The PUMA and the pragmatist
Posted: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 5:52 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:
Democrats
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
DENVER, Colo. -- It's easy here to spot Clinton supporters who are not exactly happy with Obama -- they're the loudest and most colorful.
One such individual, who could certainly be described as a PUMA, was unabashed in her criticism of the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Jeamour Matthew, who apparently has a blog profile here, shouted blatant falsehoods from a 16th St. sidewalk about Obama's youth and policies, threw out inflammatory language like “racist,” “liar” and “cheater” to describe the Illinois senator and handed out bright, yellow flyers promoting Hillary Clinton. She described herself as an ardent Clinton supporter and volunteer and said she would never vote for Obama. She would rather vote for McCain, “a real American,” she said.
But this sentiment isn't exactly overwhelming, however. Most ignored the woman and some even politely attempted to engage her in a policy debate and correct her “facts” -- unsuccessfully -- before walking away.
“I'm very pragmatic about this process,” said Misha Houser, a Clinton pledged delegate from California. “Internal fighting doesn't do us any good.”
Houser, who is from Rep. Loretta Sanchez's district, said she is very pleased with Obama and will gladly vote for him in November. She said she is not sure how she'll vote in roll call on Wednesday, in part, because she feels an obligation to represent the will of those she's representing.
But, “We need to keep in mind what the end game is -- keep a level head,” she said.
And Houser doesn't blame anyone but the Clinton campaign for losing. She said Clinton's lack of planning between Feb. 5 and Feb. 19 plus that “they didn't pay enough attention to caucuses” is why Clinton lost.
The polite, mild-manner Houser grew frustrated when asked about people like Matthew.
“That's such crap,” she said, maintaining the same level tone. “I mean, God, what's the choice? You have someone like McCain who doesn't know what he stands for and someone who works from the grassroots, which is what we're supposed to stand for.”
