Secret Meeting?
This meeting between Hillary and Obama. First, am I the only one who thinks that this "secret" meeting with just both of them in the room is kind of going against the change that Obama wants to deliver? He always stresses "transparency," and although some may argue that this is one of those meetings where the world doesn't need to know what went on, I sure do want to know what happened in that room. Is it possible that it was Hillary doing most of the talking in that room? And is it possible that what she said was along the lines of..."Obama, if you don't want me to take this to Denver, here's what I want, 1) VP 2) Money to pay off my debt 3) (you can fill the rest)" The point is that I definitely do not see this meeting as being a meeting where Hillary congratulates Obama on becoming the party's nominee, and tells him that she is willing to do whatever he thinks will help him win the presidency. If that were the case, this would have not been a "secret meeting." All I’m saying is that this surprises me a little bit, and being a huge Obama fan, I am a bit disappointed with this "secret meeting." Does anyone see where I'm coming from?
No.
Get a grip my friend. The "private" meeting lasted one hour not much of substance could have been discussed. As far debt and all the stuff you mentioned these will take serious talks between staffers.
June 6, 2008 12:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
One hour is plenty of time for Hillary to tell Obama what he needs to do if he doesn't want her to take this thing to the convention. The fact is that you don't know what was said, and neither do I. All we can do is assume. My assumption is based on the last six months of Hillary's campaign, where she has consistently shown a lack of respect for Barack Obama. What are you basing yours on?
June 6, 2008 12:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am guessing just as you are. However this gives me some encouragement -
http://thepage.time.com/2008/06/06/feinstein-spills-some-of-the-beans-on-clinton-obama-meeting/
June 6, 2008 12:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
So what if Hillary did ask him for what you claim?
Who cares if she, in a private conversation, asked him to name her Queen for Life, for his promise to make Bill ambassador to somewhere VERY far away.
What matters now is not what is asked for in private, but what, if anything, is given.
June 6, 2008 3:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
...my friend
June 6, 2008 12:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
There's a difference between what we want to know, and what we need to know.
Not to mention what conversations we have a right to sit in on.
June 6, 2008 12:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree. But if the case was that Hillary was blackmailing Obama into choosing her as his VP, don't you think we NEED to know this? Would you be as supportive? Do you not think this will have a substantial effect on how our President runs the Country? Imagine if this was made public. Imagine if Hillary publicly blackmails Obama. What do you think the results might be? Would that be something that has an effect on how you vote? Something that we need to know?
We will never know if what was said in that room is something that we NEED to know. This is why I’m a little disappointed that Obama participated in this "secret meeting."
June 6, 2008 1:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think you're expecting transparency from a situation that requires opacity. Sure, Hillary and Obama probably outlined a deal. There wouldn't be much point in meeting otherwise, because their staffs could have negotiated minor logistics and any congrats could be offered by phone. No, the fact is, they left some fine print to fill in later, but likely shook hands on ground rules and top-tier items on the agenda.
It was better for all parties concerned, including the Democratic Party, that the press wasn't hurling questions that can only be answered Saturday.
June 6, 2008 12:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
I like what you're saying. It appears as if you understand, and explained, the obvious better than i did. I do agree that, like you say, there are certain things that could've been done over the phone or by their staff...thanks for clarifying that. However, your last statement is not really connected to your first:
"It was better for all parties concerned, including the Democratic Party, that the press wasn't hurling questions that can only be answered Saturday."
The fact is that we will never know what happened in that meeting. Why does Obama need to negotiate with Hillary? He won the nomination, didn't he? Why does Hillary need to be satisfied? Is she not satisfied enough that the party is being represented by him with the most delegates? Why do they need to make a deal? I think these are all questions that should be answered by Hillary and Obama. And these are questions that we need to have the answers to if we are to choose the best representatives to represent us. I'll tell you what, i don't think many people, including Hillary supporters, would be OK if they knew some of the negotiations that could have gone on in that room.
June 6, 2008 1:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
This may or may not help.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0608/Clinton_and_Obama_didnt_discuss_veep.html
June 6, 2008 1:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
jsfox, thanks. I guess i could just take his word for it, but i still think that this doesn't help me believe that Obama will truly bring transparency to the presidency. I can understand why he would think that there are conversations he needs to have that exclude the American people; that is an argument that is made by every public figure. However, I do think that bringing transparency to things that have an effect on the public is essential. The question is whether this has an effect on the public. I think it does. Thanks again for both articles but I still think, and I’m sure you'll agree, we will probably never know what was negotiated, if anything, in that meeting.
June 6, 2008 1:41 PM | Reply | Permalink