Republicans are HOPING and PRAYING we go with Hillary.

[RBInMaine]

Hillary Clinton has the CONSISTENTLY highest negatives of ANY Presidential candidate in recent times.
The R's want to run against her so bad they can taste it. Half or more of the country vitually despises Hillary Clinton. She loses Independents in VAST numbers. I know how hard it is for the Hillary people to be able to accept the verdict of half the country as PROVEN in poll after poll after poll after poll now for years, months, and right now. I know they are desperate given that Obama is beating her and will likely continue to do so. I know how badly they thought she was going to be the coronated nominee and now will not be. Deal with it folks. Wake up and smell the coffee.
And realize that if we want to win this election and win over Independents and even some moderate R's who will be needed to win in the general election, then the great polarizer Hillary Clinton with her NARROW base will have a VERY VERY TOUGH time in the general election. What reality don't the Hillary people see?

[stellanoir]

1. yeah they are but they are eating their own

[ErnestoG]

2. Absolutely. And for good reason.

No other candidate out there has such a large and white hot hate-base as Hillary Clinton does. They are just WAITING for her nod as nom before they spring into action. They will pull her apart with the savage glee of a bunch of hyenas around a wounded gazelle.

[Skwmom]

3. Plus, the number of people who dislike her are rising in the

primary. Nothing like making it easy for the Republicans.

In Ohio, Republicans officials are pushing Republicans to vote for Clinton so they will have the weakest opponent in the general election, their base will be motivated and the money will flow.

[TexasObserver]

4. It's not their hoping and praying that troubles me, but their scheming to get Hillary on our ticket

Their game plan was to call the match for McCain early, so they could send Republicans out en masse to vote for Hillary in open primaries and try to give her the nomination. But Obama did much better, much earlier than they expected, and Huckster hung around.

[RBInMaine]

GOOD POINT !! They WANT to run against Hillary.

The R's are definitely trying to do this. They WANT to run against Hillary and as things stand now they are terrified of an Obama nomination. MANY of the right wing radio wingnuts are even saying this. Hillary will energize the R's BIGTIME. They hate Hillary with a passion. We would be FOOLS to nominate her. We'd be handing them a huge, juicy late Christmas present.

[TexasObserver]

8. Republicans desperately Hillary to run against to raise $ and GOTV

It's their only hope, and their candidate doesn't really matter that much. That's why they're scheming to get Hillary the nod.

[jackson_dem]

5. Why don't we stop speculating at look at McCain's actions?

What he is doing is intended to help Obama. Is it because he thinks Obama is a nice guy or because he wants to run against him?

The negative talking point ignores history. The rethug leadership is not politically naive. They know what happens to the negatives of "new" candidates. Ask Kerry or Bush 00' about it if you see them. Any candidate who is the nominee of a major party will have high negatives by November.

[Little Star]

6. You are right again and I see Rove's fingers all over this strategy.

[RememberWellstone]

7. She can win

They are making a big mistake with this stategy..Obama would ignite their racist base of warmongers. Hillary could win a lot of the moderates which will ultimately determine this year's winner imo.

[RBInMaine]

10. You are WAY off base.

The R's would chew her to mincemeat, money would gush into their campaign coffers like Niagra Falls, and she would lose the Independents to McCain. Research it. Look at the data which is consistent in poll after poll after poll right now and for months and years (which therefore CAN NOT just be dismissed as an aberration). HALF THE COUNTRY DOES NOT LIKE HER AND THAT WILL NOT CHANGE. Minds are made up here. Please see reality.

[RememberWellstone]

11. Will they ignore Obama?

Please...we know how they think and talk...they are fienting at the prospect of Hillary when they'd rather see Obama. This will cause every southern racist Rethug to go vote. We would probably see a landslide like the Mummy Reagan did against Carter if Obama makes it. This is an opinion but just as good as any other.

[RBInMaine]

15. Yes, an opinion with no evidence to support it.

No, of course they'll attack Obama and darn hard. But Obama DOES NOT HAVE THE BAGGAGE THAT HILLARY HAS. He doesn't START with HALF the country disliking him. Right now he draws general election sized crowds with MANY Independents and a good number of R's. Even moderate R's HATE Hillary.
And her lows with Independents is VERY scary. We MUST have them to win. Obama has proven he can appeal to far larger base than does Hillary. And trust me, those hardcore so-called "racists" you talk of are a fringe, but they would despise Hillary even more. It's incontrovertable. The R's are hoping and praying they can run against Hillary. It will energize their base BIGTIME. Right now Obama is scaring the hell out of them. I have hard data to back up my assertions. You have an opinion.

[theHandpuppet]

23. The evidence was in the crossover vote

I've posted my own experience with this strategy before but please here me out. Some folks really have GOT to listen because I think there are many here who are underestimating the well-oiled machinations behind the GOP tactic of crossover voting.

This was especially evident in Virginia. Believe me, I was a very active Dem in VA for years and know how that strategy works. I even did it myself one time in a GOP primary when we were hoping to knock out a strong Repuke candidate in the runoff. Looking back I can say I'm not proud of it but at least I can offer you some real perspective on how that works.

One has to examine the number of crossover votes in the VA primary (the vast majority of which went to Obama) and understand that: 1) crossover voting is standard political strategy, especially with the GOP; 2) such efforts are very well organized at the county level; 3) that crossover voting is a Trojan horse -- the idea is to vote against the candidate the GOP DOESN'T want to face in the GE.

Now some of you may think all those Republican votes for Obama were a sign that all of the sudden these lifelong GOP operatives are ready to board the S.S. Hope with Barack. Don't let your subjectivity get in the way of seeing what's really going on here. The Republican RW in Virginia is still very much alive and very well organized.

Now why would RW mouthpieces suddenly be pushing for Obama? Think about it. It's codespeak. We know they both hate and fear Hillary Clinton but they've already fired all their guns at her and haven't taken her down yet. To me that means they think Obama is vulnerable, which is why you have GOT to wonder what they've got up their sleeves. Don't make the mistake of thinking they haven't been strategizing about this a LONG time ago.

They've got so many Dems convinced that by knocking out Hillary Clinton, Obama will just sail into the White House because even Republicans love him! That's exactly what they want you to think and the sad thing is, they're letting the Democrats themselves execute their gameplan so they can focus their time and energies for the big dance.

Folks can keep ignoring this warning or they can take a step back and look at this as the political chess game that it truly is. It's your choice.

[Kitty Herder]

17. All I can do is laugh.

Their base is also misogynist. And they've been trained by right-wing radio hatemongers to hate the Clintons with a passion.

As for moderates, Obama would do better with them.

And it's not just the right that hates Hillary, the left does, too.

[Arugula Latte]

9. I agree completely. They NEED Hillary. She's their only chance to win.

[hill08]

12. how do you know that? just guessing?

listening to TV? Hillary's unfavorables are at a plateau and can only go down. Obama's unfavorables can only go up.

[ErnestoG]

13. Try something - do a Google search on "hate hillary" sites.

Now try the same with Obama.

Lesson over.

[Arugula Latte]

14. "HIllary's unfavorables are at a plateau and can only go down."

How do you know that? Just guessing?

[RBInMaine]

16. Hillary's negatives have been going UP and will STAY up.

One poll right now has her at 50%+ negative and only 44% favorable. It's getting WORSE. McCain is beating her in the polls whereas Obama beats McCain. ALL the data show Obama doing MUCH better with Independents. What don't you get? People's minds are made up about Hillary. They DON'T LIKE HER.

[Arugula Latte]

24. I don't think you meant to reply to me. I agree with you.

I think this was meant for hill08. :hi:

[RBInMaine]

26. Yes. Thanks. Inadvertent mistake.

Sorry. Wrong button pushed. Thanks for your agreement.

[DemBones DemBones]

18. Bullshit. The GOP-owned media are building up Obama so they can slap him down.

The GOP want to run against Obama because he's a freshman senator who is selling dreams, and they've got some dirt on him they're ready to use if he gets the nomination.

[stevietheman]

21. If they slap him down, we'll burn them down. n/t

n/t

[rodeodance]

22. Up, the msm is building him--they want him bad

[quakerboy]

19. Its the Repubs wet dream

If only they could figure out how to pull out a Gravel Miracle win, they would be happy.

[cooolandrew]

20. Yes, mysogyny is not our agenda here but a chance to really fix things for the first time in decades

With enough seats we can repair the sinking ship without them we are all going to have to swim real fast. If you haven't seen the film titanic be prepared for it to be all our realities, quite soon, but not the case if we plug the hole with a well thought out vote that is practical and not emotional.

[RBInMaine]

27. Obama helps the ENTIRE Dem field more than Hillary.

Think about it. Already many Dem candidates are FEARING having to run alongside Hillary Clinton in the general election, especially in the purple to red states. She is just so polarizing. Obama is much better in helping the entire Dem ticket in the general election. Sorry folks, but Hillary's STABLE and CONSISTENT negatives in the general electorate are just WAY too risky.

[WYObama]

25. This is all true.

And a cold hard fact we must deal with, if we nominate her.