Posted on 05/06/2008 8:50:13 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Will Indiana and North Carolina decide anything? In all likelihood, no. If Barack Obama were to cream Hillary Clinton in both states, there would be more pressure on Clinton to quit. But (a) that electoral prospect does not seem likely, given the direction of the recent polls in each state and (b) Clinton would still not leave the race. She would keep on going, hoping for another Reverend Wright-like development that would cripple Obama.
And if Clinton manages to win each primary--and a victory for her in North Carolina is way against the odds--there's no way Obama, who will maintain a lead in pledged delegates--will bow out. If there's a split--the likeliest of the possibilities--nothing really changes. Obama will argue that the math (and the pledged delegate count) remains on his side; Clinton will argue that Obama did not close the deal with Indianans, so she must press on.
That is, Obama will continue to have the better argument. After all, if Clinton were to apply her campaign's spin on Obama to her own campaign, she would have to concede that she has not closed the deal with a greater number of voters in Democratic primaries and caucuses.
Clinton is also heading toward a profound contradiction. In recent weeks, she has tried to depict Obama as an elitist and position herself as a pro-democracy populist. On the gas tax holiday, she's down with the people, who are hurt by high gasoline prices, while Obama is in league with "elite opinion" and--egads!--economists, who all are, no doubt, driving around in limos and laughing at the plight of working people. (Pass the Grey Poupon!) She and her lieutenants also constantly call for seating the Michigan and Florida delegations so that the votes of the people in those states count. And they insist that it's good for democracy for Clinton to remain in the race, for the voters in the upcoming states with primaries (and Puerto Rico) deserve a chance to participate. She's Hillary of the people and for the people.
But her ultimate strategy is one of utter elitism. She hopes to be able to persuade the non-elected superdelegates to support her and provide her the edge that trumps Obama's lead in delegates determined by the voters. So who's the real populist here? The candidate who wants the nomination to be decided by the voters, or the candidate who prays party insiders will determine the race against the will of the actual voters? Clinton the Populist is all for empowering the voters of Michigan and Florida and those in the upcoming states--all to keep alive her prospects of winning over the party elite. Once the primaries are done, the people won't matter for her.
How will she make that pivot? No doubt, with confidence and vigor, and without acknowledging the pivot. Her campaign is not about adherence to consistent principles. It's about winning. And when the primaries are done--and one day, they will be done--she will have to decide how far she is willing to go to undo the votes of the people.
I'm still trying to process how it cripple him. As far as I can see, he's still blithely rolling along, almost as if nothing had happened.
The Democrat Party has the stupidest delegate-selection-election strategy. Why do they divide the state delegates between the winner and the losers? Why do they have these super-delegates and, if the super-delegates aren’t going to go against the “will of the people,” what the heck is their purpose? If they’re going to vote just like the state delegates, why bother with them? And, most frightening of all, the people who thought up this Rube Goldberg scheme think they can run healthcare, the economy, national security? Morons.
There should be a “didn’t” between “it” and “cripple”. I was trying to put it in italics, for emphasis, and it disappeared!
Hoping? She ain't hoping!
Hope is the purview of the Obama campaign
clinton isn't "hoping", she's got hundreds of operatives digging dirt like crazy 24 hours a day trying to find something to torpedo Obama with...
According to Tim Russert, Clinton has canceled her appearances for the next couple of days.
It appears she is having a Romney moment.
“I’m still trying to process how it cripple him. As far as I can see, he’s still blithely rolling along, almost as if nothing had happened.”
“Baghdad Barack” — the denial thing is working for him!
With the Clinton’s trail of dead bodies I’m amazed that the man is still alive. Could that be the final ace up her sleeve. If they could get a way with it would they?
I agree! I just can not understand what the Democratic party is thinking! If you matched up Hillary and Barry and compared them vote by vote, issue by issue, belief system by belief system its not even a contest. I by no means support Hillary (and actually would rather run against Obama - IMHO he is easier to beat than Hillary) but, its is astouding to me that nothing sticks to him.
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