Posted on 05/17/2008 2:20:56 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
She can't win. The pundits say it. The polls say it. The math says it. It's even the word on the street. If Huggy Bear from "Starsky and Hutch" were around, he'd say it's time to stick a fork in her.
So why does she keep going?
One theory is psychological, almost Aesopian. Hillary Clinton - like her husband - is a creature who follows her nature. Scorpions must sting. Ants must save food for winter. Clintons must fight.
Bill Clinton illustrated Clinton grit when he confronted Newt Gingrich during the government shutdown of the mid-'90s. "Do you know who I am?" Clinton said to Gingrich. "I'm the big rubber clown doll you had as a kid, and every time you hit it, it bounces back. That's me - the harder you hit me, the faster I come back up."
"That was not bravado," writes Commentary's John Podhoretz, author of a book about Hillary Clinton titled "Can She Be Stopped?" "It was a warning, and an accurate one. The Clintons are without shame, and therefore we all believe they are without honor and cannot possibly imagine themselves as heroes. But Bill very much believed, and believes, that he is a hero because he would not allow himself to be defeated, no matter what - and that part of his eventual victory would be that he could use the virulence of his foes to his advantage."
Hillary sees herself the same way. The Clintons have campaigned as a unit. They see themselves as a team. They are fighters.
But they aren't fools. The Clintons know how to mount a tactical retreat. Indeed, Bill's career has been one long jujitsu match in which he's used his enemies' weight against them, falling backward to get the advantage.
So again, why is Hillary staying in?
Perhaps it's the best route to long-term victory. Washington has long swirled with rumors that the Clintons are holding some "nuclear option" in reserve against Barack Obama. The latest theory is that they've decided not to use it, as it would destroy them, too. Who knows what it might be, if it exists at all. But it's worth noting that if Hillary were the take-no-prisoners brawler everyone says she is, she would almost surely have pushed that button by now.
That she hasn't used the doomsday device buried under Clinton HQ might mean it doesn't exist. Or it might mean she's looking beyond 2008.
In her West Virginia victory speech, Hillary emphasized her electability. Obviously, that's now her best argument for persuading the superdelegates. But it's an even better argument for positioning herself as the "I told you so" candidate after an Obama defeat.
Just because the Clintons say something doesn't mean it's untrue. Hillary's claim that she would do better against John McCain in swing states such as West Virginia - no Democrat has captured the White House without winning there since 1916 - is quite plausible. Obama is in danger of being cast as the Michael Dukakis of the 21st century (fairly or not). Polls show that in West Virginia, Obama wins only 53 percent of Democratic primary voters in a matchup against McCain. When only half of the party base is willing to vote for the nominee against a Republican, that nominee and that party have real problems.
If Obama does implode, Hillary's bitter-end fight would position her to say to Democrats, "You were warned."
Obviously, she wants to win this year. But the conventional wisdom that she's hurting herself within the party by not bowing out gracefully might be flawed. Polls show that Democratic voters want the race to continue. And so long as she can avoid blame for Obama's loss, she'll be in great shape for 2012. She will be able to argue that Democrats must think with their heads, not their hearts, if they want to win the presidency and change the country. Her centrism would no longer seem calculated. And, of course, the identity-politics bean counters will argue that, this time, it really is a woman's turn.
Hillary will do all she can to appear supportive of Obama should he get the nomination. But appearances can be deceiving. Clinton biographer Carl Bernstein recently reported on the Huffington Post that Sidney Blumenthal, the Clintons' preferred smear artist and rumor spreader, has been pushing the press to cover Obama's ties to Bill Ayers, an alum of the left-wing terrorist group the Weather Underground, as well as "many other questionable allegations about Obama."
The real test of my theory will be whether the Blumenthal operation shuts down after the Clinton campaign does.
“For Rush, it’s all about Rush. “
And for Hannity, O’Reilly, Savage and the rest, it is all about them.
This is what pissed me off about “Conservative” talk radio. They claim to be the voice of Conservatives, yet not one of them came forward (I think except for Ingraham) and told us who we should throw our support behind. They all could have said Duncan Hunter who IMHO was our best choice.
Instead they sat there, played games and basically let the MSM, who they are so “conveniently at war with” pick our candidate for us. They have no right to complain about our candidate, as we have no right to complain about our candidate.
If the Conservative movement is to stay alive, we better wake up and start becoming activists, fielding and funding our own candidates and stop whining about being victims of the MSM.
Liberals are pitbulls on crack. We are poodles on lithium.
Easy place to start is Energy Policy. This is the perfect issue for all Americans to rally to against the dogmas being presented by the Political Establishment. DC is doining noting but repeating the same slogans on Energy Policy they were chanting in 1978. Time for the American people to wake up to how they are being played for suckers by the DC Machine. The DC machien has sold out the best intret of the US on Energy Policy to keep the fat payoffs from the Green Lobby flowing into their campaign coffers. They are not intrested in anything that might actually solve our Energy Dependence cause that would cut off the gusher of money flowing out of the trust fund babies "enviromental" Lobby groups campaign funds
Everything being pushed by the DC Machine on Energy policy is designed to increase our dependence on imported oil. Nothing, not "Investigating Big Oil, Bringing Pressure to bear on OPEC to up production, a Windfalls Profit tax, upping the CFE standards, etc" that DC is talking about these days will do anything but INCREASE the US Dependence on Imported Oil and increase the cost of a gallon of gas.
It’s hilarious how the media is working in overdrive not to discuss the obvious racism that exists among Democrats.
If those numbers from all the exit polling were from Republicans, they would be trumpeting it to the heavens.
Instead all the Rat media does is complain how Shrillary is proud to announce/exploit that advantage.
Well of course. She’s after power And being the George Wallace of the party is not an issue for her if it garners her power.
After Obama takes this it is in Hillary’s best interest for Obama to lose, maybe even if she is the Vice Presidential running mate. Definitely, if she is not.
“Time for a political revolution.”
My first shot (figuratively speaking) is aimed at the Repub so-called leadership. I have asked: Why in the world do we start our primary process in IA and NH? Oh, I forgot, they really don’t want true conservative input.
And why would we allow Dims to vote in any state primary? Oh, yea...same thing.
IMHO: Conservatives need a new home. I’m ready to go.
I don’t think Conservatives need a new home. Third parties are historically irrelevant except to put some minority (in terms of getting popular vote) candidate like Bill Clinton into office. What Conservatives need is the equivalent of George Soros although not an individual billionaire so much as a coalition of Conservatives who will pool their funds to make a difference and make the Republican Party get back to their roots. Instead of directly funding the GOP, we need to put our resources at the disposal of proven Conservatives who can win elections. It is a long-term strategy, too late for this GE, but it is the only way to make the GOP powers-that-be listen. If and when the GOP tacks right again, then the coalition can offer funds to support those rightward movements and politicians.
You obviously don’t know the Clintons. They never held an honest job and have always been on the grift in one form or another.
They have made their lives off the corruption of power. And Dick Morris has been very clear about how cheap Shrillary is and if you doubt him may I point out the woman actually donated used underwear so she could write it off as a charitable donation.
Shrillary has no intention of being stuck with a $10 million bill.
IIRC the used underwear belonged to Bill.
And yes to effect some real change in our corrupt "Political Party" system will take much time and unfortunately more pain that I currently believe the average American is willing to offer up.
Again my decision is made and I am not playing by "their" (the political parties) rules and mandates any longer.
My tag line says it all.
Thanks for the cordial response. I think we may have bumped heads before in the past.
These days I only respond to the poster of the article, in reference to the article and to those replies with which I agree. Too old and too tired to take issue with those with whom I disagree, especially when both parties are sitting behind a key-board connected electronically.
God Bless,
Greg Adams
Brownsville, TX
On the other Front Line
Do you guys really think that Obama is going to lose? I mean, really? Having him as President is awful, but I think you are really living in a dream world if you think for one minute McCain is going to win!
The Clinton’s political power days are THROUGH. Hillary will be lucky if she can hold onto her Senate seat. Bill is regulated to a sad, angry old man. And it’s long overdue.
Hillary will never be VP. Just ain’t gonna happen. Watch and see.
As George Washington, so arduously warned us, the political parties of this Republic are dragging our nation into the dung heap.
It has been going on for over 200 years now and the change via our only Constitutionally guaranteed method will be slow and painful.
However, my choice is that I am willing to accept that pain, knowing full well that at this stage in life I will not live long enough to see it's fulfillment.
One of the great sustaining reasons our Republic has lasted as long as it has is that changing our political process and system of governance is designed to be slow.
Look around the world, our longevity is unmatched. And it is because of the stability of our system of governance as given to us by our founding fathers.
With all it's faults, and sitting here today experiencing all the frustration and pain the political parties' have brought us to, I would not care to live anywhere else in the world.
Today, at least on this "Conservative" not GOP Forum, I am well in the minority of not playing by the Parties' rules and mandates any longer. I did that for 30 of the 40 years I have been able to participate in the rigged system they placed us in. No Longer! I am finished. Be it a candidate affiliated with any of the Political parties, if that candidate does not pledge strict allegiance to our Declaration of Independence, Constitution or Bill of Rights as written by our Founding Fathers he or she will not get my vote.
My vote is the only real capital I have in our system and I will cast it as I see fit.
Republicans/Democrats - Phooey - A pox on both their houses!
btt
> And, as your reward for that (low life, democratic Party type) tactic, we will see Obama and Hillary win the election.
An Obama/Clinton ticket would be awfully hard to beat. McCain’s got nothing to compare with that. He could beat one or the other, probably, but not both, and not with Obama as the Presidential candidate.
I agree she has no intention of being stuck with that debt. But it’s rapidly getting to the point she has no choice, and when she and Bubba finally confront it, they’ll see that they can wipe out a $10m debt in no time with their speaking fees.
Or one more deal with the ChiComms...
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