"On My Switch From Clinton to Obama" by Joseph Andrew (super-delegate)

[Stop Cornyn]

May 01, 2008
On My Switch From Clinton to Obama
By Joseph Andrew

I have been inspired.

Today I am announcing my support for Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States of America. I am changing my support from Senator Clinton to Senator Obama, and calling for my fellow Democrats across my home State of Indiana, and my fellow super delegates across the nation, to heal the rift in our Party and unite behind Barack Obama.

...

What was best for America sixteen years ago was electing Bill Clinton. What would have been best for America eight years ago was not only electing Al Gore, which we did, but allowing him to serve as President of the United States. Imagine how the world would be different if Al Gore and not George Bush, would have been President of the United States. Let's seize the opportunity and vote for someone who like Al Gore, was against the war from the beginning, and who brings a new energy, a new excitement, and a new politics to our country.

...

I write this letter from my mom's dining room table in Indianapolis, Indiana. Four generations of my family have argued and laughed around this table. But what I humbly believe today is that we, as Democrats and as Americans, face what Dr. King characterized and what Senator Obama reminds us is the fierce urgency of now. As a nation, we are at a critical moment and we need leaders with the character and vision to see us through the challenges at hand and those to come. I can't guess what will happen tomorrow, so I can't tell you what kind of experience our next President will need to have to deal with those challenges. But I can tell you what kind of character and vision they will need to have -- and that is what inspires me about Barack Obama.... My endorsement of Senator Obama will not be welcome news to my friends and family at the Clinton campaign. If the campaign's surrogates called Governor Bill Richardson, a respected former member of President Clinton's cabinet, a "Judas" for endorsing Senator Obama, we can all imagine how they will treat somebody like me. They are the best practitioners of the old politics, so they will no doubt call me a traitor, an opportunist and a hypocrite. I will be branded as disloyal, power-hungry, but most importantly, they will use the exact words that Republicans used to attack me when I was defending President Clinton.

When they use the same attacks made on me when I was defending them, they prove the callow hypocrisy of the old politics first perfected by Republicans. I am an expert on this because these were the exact tools that I mastered as a campaign volunteer, a campaign manager, a State Party Chair and the National Chair of our Party. I learned the lessons of the tough, right-wing Republicans all too well. I can speak with authority on how to spar with everyone from Lee Atwater to Karl Rove. I understand that, while wrong and pernicious, shallow victory can be achieved through division by semantics and obfuscation. Like many, I succumbed to the addiction of old politics because they are so easy.... I have learned the hard way that you can love the candidate and hate the campaign. My stomach churns when I think how my old friends in the Clinton campaign will just pick up the old silly Republican play book and call in the same old artificial attacks and bombardments we have all heard before.

The whole letter is a must read. Here's a link: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/05/on_my_switch_from_clinton_to_o.html

[Zodiak]

1. Do you know what I like about these confessions?

They show that the underpinnings of this shit-storm we have been in for 30 years is finally coming to an end.

Oh...and a superdelegate that defects gives Obama a net gain of +2 SDs! That's like a 3-point sky-hook in the fourth quarter of a good basketball game.

[Lucky 13]

5. NO WAY. Obama leads in SDs?! Last I heard he was behind by 18.

If true, it's great news, but I swore I heard yesterday he was still down.

[Zodiak]

7. I said a net gain....not a lead n/t

[Lucky 13]

11. My bad. nt

[Stop Cornyn]

2. Another great excerpt:

Here is my message, explained in this lengthy letter that I hope is perceived as a thoughtful analysis of how to save America from four more years of the misguided polices of the past: you can be for someone without being against someone else. You can unite behind a candidate and a vision for America without rejecting another candidate and their vision, because in real life, opposed to party politics, we Democrats are on the same side. The battle should not be amongst ourselves. Rather, we should focus our efforts on those who are truly on the opposite side: those who want to continue the failed policies of the last eight years, rather than bring real change to Washington. Let us come together right now behind an inspiring leader who not only has the audacity to challenge the old divisive politics, but the audacity to make us all hope for a better America.

Unite the Party Now

I believe that Bill Clinton will be remembered as one of our nation's great Presidents, and Senator Clinton as one of our nation's great public servants. But as much as I respect and admire them both, it is clear that a vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote to continue this process, and a vote to continue this process is a vote that assists John McCain.

I ask Hoosiers to come together and vote for Barack Obama to be our next President. In an accident of timing, Indiana has been given the opportunity to truly make a difference. Hoosiers should grab that power and do what in their heart they know is right. They should reject the old negative politics and vote for true change. Don't settle for the tried and true and the simplistic slogans, but listen to your heart and dare to be inspired. Only a cynic would be critical of Barack Obama inspiring millions. Only the uninformed could forget that the candidate that wins in November is always the candidate that inspires millions.

I ask the leaders of our Party to come together after this Tuesday's primary to heal wounds and unite us around a single nominee. While I was hopeful that a long, contested primary season would invigorate our Party, the polls show that the tone and temperature of the race is now hurting us. John McCain, without doing much of anything, is now competitive against both of our remaining candidates. We are doing his work for him and distracting Americans from the issues that really affect all of our lives.

[Tribetime]

3. Great news SC..K/R thanks

[Coexist]

4. its a powerful endorsement

[Guaranteed]

6. Funny he mentions the risk he is taking doing this.

Don't think he would if he wasn't pretty clear on who was going to win...

[Stop Cornyn]

8. Kinda sad that super delegates are caused to expect political reprisals for voting their conscience

[Support the ACLU]

9. excellent!

[me b zola]

10. He didn't wait to get hit to counter-punch

He knocked the Clinton camp out before they even knew they were in the ring. Powerful. :thumbsup:

[Czolgosz]

16. That was wise

[me b zola]

17. Yeah, the guy is no joke, he seems like a real power-player

...And I approve of his endorsement of Barack Obama. :thumbsup:

[Czolgosz]

20. I feel the same way

[Faygo Kid]

12. What's Carville going to call him? Judas = taken, Benedict Arnold = boring. How 'bout Liz Taylor?

I'm thinking he's going to call him "Elizabeth Taylor." Yep, I can just hear the Ragin' Cajun now: "That Joseph Andrew, he's jes another Liz Taylor. Y'know? Like Liz left Eddie Fisher for Richahd Burton? That's wass happenin' here. It's jes like bein' on the set of "Cleopatra," only Joe Andrew is Liz, and Hillary, she's Eddie Fisher, and Obama, he's jes like Richard Burton. Jes like him.

"Whaddaya mean, who's 'Cleopatra?' Got to be mah lovely bride, Mary."

[Czolgosz]

14. Darth Bendict Judas

[grantcart]

k and r

[grantcart]

13. k and r

[Czolgosz]

15. k+r

[davidpdx]

18. Has the Clinton campaign thrown him under the bus yet?

K and R :kick:

[ruby slippers]

23. no but I bet he's not getting invited to dinner anymore

[GetTheRightVote]

19. It is difficult at times to cry at all and yet I did nothing but cry over this letter

written by a man who must have been torn between the two candidates but in the end the party's survival is most on his mind and its' future well being. I can see why Bill won when he did with man like this working for him.

I am so happy to see he is adding himself to the list of Obama supporters. He has obviously been around in politics and knows it when he see the right leader for the right time. I am so thankful for this posting and for the reading of this wonderful letter written by a true and loyal American.

[jackson_dem]

21. Who? His 15 minutes are over

[Stop Cornyn]

24. No, he'll get another 15 minutes when Team Hillary calls him Judas or Hitler or something like that

on the Sunday news-talk shows.

[SunsetDreams]

22. Awesome endorsement :)

"The difference between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party is that you are always welcome in the Democratic Party.

Because Democrats don't care if you are black or white or brown or a nice shade of green, you are welcome in the Democratic Party.

We don't care if you pray in a church or a synagogue or a temple or a mosque, or just before math tests, you are welcome in the Democratic Party.

We don't care if you are young or old, or just don't want to tell your age, you are welcome in the Democratic Party.

We don't care what gender you are, or what gender you want to hold hands with; as long as you want to hold hands, you are welcome in the Democratic Party.

We don't care about the size of your bank account, just the size of your heart; and we don't care where you are today, just where you dream you want to be tomorrow.

That is your Democratic Party.

That is Barack Obama's Democratic Party.

That is the Party that will win in November."

Sincerely,

Joe Andrew