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There May Be a Reason to Sing Hallelujah

By Tim Einenkel


RACHEL MADDOW:

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Pete DeFazio, thank you Senator Obama. Senator clinton? You’re next. No hard feelings, okay? The way this is supposed to work is that you two are supposed to be competing over who is best able to give the country a democratic vision to rally around, who is best able to define the next step in American history post Bush, who is best able to define how important it is to beat the republican candidate this year, and who is best able to beat the him. They oughtta be competing over who can pound harder, when they pound the nails into the coffin of ruinous republican governance. Thank you Pete DeFazio, thank you Senator Obama, even if you have been a bit slow on the uptake on this – and now? Senator Clinton get in line Let’s get to work. McCain’s had every day since Wisconsin on the campaign trail to himself, comfortably. With no one challenging even the most outrageous stuff he has done and that has emerged– the Hagee endorsement, the Tim Lahaye courting, the rod parsley endorsement, the airbus lobbyists on his staff, the parsons and sinclair communications lobbyists he may or may not be shtupping, but who he definitely shtupped us for. His utter incoherence on his supposed signature issue, the war in iraq – no one’s laid a glove on him for any of this stuff in the past month. This incredibly troubled republican nominee who has received fewer votes in his primary season then “other” candidates - he’s losing to “other.” He ought to be absolutely no problem for the democratic candidate but right now he’s winning because they’ve not been focused on him. If that’s started to turn around today, there’s reason to sing hallelujah."



Click here to listen and read why there may be a reason to sing hallelujah

RACHEL MADDOW:Congressman Pete DeFazio of Oregon.  Who i like very much, as congresscritters go...  Pete DeFazio is taking the Rachel Maddow Show obsessive, repetitive political line about the current state of the presidential race and he’s gone public with it in away that has made me very happy.  DeFazio has written to Barack Obama’s campaign and Hillary Clinton’s campaign- he has released his letter publicly – the letter has been posted in its entirety on politico dot com. I could not be happier.  I could not have said it better myself.   Can I share this with you?  He has put into words more elegant then I ever could what I have been trying to say about the presidential campaign since Wisconsin. This is great. 



"Dear Senator Clinton and Senator Obama:

I write today as a concerned member of the Democratic Party and an uncommitted super delegate. I appreciated the manner in which you both conducted your campaigns during the early primary process. It was a manner that respected the other and tried to highlight policy differences without resorting to destructive smear campaigns. In the lead up to the March 4th primaries, the tone of both campaigns shifted and the civility that I had appreciated disappeared. The long term goal of beating the Republican nominee took a back seat to the short term goal of proving one's viability by tearing down the other Democratic candidate. We lost sight of the general election, we lost sight of the true opponent and if we continue to be shortsighted, I fear we will lose in November.

The heated rhetoric between both campaigns has continued to intensify as we head into the Pennsylvania primary. While you trade barbs, McCain is uniting the Republican Party around his thinly disguised rightwing agenda. In the next six weeks, McCain can sit back, amass his war chest, concentrate his base and delight as you deconstruct each other.

I propose that you not allow him that luxury. You both claim to be better suited than the other to take on the so-called Straight-Talk Express, so prove it. Run the next six weeks of your campaign against McCain, not against the other Democrat. Go after McCain for his policy positions, not the other Democrat for theirs. Allow the Democratic voters to believe in a campaign that can provide a new direction for this country and stop McCain from continuing the failed policies of the Bush Administration. In the end, it is the candidate who can take the fight to McCain and win that deserves my support and, most importantly, the support of the Democratic Party.

Both of your campaigns have been built on the fundamental idea that if elected, you will bring about change. Let's change the way we are doing business in this primary election. In the last few months, you have been running for the Democratic nomination. In the next six weeks, I urge you start running for President.

Sincerely,

PETER A. DEFAZIO

Member of Congress "

<<SFX APPLAUSE>> 

RACHEL MADDOW: This makes me very happy. It makes me very happy not only that he feels this way and that he has written this but that it has also gotten the significant attention at least in the wonkie political world today. But do you want to know the most amazing thing about this letter from Pete DeFazio today? You want to know the most amazing thing about it? I think maybe it’s worked.



Listen to this. 



OBAMA ( Waukesha, Wis on March 13, 2008): Economics is not his strong suit. I mean he said 'I don't understand economics very well', and after what he said it shows because his main economic philosophy is to continue the same tax breaks that George Bush has been perpetuating over the last seven years and that in fact, guess who?...John McCain criticized as irresponsible back when he wasn't running for President of the United States of America



SFX: Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah



RACHEL MADDOW: It’s working!  It’s working!  That is the sound of a democratic candidate for president actually identifying a democratic way of doing things and damming the republican way of doing things. That is the sound of a democratic candidate for president actually attacking the republican against whom he would like to run! 


More please, more!



OBAMA ( Waukesha, Wis on March 13, 2008): He understood that we could not keep on with tax cuts for the wealthy at the time of war. That it would be irresponsible that we would have tax cuts when military families are shouldering this burden and so many of the benefits of these tax cuts, and I'm quoting here, so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate. Somewhere along the line, he traded those principles for his party's nomination and now he's for those tax cuts.



RACHEL MADDOW: This is music to ears. This is what a democratic presidential primary. This is what sound bites from the democratic presidential primary from the democratic campaign trail are supposed to sound like 



OBAMA ( Waukesha, Wis on March 13, 2008): Somewhere along the line, he traded those principles for his party's nomination



SFX: Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah



RACHEL MADDOW: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Pete DeFazio, thank you Senator Obama.  Senator clinton?  You’re next. No hard feelings, okay? The way this is supposed to work is that you two are supposed to be competing over who is best able to give the country a democratic vision to rally around, who is best able to define the next step in American history post Bush, who is best able to define how important it is to beat the republican candidate this year, and who is best able to beat the him.  They oughtta be competing over who can pound harder, when they pound the nails into the coffin of ruinous republican governance.   



Thank you Pete DeFazio, thank you Senator Obama, even if you have been a bit slow on the uptake on this – and now?  Senator Clinton get in line Let’s get to work.  McCain’s had every day since Wisconsin on the campaign trail to himself, comfortably.  With no one challenging even the most outrageous stuff he has done and that has emerged– the Hagee endorsement, the Tim Lahaye courting, the rod parsley endorsement, the airbus lobbyists on his staff, the parsons and sinclair communications lobbyists he may or may not be shtupping, but who he definitely shtupped us for. His utter incoherence on his supposed signature issue, the war in iraq – no one’s laid a glove on him for any of this stuff in the past month.  This incredibly troubled republican nominee who has received fewer votes in his primary season then “other” candidates - he’s losing to “other.” He ought to be absolutely no problem for the democratic candidate but right now he’s winning because they’ve not been focused on him. If that’s started to turn around today, there’s reason to sing hallelujah.