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Tues. late: HRC and Wright
posted at 2008-08-27 01:38 | Last modified 2008-08-27 01:38
"No way, no how, no McCain."
Hillary Rodham Clinton lived up to her (positive) press in Denver tonight with an elegant, warm, persuasive endorsement of Barack Obama. I thought she hit it perfectly. There was nothing conciliatory or half-hearted in her tone - she pulled out all her considerable rhetorical skill to encourage her diehard PUMA supporters to get behind her former opponent.
She paid tribute to all those who'd backed her through tough months on the trail:
"To my supporters, to my champions, to my Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsuits [camera cut to Bill, laughing], from the bottom of my heart, thank you, because you never gave in, and you never gave up. "
Then she spoke about the people she'd met - the disabled veteran, the mother on minimum wage, the sick boy with no health insurance. She paid tribute to both the late Arkansas Dem chair Bill Gwatney and OH Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs-Jones. She talked about the importance of standing up for "all those who've been invisible to their government for eight long years."
"I want you to ask yourselves, " she said: "Were you in this campaign just for me, or for [them]?"
Okay, so maybe it wasn't the most Original Line Ever in a de facto concession speech. But camera pans of the audience showed it was the right thing for her to say and the right time for her to say it, which counts. What counts even more is the conviction with which she delivered the message. I'd say she came through and then some.
Wright update
Or not, as the case may be. The jury retired about 4:15 this afternoon. They came out 45 minutes later with a forewoman, but no verdict. They're back in at 9:30 tomorrow morning.
Meantime, there's a new wrench in the works. Thomas Wright was indicted on a charge of felony obstruction of justice, a charge Judge Donald Stephens says requires proof of malice or intent to deceive. Before sending the jury out today, Stephens today added a new option to their verdict sheet: misdemeanor obstruction of justice, which covers "willful" actions that fall short of proven intent to deceive.
It's hard to say whether that's good news or bad news for Wright. Jurors who might have been wary of the common-law haziness surrounding the felony OOJ charge might seize on the more concretely defined misdemeanor as a more comfortable verdict. On the other hand, jurors who might initally have been inclined to acquit Wright might see the lesser charge as a slap on the wrist they could accept.
On balance, though, it looks like a good gamble for Wright's bottom line. The misdemeanor option carries a 45-day sentence, while the felony charge could add anywhere from 4 to 25 months to Wright's current 6-8 year sentence.
Back in town
Lawmakers are back in Raleigh today to reconsider their vote on allowing wider boats to be towed on state roadways. Governor Mike Easley vetoed the bill a week ago Sunday. Constitutionally speaking, Wednesday's the last day for an override session.
G'boro's Mark Binker has more on the pro-big-boat argument, plus word from House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman that it won't be a party-line vote.
That might explain the rumors that the House won't override the veto. Some Dems apparently want to let the veto stand and re-craft another version of the bill next spring. NCNN's Matt Willoughby says one old House Dem explained it this way (off-mike, natch): "Ïf you're gonna mess around, you'd better do it with a pretty girl, not an ugly one. This bill's the ugly one." Un-PC, sure, but still a pretty trenchant analysis.
An override would require the approval of 3/5 of all members present for the vote. The House gets first crack at it. If they vote to override, then it goes to the Senate, where's it expected to pass by an overwhelming margin. Stay tuned for the latest.
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