The fight goes to Capitol Hill
Posted: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 5:11 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:
Congress, Democrats
From NBC’s Mike Viqueira
Been talking to several House Democrats a.k.a. superdelegates this day. Bottom line: things are, for the most part, status quo in terms of commitments, at least for the time being.
Clinton has asked several uncommitteds to come meet with her this evening at around 8 or 8:30, after votes on the housing bill now being considered on the House floor. Location TBD. I talked to three such members, who said that they are going to take a pass, simply because they have heard several times from both candidates personally over the course of the past week, and there is nothing more to be said.
Another uncommitted said he was going to go out of a sense of courtesy. Keep in mind that these folks are inundated with calls from the respective campaigns and that, for the Clinton side, operatives like Harold Ickes come up every Wednesday to talk to people privately.
Another uncommitted said his office received a call from the Obama campaign asking for a meet tomorrow. Per NBC’s Mark Hudspeth, Obama will indeed be in DC tomorrow.
Yes, members are discussing last night's results on the floor when they congregate for votes today. But remember that the same factors that they have taken into consideration all along remain. In other words, uncommitteds aren't going to declare for one or the other because Indiana or North Carolina voted this way or that. They have their own parochial, district-specific political dynamic to take into consideration.
Many of the House uncommitteds are middle of the road, "Blue Dog" conservative Dems like Heath Shuler. Shuler had said that he would vote the way of his western North Carolina district and, sure enough, today he tells NBC that he is now in the Clinton camp, since she won there last night. Same for Brad Ellsworth of southern Indiana's "Bloody 8th" district, which Clinton also won.
The Clinton backers here are resolute, with no sign of wavering from the handful that I have spoken with around the House chamber.
One Obama backer says the looming late May meeting of the DNC rules committee is going to bring added pressure for people to declare, because it will be a lot easier for party poohbahs to achieve a compromise if there are fewer variables like uncommitted supers.
Supers Frozone and ElastaGirl were unavailable for comment. Mr. Incredible travels under the name of Shuler (see above).
