[LonePalm]

I would be interested in reading the thoughtful comments of other FReepers on this subject.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[LonePalm]

Ping for commentary.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

It would be better for Hillary to run and lose in 2004 than for any other democrat to run and win.

Yes, but it would be better still if another democrat runs and loses. No doubt, the Clintons are perusing the polls with a magnifying glass. If they perceive that she could actually win, she will run.

[qam1]

Why does the number of Democrat candidates continue to grow?

Because as of now they believe Hillary won't run in 2004 but they believe Hillary will run in 2008, So (assuming Hillary doesn't run) after 2004 they won't be able to run again until 2012 or God forbid a 2 term Hillary Presidentcy 2016. So for many of them because of their age even though running now against Bush is a long shot it's still now or never.

[auntdot]

Tish, you spoke French.

The Clintoons have arranged so that the nomination will be useless for anyone but Hillary.

With ten people in the race, either no one will emerge from the primaries with enough ballots in their pockets for the nomination, which would allow Hillary to step in to unify the party.

Or the party will be so divided the nominee will have only a minority of a divided party and be destined to lose.

Don't believe the decision has been made yet whether she will or will not run. But she is trying to ensure that should she decline running in '04, no other Democrat can win.

[Exit148]

Where does Algore fit into this, do you think? Is he being muted? Has he always been kept muted?

[Timesink]

Hillary will not run (or let herself "be drafted", or be part of any other scenario that would hand her the nomination) unless she believes it is a fait accompli that the Democratic nominee is guaranteed to win in November. Bush is currently annihilating all potential RAT nominees in the polls, including Hillary, so she'll stay out.

Here's my guess as to what is going on:

1) Dean wants to clean house at the DNC, as you have already noted yourself. He owes the Clintons NOTHING; he was already governor of Vermont before Bill Clinton became president, and was still governor when Bill Clinton left office. He probably considers them as sleazy and damaging to the Democratic Party as we do, albeit for slightly different reasons. (I think he probably views them as the Greens and Naderites do: As "traitors to the cause.") He'd love to remove as much of their influence as possible, regardless of whether or not he wins the nomination.

2) Dean is currently the perceived frontrunner for the nomination. (I still personally believe he's more vulnerable than everyone else thinks, but for the purposes of this post, I'll go along and presume he's in front.)

3) Hillary believes that none of the other RAT candidates have a chance in hell of winning against Bush under any circumstances, except for Dean. Worse, Dean openly wants to de-Clintonize the Democratic Party, while none of the others do. (And Dean can accomplish a LOT of de-Clintonization merely by sewing up the nomination. He does not have to wait for a win in November 2004 to do this.) So Dean's not just the only threat to her 2008 chances; he's also a threat to her remaining control over the Party. Thus, Dean must be stopped.

4) Hillary knows that Wesley Clark has an ego the size of Jupiter and is just itching to jump into the race. She also knows he's got so much baggage that he's got about as much chance of actually winning as Dennis Kucinich does. However, he does have one all-important quality that the other candidates lack: He appeals to many of the same crowd that are currently salivating over Howard Dean. So she orders her closest confidantes, the true kneepadder crowd, to go work for Clark, telling them she thinks he's the RATS' best chance in 2004. Being lapdogs, they dutifully follow orders.

5) At the same time, she makes a deal with Clark: "Look, you know you're not going to beat Bush, and neither am I. But if you go out there and get enough support to stop Dean, ensuring that somebody else wins the nomination, then I'll make you my VP candidate in 2008." Weasely Clark accepts in a heartbeat.

So that's my theory in a nutshell: Hillary fears nobody except Howard Dean, and Dean's increasingly looking like he just might get the nomination. So she seduces the power- and attention-hungry Clark into playing the role of her stalking horse in 2004, with only one objective: Stop Howard Dean.

Come 2008, of course, she won't even return Wesley's phone calls, unless her pollsters tell her he'd actually be her ideal running mate (which is extremely doubtful). She's just using Clark, and for all his supposed brains, he's dumb enough to fall for it.

[PJ-Comix]

They knew Clark is a HORRIBLE politician (already flip-flopping all over the place) so he will be out of the picture soon as the antidote to Dean. This will leave Hillary as the only choice available. I am now thinking that she just CAN'T WAIT until 2008. One problem with that scenario is that Dean already indicated that he will be getting rid of McAwful if he gets the nominaation. No McAwful, no Clintonista moneyman running the party for them. It's NOW OR NEVER for the Hildebeast.

[Coleus]

Who will get the Democrat nomination? >>

If bush remains high in the polls do you think she would want to known as a loser? She may wait.

[arasina]

You know how it has been said that the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference? Wouldn't it be interesting if we (myself definitely included, see tagline) didn't respond like puppets of the Xlintons? Just IGNORE them?

[Swanks]

Key indicator tonight: Bill Press fawning over and shilling for...Wesley Clark of all people. (Would'nt you think he too would loathe the military, and be a Dean guy) Imagine that. Since he is such a pathetic flack for the Dems he would not take this line, unless cleared by the DNC.

Also I thought I'd caught a news story that many of the Clinton team are advising Clark, incl Begala, Immanual, Clintons former Chief of Staff, and the dufus than ran Algore's campaign.

What's up? Clark's numbers rise, on order of the Dems to the Presstitutes. He builds a base, some state organizations, funds, name recognition. Then at the last minute if Bush looks vulnerable, Hitlary steps in, Clark conceeds to the Veep slot, and Hitlery inherits his resources, organization, team which he graciously delivers.

The libs will tolerate Clinton-Clark to get Hillery. Morons will see a balanced ticket, with the necc. military expertise to 'fight terrorism.

Clark is the stalking horse to do the grunt work for Hillery who may or may not jump based on the magis +/- 50% apporval If ist close, she's got to go. Can't have Dean or Kerry potentially win, and become Party lead.

Unfortunatly since Jorge is asleep-at-the-wheel on jobs, much of his former base will stay-home-in-droves and Clinton-Clark stands more of a chance than one may think.

[Doc Savage]

I would suspect Hitlery (Please, let's use this name!) wants to run and win this time. After all, who knows what could befall the poor woman between now and then. I mean people die in great numbers every day from disease, accidents, homicide,...why you never know if her number might be up!

Of course I hope that nothing "untoward" happens to to the poor dear, but you never know about these things! I'll say a silent prayer for Hitlery tonight before I go to bed. Since it will be silent, only God will know what praying for!!

[freemama]

Hitlery needs to run in 2004. She will not be as 'hot' (God, did I say that?) in 2008. She just came off a book tour and thousands of liberal foot soldiers just read it and are in love with her. She cannot afford to lose that momentum.

So Bill convinces Clark to enter to split the party vote in the primaries even more. There will be no clear choice at convention time, so they will find a way to draft Hitlery. And they have promised Clark the VP spot, something his ego couldn't pass up.

[frithguild]

Dean will untimately get the nomination, because of his grass roots support amoung the liberal elites. He excites them.

Hillary will not run in 2004. The Clinton's strategy is to send Dean out to slaughter and therafter nullify him.

The seachange here is the recent Dean like comments from Ole Wet Ted. The Kenndedy faction wants McCauliff out and Dean in. Thus the Clinton final push to put Clark in.

The Clintons now will do everything possiible to sabotage Dean (Hoperfully), so that he won't have the prestige to assert control over the DNC. The Clintons will be sacrificing the House and Senate, which they can't get anyway, for Hilary in 2008.

[LonePalm]

Ping

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[OESY]

"Ten Little* Indians**"

Click here for song and access to video clips

One little, two little,
Three little Indians.
Four little, five little,
Six little Indians.
Seven little, eight little,
Nine little Indians,
Ten little Indian boys.

Ten little, nine little,
Eight little Indians.
Seven little, six little,
five little Indians.
Four little, three little,
Two little Indians,
One little Indian tomboy.
One little Indian tomboy.

* change to "Upwardly Challenged"
** change to "Native Americans" ***
*** if that doesn't work for you, change to "Big Reds" ****
**** if that don't work, change to "Commie Sympathizers" *****
***** if that don't work, change to "Democrats", take two aspirin and don't bother me.

[scabbage]

The Clintons have been in control of the Democrat party since 1992

Democrat party? Excuse me, but we now referto it for what it is. A cult. The Democrat cult.

[James1776]

There's only thing that would scare me more than Cruz Bustamante being elected governor of California, and that would be Hillery in the White House. Then California would become part of Mexico, and what's left of the U.S.A. would become a haven for gays and other undesirable elements of society to run amuck.