Posted on 08/17/2008 11:28:22 AM PDT by Zakeet
A memo to the supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid: Get over it. She lost. No amount of foot stomping or hand pounding at the convention is going to change the delegate math.
Continued efforts to promote Clinton and undermine the presumptive nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, will play into the hands of the Republicans in the fall election and could sour Democrats on the Clintons forever.
Given the role of the former president and first lady in national politics since the early 1990s, it would be a shame if their lasting legacy was to disrupt one of the best chances the Democrats had at gaining the White House since the Clintons departed.
It’s hard to believe that Clinton supporters continue to balk at pleas for party unity in the wake of Sen. John McCain’s surge in late-summer polls.
A commanding lead by Obama has now become a statistical dead heat. The margin for error is slim, as we have seen in the past two presidential elections. If Clinton supporters would rather see McCain in the White House, they are doing all the right things.
The Obama forces control the convention planning and have been more than accommodating. Clinton’s name will be put into nomination. She and her husband will enjoy prime-time visibility. Other than forfeiting the nomination, there’s little else Obama could do to mollify Clinton supporters.
Nonetheless, according to The Associated Press, “they are itching for a fight and plan to wage one in Denver.”
Their plans include papering the city with pro-Clinton and anti-Obama fliers; promoting a video claiming “irregularities” in the nominating process; and unleashing and endless torrent of online vitriol through a corps or recruited bloggers.
Newspaper ads were purchased demanding a roll-call vote on Clinton for the nomination even before Obama’s camp had a chance to resolve the matter in her favor.
It’s hard to understand where all this bitterness toward Obama originates. Clinton supporters feel she was treated unfairly during the campaign, but their wrath should be directed at the media, which was arguably more favorable in its Obama coverage. For his part, Obama was mostly respectful in the debates and throughout the campaign.
Have the Democrats learned nothing from their past mistakes. American voters have shown historically that a party not organized enough to manage its own convention is often considered not well-suited to manage the nation – the catastrophic Democratic convention of 1968 being the most often cited example. It probably cost Hubert Humphrey the White House in a very close election with Richard Nixon.
The divisive primary campaign has given the Republicans plenty of ammunition to use already. GOP-funded television ads with Hillary Clinton and other Democrats criticizing Obama are already on the air, and more are certainly forthcoming. Providing footage from their own convention certainly won’t help.
The party needs to unite behind Obama unequivocally or run the risk of bringing new life to the famous quote by Will Rogers: “I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat.”
“Does she really want to be VP for eight years.....”
HMPH!!!She will be a Vice-president from the day of the election until the day after inauguration.....after which, by some satanically derived means, she will be president for almost 12 years......bet on it.
Clear the thoughts and shudder the thought - but it makes sense to me. Obama needs the PUMA folks - that’s the only way to appease the Clintons.
You laid out all the scenarios quite well.
I do think that Hillary would take VP - to be one heartbeat away from the brass ring.
The Clintons have been waaaay too quiet these past few weeks. I think their plan has come together to their satisfaction. Scary stuff.
LOL!!!!!!!!! Thats awesome!!!!!
Claire McCaskill on FOX News just said with a coy grin that we all need to watch the Convention for the “surprises” and that people will see how the democratic party comes together.
I’m just sayin.....something is afoot.
She is one scary woman. I suspect she had a hand in the John Edwards scandal.
He has to be picking Hillary for VP, how else is that idiot going to win.
Do these look like 18+ million democrats that are going to vote for Senator Barack Obama?
Hillary Clinton Supporters For John McCain:
http://www.hcsfjm.com
Party Unity My A$$ PAC/People United Means Action PAC:
http://blog.pumapac.org
Democrats Against Obama/Nobama ever!
http://democrats-against-obama.org
Just Say No Deal:
http://justsaynodeal.com
Take a look around these sites for a half hour or 45 minutes and then you decide....(there are hundreds more linked to these, just look for links)
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