Matthew Mundy: Slouching Toward Denver

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Slouching Toward Denver

Posted April 24, 2008 | 10:34 AM (EST)

In the future, I hope that we can all look back on Obama's long, meandering path to the nomination (and, hopefully, the presidency) with fondness. I hope we can reminisce about how Clinton's relentless attacks just toughened him up for November, how she preempted the Republican attack machine by doing their work for them, and how all our fretting was for naught. However, though I'm loath to admit it, my hopes are fading fast - "the tide is turning" against them, if you will.

As it stands right now, it's impossible for Clinton to win with pledged delegates. She's too far behind Obama, and she has plum run out of time. It's not going to happen. This matters a lot, of course, least of all because no Democratic candidate has ever won the nomination without leading in pledged delegates.

Unfortunately, Clinton's campaign - who I will hereafter refer to as the Hillary truthers - is having none of this. On Tuesday night, campaign chairman and head truther Terry McAuliffe instead trumpeted the popular vote as a new measure of victory. However, even if the popular vote decided the nomination - and it doesn't - the math isn't looking too favorable here, either. Unless McAuliffe is counting the outlawed Michigan and Florida primaries, Clinton's likely too far behind on this metric to win as well. She is still 600,000 votes behind Obama in the popular vote, and he is looking to make up a good chunk of the 200,000 or so votes he lost in Pennsylvania in the upcoming North Carolina and Indiana primaries.

That is the stark math of defeat. And with that laid out in front of them, Clinton and the Hillary truthers may want to take a long, hard look at the three options they have left. Of the three, only one leaves her with a modicum of dignity at the end. She would do well to choose wisely.

In the first scenario, she trudges on to Indiana and North Carolina, running a tame, respectful campaign. Then - after losing in North Carolina and, likely, Indiana - she drops out of the race, licks her wounds, and makes up for her scorched earth strategy by campaigning relentlessly for Obama in the general.

more here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matthew-mundy/slouching-toward-denver_b_98406.html

Clinton needs to drop and soon, the math is no longer there. To continue this madness is shameful. What about the rest of the states you say? They will still get to vote, even if she drops out. John McCain is the Rep nominee, and the states are still voting aren't they? This has become blind ambition now, regardless of the math staring them in the face.

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