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Hillary-Backing Congressman: "I Will Be Stunned" If Obama Isn't The Next President
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), who is supporting Hillary Clinton, went seriously off-message in an interview with Canadian public radio.
"If I had to make a prediction right now, I'd say Barack Obama is going to be the next president," Cleaver said. "I will be stunned if he's not the next president of the United States."
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Go Cleaver. How about you switch sides and help it happen.
April 1, 2008 9:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
That wouldn't surprise me. As a Methodist minister, Cleaver can't be particularly happy having to field call after call in Kansas City about how he continues to support Clinton when she's found dragging his colleague back into the news.
April 1, 2008 11:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
Judas.
April 1, 2008 9:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
Get ready to be stunned.
April 1, 2008 9:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
Eric,
Isn't it sad when we expect our political leaders to lie in accordance with their pledged alliegances, rather than to speak the simple truth? I don't doubt that Cleaver supports Hillary, and can hardly see how this contradicts it. All the man did was answer a question honestly. Tough to blame him for that.
April 1, 2008 9:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
I suspect he'll be "clarifying" his remarks later today.
April 1, 2008 10:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
I would have to say that I agree. :)
It is interesting that these Hillary superdelegates who know that Hillary isn't going to win haven't joined in supporting the obvious and clear Democratic nominee, Barack Obama.
I wonder if it is due to fear of Clinton retribution. After the heavy handed way Hillary and Bill treated people who disagreed with their health care plan in the 90's as well as their tacky treatment of Bill Richardson... surely there has to be some wonder how the Clinton's will make "traitors" pay.
The tide is definitely turning...
I suspect this will be over, at the latest, the day after Indiana/North Carolina.
April 1, 2008 9:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
DemDave:
Actually, it appears that Cleaver's a decent guy, who's sticking by his pick even though it seems clear to him that she's lost. I might disagree with that decision, but I respect his honesty. He's not lying, pretending that Hillary can win.
From the article
"Earlier in the interview, he was asked about the race going all the way to the convention.
"If I do the party line, I'm supposed to say -- and maybe I'll say just so if anybody hears it they can say well, 'Cleaver did the party line before he told the truth,' -- we believe that a contest going all the way to the convention is good for America."
He makes a football analogy of his support for Clinton.
"Even though I don't expect the Kansas City Chiefs to beat the Indianapolis Colts, I cheer for the Kansas City Chiefs," he said, and goes on to cast it in terms of friendship and personal loyalty.
If he switched to Obama, "There would be African-Americans cheering," Cleaver says. "But I would have difficulty shaving in the morning, unless I could shave without looking in the mirror."
April 1, 2008 10:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
Where is the article?
April 1, 2008 11:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
Clinton retribution???
I understand what you're talking about if they were in any real position to pursue retribution, but seriously, by December '08 she'll be the junior Senator from New York with a serious debt problem.
There's NO reason to be scared of Big Bad Billary any more.
April 1, 2008 10:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
Hello???? The writing on the wall slips out. Stop the charade right after Pennsylvania.
April 1, 2008 9:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
Paging gotalife, dembillc, Aimey May, louisville1975, lalo, etc.
Party unity, y'all. Let's make sure a Dem wins in '08.
April 1, 2008 9:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
He uh, misspoke?
April 1, 2008 9:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
Just sleep-deprived after taking 3 a.m. phone calls from Hillary.
April 1, 2008 12:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
I blame the Canadians
April 1, 2008 9:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
Where's gotalife and dembillc...
Weren't they saying just yesterday that momentum was turning?
THIS IS EXCELLENT NEWS FOR GOTALIFE AND DEMBILLIC *
* patterned respectfully after the immortal idiotic
April 1, 2008 10:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
Cleaver - The guy sure does live up to his name, doesn't he ?
BTW, that reminds of our pet troll - Mathew Weaver. Whatever happened to him ?
April 1, 2008 10:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
We are all stunned that Hillary is so damned narcissistic that she hasn't gotten the message.
April 1, 2008 10:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
He must've read that Politico article.
April 1, 2008 10:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
She's dropped 5 points in Pa. over the last week or so.
I think Obama is the next president, too.
April 1, 2008 10:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
The only credible poll is Survey USA.
When he gets stunned and Clinton wins, all of you will be the trolls.
Karma.
April 1, 2008 10:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
When she realizes that it doesn't matter because she's already lost, you may get a better life.
Karma?
April 1, 2008 10:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
And now that SUSA shows her lead shrinking by 7 points?
April 1, 2008 10:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well, since you picked SurveyUSA as the gold standard of polling, listen what they have to say (as of 4/1/08):
If you can read the fine print, it says Obama gained a net swing of 7 points in three weeks. And this is AFTER the Wright uproar.
So what were saying about SurveyUSA being the only one you believe?
April 1, 2008 3:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
2009 Congress controlled by DEMs - Check.
2009 Senate controlled by DEMs - Check.
2009 The President is . . . Damn . . . Damn . . . Another farging Republican.
April 1, 2008 10:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
Uh huh. I suppose you didn't get the memo. The latest thing for Clinton supporters to claim is that he's too liberal. I'm sure someone will be sending you the memo soon. ;)
April 1, 2008 10:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
this guy knows a dead campaign
when he smells one
April 1, 2008 10:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Stories like this are not good for Camp Hillary. No question.
April 1, 2008 10:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ouch. This won't make the Clinton campaign happy.
Add to that the poll numbers, and we've got a drip, drip, drip in the Clinton firewall.
Those damn Canadians have screwed with our primaries. AGAIN!
April 1, 2008 11:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
Cleaver is going to be shocked. Just like the Pats were.
I just have one question, what is it with politicians who think once they get outside the country or interview with other countries that they can tell the unvarnished truth? Huh? What is up with that? Haven't we had several instances of that during this campaign where it came back to bite them in the butt. Hasn't Canada shown their true political loyalities lie with this administration in office enough?
Geez.
Frankly, Cleaver should not be able to look himself in the face when he shaves right now. The Clintons obviously have him by the cajones for him to have to go around spouting the campaign line that it is 'good for America' that this campaign drags on.
What a loser.
April 1, 2008 11:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think you mean "Cleaver WON'T be shocked."
But either he knows what he's doing, and quietly endorsing Obama (or, not so quietly)
Or, he's a complete idiot.
April 1, 2008 12:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hasn't Canada shown their true political loyalities lie with this administration in office enough?
Oh please. The Harper government, the clowns whose minority administration leaked the NAFTA conversation to help Clinton in Ohio, are certainly admirers of the Bush administration. (That's part of the reason the Harper govt is so unpopular there.) That might explain why they didn't leak the fact that Clinton had told Canadian officials much the same thing. The timing of the leak suggests that the Harper govt might have been working on the Limbaugh theory that to help Clinton is to help McCain.
The CBC, on the other hand, is an independent public broadcaster, like the BBC. It doesn't take orders from the government, and it's very liberal. You can hardly blame Cleaver's spouting off (which hurts Clinton and helps Obama) on some undifferentiated Canadian plot.
April 1, 2008 3:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
THIS IS EXCELLENT NEWS!! FOR HILLARY!!!
April 1, 2008 1:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Does anyone following this blog have an idea on how Rush Limbaugh's Chaos operation is affecting things! A friend of mine told me yesterday that Rush has had two of the Dittoheads call the show and say that they had been chosen as Clinton delegates in Texas asn asking Limbaugh in effect "What do Ido now?"
April 1, 2008 3:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, if I were they and I were Catholic, I would go to confession.
April 1, 2008 4:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ouch. That's gotta hurt.
April 1, 2008 6:05 PM | Reply | Permalink