Did I hear somewhere in this net that American politics and election are based
solely on issues? This article has another story. Viewpoint from Assam is
welcome.
Human nature is the same everywhere. It is more pronounced in some parts than
the others.
Dilip
Black lawmakers rethink Clinton support
By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent 48 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - In a fresh sign of trouble for Hillary Rodham Clinton, one of
the former first lady's congressional black supporters intends to vote for
Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention, and a second, more
prominent lawmaker is openly discussing a possible switch.
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Rep. David Scott's defection and Rep. John Lewis' remarks highlight one of
the challenges confronting Clinton in a campaign that pits a black man against
a woman for a nomination that historically has been the exclusive property of
white men.
"You've got to represent the wishes of your constituency," Scott said in an
interview Wednesday in the Capitol. "My proper position would be to vote the
wishes of my constituents." The third-term lawmaker represents a district that
gave more than 80 percent of its vote to Obama in the Feb. 5 Georgia primary.
Lewis, whose Atlanta-area district voted 3-to-1 for Obama, said he is not
ready to abandon his backing for the former first lady. But several associates
said the nationally known civil rights figure has become increasingly torn
about his early endorsement of Clinton. They spoke on condition of anonymity,
citing private conversations.
In an interview, Lewis likened Obama to Robert F. Kennedy in his ability to
generate campaign excitement, and left open the possibility he might swing
behind the Illinois senator. "It could (happen). There's no question about it.
It could happen with a lot of people ... we can count and we see the clock," he
said.
Clinton's recent string of eight primary and caucus defeats coincides with an
evident shift in momentum in the contest for support from party officials who
will attend the convention. The former first lady still holds a sizable lead
among the roughly 800 so-called superdelegates, who are chosen outside the
primary and caucus system.
But Christine Samuels, until this week a Clinton superdelegate from New
Jersey, said during the day she is now supporting Obama.
Two other superdelegates, Sophie Masloff of Pennsylvania and Nancy Larson of
Minnesota, are uncommitted, having dropped their earlier endorsements of
Clinton.
On Wednesday, David Wilhelm, a longtime ally of the Clintons who had been
neutral in the presidential race, endorsed Obama.
The comments by Scott and Lewis reflect pressure on Clinton's black
supporters, particularly elected officials, not to stand in the way of what is
plainly the best chance in history to have an African-American president.
"Nobody could see this" in advance, Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, the
highest-ranking black in Congress, said of Obama's emergence. He is officially
neutral in the race, but expressed his irritation earlier in the year with
remarks that Clinton and her husband the former president had made about civil
rights history.
One black supporter of Clinton, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri, said he
remains committed to her. "There's nothing going on right now that would cause
me to" change, he said.
He said any suggestion that elected leaders should follow their voters
"raises the age old political question. Are we elected to monitor where our
constituents are ... or are we to use our best judgment to do what's in the
best interests of our constituents."
In an interview, Cleaver offered a glimpse of private conversations.
He said Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois had recently asked him "if it
comes down to the last day and you're the only superdelegate? ... Do you want
to go down in history as the one to prevent a black from winning the White
House?
"I told him I'd think about it," Cleaver concluded.
Jackson, an Obama supporter, confirmed the conversation, and said the dilemma
may pose a career risk for some black politicians. "Many of these guys have
offered their support to Mrs. Clinton, but Obama has won their districts. So
you wake up without the carpet under your feet. You might find some young
primary challenger placing you in a difficult position" in the future, he added.
Obama and Clinton are in a competitive race for convention delegates.
Overall, he has 1,276 in The Associated Press count, and she has 1,220. It
takes 2,025 to clinch the nomination. But the overall totals mask two
distinct trends. Obama has won 1,112 delegates in primaries and caucuses, and
Clinton has won 979 in the same contests in the AP count. The former first
lady leads in the superdelegate chase, 241-164. Not surprisingly, two sides
differ on the proper role of the superdelegates. "My strong belief is that if
we end up with the most states and the most pledged delegates, and the most
voters in the country, then it would be problematic for political insiders to
overturn the judgment of the voters," Obama said recently. But Clinton said
superdelegates should make up their own minds. She noted pointedly that
Massachusetts Sens. John Kerry and Edward Kennedy have both endorsed Obama, yet
she won the state handily on Feb. 5. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of
California, who is neutral in the race, said she hopes one or the other of the
rivals emerges as the clear winner through the primaries and caucuses. "I
don't think it was ever intended that superdelegates would overturn the
verdict, the decision of the American people," she said Thursday.
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