Obama Will Get Richardson’s Second-Choice Votes (NYT)

[jefferson_dem]

Obama Will Get Richardson’s Second-Choice Votes
By John Harwood

Barack Obama’s drive to win tonight’s Iowa caucuses is getting a boost from two of his putative rivals. After earlier winning the support of Dennis Kucinich, Obama’s campaign has reached an agreement with Bill Richardson for the second-choice votes of Richardson supporters in caucuses where the New Mexico governor can’t clear the threshold for competition, according to a senior Obama campaign adviser. The adviser estimated that the deal puts Mr. Obama in position to claim support from roughly half of the 15 percent of Democratic caucus-goers expected to support second-tier candidates.

In return, the Obama adviser said, Obama forces will lend support to Mr. Richardson at caucuses where Mr. Obama turns out more backers than he needs to win any additional delegates. Mr. Richardson drew 6 percent of the vote in the most recent Des Moines Register Poll, trailing Mr. Obama’s 32 percent, Hillary Clinton’s 25 percent and John Edwards’ 24 percent.

In a close race, such a deal could make an important difference. John Edwards’ 2004 campaign credits a similar deal with Mr. Kucinich then as helping fuel his strong second place showing.

But the specter of backroom deal-making could also raise questions about Mr. Obama’s stance as an opponent of traditional politics. The national spokesman for Mr. Obama’s campaign, Bill Burton, said word of a deal “isn’t true.”

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/03/obama-will-get-richardsons-second-choice-votes/

[TwilightGardener]

1. Good.

[rinsd]

2. So the Obama campaign is floating rumors then denying them?

[FreeState]

3. Looks like things are getting dirty(er) n/t

[jefferson_dem]

6. It could be a number of things...

Perhaps the deal is made but they weren't ready to "go public" with it...at least not yet. Who knows?

Edit: Maybe the claim that the "deal" "isn't true" is a technicality in that it's not "a deal" but a simple, friendly gentlemanly agreement. Politics is funny.

[gaiilonfong]

7. And Hillary threw Mark penn under the bus

He will be the fall guy for her HUMILIATION tonight...
BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHHA
1 Rover clone down 2 to go!

[Windy]

25. He should be. He is a toxic man as evidenced by his hardball appearance n/t

[Silent3]

4. All five of them?

:evilgrin:

[MalloyLiberal]

5. Sigh, shame on you Richardson for stopping the next FDR

[Inuca]

8. Can't

these "senior campaign advisors" and "national spokesmen" talk to each other and coordinate what the hell they are saying? This is getting annoying!

[SharonRB]

9. That doesn't jive with this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3936439

[Renew Deal]

14. I think the NYT's slightly more credible than Essential Estrogen.

Just a wee bit. Also the NYT story is a half hour old. January 3, 2008, 2:24 pm

[SharonRB]

22. LOL

Yeah, you're probably right.

I still think there are a lot of rumors going around.

[Auntie Bush]

10. Does making a deal mean

vote for ne and I'll make you VP or SoS etc? :shrug: Do they make this kind of deal so early in the campaign?

[Renew Deal]

11. Is this finally official?

[rinsd]

13. You have a denial from Burton in the same article.

[Renew Deal]

18. I know.

I don't think everyone is being honest about this stuff. I sense there are deals. Especially because of the non-denial denials coming from Richardson.

[MethuenProgressive]

12. Joaquin H. Guerra, Richardson's online Director: "the rumor is false- there are no deals."

Iowa Independent also ran the false planted story - and then had to add the correction.
http://www.iowaindependent.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=178
Update: Joaquin Guerra, Richardson's national Online Director, denies that any plans are in place to direct supporters to Obama on the second round of voting.

Open Left was caught too.
http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3032
This is Joaquin with the Richardson Campaign and the rumor is false- there are no deals. These are typical last minute election shenanigans.
Joaquin H. Guerra
Richardson for President
jguerra-at-richardsonforpresidnet.com

and:
http://www.essentialestrogen.com/2008/01/biden_dodd_richardson_to_iowan.html
Robert Becker, Iowa director of the Bill Richardson for President campaign, took particular offense with reports circulated this morning that his campaign was encouraging non-viable supports to switch to Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

"Here we are the day of caucus and there are all these rumors about deals being made," he said. "I'm just sick of it. We have not directed our supporters to caucus for anyone other than Bill Richardson."

[Renew Deal]

16. The NYT's story is a half hour old.

Do you have anything newer? I never expected to see you as an Obama supporter. Will you ditch your candidate if this is true?

[rinsd]

17. The NYT story also include a denial from Obama's nat spokesperson

[MethuenProgressive]

19. The NYT Blog about yesterday's Obama planted rumor was written when?

Posted today, yes. So were thousands of other blogs.

[Renew Deal]

20. My spidey sense is tingling

I sense that there's some truth to these rumors. I don't buy all the denials.

[MethuenProgressive]

27. "I sense that there's some truth to these rumors." This, from an Obama supporter?

Just because a rumor is repeated often enough it's True? So says an *Obama* supporter??
:eyes: You should know better.
But then, you were over the rainbow believing this rumor yesterday...

[BeyondGeography]

31. MP, we proudly welcome you to the Obama team

:patriot:

[MethuenProgressive]

34. "We have not directed our supporters to caucus for anyone other than Bill Richardson."

Iowa Independent also ran the false planted story - and then had to add the correction.
http://www.iowaindependent.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=178
Update: Joaquin Guerra, Richardson's national Online Director, denies that any plans are in place to direct supporters to Obama on the second round of voting.

Open Left was caught too.
http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3032
This is Joaquin with the Richardson Campaign and the rumor is false- there are no deals. These are typical last minute election shenanigans.
Joaquin H. Guerra
Richardson for President
jguerra-at-richardsonforpresidnet.com

and:
http://www.essentialestrogen.com/2008/01/biden_dodd_ric...
Robert Becker, Iowa director of the Bill Richardson for President campaign, took particular offense with reports circulated this morning that his campaign was encouraging non-viable supports to switch to Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

"Here we are the day of caucus and there are all these rumors about deals being made," he said. "I'm just sick of it. We have not directed our supporters to caucus for anyone other than Bill Richardson."
-----------------------
ObamaNation. The CREEP of 2008.

[Pirate Smile]

39. LOL

[Renew Deal]

32. Prove that I "was over the rainbow" believing this yesterday.

I've done absolutely no celebrating of anything on DU. Also, I am not an Obama supporter.

[David Dunham]

15. Obama's showing himself to be a corrupt dealmaker

[demnan]

21. I don't like these deals

If you can't win the required support why not let your supporters pick someone of their choice?

Politics as usual.

Oh well.

[Stop Cornyn]

23. This makes a hell of a lot more sense than the Kucinich pledge, which ended my affair with Kucinich

[OHdem10]

24. The actual voters do not necessarily follow a Candidates

instructions. Their vote is theirs and they make up their own mind

[Renew Deal]

26. I don't think people are that easy to move.

There's going to be a lot of confused people. Executing this stuff is difficult.

[BeyondGeography]

29. It's worth it to watch MP become a de facto Obama supporter though

:popcorn:

[MethuenProgressive]

35. I've always said I'll vote for our nominee.

Even if we surrender to the GOP and nominate Barry Obama instead of trying to win.

[LittleBlue]

28. I don't have a problem with this. Richardson is overall a good guy

:)

[MethuenProgressive]

36. (but it's not true)

Iowa Independent also ran the false planted story - and then had to add the correction.
http://www.iowaindependent.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=178
Update: Joaquin Guerra, Richardson's national Online Director, denies that any plans are in place to direct supporters to Obama on the second round of voting.

Open Left was caught too.
http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3032
This is Joaquin with the Richardson Campaign and the rumor is false- there are no deals. These are typical last minute election shenanigans.
Joaquin H. Guerra
Richardson for President
jguerra-at-richardsonforpresidnet.com

and:
http://www.essentialestrogen.com/2008/01/biden_dodd_ric ...
Robert Becker, Iowa director of the Bill Richardson for President campaign, took particular offense with reports circulated this morning that his campaign was encouraging non-viable supports to switch to Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

"Here we are the day of caucus and there are all these rumors about deals being made," he said. "I'm just sick of it. We have not directed our supporters to caucus for anyone other than Bill Richardson."
-----------------------
ObamaNation. The CREEP of 2008.

[jillan]

30. Hora is all over this story on msnbc.

[Renew Deal]

33. Who? What are they saying?

Who's Hora?

[MethuenProgressive]

37. Well, the national spokesman for Obama’s campaign, Bill Burton, said word of a deal “isn’t true."

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/03/obama-will-get-richardsons-second-choice-votes/

ObamaNation is now calling one of their high priests a liar? :popcorn:

What's MSNBC saying? That Nixon's CREEP is back in business?

[Renew Deal]

40. Are you a member of Obama nation now?

:evilgrin:

[jillan]

38. Nora O'Donnell.