Sunday Snapshot -- Don't Cry For Me, America

All of the Sunday shows discussed Hillary Clinton's concession speech in DC on 6/7.

NBC's Mitchell, asked what happened between 6/3 and 6/7: "Charlie Rangel. Pressure from her own biggest supporters. It was Charlie Rangel who first catapulted her into contention for the Senate. ... I think [the speech] was a perfect coming together of everything she needed to do" ("Meet the Press," 6/8).

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY): "More than pleased. And I may feel awkward that I was a little impatient in terms of her not endorsing on the night that we knew that [Barack] Obama was the nominee, but in afterthought, and seeing how great that speech was, I don't know whether emotionally she would have been prepared to have given such an exciting, overwhelming speech, which I think will go down in history as one of the best political speeches we've had" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 6/8).

Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA): "I think Senator Clinton helped our party take a substantial step forward to unity. ... I think it showed what we've known about her for years, her leadership skills, her ability to focus on the objective here which is a very simple choice -- whether or not America will change course or whether or not we'll stay on the same path" ("Late Edition," CNN, 6/8).

Clinton comm. dir. Howard Wolfson: "I think people have seen her in a different way throughout this campaign. I think there's been an evolution. ... We don't have to relive it, but, you know, she ended up winning more states and more primaries and more votes over the last four months. So she closed extremely well. And I think you saw that yesterday when she gave a really magnificent speech and a very full-throated, hearty endorsement of Senator Obama" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 6/8).

After the jump, HRC supporters up for grabs, general election strategizing and Feinstein opens up about secret meeting.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

MYTH BUSTERS

NBC's Todd: "The biggest myth of this campaign was that somehow the Clintons controlled the apparatus. They didn't. ... The two moments before the campaign even started were clues as to how difficult this was going to be for them. One was the election of Howard Dean as DNC chair, and the other was Democrats winning control of Congress in 2006 and the ascension of Nancy Pelosi as one of the leaders. Here they had two of the sort of three cogs of the Democratic leadership, in Nancy Pelosi and Howard Dean, who were waiting for there to be a crack in this inevitability armor of the Clintons. And once there was, it's as if they were just waiting. And it wouldn't have mattered if it was Barack Obama, Mark Warner, had he run, or John Edwards. Whoever ended up filling the vacuum of the anti-Clinton, they were going to rush to them" ("Meet the Press," 6/8).

FOLLOW THE LEADER

There was a lot of talk about whether Clinton's supporters (and staff) would follow her lead in supporting Obama.

VA Gov. Tim Kaine (D): "There's a deep affection for Senator Clinton. I mean, she knocked it out of the park yesterday with her speech. And the fact that people preferred Senator Clinton or Senator Obama doesn't mean they'll not get on board. ... Here is this fundamental desire in the American population for a change in direction of this nation. And the match-up between Senator McCain and Senator Obama couldn't be more clear" ("Fox News Sunday," 6/8).

MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R), asked if Clinton supporters will cross over and vote for John McCain: "Well, if you look at Senator Clinton's message, it related to who has the experience, who's ready to do the job. Clearly, that would be Senator McCain as compared to Senator Obama. They also perhaps were looking for somebody who was a little more mainstream, a little more ability to work across party lines, willing to take the leadership role. Senator McCain has a record on those things, not just rhetoric, as Senator Obama does not" ("Fox News Sunday," 6/8).

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), asked what Obama needs to do to bring the Clinton supporters along: "He needs to reassure them as to what he would do in the agenda for change, because the comparisons with McCain are very stark" ("This Week," ABC, 6/8).

Wolfson: "I think [Obama]'s going to do everything he can to reach out to Senator Clinton's supporters. Senator Clinton is going to do everything she can to make sure that her supporters support him. ... I think Senator Obama is going to begin, I understand, an economic tour in the next couple of weeks, where he's going to really focus on the problems that George Bush has created for this economy, offering new ideas to take us away from the Bush-McCain policies. That's the right way I think to appeal to a lot of the voters who supported Senator Clinton" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 6/8).

NBC's K. O'Donnell: "If there was still a sense among Hillary Clinton's supporters that they had somehow been wronged or disappointed, that's an opportunity for John McCain to embrace Hillary Clinton as he did. Now, throughout the campaign, we saw him much less contentious when it ever came to Hillary Clinton. He would always save his fire for Obama. So he's been preparing for this because they knew all along her voters could potentially be their voters. So it was certainly a warm embrace over and over in these last several days. And so the delay for her to finally concede, they saw as an opportunity" ("Meet the Press," 6/8).

Wolfson, on the possibility of joining Obama's comm. team: "You know, I think the Obama campaign did a pretty good job of running their campaign. They've got an excellent team over there. I'm looking forward to spending the summer with my family" ("Late Edition," CNN, 6/8).

SHE'S GOT A TICKET TO RIDE?

With Clinton suspending her campaign, there continued to be chatter of Clinton as Obama's running mate.

Kaine, asked if Clinton is automatically the frontrunner for the VP spot: "I would say that the campaign has from very early days ... talked a lot about Senator Clinton and Senator Clinton's supporters and the notion of party unity. We needed to get the primary done. We need to let the dust settle. Again, Senator Clinton just did an absolutely remarkable job yesterday, knocked it out of the park in reflecting on her candidacy and in encouraging us all to come together. And that will be hugely helpful in getting us involved. But party unity is obviously one of the very top features that the Obama team will be weighing as they make the decision about the V.P., but also other decisions" ("Fox News Sunday," 6/8).

Wolfson: "It's not a job that she's seeking. And it's not a job that she's campaigning for. But she has made it clear, during the campaign and now, that she will do, as I've said, whatever she can and whatever she is asked" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 6/8).

More Wolfson: "That is solely Senator Obama's decision. He needs to make the best decision for him based on whatever he thinks he needs to do to get elected and govern" ("Late Edition," CNN, 6/8).

Rangel: "From a personal view -- and I may be too close to the forest -- I think it is an absolutely unbeatable ticket, and I think it would be terrific for the country" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 6/8).

NBC's Mitchell: "She is open to the vice presidency. She wants it. She clearly wants it. ... Yesterday's speech was an audition. And look at the crowd and look at the composition of that crowd. And by coincidence, actually, not by planning, it was held right at the end of the Race for the Cure, that you had thousands of women who had just been running and walking to try to raise money to cure breast cancer, and a lot of the people in that crowd were wearing the T-shirts and the hats. It was a ready-made crowd just four blocks away" ("Meet the Press," 6/8).

Feinstein, on those who do not favor an Obama-Clinton ticket: "I've looked at every other possible candidate. No one brings to a ticket what Hillary brings. Eighteen million people committed to where she's going. ... If you really want a winning ticket, this is it" ("This Week," ABC, 6/8).

Feinstein, on whether Obama should choose Clinton as his running mate: "I believe he should. I think there are 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling that say, yes, do it. I think Hillary had something that is a bit unusual. She has a very committed woman constituency, female constituency right now. ... Now that's not to say he can't get them with others. He can. And he can get them with himself. But it's such a natural to put these two together" ("Late Edition," CNN, 6/8).

GENERAL-LY SPEAKING

With the Dem primary offically over, pols and pundits started looking at the general election.

Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA): "I think we've reached the point here where the message is going to transcend racial divides. There are clear distinctions between Barack and John McCain on issues of intellect, meaning the way you shape the larger issues that are facing the country rather than this tax bill or that tax bill. There are issues in terms of composure and vision. ... I don't see the first African-American candidate. I see someone here who has got the intellect, has got the composure, who can help us bring a formula now together where we can start breaking apart this calcification that has happened, where the middle class has been hurt so bad" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 6/8).

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC): "This is not the Wharton Business School against the London School of Economics. You've got a liberal in Senator Obama, who will repeal the Bush tax cuts that expire in 2011. ... John will say keep the tax rates in place.... One of the big differences between Senator Obama, President Bush and anybody else in Washington is that John McCain is going to bring a sense of fiscal discipline and energy to controlling spending you haven't seen in a while" ("This Week," ABC, 6/8).

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA): "John McCain said himself that he doesn't know anything about the economy. He said he's going to have to have a vice president who knows something about the economy in order to help him on it. And if you look at almost every issue -- health care. John McCain doesn't have a policy to be able to try to reform health care and reduce costs. ... Barack Obama has one; John McCain doesn't. I can go down a long list" ("This Week," ABC, 6/8).

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX): "I think the biggest issue that we're going to have in this campaign is the economy and energy and the cost of energy is going to be the biggest difference. ... [McCain] has plans to increase the amount of energy and bring down costs where as Barack Obama and the Democrats put forth energy plans that don't produce more energy" ("Late Edition," CNN, 6/8).

NBC's Gregory: "I think independent voters are going to be so interesting to watch in this cycle because you've got two candidates who have demonstrated success among independent voters, notably John McCain. ... That's the contest here. For Barack Obama, he's got to appeal among independents, but he's also got a lot of question marks over his head. And for John McCain, how close is he to Bush in the mind of the independent? That group of voters becomes important, and you've got two candidates here, really, in a unique ability to go after them" ("Meet the Press," 6/8).

NBC's Todd: "The first candidate that figures out how to talk to working class voters about the economy and feel their pain is going to be the one that eventually wins this election. And neither one of them are good at it yet" ("Meet the Press," 6/8).

ANOTHER ROUND OF DODGEBALL

Meanwhile, pols continued to dodge questions about whether they would accept the VP spot.

Kaine: "I'm not here about me. I'm here about the senator and his vision for changing America. And what I've done for him so far is get out on the campaign trail, and I'm part of his economics adviser team, and I think my best feature in terms of helping him is do just exactly what I'm doing and help him in Virginia, which is very much in play. ... I'm not expecting it, not counting on it, certainly didn't endorse the senator with any plan to get anything out of it" ("Fox News Sunday," 6/8).

Pawlenty: "I have a fond and deep respect for Senator McCain and his leadership. I want to help him become the president because I think he'd be a great president. But I don't have any designs on being vice president. If somebody came to me and said that, of course, it would be an honor to be mentioned, honor to be asked. It would be difficult to turn that down. But I don't have any designs, and it's not why I'm such a great and strong promoter of Senator McCain" ("Fox News Sunday," 6/8).

Webb: "I would leave that to Barack Obama. And, having a discussion with him, I'm happy to give him as much advice as I can, and support. I'm not really looking to be in that spot. ... He's going to have to find someone that he feels compatible with, who also can help him in the election. But every bit as importantly, he's going to have to put together an executive branch of government. And having spent four years in the Reagan administration, inside the executive branch, that's a very challenging thing to do."

Webb, asked if he would consider being on a ticket with McCain: "I can give you a definite no on that" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 6/8).

Hutchison, on whether McCain should pick a female running mate: "I think having a woman on the ticket would be fabulous. I think he has a number of good choices. I love Meg Whitman. I love Carly Fiorina. I think they would add dynamite to the ticket. But I also there's some great governors like Pawlenty, Crist are both mentioned, I think very prominently. ... And I think Mitt Romney is terrific and he's a person who could step in."

CNN's Blitzer: "What about Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison?"

Hutchison: "Well, I think he has other choices that match very well with him. And I'm looking at all of those as real potentials" ("Late Edition," CNN, 6/8).

HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTESS

During her Sunday appearances, Feinstein opened up about the Clinton/Obama secret meeting held at her residence on 6/5.

Feinstein, asked if she gave Clinton any advice before the meeting: "We talked, you know, friend to friend, about where she would go. She wanted to have that meeting. She didn't want to have to go out and make a press statement. She didn't want to be followed to the meeting. She wanted one opportunity to sit down with Senator Obama, just the two of them, and I think establish a sense of rapport between them, I think put aside what had happened on the campaign trail ... hat they could forge some kind of a positive bond and working relationship. And I think that came of it. They were both very relaxed at the end of the meeting" ("This Week," ABC, 6/8).

Feinstein: "I have two easy chairs in front of the fireplace where I put them. I said what can I get you to drink? I've got California wine and they said water. So I poured water and said, I'll see you later and went upstairs and worked. And then at the end of I heard Barack calling Diane and they were both laughing. I thought that was a very good sign and they left. And that was it. And I thought that each had one staffer that was in the study and that was it. And I thought, how wonderful that they had a chance just to be alone to kind of feel each other out with respect to where they were and it was a good thing" ("Late Edition," CNN, 6/8).

ROUNDTABLE ROUNDUP

The "This Week" roundtable discussed Clinton's speech and the general election.

George Will, on Clinton's speech: "She had to talk to her 18 million cracks in the glass ceilings, all her voters out there who were feeling aggrieved and best thing she could do for Barack Obama was to talk to them and about herself to bring them over. She can't seek the Democratic presidential nomination again until 2016. So she should be forgiven for making the most of basking in that moment" (ABC, 6/8).

The "Fox News Sunday" roundtable discussed Clinton's speech, the general election and the economy.

NPR's Williams, on Clinton's speech: "It was all that people wanted in terms of bringing the party together. So I thought it was an impressive performance. ... I wonder if he shouldn't have come to her event. And it was a decision that he made not to be there with her yesterday."

Fox's Hume, on the general election: "I think this race is about Obama. It's really not about McCain. McCain is positioned as a well-known safe alternative for voters who, for whatever reason, decide not to vote for Barack Obama. ... It's all about Obama on a number of levels. One is, can America elect a black man? I think America can, but if that black man is perceived as radical in any way, that's a big danger sign. And the thinness of his record and the questionable associations feed into what I think is an undercurrent of apprehension about him, which is McCain's best hope" (6/8).

The "Late Edition" roundtable discussed the general election, Veepstakes and Clinton's speech.

CNN's Crowley: "[Clinton] said his name 14 times in a 30-minute speech, so they couldn't ask for much more. There were scattered boos. ... And by the end she even won over some of the boos because they stopped. ... Her speech was not a sorrowful speech. It looked back but it wasn't, this is so sad, that kind of thing. So I think she kind of made the crowd emotion" (6/8). (KATHERINE LEHR)