DAVID BENDER:

"The largest block of delegates that actually could decide this thing are the 350 super delegates – your favorite people in the world: Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Howard Dean, Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, these people, right now can say 'look we’re not going to decide to end this campaign tomorrow because that would be anti-democratic and it would be a disaster in a different way then in the attack campaigns, but we are going to call you two to Washington and we are going to get a meeting together and when we come out of it we’re all going to pledge that we are going to be attacking John McCain and not each other. And which ever one of you significantly violates that and goes negative and tries to tear down the potential other who is the democratic nominee, we’re going to support that person who you are attacking and this nomination will be settled.'"



Listen here:

Click here to listen and read Rachel talk to political guru David Bender about what the Democratic nominees should do going forward

BARACK OBAMA (March 4, 2008, San Antonio): On the coming weeks, we will begin a great debate about the future of this country with a man who has served it bravely and loves it dearly. And tonight, I called John McCain and congratulated him on winning the Republican nomination. But in this election, we will offer two very different visions of the America we see in the twenty-first century. Because John McCain may claim long history of straight talk and independent-thinking, and I respect that. But in this campaign, he’s fallen in line behind the very same policies that have ill-served America. He has seen where George Bush has taken our country, and he promises to keep us on the very same course (booing fades)

RACHEL MADDOW:  That’s it? That’s it? That was-That’s the big attack on John McCain? That’s the punch?

In 1968, there was a dived democratic convention. In 1972, there was a divided Democratic National Convention.  In 1980, there was a divided Democratic National Convention. Democrats lost the election in all those years.

As far as I can tell, neither Barack Obama nor Hillary Clinton gets themselves the required number of pledged delegates in the primary contest now to lock up the nomination as  a certainty before the convention. They need two thousand twenty five I don’t think either gets there before Denver. So they could fight it all the way to Denver. And if they spend that time giving John McCain a freaking pass and letting the media keep wetting themselves in delight every time Senator bomb-bomb says “my friends.” If they spend the months between now and Denver destroying each other and ignoring McCain, then you can kiss the White House goodbye for the Democrats for sure.

They can avoid this certainty if they stop campaigning like a pair of rabid minks in a gunnysack and instead start attacking McCain and Bush republicanism. Fat chance of that.

Or one of them can be pressured to bow out. Fat chance that apparently.

Or they can form a unity ticket right now. What should they do?

Let’s ask the smartest guy in the room – my dear friend and political guru, David Bender. He joins us on the line from our awesome San Francisco affiliate Green 960. Mr. Bender it’s great to have you back.

DAVID BENDER: Rabid minks in a gunnysack? (Laughter)

RACHEL MADDOW: Sorry. I’m mad. (Laughter)

DAVID BENDER: No, you are mad because last night, as I recall you wanted Barack Obama to become a “bunny with boxing gloves.”

RACHEL MADDOW: Yes.  My metaphors got a little drunk.

DAVID BENDER: Your animal metaphors. Well, we won’t talk about what Brian Williams told all of us about your drinking. But we won’t go there.

RACHEL MADDOW: Wasn’t that weird?!

DAVID BENDER: It was lovely. It was a great moment. And it’s preserved on videotape. But for those who missed it, it was lovely. You know Rachel I was at those conventions in 1968, in 1972 and in 1980. I am older then John McCain

RACHEL MADDOW: No you’re not. Nobody is older then John McCain

DAVID BENDER: At the moment, when I say that aloud, I feel older then John McCain. I saw all of which you were describing there is enormous, enormous truth to the idea that if we come out of the convention, just had a huge fight, not physically but at the floor, it hasn’t been resolved before you get there. Now remember most of these nominations were resolved before. Jimmy Carter had the nomination in 1980 by the time they got there but people were still very angry at him-

RACHEL MADDOW: (Interjects/crosstalk) It was still, it was still divided. Yeah

DAVID BENDER: Still divisive. Same with George McGovern. Same and particularly with Hubert Humphrey and the anti-war people in ’68; but here’s the difference, these are people, is more like Eugene McCarthy and Robert Kennedy. These two strong anti-war campaigns who frankly resented each other. Robert Kennedy’s campaign thought that they were entitled to run in ’68 and Eugene McCarthy’s people said we were here first. And that’s what you are seeing now, the same, these are, at least their supporters are natural allies. And that’s why; you know I always say that it’s the smallest piece of pie that people fight the most bitterly over, and this last little slice of delegates could be ugly.

I got to say I think it is going to be very tough and I’ll be really interested in hearing what people have to say when they call to talk about his idea of a unity ticket, but I got to say, I think the better part of wisdom right now is to get people to understand that if this goes forward and I don’t see how either one, I don’t see how either Barack Obama gets up in the morning or Hilary Clinton and says it’s time for me to get out for the good of the party today or tomorrow or between now and Pennsylvania and possibly even longer. That’s seven weeks away, now you got to remember, seven weeks? Turn the clock back seven weeks, where were we seven weeks ago?

RACHEL MADDOW: Seven weeks from now is seven weeks of fawning press attention for John McCain – him getting away with stuff, the way he got away with this John Hagee thing. All of the bad things about him will be ignore. And the press when they’re on default with John McCain is in love with John McCain.

DAVID BENDER: All true and they’ll go to his barbecue and they’ll take his you know whatever but here’s what I think, if I may, could and should happen. The largest block of delegates that actually could decide this thing are the 350 super delegates – your favorite people in the world: Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Howard Dean, Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, these people, right now can say ”look we’re not going to decide to end this campaign tomorrow because that would be anti-democratic and it would be a disaster in a different way then in the attack campaigns, but we are going to call you two to Washington and we are going to get a meeting together and when we come out of it we’re all going to pledge that we are going to be attacking John McCain and not each other. And which ever one of you significantly violates that and goes negative and tries to tear down the potential other who is the democratic nominee, we’re going to support that person who you are attacking and this nomination will be settled.”

RACHEL MADDOW: So you think that you can – the party wise men, that the elders here, can actually affect the tone of the campaign, they can make them stop attack each other?

DAVID BENDER: I believe and this is unprecedented but this whole thing is unprecedented, but I believe that it is possible, given the numbers 350 people and let’s say you got 200 of them that agree on this idea, there’s no question that they can say – they become like an electronic fence for these candidates and if anyone tries to go over it there’s, you know the potential for getting shocked when they try to bite the mailman. This is what this campaign has to have or everything you just described about the attacks for the next seven weeks, we would have, either one of those candidates will be fodder for John McCain in the fall.   

 

RACHEL MADDOW: I have to say the only reason I am skeptical about that idea is because we’ve seen what Democratic Party agreements have become. I mean no campaigning in Michigan or Florida and we’re not going to count those primaries because those are rogue primaries.

DAVID BENDER: Those were unenforceable, this is enforceable. If you were to do something that caused the Mark Penn ad, by the way he was responsible for that 3am - another Mark Penn ad that tears down Barack Obama or conversely an Obama ad that does the same, by the way 200 votes, gone! And you lose the nomination.

RACHEL MADDOW: But the super delegates have to agree. Let’s say the attacks continue work, so it puts one candidate who violates that agreement ahead, the super delegates will then feel pressured by the candidate who is ahead to ignore their agreement.

DAVID BENDER: Yeah, not for the good of the party.

RACHEL MADDOW: No.

DAVID BENDER: That thing is enforceable pretty quickly in my view. But hey! You know me, I’m Polly Anna.

RACHEL MADDOW: (Laughter) You are Polly Anna, that’s one of the reasons I love you.