Don't Buy Hype: Patti Solis Doyle & The Clinton Campaign

5/21/09- Rumors of Patti Solis-Doyle's defection to the Obama campaign have been grossly exaggerated.  And one can understand why.  Sen. Obama's campaign is trying to prove its "inevitability" in light of a 40% loss in West Virginia, and a likely 30% loss in Kentucky.

But let's look at the facts.

The story, which broke on The Politico, began with a question to David Axelrod about "whether he and Solis Doyle had discussed her working for the campaign."

Instead of directly answering the question, Axelrod responded in the nuanced language of a political strategist, "I've talked to Patti throughout. I know that she wants to be helpful in a general election campaign, and we appreciate that."  This quote needs to be taken with a grain of salt--remember, it comes from the same man who has been able to brand Sen. Obama, who has accomplished very little in his two years of the Senate, as the candidate able to bring about change.

"If Barack Obama's the nominee, I'll do everything I can to get him elected," Solis Doyle told The Politico.  That's not news.

In fact, its the official position of Hillary Clinton herself--whose said she will campaign vigorously for Sen. Obama if he's the nominee, but it's too early for that because millions have yet to vote and we have yet to settle the issue of Michigan and Florida.

Both candidates have said they will campaign for each other, should he or she be the Democratic nominee; it doesn't take a willful suspension of disbelief to conclude that some members of their staff would do the same.  I can understand why, in the heat of a primary season, someone might think this story is sensational, but at the end of the day, we're all Democrats and we will come together to defeat John McCain.  But stories like these make me angry, because they function to declare Sen. Obama the nominee (which he is not) without holding him accountable for the burdens of the position (such as winning primaries).

This entire story is just a distraction, a political game designed to draw attention away from Clinton's general election strength against John McCain when compared to Sen. Obama, her popular vote lead, and her victories in Indiana, West Virginia, and Kentucky despite being massively outspent and counted out.

To quote a letter from Patti herself:

As Senator Obama has said, "In an era when Americans are rightfully skeptical about the quality of our politics, let us set an example [they] can be proud of and give them the kind of campaign they deserve." 

Americans are tired of these political games, Sen. Obama.  There's nothing "new" about them.

By: Xavier Lopez-Ayala

lopez-ayala@hispanic.com