Tonight on CNN’s Larry King Live James Carville continued his attack on Governor Bill Richardson. He called Richardson "disloyal" for endorsing Barack Obama. And he named names. When asked to explain he said that he would provide initials of people who had told him that Richardson agreed to endorse Hillary Clinton. Then, inexplicably, he named three names – not initials – of people who supposedly had been assured by Richardson that he supported Hillary Clinton. Two of the names he rattled off were Haim Saban and Alan Patricof.
If the names sound familiar, they should. Saban and Patricof were two of the big Hillary Clinton donors who yesterday sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi threatening to cut off funds to the DCCC unless Madame Speaker reconsidered her stance on superdelegates. They demanded that Nancy Pelosi withdraw her opinion that the superdelegates should not vote against the will of the people. It was political blackmail of the most arrogant kind.
It is notable that not only Carville, but Hillary Clinton’s biggest financial backers, are also going after Bill Richardson so hard. It is also notable that Carville is continuing to repeat his attacks on Richardson. It is perhaps a sign of how much the Richardson endorsement has hurt the Clinton campaign. The fear must be that other superdelegates are ready to follow Richardson’s lead and endorse Obama. The public attacks on Richardson may be a shot across the bow of any superdelegates ready to jump ship to Obama. Carville’s act of desperation suggests that the fear of being abandoned by superdelegates is not just theoretical, but real.
However, it may already be too late. Carville’s latest television meltdown, along with the Clinton donors’ ill-advised public shakedown attempt, demonstrates how much the Clinton campaign has lost the plot. James Carville, once formidable in the 1990s, now just looks bitter and desperate. He has clearly jumped the shark. And so has Hillary Clinton’s campaign for the Democratic nomination.
Expect some more prominent superdelegate endorsements for Obama in the near future.
It’s so sad. I used to really like Carville. His “We’re Right, They’re Wrong” was a beautiful defense of progressivism and testament to all the good things government has done over the years that we often forget about.
I guess being married to a crazy woman all these years has rubbed off on him.
I hate to see Carvile on the other side. This is an example how this protracted battle is weakening the democrates.
Carvile’s is not probbaly the first ‘jump the shark’ moment in Clinton campaign. Starting from NH, there have been many such events.
BTW, why democrate, after losing an election, get a beard?
Mash, I’m not surprised Hillary’s campaign fell off the tracks but to be honest I knew something was wrong in New Hampshire when Sid Blumenthal got busted for a DUI and got a free pass.
Now if someone in Obama’s camp got a DUI…