Governor Rendell replied, "No, I think, actually, I would say that Senator Clinton and Senator Obama both come from the moderate to progressive parts of the party. I don't buy the fact that senator Obama is a far left liberal by any means. I lot of his positions are fairly moderate and he's for fiscal conservatism, so I think they are from the same basic segment ideologically."
I asked, "But in terms of controlling the party, won't there be a huge difference there?"
Rendell answered, "I don't think it will make much of a difference. I think that whoever wins will represent a broad spectrum of the party."
Keep in mind; Rendell was, during the 2000 presidential election, head of the DNC. He knows about power. A Slate.com article reported "was so frustrated with his job as DNC chairman during Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign that he complained to the New Republic,
That's because the candidates hand over so much control to campaign. But once the campaign is over, things will change. Rendell may be hoping that things don't change much, since he's been such a strong Hillary supporter and DLC leader. On the other hand, "Fast Eddie"- is known for his nimble, catlike abilities to land on his feet and work the system. He'll be just fine.
* * *
Congressman Patrick Murphy (D- PA), commented, after I asked him, post-debate, in the "spin room,"- about how an Obama Presidency would change the power and control in the Democratic party, " I think we need all these folks to mend and come together. I do think that Barack Obama-- that his ability to get people involved in politics who have never been involved before-- is something that we cannot discount. I think that's the reason you are seeing, in large part, why there are so many grassroots activists in place, and why there are 300,000 more Democrats, just here in Pennsylvania."-
Murphy's congressional district went for Hillary in a major way and he faces a tom Manion, a tough, marine veteran whose son was killed in Iraq. He's in for a tough fight this fall.
* * *
After the debate, I spoke to Washington Post columnist Chris Cilliza, "This is not just a contest between Hillary and Obama. It's also a contest for the power control in the Democratic party."-
Cilliza replied, "I think there's no question that the Clintons have long been two of if not the two most powerful figures in the Democratic Party. But I also think that while the Obama campaign has elements of an insurgency and a challenge to that power structure, Barack Obama has become a candidate with significant establishment support as well. He's got support from senators, governors and members of congress. So I don't think it's as simple as, it's the current party structure against some other party structure wants to come in"-
Pushing the conversation further, I said, "It seems, though, that at the top, things are going to change."
Cilliza replied, "That's almost inevitable in any election"- If Barack Obama is elected, would it be a new era in the Democratic Party? Sure. It probably would be. He would bring in a whole new group of people, just as the Clintons did in 1992. I think that's, in some ways, the natural way in which this works. When George Bush was elected in 2000, he brought in a whole new group of people."
* * *
A few days after the Philly election, I interviewed journalist and consortiumnews.com publisher Robert Parry, who was a reporter for PBS Frontline at the start of Clinton presidency first time and then, in 1995, started Consortiumnews.com.
I asked him, "If Clinton wins, will the leadership of the Democratic Party look any different?"
I asked, "But in terms of controlling the party, won't there be a huge difference there?"
Rendell answered, "I don't think it will make much of a difference. I think that whoever wins will represent a broad spectrum of the party."
Keep in mind; Rendell was, during the 2000 presidential election, head of the DNC. He knows about power. A Slate.com article reported "was so frustrated with his job as DNC chairman during Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign that he complained to the New Republic,
"I basically take orders from 27-year-old guys in Nashville who have virtually no real-life experience. All they've done is been political consultants living in an artificial world, and basically their opinion counts more than mine." That's the cry of the DNC chair, Washington's political eunuch."
* * *
Congressman Patrick Murphy (D- PA), commented, after I asked him, post-debate, in the "spin room,"- about how an Obama Presidency would change the power and control in the Democratic party, " I think we need all these folks to mend and come together. I do think that Barack Obama-- that his ability to get people involved in politics who have never been involved before-- is something that we cannot discount. I think that's the reason you are seeing, in large part, why there are so many grassroots activists in place, and why there are 300,000 more Democrats, just here in Pennsylvania."-
Murphy's congressional district went for Hillary in a major way and he faces a tom Manion, a tough, marine veteran whose son was killed in Iraq. He's in for a tough fight this fall.
* * *
After the debate, I spoke to Washington Post columnist Chris Cilliza, "This is not just a contest between Hillary and Obama. It's also a contest for the power control in the Democratic party."-
Cilliza replied, "I think there's no question that the Clintons have long been two of if not the two most powerful figures in the Democratic Party. But I also think that while the Obama campaign has elements of an insurgency and a challenge to that power structure, Barack Obama has become a candidate with significant establishment support as well. He's got support from senators, governors and members of congress. So I don't think it's as simple as, it's the current party structure against some other party structure wants to come in"-
Pushing the conversation further, I said, "It seems, though, that at the top, things are going to change."
Cilliza replied, "That's almost inevitable in any election"- If Barack Obama is elected, would it be a new era in the Democratic Party? Sure. It probably would be. He would bring in a whole new group of people, just as the Clintons did in 1992. I think that's, in some ways, the natural way in which this works. When George Bush was elected in 2000, he brought in a whole new group of people."
* * *
A few days after the Philly election, I interviewed journalist and consortiumnews.com publisher Robert Parry, who was a reporter for PBS Frontline at the start of Clinton presidency first time and then, in 1995, started Consortiumnews.com.
I asked him, "If Clinton wins, will the leadership of the Democratic Party look any different?"
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