even more senseless war. I never thought in my wildest nightmares that strong Democratic women would vote for a man whose measures to trim down the VA expenses would exclude benefits for female combat troops suffering from PTSD due to rape.

Who are these women willing to throw all our advances, advances that took years to build, simply because their candidate did not win? Who are they that they cannot hear the snickering and jokes coming from the Republican Party about how they will be used by McCain to win this election? Are these women so wrapped up in their emotions and games they cannot see they are being used or are they simply enjoying all the attention? Is a pity party with cocktails more important than the future of our daughters and grand daughters? Since when do strong women put a politician before country or the universal needs of women and our children? Why are these women so willing to throw away everything we have worked for all these years? Why do they want to whine about being robbed they whole time they are robbing our children of what we have fought for over these many years?

I never thought I'd live to see the day where I felt shame for simply being a member of the female gender. Strong women don't whine and they don't take their eye off the ball, neither are they willing to be used. God help our children if this is the caliber of women today.

Posted by: Uncle Nunzio | August 26, 2008 2:39 PM

MSSWIN - Awesome. Well said!

To me, these are acts by bitter insecure sore losers. Why don't they just take their ball and go home?

Posted by: John S. | August 26, 2008 3:18 PM

In 1998, at a Republican fundraiser, McCain told this joke: "Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno."

How any woman who claims to have supported Hillary Clinton could justify voting for this guy is beyond me.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | August 26, 2008 3:56 PM

OK OK I will admit that I am a bitter Hillary backer but their is no way in hells name I would vote for McCain! Obmama is a great candidate and yes his plans are not exactly what I want but McCains do not even come close to what I want!!! These people will vote against their principals to spite who?? I will admit I have gone with my heart on some votes but this is a no brainier. And I am sure that Hillary will have a place in the Obama team. Her ideas will only make him stronger. I am sure Obama will be able to unit all the ideas that have come out of this great year of campaigning. Here's to our future! and heres to President Obama!

Posted by: robn | August 26, 2008 6:53 PM

Obama won the primary fair and square. The sour-grapes Hillary crowd are showing their party the same unexcuseable disrespect that Joe Lieberman supporters did when they defected from the primary winner. Sour Grapes.

Posted by: Walt | August 27, 2008 6:56 AM

Smart politics for the Repubs to go after Hillary supporters,

The Hillary folk already believe as both Hillary and Biden have proclaimed, that Obama is far from qualified to be President, and may be searching for a better choice,

As an independent voter I do not see using your brain to decide your vote instead of blindly following the claims of politicians of either party as a negative action.

Loyalty to a political party is asinine,

Posted by: Tim | August 27, 2008 7:07 AM

John S., you have a link that shows what McCain said?

Posted by: robn | August 27, 2008 8:54 AM

I've got one word for hard core HRC supporters who are anti-obama....SCOTUS.

Picture waking up every morning for the next twenty years and listening to sound bites of HRC rhetorically kicking Antonin Scalia in the nuts.

THATS why you should vote for Obama.

Posted by: LastStraw | August 27, 2008 5:33 PM

Tim...
here, here, here, here, here, a rather nice one here complete with additional misogynist remarks, and here.
Alas, the Janet Reno joke was nothing. Go here for "the one about the woman who is attacked on the street by a gorilla, beaten senseless, raped repeatedly and left to die?" in which McCain's punchline includes, "Where is that marvelous ape?".
Then of course there was the time when he called his wife a "see you next tuesday".

Posted by: LastStraw | August 27, 2008 5:38 PM

Oh, and a li'l sumptin' sumptin' for the undecided HRC crowd.

Posted by: Wayne Singleton | August 28, 2008 12:09 PM

I'm Wayne Singleton, the African-American man interviewed for this article (and pictured above). My words and feelings about Barack Obama are not scripted by anyone. They are real, and I want to make it clear that I own my own vote. I will not reward the Democratic Party with my vote when I believe that it has used an undemocratic process to thrust on the party a very inexperienced candidate, Barack Obama.

I just do not trust Barak Obama because he has shown himself to be without a core foundation upon which to base his decisions or political positions. He will say and do anything to get elected. In sum, I'm not sure what I would get from Barack Obama, since he changes his positions like the wind.

POCPUMA.com ... JustSayNoDeal.com

Posted by: jess | August 30, 2008 4:43 PM

No way, no how, No Obama, ever. Anyone whose campaign smears the Clintons as racist does not get my vote.

GOP Could Have Scripted This Bar Talk

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