Report: AZ Governor Janet Napolitano Endorsing Obama

Comments (36)

Anonymous wrote on January 11, 2008 10:34 AM:

Napolitano has been (rightly) hailed as one of the bright shining lights of the next generation of Dem pols. Interesting that the machine couldn't get to her.

KathyF wrote on January 11, 2008 10:39 AM:

I've been singing her praises ever since I met her in Albuquerque. She's a tough lady and a great governor.

And would be a fantastic veep.

ky beaver wrote on January 11, 2008 10:40 AM:

is AZ a closed primary state? how many delegates?

Greg DeLassus wrote on January 11, 2008 10:41 AM:

Janet Napolitano would make a great president herself. Good news, this; a big catch. With each passing day I am feeling more fired up and ready to go. :-)

Anonymous wrote on January 11, 2008 10:45 AM:

A woman aggressively gets into the other one's way. It is sickening to see this happen. Maybe she wants to have a VP offer or wants to run herself. Her vote but only one vote. It is nice to see the Democratic establishment ganging up against Hillary. It will make her more feisty and increase her fighting spirit. Hillary all the way!

Anonymous wrote on January 11, 2008 10:51 AM:

WOW....in 2 days he got Kerry, Miller, Napolitano and the culinary union. Pretty impressive for someone that the Clinton's are trying to paint as not ready. Assuming that Miller is proxy for Pelosi, that is also two of the most powerful women political figures who have chosen against Clinton, even after NH. She is done.

Marc wrote on January 11, 2008 10:52 AM:

I'm not sure most endorsements really help a candidate secure more supporters in the long run, although there are undeniably some endorsements (i.e. - Al Gore) Hillary and Barack would really love to get.

Anonymous wrote on January 11, 2008 10:57 AM:

As weak as Kerry is as a politician, his database is the biggest prize of all for Barack. And, the more powerful women that come out to endorse him, the more diffuse is the Hillary's gender card strategy that she is obviously playing.

Mary wrote on January 11, 2008 10:59 AM:

It is no fluke that he is picking up endorsements left and right. Most seasoned ethical government officials will back him. Only the old school "you scratch my back I'll scratch yours" are not. For all of those who still think Obama is all talk and no substance see his plan for America:
http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/ObamaBlueprintForChange.pdf
He is extremely intelligent and he knows the plan to combat complex problems in this country cannot be explained in 30 second sound bytes. This election is the most important of our lives.

aimey mays wrote on January 11, 2008 11:02 AM:

I'm a Hillary support and I would love to see her supported by Kerry and Napolitano. With so many establishment Democrats lining up for Obama, his anti-establishment crudential is clearly dented and he can no longer effectively run as an outsider any more. Now you can also rest for sure there is no such thing as a clinton machine. Hillary will run on her own merit and let's say if Obama can talk his way into nomination.

The pundits have been saying that latinos don't vote for the black and blacks don't vote for latino. They don't vote much at all anyway. If Obama wins good amount of latino votes in NV, I may consider switching to Obama but ...

Anonymous wrote on January 11, 2008 11:03 AM:

Wow, Napolitano must have mistaken Obama as an Italian name. LOL

FlyOnTheWall wrote on January 11, 2008 11:05 AM:

And, let's not forget, it adds to the steady drumbeat of superdelegates who have announced for Obama since New Hampshire.

It's interesting. It looks like Obama's campaign was stockpiling these endorsements to roll them out after a NH victory and cement an aura of inevitability. Instead, they've turned into an effective means of rebuilding momentum after a narrow defeat, and of challenging Hillary's establishment mantle.

Anonymous wrote on January 11, 2008 11:09 AM:

I don't think so Aimey. He has all of the anti-estblishment and grass roots cred he had before (and Hillary never had) and is clearly the only outside change candidate (with the possible exception of Ron Paul and Mike Bloomberg). It's just that now the establishment is realizing that he is also the best candidate and will make a great President.

There most certainly is a Clinton machine and there will be plenty of endorsements coming her way because of it. Whether that machine is as strong as it once was, particularly with Bill and Hill making such ridiculous racially-tinged comments and the campaign aiming at Obama from the gutter is what is questionable for many.

grover_rover wrote on January 11, 2008 11:11 AM:

Don't forget Tim Johnson and George Miller and Lamont and Shirley Franklin. Yeah, he is raking them up...it is obvious that a large part of the party is tired of the shadow of the Clintons hanging over the entire party.

We'll never move on and be taken seriously until the 90s are behind us and we can convince the country we are ready for something new and something better.

Anonymous wrote on January 11, 2008 11:12 AM:

Anon @10:45, females aren't 100% behind Hillary. Too bad you don't know that.

aimey mays, Hillary is the establishment candidate but nice try. And, of course, there are folks in the Democratic Party who want to correct the direction the party has taken under the leadership of the Clintons. I certainly want that! And that's the reason I support Obama--and could be convinced to support Edwards.

June wrote on January 11, 2008 11:12 AM:

"A woman aggressively gets into the other one's way. It is sickening to see this happen. Maybe she wants to have a VP offer or wants to run herself. Her vote but only one vote. It is nice to see the Democratic establishment ganging up against Hillary. It will make her more feisty and increase her fighting spirit. Hillary all the way!

Sheesh. So all women must support Hillary or else they "get into the other one's way"? So much for feminism.

And to say the "DEmocratic establishment" is "ganging up" on Hillary is ridiculous. She is the Democratic establishment!! These people endorsing Obama are the ones standing up the DLC and the party bosses. Good for them. Time to turn the page!

And enough with the "ganging up on" talk. Any true feminist should want Hillary to win on her own merits without having to play the victimhood card.

aimey mays wrote on January 11, 2008 11:13 AM:

"There most certainly is a Clinton machine and there will be plenty of endorsements coming her way because of it. Whether that machine is as strong as it once was, particularly with Bill and Hill making such ridiculous racially-tinged comments and the campaign aiming at Obama from the gutter is what is questionable for many."

It takes a racist to see racism everywhere. I have been sicken tired of teh inane comments from Michael Eric Dyson from Georgetown saying Clinton's comments on "rolling a dice" has racial undertone. This is pure bullshit! If you vote for somebody without much experience who can talk well, is not it a gamble? No matter the skin color of the person. I seriously question the judgement by Georgetwon to hire this racist pig as a professor.

waka waka wrote on January 11, 2008 11:17 AM:

It's interesting. It looks like Obama's campaign was stockpiling these endorsements to roll them out after a NH victory and cement an aura of inevitability. Instead, they've turned into an effective means of rebuilding momentum after a narrow defeat, and of challenging Hillary's establishment mantle.

Let's hope the Goracle is somewhere in that arsenal. There definitely seems to be a method to the announcement of these endorsements: Roll them out one at a time, so each can be considered on its own merits. I swear, Obama knows how to run a good campaign.

Also, seems like Hillary would be rolling out her big-name endorsements right now to cement that air of inevitability. Guess she's out of ammo - for the time being at least. Tee hee!

Pari Noskin Taichert wrote on January 11, 2008 11:23 AM:

Janet Napolitano is a superb governor, an intelligent and, YES, an ethical politician.

She's absolutely the antithesis of knee-jerk-ism.

IMHO, this endorsement, born surely of research and thoughtful observation, will mean quite a bit for Obama in the SW and Rocky Mountain regions.

onceler wrote on January 11, 2008 11:24 AM:

i agree 100% with June above. believe me, if Hillary could win by throwing feminists under the bus, she would. just turns out she can't.

LifeLongDem wrote on January 11, 2008 11:24 AM:

I am a woman in AZ. I deeply respect Napolitano but will not heed her endorsement.

I agree with several posters that Napolitano would make a great V-P. I frankly think she would make a great President. But you know how viciously Sen. Clinton has been attacked on her looks? Napolitano wouldn't pass the telegenic double-standard set for women by this country. I can imagine the cartoons and snarky comments about her, the questions about her sexuality, etc.

Anonymous wrote on January 11, 2008 11:24 AM:

aimey mays, this is your second day in a row of some highly questionable comments.

"The pundits have been saying that latinos don't vote for the black and blacks don't vote for latino. They don't vote much at all anyway."

"The pundits have been saying that latinos don't vote for the black and blacks don't vote for latino. They don't vote much at all anyway."

Anonymous wrote on January 11, 2008 11:25 AM:

aimey mays, this is your second day in a row of some highly questionable comments.

"The pundits have been saying that latinos don't vote for the black and blacks don't vote for latino. They don't vote much at all anyway."

"I seriously question the judgement by Georgetwon to hire this racist pig as a professor."

Greg DeLassus wrote on January 11, 2008 11:30 AM:

It is nice to see the Democratic establishment ganging up against Hillary.

Give me a break, do. 1) Since when is Janet Napolitano the "democratic establishment"? She is a talented and accomplished democratic governor, but hardly some sort of party big-wig. You clearly have her confused with 2) Terry McAuliffe - who is part of the "gang" surrounding Sen Clinton. Look at the list of superdelegates for each candidate. If anyone has the "establishment" behind him or her, it is clearly Sen Clinton.

Not, mind you, that I mean this as any sort of slight against Clinton. Superdelegate votes are a good thing, and I am jealous of Sen Clinton, not scornful, for having them. I am just saying that it is ludicrously miscontruing the reality to say that Sen Obama is the candidate of the "establishment."

Anonymous wrote on January 11, 2008 11:44 AM:

I guess now Bill Richardson has to make up his mind soon.

Matt A wrote on January 11, 2008 12:04 PM:

YES!!!! A prominent FEMALE pol has endorsed Obama; this is exactly what he needs to counter the boys against girls argument.

He is creating quite a team of supporters; a combination of former anti-establishment types, up and comers, and independants. Cool!

Anonymous wrote on January 11, 2008 1:14 PM:

"former anti-establishment" -- Haha, what an oxymoron!

Anonymous wrote on January 11, 2008 1:18 PM:

aimey mays does a better job of making the case for an Obama Administration than many of his most ardent supporters. Brava!

Donald from Hawaii wrote on January 11, 2008 1:39 PM:

I'm finding it both interesting and amusing that for someone who's laid claim to the mantle of "change", Sen. Obama is sure piling up the endorsements of pillars of status quo within the Democratic establishment.

I'm not sure what that will mean in terms of actual votes, or whether or not this is the result of some sort of "bandwagon effect", wherein politicians have in the past displayed a tendency to latch onto whatever they perceive to be popular at a given moment. We'll just have to wait and see how this plays out.

MNPundit wrote on January 11, 2008 1:39 PM:

Absolutely. The Dems out there that have learned to compete and succeed in the new environments out there as Democrats and not fake-Ds are endorsing Obama.

Clinton is the road to the past.

Keith wrote on January 11, 2008 1:49 PM:

Seems to me the fact the folks endorse Obama's vision for America doesn't mean that he's adopted there's. Otherwise, Obama would be endorsing THEM.

sue wrote on January 11, 2008 2:23 PM:

aimey mays wrote on January 11, 2008 11:02 AM:

I'm a Hillary support and I would love to see her supported by Kerry and Napolitano. With so many establishment Democrats lining up for Obama, his anti-establishment crudential is clearly dented and he can no longer effectively run as an outsider any more.

********

aimey mays - - Obama's "anti-establishment" credentials have not been dented. About 40% of the delegates required to become the nominee aren't won through the popular vote (i.e. the public vote). They are allocated by party insiders as they see fit. The public has their say to winnow down the list, then the party insiders choose.

Even as an "outsider", you need the blessing of the party (i.e. the insiders" to win the nomination.

Peggy McGilligan wrote on January 11, 2008 3:34 PM:

You know, Hillary is down by double digits in the polls for days, she tears-up, and the State of New Hampshire turns out in droves to vote for her. Yeah, right. But before they do, the "first black president," calls the would-be, actual first black president "a fairy tale." Once again, the laws of physics have been suspended: http://theseedsof9-11.com

Anonymous wrote on January 11, 2008 3:47 PM:

His political team is certainly working overtime, first there was look SC, I got a white guy supporting me and now he's got a woman, glad to see they are looking at their deficits and filling those holes. Continue calculating political team Obama!

Richmond wrote on January 11, 2008 4:45 PM:

Maybe this is old fashioned, but one has to imagine that Ms. Napolitano owed some degree of loyalty to the Clintons in light of her appointment as USA for the District of Arizona during the 1990's. At a minimum, she should have stayed neutral during the primary season. She owed the Clintons at least that.

mcc wrote on January 11, 2008 4:50 PM:

It looks like Obama's campaign was stockpiling these endorsements to roll them out after a NH victory and cement an aura of inevitability.

Hm, that's an interesting interpretation. I'd been assuming that this rush of endorsements is primarily about people who were on the fence making up their minds in reaction to Richardson dropping out and Edwards showing himself basically nonviable-- as far as I know Napolitano has some level of professional relationship with Richardson, and Lamont was politically closest to Edwards during his run?

Post a comment

Name:
Email Address:
URL:
	Remember personal info?
Comments: (you may use HTML tags for style)