Joseph Andrew, Former DNC Chair Switches Support from Clinton to Obama

"A vote to continue this process is a vote that assists John McCain" - Joe Andrew

http://www.opednews.com/...
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May 1, 2008

By Steven Leser

"A vote to continue this process is a vote that assists John McCain" - Joe Andrew

There has been an important defection in the Democratic race for Super Delegates. Former DNC Chair Joseph Andrew, appointed to the Chair by former President Bill Clinton, has switched his support from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama. This reversal has sent shockwaves reverberating through campaign Clinton, through the remaining uncommitted Super Delegates and has re-energized the Obama campaign. In his official endorsement speech, Chairman Andrew said:

"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."
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We need a candidate who will re-invigorate the economy and keep good jobs here in America. We need a candidate who will end the war in Iraq. We need a candidate who will provide health coverage for our 45 million uninsured neighbors. We need a candidate who will end our addiction to high-priced foreign oil by investing in renewable energy here at home.  - That candidate is Barack Obama
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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. (1)

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Andrew was one of five Super Delegates to announce their support today for Obama. There seems to be a sense among the uncommitted Super Delegates that despite Hillary's victory in Pennsylvania, it is more apparent then ever that she has no mathematical path to the nomination. Indeed, going to one of the many "Delegate Counters" that allow one to calculate how a given result would affect the remainder of the race like this one at CNN -  http://www.cnn.com/...  shows that Senator Clinton doesn't have any plausible way to beat Obama. A scenario where Clinton wins 65% of the vote in all of the remaining states (she has only ever exceeded 60% once in any state) and 55% of the remaining Super Delegates (more seem to be heading to Obama every day) still results in Obama getting to the 2025 delegates needed to clinch the nomination.

Once super delegates digest those facts, I think many of them become upset, as Joe Andrew seems to have, at the tactics of Hillary's campaign that seems to be geared toward kneecapping Obama and destroying his ability to win the General Election. Andrew's defection is a powerful signal to the rest of the Super Delegates. If Andrew, a former DNC chair with all of his ties to the Clintons believes switching to Obama is the right thing, and he feels that this is what the party needs to win in November, many super delegates will be persuaded to follow him.

Senator Clinton did her best to try to put a good spin on the news. Clinton told ABC's "Nightline": "I think this has been good for the Democratic Party. ... People can decide however they want to decide. That's up to them. But anyone who believes this is bad for the party I just think is not paying attention, because the level of enthusiasm to be part of this process is, from my perspective, helping us build a stronger and deeper Democratic base." (2)

I don't think anyone is buying the argument anymore that this race for the nomination is good for the party or country. Senator Clinton's negative/unfavorable vote is approaching 60%, the same number believe she doesn't tell the truth. Both of those numbers are up by over 10% over a few weeks ago. Senator Obama's unfavorables are also up although they are not anywhere near as bad as Senator Clinton's. Both candidates' numbers are suffering in head-to-head races against presumptive Republican nominee John McCain. If the super delegates look at Joe Anthony and Senator Clinton's comments it is obvious whom they should believe and with whom they will identify. What the Democratic Party needs is more super delegates to do what Joseph Andrew has done; announce support for Obama and end what has become this toxic race for the Democratic Nomination.

(1) Joseph Andrew, Huffington Post – "On My Switch From Clinton to Obama " http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...  

(2) David Espo, AP via Yahoo News – "Defection of longtime superdelegate jolts Clinton " http://news.yahoo.com/...

•  Tip Jar

  Comments welcome

  by StevenLeser on Thu May 01, 2008 at 07:04:33 PM PDT

•  A bit late, but nice diary : )

  by Grass on Thu May 01, 2008 at 07:06:03 PM PDT

  •  Thank you!

    I think you will see a lot of articles about this over the next day or two as the impact becomes apparent.

    by StevenLeser on Thu May 01, 2008 at 07:08:32 PM PDT

    •  Late....

      searching tags would have revealed umpteen diaries on this already today. Plus, the Big Kahuna (Kos) front paged the storyearlier today.

      I hate it when that happens ;-)
      You spent all that time writing this, I know. Been there, done that. Ah well, welcome to the club.

      by Lisa Lockwood on Thu May 01, 2008 at 07:15:16 PM PDT

      •  Well, let me know what the rules are in that

        regard. I write OpEd articles and repost them here as diaries (as well as a few other places) and they get automatically syndicated a few other places (as well as appearing on Google News).

        If it doesnt make sense to post them here, I want to know.

        by StevenLeser on Thu May 01, 2008 at 07:21:01 PM PDT

        •  There's no rule against it

          in fact, if you've got a unique perspective on it then definitely post it, I just wouldn't expect to get onto the rec list.

          But by the sound of it you're hardly in need of more visibility.

          by Grass on Thu May 01, 2008 at 07:24:00 PM PDT

        •  There is a 'rule' in the

          FAQs that states, in part:

          9. Duplicative diaries are prohibited. Please scan the recent diaries and front-page posts before starting to compose your own diary. This rule operates on a sliding scale. A repeat diary with minimal analysis or originality (particularly on "breaking news" items) is prohibited. Such diaries are subject to deletion without notice. But if you write on a recently-covered subject and provide original analysis or research, that is acceptable and in fact welcome.

          That being said, I think you added enough of your own take on the issue to stand up to scrutiny.
          Peace.

          by Lisa Lockwood on Thu May 01, 2008 at 07:24:37 PM PDT

          •  Okay, so there is a rule.

            I'm a guy, I've never read an instruction booklet in my life ;)

            by Grass on Thu May 01, 2008 at 07:31:22 PM PDT

            •  I'm takin' a wild leap here,

              and guessing you don't ever ask for directi.... never mind;-)

              All those FAQ rules got pounded into our heads in KosKindergarten, back in the old days.

              by Lisa Lockwood on Thu May 01, 2008 at 07:34:42 PM PDT

            •  It's more of a guideline

              For what it's worth - I'm an old-timer here and I consider that so-called "rule" to be more of a guideline. If there's no current diary on the subject, it's not a duplicate.

              A word after a word after a word is power. -- Margaret Atwood

              by tmo on Thu May 01, 2008 at 08:30:08 PM PDT

•  wow, he is a great surrogate.

  they need to put him on tv, and often.  i

  by susan in sc on Thu May 01, 2008 at 07:11:21 PM PDT

•  Will the vote seal the deal?

  I've been wrong before, but I'd say no way.  

  It will take more than just one super-delegate defection to swing this one at this stage -- even someone like Andrew who clearly is a big inside player.  

  Clinton would need to lose a quarter of her support, the lions share of the remaining supers would also need to weigh in.

  It might happen AFTER Indiana and North Carolina vote, but I still see the contest running through May 6th.  Not sure what kind of impact this will have in Indiana.

  by NotGeorgeWill on Thu May 01, 2008 at 07:11:47 PM PDT

•  I think

  this doesn't change anything in Indiana.  But it is great news nonetheless.  Hopefully, the superdelegates get a chance to read his letter and it helps influence them.  In addition, hopefully it gives courage to other SuperD's committed to Hillary that it is safe to switch sides.  The news of Andrew switching and more importantly WHY he switched really made my day.  But I don't think it does anything as far as Indiana is concerned.  Hopefully, the fallout comes after next Tuesday and the floodgates (thanks in part to Andrew's letter) FINALLY open.  But Dem's are notoriously weak so I'm not counting on it.

  by dehydratedcracker on Thu May 01, 2008 at 07:21:50 PM PDT

  •  If it kick starts more SDs to get out of

    Obama's back pocket and into the light of day, it'll be very important in ending the primary quickly.

    One key turning point I'm surprised hasn't been talked about more at DKos is the effect it will have when Obama leads Clinton in Super Delegate endorsements. She'll be dead in the water when that happens, and looking even more like the inevitable loser. It'll be that much harder to push on when she's also behind in Super Delegates.

    by bejammin075 on Thu May 01, 2008 at 07:44:32 PM PDT

    •  It won't help w/ votes, but will w/ SD's

      I just don't see how this endorsement helps him with voters.  It is also a bit late for everything, because most late deciders make up their mind about 3-7 days before the primary.  And we lost that newscycle (thanks Jeremiah!).

      by debrazza on Thu May 01, 2008 at 08:18:09 PM PDT

•  I didnt vote because the deal has Already been

  sealed!

  They, the supers, know that Clinton Knows she can't win this, but only hurt Obama and our chances in the fall.  If she were to convince the supers to overthrow the pledged delegate count or the pop. vote does she think the blacks are going to support her?  If she steals this she won't win.  I think she doesn't want to win, she just wants to damage Obama so He can't win

  She disgusts me, she is a cancer on this country

  by erin r on Thu May 01, 2008 at 07:54:00 PM PDT

•  it wont seal the deal in Indiana

  but I don't care too much if Obama wins Indiana right now.   People have picked sides in this race and there won't be much movement either way...   a few points at most for either candidate.  

  Either way obama is in the lead in pledged delegates, popular vote, etc.  

  If the superdelegates feel that Hillary should have the nomination then there should be a clear and loud message, televised preferrably, as to why that decision was made..  

  they won't do that though because it would be totally insane, even with all of this Wright garbage floating around right now.  Totally crazy.

  So, I'm not worried..  I just hope Obama has a respectable showing in Indiana.. but whatever.

  by soros on Thu May 01, 2008 at 08:25:59 PM PDT

•  Andrew is full of crap

  I voted for Obama and I am glad that Andrew endorsed him, but he did
  it in about the stupidest way possible.  Calls for Hillary to quit are absolutely
  counter-productive.  Giving the illusion of relevance to West Virginia,
  Oregon, Montana, and South Dakota could pay very big dividends
  for us in November.   IT IS GOOD FOR US to keep people excited about
  our race and to keep both candidates motivated to register and attract
  more of OUR voters.

  by ge0rge on Thu May 01, 2008 at 08:33:23 PM PDT