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Carville: I Meant to Burn Richardson
By Tommy ChristopherApr 2nd 2008 3:53PM
Filed Under:eDemocrats, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, 2008 President
Washington post, ostensibly regarding Richardson's endorsement of Barack Obama for President, and Carville's characterization of Richardson as "Judas" for doing so. Richardson:Led by political commentator James Carville, who makes a living by being confrontational and provocative, Clinton supporters have speculated about events surrounding this endorsement and engaged in personal attacks and insults.Carville:
While I certainly will not stoop to the low level of Mr. Carville, I feel compelled to defend myself against character assassination and baseless allegations.
So, when asked on Good Friday about Richardson's rejection of the Clintons, the metaphor was too good to pass by. I compared Richardson to Judas Iscariot. (And Matthew Dowd is right: Had it been the Fourth of July, I probably would have called him Benedict Arnold.)
I believed that Richardson's appointments in Bill Clinton's administration and his longtime personal relationship with both Clintons, combined with his numerous assurances to the Clintons and their supporters that he would never endorse any of Sen. Hillary Clinton's opponents, merited a strong response.
This is too much fun for one guy to have. After the jump, I spoke to Jim earlier, I'll give you the high points, and I'll explain why Keith Olbermann might owe me an apology, and I will render a decision in this verbal prize-fight that (local TV anchor voice) might surprise you.
Okay, a little quick background. On a Clinton conference call last week, I asked Howard Wolfson 3 or 4 times if he thought Carville should apologize for the Judas remark, at one point asking the follow-up, "If Richardson is Judas in this analogy, whom does that make Senator Clinton?" From The New York Observer:And after three attempts by AOL reporter Tommy Christopher, Wolfson said that James Carville should speak for himself about whether he regrets comparing Bill Richardson to Judas, but, added, "If I had said it, I would apologize."
So, I called Mr. Carville today to see what he had to say about it, especially Wolfson's tacit demand for an apology. Now, Carville and I are both on record as saying that the serial apologies in this campaign have been ridiculous, and that people ought to toughen up a little. I only asked Howard about the Judas comment because he was really having a go at General Merrill McPeak for his Joe McCarthy comment. Here are a few choice quotes from our exchange:
Wow. My finest hour. I left James Carville speechless.Tommy Christopher: In your op ed today, first of all, you credited Keith Olbermann with the line, "So if he's Judas in this analogy, who's Jesus?" I just wanted to let you know, that was my line, I asked Howard that at the conference call.
James Carville: (laughs) Well, sorry, I didn't mean to give him credit, (necessarily)
TC: I wanted to get your comments on...
JC: I have never spoken out against any of Obama's supporters, Bobby Casey, Daschle, we're all friends, but considerin' the relationship with the Clintons, this (Richardson) was a special case that merited a special response. It was intended to cause him pain, and I think it did, it burned him.
JC: Look, this campaign ain't dirty, this is nothing. If the Obama campaign thinks the Republicans are going to leave him alone, they're livin' in a dream world.
TC: Sure, I get that, but the thing I really had a problem with was hitting him with the Commander in Chief thing, which I think hurts both of them.
JC: Well, I can't say anything about that.
Well, not really. We talked for a few more minutes about the state of the Democratic Party vis a vis cojones. I like Carville's style, just not his DLC-style politics. Here's hoping they let him loose on McCain and Gingrich once this nomination is settled.
As for the aforementioned prize-fight? A Mike Tyson-style knockout for Carville. Here's the thing. I agree with Richardson, he did the right thing in endorsing Obama, but Carville's characterization, although colorful and hyperbolic, was apt. His relationship with the Clintons, combined with the fact that he holds great influence with Hispanic voters, a key Clinton bloc, made his endorsement of Obama that much harder a punch.
Plus, does he really think President Clinton had nothing better to do on Super Bowl Sunday? I know if it was me, I would have been at the Maxim party or something. Richardson traded on that relationship for years, and although I give him the benefit of the doubt that his decision to endorse Obama was sincere, even he acknowledges he knew a storm was going to come. Governor Richardson needs to stop whining about it and take his lumps.
Recent Comments
(Page 1 of 9)Mary O\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\4:21PMApr 2nd 2008
Way to go Carville. You call it like it is. My fellow Americans, Hillary Clinton needs to stay in this race for as long as it takes to expose Obama for the phony that he is, instead of the uniter he is credited for being. She will create a Universal Health Care Plan and Obama will not. Obama tells bald face lies. For his latest example of lying take the new ad he is running in PA. This is a bald faced lie. He does take money from special interests and oil companies. Hillary's exaggeration of the Bosnia thing was not a lie. A lie in this regard would have been that she didn't go to Bosnia. Instead she embellished this trip but, she did not lie. Why don't the MSM call him on his blatant lies? No, they are two busy hiding his faults and looking for anything on Hillary. Also, in my humble opinion it seems the media makes a big endorsement out of every Obama supporter and not so much about Hillary's endorsements, i.e. the PA Governor. Americans need to take another look at Hillary. I am confident that PA voters are informed on the issues and they support Hillary. Let me just say Hillary rocks in person as well as on the trail. I was so fortunate yesterday, March 29th to personally meet her in Madisonville, KY. She is truly a remarkable American. We cannot let her or America down. All of "US" need her in order to restore our standing at home and abroad. Please join hillaryclinton.com to donate, call, join the Hillary wave across the rest of the American primaries, and bring her on to the rest of "US". Everybody please do whatever you can to bring her back to the Whitehouse. She is the only candidate qualified and committed to restoring "we the people" to peace and prosperity. With her we have no fear as to what lurks hidden in the past like some of us do with Obama, as the MSM has left no stone unturned in her past. I, for one, think we deserve the same scrutiny on Obama past life. He is after all, running for the President of the United States. Thank you.
Diana4:29PMApr 2nd 2008
Another good story, Tommy! You even got a laugh out of him. I agree with you 100%; thank you for being your usual balanced self in your analysis of who deserved the harder punch. Boy, loyalty in politics sure ain't what it used to be. Personally, I thought James' remark was very clever seeing that it was made two days before Easter/the Resurrection and the anniversary of the actual betrayal of Christ. Gosh, I just love that "Ragin' Cajun" Carville! Loved him in that Super Bowl commercial in which he and Bill Frist shared a Coke. Also love to see he and wife Mary Matalin go at it on MTP. Good material!
tfitz10174:30PMApr 2nd 2008
Good job. Evidently Bill went ballistic about the richardson endorsement. Sacred the crap out of some superdelegates he was trying to kiss up to in SF. He had Art Torres call 'em and apologize. DK has all of that linked.
I gotta admit I love it when he loses it!
tfitz10174:34PMApr 2nd 2008
Here we go!
*****************************************************
HELGOD4:25PMApr 2nd 2008
HELLO BILL RICHARDSON'S, I, AM CATHOLIC AND I CANT BELIEVE THAT YOU BETRAYED YOUR FRIENDS THE CLINTON'S. IF BLACK PEOPLE DID THAT THEN I WOULD UNDERSTAND BECAUSE THEY DO THAT ALL THE TIME.
*****************************************************
Real good catholic, aren't you Helgod? You nust have had a different catechism curriculum than I did, though.
Geneva Titsworth4:36PMApr 2nd 2008
Howard Dean should be fired! He has really made a mess of the Primary Process trying at every turn to do whatever he can to favor his candidate, Obama.
How can those who try to discorage voting and not allow our votes to be counted in the Democratic Party...claim to be any better than the Republicans who did the same thing in Florida?
What is happening? Are we trading the Bush power freaks to be replaced by the Dean power freaks?
tfitz10174:38PMApr 2nd 2008
Mary O, have you been possessed by the ghost of LBJ?
I bet Helgod could call the vatican and get somebody to stop by and take care of that for you.
H.Leialoha4:46PMApr 2nd 2008
It's interesting that AOL's straw poll has Mrs. Clinton way ahead of Obama and increasing every week but to listen to the so called scientific polls,( the same ones who had Obama winning in New Hampshire) Hillary should Quit. Thats the same thing they were saying before New Hampshire. The left leaning, so called main stream media, is trying so hard to influence the voters. I hope and pray they Don't succeed.
wanakeeh4:46PMApr 2nd 2008
What a hateful and vengeful man, James Carville. Unfortunately for New York, America and any Clinton supporter, turned independent thinker, this is the kind of beat down you can expect. Ruthless, calculating, mean, race baiting, lying, stealing, cheating, to name a few Clinton machine traits, are all indicative of why this country needs to just say NO to the Clinton politics of divide, conquer and destroy!
FOXYLYNX4:48PMApr 2nd 2008
CARVELLE SPOKE HIS MIND AND HE SPOKE THE TRUTH - RICHARDSON IS A COWARD AND A TRAITOR. WITHOUT BILL CLINTON THAT JERK WOULD BE NOTHING. HE WENT AGAINST HIS OWN STATE OF N.M. WHICH VOTED FOR HILLARY. WONDER WHAT POST OBAMA PROMISED HIM.
Katherine4:49PMApr 2nd 2008
I agree, Richardson DOES need to stop whining about it and take his lumps.
"I like Carville's style.." So do I, I don't like pussy-footin' people all the time, it's fun to get colorful.
Well, as a side note, DK posted a story on how Bill Clinton got upset at a news conference, stating that Bill Richardson promised (face to face) up to five times that he would never back anyone but Hillary.
eeek...Honestly, that's messed up. Imagine one of your close friends for years flipped on you like that, and kept making promises, to your face, but then...never kept it.
Ya gotta know that Bill Richardson is only a superdelegate because the Clinton's gave him a career. That's what is yucky about him....
Ok: So Bill Richardson sucks as a friends and his word is not bond. BOOO.
I think he wrecked his career for the long-term.
FOXYLYNX4:50PMApr 2nd 2008
GO TO FACTCHECK.ORG - THAT IDIOT OBAMA HAS ONLY PASSED 2 BILLS - ONE FOR MONEY FOR THE CONGO AND ANOTHER FOR A POST OFFICE - WOW, WHAT A RECORD - WHAT EVER GAVE HIM THE IDEA HE WAS QUALIFIED TO BE PRESIDENT. THAT JUST SHOWS YOU THE ARROGANCE OF THIS GUY.
mrbline4:52PMApr 2nd 2008
Judas?
Judas?????
I could have thought of a lot better than that. If he really wanted to hurt the guy, he should have downplayed it more. Maybe Bennedict Arnold, cozying up to the British.
To evoke Judas is to evoke desperation, and I think he did Camp Obama a favor there, demonstrating that this one marked the beginning of the end.
USA won, despite Bennedict Arnold.
Jesus still got hung on a cross.
Diana4:56PMApr 2nd 2008
HELGOD.....yo estoy de acuerdo con tigo; Richardson es un verdadero traidor. El no sabe nada de fidelidad. Que verguenza. Viva Hillary!
chippie4485:04PMApr 2nd 2008
carville no one owes you a thing. you do however should apologize to bill richardson. he gave backing to obama. that was his choice. live with it. turn a page. all of the above who critized you know where you should go.foxylynx if you think that obama is an idiot then tell me what low life are you that you can call a good man a name. where does all the hate come from? god bless obama and protect him from evil and harm.
m5:05PMApr 2nd 2008
If Richardson is "Judas" then Carville must think that Hillary is Jesus...and that says it all about her and the people she surrounds herself with...they think she's GOD , infallible, and they're clearly upset with the rest of us who don't see it that way. Heaven forbid, someone like richardson should actually have his OWN ideas about who to support and then act on his conscience. I guess he's supposed to simply goosestep in line to what Hillary and Co. want/need.
tfitz10175:15PMApr 2nd 2008
What's with this populist thing where if a candidate takes your state you have to endorse them? Richardson went with his conscience, obviously.
tfitz10175:18PMApr 2nd 2008
Diana, I got most of that but the last sentence. Did it refer to Helgods last racist statement? Does 'Que verguenza' mean 'why are you a bigot'?
Jim Brai5:19PMApr 2nd 2008
You goofballs out there plugging Obama need to WAKE UP and realize that there is NO WAY that anybody with ANY part black in their bloodstream is going to become president of the United States. It just AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN. You keep plugging this blue gum and all you're going to do is hand this election to McCain on a silver platter. It'll be a 50 state landslide. And this country can't survive a third Bush term. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!
lmay5:25PMApr 2nd 2008
I honestly think anyone supporting this fool Obama has not done any research and they are simply living in la la land. Oh..it feels good, he makes us "feel good."
Come on fellow Americans...Look deeply at this man and think. Read his books..look at this past with drugs, Bill Clinton smokes a joint and we were ready to impeach him, Obama did/does all kinds of drugs, His pastor is a hate monger and his wife is an even worse hater bigot. Can you imagine Rev Wright hanging out in the White House??? Oh my god..WAKE UP!! WAKE UP!!!
At least with Hillary we know what we are getting, she's done her share of dirty politics but at least she is loyal to the USA and she is not a bigot hater like these people.
Are we willing to give the highest office in America to these types of people. This is about America and this man does not love it and his allegiance is not to it!!!
Vote for America..if not Hillary, then my vote goes to Mccain for America!!
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Andy Walsh4:17PMApr 2nd 2008
I can't understand why everyone is being brain wash by obama. Remember no one can ever end the war in Iraq .You might be able to reduce the troop number. So guess what I would like to see obama get all the troops out with a tribe who have been fighting for 5000 years and still going. He needs to be practical and honest. Lets discuss, education, immigration, gun control, schools safety, homeland security , Jobs the economy the mortgage crisis , free trade and I can still go on. Lets hear those issues being discuss and not all that bull obama is speaking.