I for one am glad Hillary is still running her campaign

[Araxen]

Because that means the further she continues the further she kills her reputation and the quicker the Clinton's become irrelevant to the Democratic party and being outcasts to it. There will be no more presidential runs for Hillary after she gets done sullying the Clinton brand this 2008 primary season and I view that as a positive for America.

[sasquatch]

1. She's running the DLC into the ground in the process as well

:thumbsup:

[nomaco-10]

3. I know, ain't it great.....

The only, and I mean only thing positive to come out of her run.

[ej510]

4. The DLC is fighting to maintain relevance in the DNC.

[CoffeeCat]

2. The longer she continues, the more...

enemies she makes in DC--and the less credibility she has.

I seriously don't know WHAT she is doing. She can't catch up in
the delegate count.

She must have no sense of how utterly absurd she looks.

[PoliticalAmazon]

15. It's that ham-fisted "I WANT IT!" trait ofHillary's that has led...

to problems for her more than once. It was a big contributor to her failed attempts (at the beginning of Bill's first term in the WH) to reform health care. She felt she was entitled to push through the program she wanted, and Congress did NOT react well to that.

She has done so much to hobble the next female candidate for presient. I thought Geraldine Ferraro, when she was running for Mondale's VP, was a very positive role model for future women candidates. Not Hillary. Her use of the pity factor, when none is warranted, the faux outrage over fantasy sexist treatment, etc., etc., and especially her blubbering-on-command, are all anchors the next female candidate will have to get rid of.

Harry Reid was on MSNBC this morning and he flat-out basically called Hillary a liar. He said that Obama "swept" the rural, vast majority white, districts in Nevada, and the claim that he cannot win white working-class votes is rubbish.

So I think you are correct about he diminishing in credibilty, especially in D.C.

[Uben]

5. Everyone has an opinion....

...and everyone else's stinks next to our own!

Actually, history does not agree with you. In 1976, at the republican national convention, the convention nominated incumbent Gerald Ford for President, but only after narrowly defeating a strong challenge from former California governor Ronald Reagan.

Although Ford had won more primary delegates than Reagan, as well as plurality in popular vote, he did not have enough to secure the nomination, and as the convention opened both candidates were seen as having a chance to win. Because of this, both Ford and Reagan arrived in Kansas City before the convention opened to woo the remaining uncommitted delegates in an effort to secure the nomination.

we all know what happened in 1980!

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

7. Big difference.

Obama will have enough delegates to secure the nomination by early June at the latest.

[Uben]

9. Not really

Ford had it pretty much wrapped up, too. But, Reagan went on to win the nomination and presidency in the following election, discounting the premise that her staying in the race is hurting her chances in 2012.

Now, one could argue that Ford did not win because of Reagan's staying in until convention, but we all know that wasn't the case. They didn't have a chance after Nixon's ordeal and Ford's lame-assed pardon. This election is much the same when you consider George Bush's "worst presidency in the world" reputation. The democrat should win, regardless.

If Obama produces in his first four years, he will surely be given another four. But, if he flops, Clinton wants to be at the top to replace him, which I think is a smart decision for her, and the party as a whole.

[RaleighNCDUer]

13. The difference is, Obama with the numeric lead is the agent of change

and the trailer is Hillary, representing the old guard. With Ford/Reagan it was the other way around - Ford was the last (supposedly) of the Nixon years, and Reagan was the one who was shaking things up. Going from Ford to Reagan - old to new - is very natural. Going from Obama to Clinton, new to old, is anything but.

She will never get another chance at this. I promise.

And THAT is why she's trying so hard now. She knows that she's playing the last act of the Clinton story.

[hill_win_2008]

10. Explain

How can Obama get enough delegates by June? There aren't enough to put him over the 2026.

Don't get me wrong, I see that he has the edge, prob be the nominee at this point, etc. But to say he WILL by June? Show me the "math" that supports that.

[Uben]

11. I think he means-

...he will have enough pledged and Supers by then, assuming that the candidates do not change their votes.

[cali]

12. He'll get a minimum of 80 pledged delegates by the end of voting

He'll then need only about 60 or so supers out of the remaining 240. His campaign already has more than that in their pocket. They've released 30 over the past week. They'll continue to release a few each day until Oregon next week. At that point, he'll pass the pelosi number and trigger another 9 SD endorsements.

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

19. Worst case scenario

If Obama only wins 30% in the remaining 5 primaries, he will only need 81 of the remaining 240 superdelegates to wrap up the nomination. Under the same scenario, Clinton will need 180.

Under a more reasonable scenario based on current polls, he will only need about 55 more superdelegates, while Clinton will need 206. He can easily pick up 55 more supers by June at his current rate.

[SwampG8r]

16. so your saying hillary is reagan?

[nichomachus]

17. Ford was a placeholder -- put in for two reasons

His job was to pardon Nixon and to open the door to the fascists, who streamed into the government during his administration. That was the entry point for Cheney, Rumsfeld, and a host of other fascist vermin.

Gerry Ford was an amiable, but useful, idiot -- and there was never any intention on the part of the party that he should have a real shot at being president.

In much the same way that I wouldn't be at all surprised to see McCain left in the dust in September, after he's served his purpose of being a placeholder all during the primaries.

[murielm99]

6. Opposing Clinton's candidacy does not mean

forcing her out of her Senate seat or out of the party. Your knowledge of politics and history is lacking if you think that, or if you think that is what will happen. Your hate makes you sound more republican-lite than Democratic. We have to come together at the end of the process.

[Window]

8. Hillary moves one more step further from reality!

After tonight’s meaningless West Virginia Victory, Senator Clinton’s speech took on a disturbing turn from reality. She believes she can win this nomination. She believes she can reinvent mathematics. She has left politics. She’s in another zone. We need Freud NOW! First it was Bill exploding in front of the world, yelling and screaming at Obama’s supporters. They hid Bill. Twice. He has now disappeared but she’s still here, and the scary thing is that she doesn’t understand she has lost the election. It’s time to go. It’s time someone told her but who? Who will put the bell on the cat’s tale? No one likes to play with a wounded tigress. Next week should finally make her come to understand that winning is not everything, sometimes whatever dignity is left is also a consideration, at least for the voters who are following this race.

http://rafaelmartel.com/2008/05/13/hillary-moves-one-more-step-further-from-reality/

Funny 30 sec. video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPL2vGR_ULk&eurl=http://rafaelmartel.com/2008/05/13/hillary-moves-one-more-step-further-from-reality/

[Lucky 13]

14. I agree with you. Her continuing in this race has some benefits...

1) Hillary stays on and wins WV and KY instead of dropping out and having Barack lose to a withdrawn candidate

2) Complete vetting. Can anything MORE be said about Rev. Wright? Nothing new anyway...

3) Driving the fundraising machine. I don't know about YOU, but after EVERY primary, I give to Barack. The primaries he loses... I feel compelled to give a little more. His fundraising numbers for April will be announced soon and they are supposed to be through the roof. Think he'd get that if he were opponent-less now? There wouldn't be the urgency this early if it was just him and McCain.

4) Pwning the media. He is a top headline DAILY. With her gone, things are less exciting and he may slip in the news cycle. Free press is good press.

5) She continues to expose herself for the pandering, win-at-all-costs, ruthless woman that she is. I was disheartened at first to learn that my perception of the Clintons as heroes of the party was ill-founded. The more distance I get from it, I realize I am glad for any phony to be exposed for what they are. At least I know where I stand with them now.

6) She is now, OFFICIALLY, a laughing stock. I don't see much way she'll be able to repair her reputation and be an effective legislator or have any shot for a future presidential run.

7) With every inflammatory or negative statement, Obama looks genuinely decent and good in comparison. He HAS taken the high road and everyone knows it. She comes out looking like gutter trash and he comes out SPARKLING CLEAN for not taking her rancid bait.


Gobama!

[Diane R]

18. Great post.

[bvar22]

20. I want Hillary to stay in....

...if only for the laughs.

You catch SNL?
or Jon Stewart?
or Olbermann?

I haven't laughed so long or so hard since the Ford administration.

Bill & Hill have turned themselves into fodder for the Late Night Comedians, and when they turn on you....that is the Fat Lady singing.

The Political Cartoonists are having a Mardi Gras.

Now THATS funny!

Keep running, Hillary, keep RUNNING!
I may send her a donation just to keep the laughs coming in!