Hillary should call out those PUMA's in her speech

[LSK]

She should say they are not democrats and are possible GOP plants.

[anonymous171]

1. Just tell them the truth: McCain is using them, just like he uses all the women in his life.

[ClassWarrior]

How true.

NGU.

[iconicgnom]

35. Yes, she should lay down the smack on McCain, and the Limbaugh-Republican-weasels who support him.

There's nothing that would boost her stature more than confronting this Republican disinformation/smear campaign head on, eviscerating it with a point by point explanation why it is in essence dishonest and disingenious and contemptable. She could do this while AT THE SAME TIME attacking McCain, while AT THE SAME TIME promoting the Democratic ticket -- in fact that's the only way she could do it well. She would do well by her cause and the cause of the whole Dem party by totally disassociating herself from those who use her name to try to bring down the Democratic party.

That's what the times and circumstances call for. I'll be listening to her speach from the edge of my seat, hoping she does right.

[Marrah_G]

2. No- she should focus on praising Obama and tearing down McCain/Bush

[LSK]

4. the media is running wild about how Hillary supporters are disrupting everything

She can do much to stop that discussion and destroy the idea of former Hillary supporters voting for McCain.

[LostinVA]

7. Marrah's right: the best thing she can do is ignore them and focus on the convention

And on McCain.

[Marrah_G]

8. But not during a primatime convention speech- This has to be about Obama

Not about whatever drama the MSM is attempting to create.

[Arkansas Granny]

31. I agree. If she were to address them during her speech tonight it would be playing

into their hands by putting the focus on them and not on Obama.

[leftofcool]

3. You want her to call out a few hundred people ?

Is their voting block that big that you need worry about it?

[LSK]

6. no, I want her to point out that it is just a few hundred

Not like the media that is trying to portray it as a large movement.

[leftofcool]

17. So you want her to legitimize them?

[LostinVA]

5. If someone is obsessed with you, what's the worst thing you can do?

Give them attention. It legitimizes them. I wish posters would get that.

[LSK]

10. I think the media has already done their best to legitmize them

[LostinVA]

14. The Media is also the one obsessing -- that's the point

Ignoring them is the best thing.

[polichick]

9. Yeah, I wonder what their presence means to her.

[rox63]

11. I wish Hillary would tell the PUMAs to STFU and go home

In more polite terms, of course.

[Marrah_G]

13. She has asked them to support Obama

They are refusing to listen.

No one can force them.

They are a very small crowd.

The MSM is manufacturing drama for ratings.

[LSK]

16. thats what I am trying to say

She should point out that they are small in numbers, they are possible GOP plants and not even Hillary supporters and that it is overblown drama.

Maybe not appropriate for a Convention speech, but what other chance will she have to point this out to such a huge audience?

[Marrah_G]

21. We are just not going to agree on how to deal with this problem.

[sufrommich]

12. And then she would be called out for giving credence

to a bunch of sad sacks.I doubt very much that the Obama campaign would have any interest in her even mentioning the word "PUMA".

[LostinVA]

15. Exactly what I said upthread -- exactly right

[sufrommich]

24. It's so common sense,I'm amazed anyone would

believe otherwise.

[LostinVA]

18. She would be burned alive on here if she did that at the convention

[Tarc]

26. No, no, no. "Just ignore them" was the critical failure of Kerry '04

Obama has been all about responding and responding forcefully to the Rovian bullshit machines. What Hillary should do is say something to the effect that "people who claim that they are my supporters and declare that they will now vote for McCain were never really my supporters in the first place", which would cut the legs right out from the "Clintonians for McCain" movement.

[sufrommich]

33. I understand what you're saying,I'm not sure it

would be as effective as you think it would. My gut feeling is that both Clinton and Obama understand that this is a slippery slope.It would reduce her whole speech to an admittance that there are Clinton supporters who will vote for McCain, as if there are great numbers of them,the MSM will ignore anything else said and focus on that.The whole point of her speech is to close the gap,not highlight it.

[sufrommich]

34. Dupe.

[barack the house]

19. Hillary on voting Republican video clip...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pUFuzaRdNU

[barack the house]

22. All Hillary need say is we are unified and ready to win this. We must show a united front.

[barack the house]

27. A lot being said about Hillary is to divide us she has rejected McCain's ad. Let's declare untiy ...

it's important.

[TwilightZone]

20. So, she should give them prime-time publicity?

I think not.

[Tarc]

29. 2004 may have turned out quite different

If John Kerry had firmly and unequivocably slammed the Swifty vermin in his convention speech.

[SeaLyons]

23. She probably will do just that....n/t

[LittleClarkie]

25. She's already told them to support Obama, but I've heard some say they don't care

what she says.

How can they not care what the woman they support says?

I'm not sure there's anything she can say to them.

[Arkansas Granny]

32. Because they don't truly support her. They are using their supposed

support of her to cause division and strife in the Democratic party. Hillary is just the name they hide behind.

[MadBadger]

28. She should call them out, but not by saying that

She should tell them to vote on issues and tell them that they are hurting this country by supporting McCain.

[NYC_SKP]

30. She COULD do this outside of the official Convention agenda...

Like with a morning news conference, brief but unmistakably clear.

She could do this, but then she could have done it last week, too.

Better to not bring it up in Pepsi Center, I think.