Talk/Talk: The Almost Winners

Sunday, May 11, 2008
Below are excerpts from this week's Talk Talk, The Almost Winners. Every Sunday CUIP's president Jacqueline Salit and strategist and philosopher Fred Newman watch the political talk shows and discuss them. Here are excerpts from their dialogue on Sunday, May 11, 2008 after watching "The Chris Matthews Show" and "This Week with George Stephanopoulos".

Salit: Since you brought up Bill's negative role in Hillary's campaign, can I ask you to imagine what they are saying to each other in private these days? If you were writing a vignette for a new theatre piece this week and the scene is that they are sitting in the living room together in Chappaqua, what are they saying to each other?

Newman: They're probably saying something like How are we going to exit the primary while maximizing our chances for the future?

Salit: And, maximize our chances for the future means what? A 2012 presidency if McCain wins and they get a second shot in four years? Some other career tracks that were being tossed about today, like Senate Majority leader?

Newman: It means maintaining their level of influence in the party as the Almost Winners. You could make a case that their assessment is Well, we didn't win and we have to recognize this fact. But, at best, Obama can claim something resembling co-control of the party. He can't claim total control. So, that's a very significant role we have. We're the co-leaders of the Democratic Party.

Salit: The party in power, presumably. No small thing.

Read Talk Talk in its entirety here.