The Washington Elite Are Anti-Hillary; Obama Is Their Candidate

[KennedyGuy]

http://www.talkleft.com/story/2008/1/29/960/37411

"There is a great irony in Barack Obama's claim to be the anti-Washington candidate. The DC Establishment of course HATE the Clintons and have come to love Barack Obama. But the DC Establishment have always hated the Clintons:

Clinton spent so long as the dominant personality in the Democratic Party that it is easy to forget: Lots of elite Democrats never liked the guy that much. Or, perhaps more precisely, their feelings of admiration were constantly at war with feelings of disdain.

The ferocity of anti-Clinton sentiments heard around Washington in recent days — as even some former Clinton White House aides say they are enjoying the Kennedy endorsement and the implicit rebuke of the Clintons — has reached levels that haven’t been seen for seven years. Clinton’s pardons in the closing hours of his presidency prompted a similar backlash.

One thing to wonder about is whether the DC Establishment take Obama's criticisms of Washington seriously. I submit they do not. And rightly so. These "outsider" appeals are always phony".

[KennedyGuy]

1. kick

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. Irony in your monicker. Especially today. nt

[KennedyGuy]

5. what irony..read the sig line...

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

6. It's ironic...right up 'til the sig line!

:D

[BenDavid]

3. What you posted is the truth..what amazes me is the back

stabbing democrats that for some unknown reason actually believe obama will be the nominee...and I ike to use the following lil quote that would apply to those pink tutu wearing democrats and will mean more when hRC becomes the nominee.
(the david I say here is that putz alexrod in the obama camp)

All right David, can I tell you something? We're gonna win this thing. We're gonna get the votes we need and we're gonna win this thing. And you know what I'm gonna do after that, I mean that very night, I'm gonna go to TGIF's, I'm gonna order a big steak, and I'm gonna make a list of everybody who tried to fuck us, and your name tops the list and any of those pink tutu wearing dems that come to apologize I will tell me to look at the list.

[Me.]

4. Which Washington Elites Are We talking About?

IT can't be the the DLC, Clinton, Emmanuel, Carville version of elitism because they certainly aren't against HC. While there is no question Obama has his share of DC supporters, to use such a broad brush is misleading.

[karynnj]

7. Kennedy has been in the Senate for decades,

He is a powerful Democratic Senator, but the party establishment has been the Clinton wing since at least 1992. Look how much support the leadership gave to the Alito filibuster that he and ally, Kerry led or to Kerry/Feingold. In February 2005, I watched Kennedy pleading in the Senate - even quoting the Bible on usury - against the bankruptcy bill. He did not have full leadership support in filibustering this bill.

It looks to me that we are seeing a power struggle that may continue no matter who is the Democratic nominee. Many of the most conservative Democrats (Nelson, McGascill, Johnson, Conrad, Drogan) seem to allying themselves with the Kennedy/Leahy/Kerry/Durbin part of the party against the Reid/Clinton/Schumer part. If this works, it will give the Democrats a clearer voice than they have had. If Obama was the one that orchestrated this, I am enormously impressed.

[pampango]

8. I've been wondering about this. A few months ago Obama seemed to have no endorsements and

Hillary had everyone lined up behind her. She still has the majority of the super delegates to the convention who are comprised of elected Democrats and party officials.

And yet many in the Washington establishment are now backing Obama. It is very interesting. Most seemed to back her, at least quietly before. Now some are backing Obama. Is that because they really don't like her (or more likely Bill) and Obama now give them a viable alternative - whether they really think he is "transformational" or not. Or do some of these insiders prefer Obama for his own qualities rather than as the anti-Hillary? Maybe some of both.

It is funny that everyone always wants to run as the underdog, Washington-outsider. Few candidates ever run as being proud of their time in Washington and the knowledge that goes with that. My guess is that most Washington insiders believe that this is how the game is played. You campaign as an "outsider" and, if you win, when you arrive in DC, they expect that you will become an "insider" pretty quickly.

Is everyone who arrives in DC sucked into the inside the Beltway mentality? Probably not. Look at Kucinich, Bernie Sanders, perhaps JFK. But most are. Most "insurgents" never win, so there are few examples at the presidential level. How would RFK have done if he had become president? Eugene McCarthy? Howard Dean?

[Renew Deal]

9. TalkLeft is Anti-Obama; Hillary is their candidate

Their article is literally unbelievable.

[billbuckhead]

10. NPR shills for Obama like he's some sort of stealth Republican

I guess since Fred Thompson fell back asleep they must support someone.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

11. Seriously, why don't they call themselves TalkCentrist? nt