Hillary Clinton Wobbles as her backers turn to Barack Obama.

[calteacherguy]

London Times, 12/9/07
Sarah Baxter, Washington

<snip>

A few days ago, Helen Quarles peeled off the Hillary for President bumper stickers from her car and replaced them with Obama ’08.

“I didn’t think anybody could turn me away from Hillary,” said Quarles, who worked as a volunteer for Clinton’s first Senate election campaign in New York. “I liked her and was very fond of Bill.”

<snip>

The decisive factor for her was hearing Michelle Obama talk on television recently about her husband’s family background and values: “I didn’t really know who Obama was. She touched my heart.”

<snip>

Betsy Myers, a White House adviser on women’s issues - and sister of Dee-Dee Myers, Bill Clinton’s former press secretary - is now chief operating officer for Obama’s campaign and responsible for much of its organisational prowess.

Myers worked with Clinton when she was first lady. “Politics are about relationships, so it was not an easy choice, but I was really looking for a new generation of leadership skills, away from the old control and command model,” she said.

“For me, it wasn’t a vote against Hillary Clinton but a vote for Barack. He is very authentic and comfortable in his own skin and has a history of working across the aisles for the common good.

<snip>

William Daley, Bill Clinton’s former secretary of commerce, is another prominent Obama backer, with strong roots in Chicago, the candidate’s home town.

<snip>

“He’s an extremely talented young fellow, who I have watched grow. He can strongly convey to the world that there is a different generation and a different style about America,” William Daley said.

<snip>

“In both Iowa and New Hampshire, people don’t like to be told who is going to win,” Myers said. “They take their job very seriously and like to make up their own mind.”

<snip>

“I was initially very excited that we were going to have a woman running for president. I met Hillary when Bill Clinton was running for office. She was wonderful and gracious – if people said nasty things about her, I’d say, ‘That’s not my experience’. It never occurred to me that I wouldn’t support her.

“All of sudden, I got the sense that she was who the Republicans would like to be the candidate. There’s a love-hate relationship with her and when all is said and done, we’d be a divided nation even if she won - and I’m not sure she would. Every time I heard Obama speak, I kept saying, ‘Yes!’, and I suddenly realised he was the person I was going to support.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3022206.ece

[mtnsnake]

1. It's understandable. It's the Oprah affect. Same demographics for Hillary & Oprah

so Hillary is bound to lose a bunch of them to Oprah, at least for a couple weeks.

After that, the country will get so sick of the Oprah-Obama Circus that all of Hillary's former backers will be coming back to her, each one carrying ten of Oprah's with them. :smoke:

[calteacherguy]

3. LOL!

Whatcha smokin'?

[Gloria]

2. I'm not surprised, are you?

If Hillary has been called "Bush-lite", it may not be very far off to see Obama as "Hillary-lite." The "triangulator in training" is what I called him early on....and since then, his adoption of GOP talking points among other things, have had me wondering a lot about what he actually represents.

[Cha]

6. Do you like

Edwards? I remember you liking Clark way back in 2004.

I hate those gop points coming from our candidates.

[silverweb]

4. Great article...

One of my dear friends, a woman in her 60s, made the switch to Barack a couple of weeks ago.

This is all good news. Thanks for posting! :hi:

[oasis]

5. Michelle Obama turned a Clinton voter to Barack. And this was before the recent Oprahthon.

I guess she's ready for the rapture by now.:eyes: