411 Politics Fact or Fiction 05.13.08: Week 87

Posted by Brandon Crow on 05.13.2008

Is it simply time for Hillary to get out of the race? Should presumtpive nominee Barack Obama choose Hillary as VP? Is Arianna Huffington more trustworthy than John McCain on his 2000 presidential vote? Will George W. Bush be the biggest albatross around McCain's neck this November?

Welcome to Politics Fact or Fiction, Week 87. This week, we have the elder statesmen of 411 Politics, Mark Radulich going head on with a reader from West Virginia, the state which holds its primary today!! How topical, and fortunate it is us here at Fact or Fiction to have native West Virginian Ron Sayer with us. Let's get to it!

Ding, Ding!

1. Simply put, it is time for Hillary Clinton to gracefully bow out of the Democratic race.

Ron Sayer: FACT. As a former Reagan Democrat, but certainly not a Bush Democrat, it pains me to no end to admit fact to this point. Hillary Clinton is certainly more centrist than I believe Barack Obama to be. And John McCain has a tainted record for me. He's little better than flip-flopper Mitt Romney. So Hillary Clinton was my choice this time around. I still hope she could pull off a win, but fact is fact and so is math. Hillary, regrettably, has no chance to win the nomination unless something disastrous happens to Obama. And if she's staying in hoping for that moment to come before the convention, then she's more about herself than her party or her country.

She ran a damn good race and came back from the "media-induced death" three times. But now it's time for her to bow out gracefully so as to preserve her good name within the party for her own political future.

Mark Radulich: FICTION. It depends on a couple of issues. First, as we all know, the super delegates will go to Obama and thus give him the nomination so in theory she's lost which might make the above statement fact, however there are more issues to be considered. One theory holds that Clinton wants to COST Obama the election so that McCain wins and she re-run in 2012 (assuming Obama won't reattempt another shot). Also, that's a completely partisan statement that she should bow out of the race. Surely that would benefit the Democratic Party but if you are a McCain supporter then you want to her to be in as long as possible.

0 for 1. Surely, "partisan" is too strong a word to describe the question. I'm not sure how it is partisan to pose the question. Perhaps "relative" is a better word as Mark's response seems to indicate relativity more than partisanship

2. With the current Democratic base seemingly split between supporting Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, it would be a smart and conciliatory move for Obama to name Clinton his VP candidate.

Ron Sayer: FICTION. Again, as a Clinton supporter, I would love nothing more than to see her on the ticket because it would nearly ensure she would get to run for president in eight years. However, I say fiction here not because I just don't think Obama will go for it. Unless he has no other route, I believe Obama will go with someone else. His message of "change" would be deeply harmed given Clinton's perceived status as an "insider."

Mark Radulich: FACT. But I doubt Clinton wants to play second banana to the up-start Junior Senator with no solid record on anything substantial. He could offer her a ham sandwich at this point and it would be a nice gesture but I doubt it would amount to much.

0 for 2. The "dream ticket" of the media is dead. I don't think Obama will offer it, and frankly, I don't believe Clinton would accept it.

Switch!

3. Last week, Arianna Huffington of the "Huffington Post" stated that John McCain told her back in 2000 he did not vote for George W. Bush. McCain swiftly denied it. In this tit for tat, Huffington's claim is more trustworthy.

Mark Radulich: FICTION. Yet another partisan assumption. While I would agree that McCain had every right to vote against GW given the whole "black baby" thing in South Carolina, I doubt he would turn against his entire party over it. He also campaigned for the man, assuming he would have his own shot in good time, which is exactly what has happened.

Ron Sayer: FACT. John McCain has shown a propensity (and damn near desire) to either lie or completely alter his positions in order to secure nomination. Remember the campaign he ran in 2000? Remember the positions he held then? Compare those to the ones now, and what he seemingly resembles now. For a man who's flip-flopped on abortion, theology, whether or not he considered being Kerry's running mate in 2004, and many other topics, why would I, or any voter for that matter, believe that he did vote for Bush in 2000 just because he said so?

Besides, what does Arianna Huffinton have to gain by putting that point out? Nothing. Okay, a few more hits on her website, but how does that ultimately matter? McCain, on the other hand, has a lot to gain, and perhaps, even more to lose if he mishandles this one. Though Huffington is a little too left for my taste these days, in this encounter, I believe her.

0 for 3.

4. According to a recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, 43 percent of those surveyed are deeply concerned that John McCain is too closely associated with George W. Bush and the current leadership. As well, 73 percent said they disapprove of Bush's handling of the economy. the bigger problem appears to be John McCain's ties to President Bush. Many pundits have labeled Bush "the biggest albatross going into the November election." You agree.

Mark Radulich: FICTION. The biggest albatross to John McCain is his moderate record among conservative voters (McCain-Feingold, McCain-Kennedy, Comprehensive Immigration Reform, etc). That 43 percent doesn't delineate between conservative voters and liberal ones so who knows what category of likely voters are concerned about their "connection." This smacks more of wishful thinking and a cute way to take votes away from McCain; insinuating Bush's name with McCain is the same sort of thing as saying 9/11 and Saddam Hussein in the same sentence and both have as much to do with one another in reality.

Ron Sayer: FACT. Let's make this short and sweet. Bush is the biggest albatross out there for ALL Republican politicians running for any office this year. Just like Dan Quayle was no Jack Kennedy, Bush is no Reagan. He leaves no coattail on which to ride unless you are an ultra-conservative neo-con from an ultra-conservative neo-con district. And really, how many of those are there?
0 for 4. Wow, these guys can't agree on anything!

Thanks to Mark and Ron for jumping into the fray this week. I think they just gave me my second 0 for 4 since I took this over some thirty weeks ago! See you all in Week 88!