Clinton Vows To Stay In Race Until Convention

Hillary Clinton told the Washington Post in an interview published Saturday that she would stay in the Democratic Presidential Race until the convention:

In her most definitive comments to date on the subject, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton sought Saturday to put to rest any notion that she will drop out of the presidential race, pledging in an interview to not only compete in all the remaining primaries but also continue until there is a resolution of the disqualified results in Florida and Michigan.

A day after Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean urged the candidates to end the race by July 1, Clinton defied that call by declaring that she will take her campaign all the way to the Aug. 25-28 convention if necessary, potentially setting up the prolonged and divisive contest that party leaders are increasingly anxious to avoid.

"I know there are some people who want to shut this down and I think they are wrong," Clinton said in an interview during a campaign stop here Saturday. "I have no intention of stopping until we finish what we started and until we see what happens in the next 10 contests and until we resolve Florida and Michigan. And if we don't resolve it, we'll resolve it at the convention -- that's what credentials committees are for.

"We cannot go forward until Florida and Michigan are taken care of, otherwise the eventual nominee will not have the legitimacy that I think will haunt us," said the senator from New York. "I can imagine the ads the Republican Party and John McCain will run if we don't figure out how we can count the votes in Michigan and Florida."

Asked if there was a scenario in which she would drop out before the last primaries on June 3, Clinton said no. "I am committed to competing everywhere that there is an election," she said.

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Comments

[Rendon76]

If you never understood why people hated her so much, now you know. Lets see this thing play out but I don't think she's making any new friends.

[copesthetics]

"I can imagine the ads the Republican Party and John McCain will run if we don't figure out how we can count the votes in Michigan and Florida."

huh?

[nachtengel]

BubbaC33, Obama is not a victim, but we need to move past yesteryear, and the mentality of divide and conquer, and past all candidates who lie about every single thing, on a daily basis (and whether or not anyone one likes it, Hillary does fall into this category), and start putting our money down on the big fight, and let Obama train to beat McCain.

Dems need to get their serious strategy together NOW, and it has been good and even necessary sparing for Obama, no question, but he has gotten all he can out of Hillary, and now it's time for her to let go.

[samson24]

Obama has done all he can, he needs to drop out so Hillary can win.

[Rendon76]

She's going too far.

[whizkid]

I take as much umbrage to those who slur the Edwards as I do
the slurs against the Clintons.
Some or most of these comments are unconsionable.

[JohnTalbutt]

Look folks I am an Obama supporter, but it just one criticism of Hillary after another. I think we should make a posts to comfort them.

Hillary went to North Ireland. There were a large number of people sitting around a big table looking very angry. Hillary jumped to her feet and asked everybody take the hand nearest them and say their favorite prayer. When that was done the smiles slowly spread around the table. In a few minutes Protestant and Catholics were hugging and crying saying why did we not understand each other before Hillary.

As soon as the treaty was signed Hillary waved her hand and with Chelsea by her side ran quickly to mount a heicopter bound for Bosnia.

[redisright]

it seems to me that Obama is terrified that clinton will win the popular vote. Thats why all of you (his lacky's) are speaking what he thinks.

[copesthetics]

please, get a life.

[redisright]

I bet she does get the pop vote. without fla and mich. That will put democrats in a real pickle. In 2000, liberals were crying that only the popular vote should count, when Hillary gets the popular majority, as Nancy says, the delegates should only count. This is going to be a real hoot!!!

[Aleka]

Is that line on a Clinton mass mail-out or something? I've seen quite a few people post it and it is just silly.

First, popular vote doesn't count, it is pledged delegates that count.
Second, even IF popular vote were counted, AT LEAST four states do not have accurate counts. I know Hillary doesn't worry about disenfranchising *them* becuase Obama won them.
Third, even without them his lead is fairly significant and she is unlikely to catch up.

[GBecker]

No, we are speaking our minds. Nobody else's. Oh yeah, and stating facts and figures.

[redisright]

speculated figures, anything can happen.

[tess08]

Duh, reality check! Obama is winning the popular vote as of now.

[bodi1313]

If Florida and Michigan were not being disenfranchised, Clinton leads the popular vote by 245,800.
If it were the other way around, Obama supporters would be screaming that these states should be counted.

[buddhistMonkey]

It's impossible for Hillary to win the popular vote, and Obama knows it (so does Hillary, for that matter). There would need to be nearly 100% turnout in every state that was hasn't voted yet, and Hillary would need to win by 70% or better everywhere. She's only won one state by more than 65%, and that was her home state of Arkansas. She can't even come near the popular vote without Florida and Michigan being seated as-is, and that just won't happen.

But none of that matters. The conventional wisdom has already turned against Hillary, and the story now is that she's only in the race at this point to be a spoiler for Obama, so that she has another shot at the White House in 2012. The longer she stays in the race, having already lost, the higher her negatives will go, and the more animosity she will earn from members of her own party. By August, she'll be little more than a laughing stock and an annoyance.

Obama's best strategy from here on out is to start taking the fight to John McCain, and ignore Hillary entirely. No more debates, no more engaging her directly. She's a non-entity at this point, an also-ran. She might as well be Mike Gravel, or Ralph Nader, or some other marginal player with no hope of winning the presidency. Kind of what John McCain is going to look like some time around Labor Day.

[stringer]

Who cares? At this point honestly, is anyone still listening?

What she fails to realize, and what the Democratic superdelegates seem to realize but are too afraid to act on, is the fact that she is going to be greeted in Denver by such a march and movement of young people as has not been seen since Chicago 1968. If she wants to watch demonstrations in the street, be forcefully thrown out by the Democratic Party, and finally realize she has lost by every metric known to humankind I say let her. It'll only be her loss.

This is going to get ugly. The reason everyone keeps saying so is because it is. It's evident to everyone but Clinton and some (not all) of her supporters who clearly abandoned reality, reason, logic, and math long ago.

[nohat]

She will try litigation if she doesn't get her way, wait and see.
As for her "I can imagine the ads the Republican Party and John McCain will run if we don't figure out how we can count the votes in Michigan and Florida," I would think the ads McCain will run will be of her saying he'smake a stronger president than Obama, and Bill saying that McCain---as well as Hillary--- loves his country and is devoted to its interests.
The important thing about what she is saying is how party leaders react to it. If there is just silence, I'd say nothing has changed there: they can't handle her. Therefore all the talk of it ending by June, is just that: talk. Stall tactics.
This woman isn't going anywhere.

[McHenry]

There was never any doubt that Clinton would stay in the race up until, during and even after the convention. Her initial rationale of making sure the states in the remaining primaries express their will was just another convenient goal post. Just like past ones she has set and moved in order to fit the next reality. The promise to go to the convention regardless of the outcome of the upcoming primaries is yet another example. Clinton's "honesty gap" keeps growing. Clinton is counting on Bill at the convention to get payback for all the favors he doled out to many Superdelegates.
Unfortunately, for the Clintons not all Superdelegates can be counted upon because of Bill's past patronage. And hopefully the majority of them will come to their senses after the last primary and kill the Clinton Candidacy before it ruins the Democratic prospects in the November. The Clinton's cannot be trusted with either the best interests of the Democratic Party or America. Their like a cancer that will not die.

[snruB]

/Didn't Edwards vow to stay till the convention right before he quit?

[Seattlelite]

Good point -- I think all the people that have quit said the same thing.

[Memorye]

Edwards , was not a fighter like Hillary.

[whizkid]

As my yiddish grandmother says.
These Obama dummkopfs, always vetching.

[PardonMyFrenchFries]

very funny...lo­l

[ME08]

Your Grandmother is an exceptionally wise woman...sh­e knows kvetchers and whiners when she sees them...why all this endless spin and mantra from the Obamabots? They do go on like an annoying relative who just loves to complain when things aren't going just so...and that is clearly the case for Obama...he felt that running roughshod over Hillary would be a simple matter of winning inconsequential and undemocratic caucuses along with states that he could never win in the general, whereas Hillary's states are easy wins for Dems in the fall...bes­ides, when has Iowa ever been a bellwether for who wins the general? Not in a long time, and for good reason: caucuses are a three ring circus attracting the most zealot supporters, who do not in any way, shape or form reflect the will of the mainstream party or the general electorate­...in other words, you have the kooks deciding who will be nominee at the caucuses. Hillary knows this and will not concede to the nutjob wing of the party, as she most assuredly shouldn't.

[copesthetics]

putz

[JavaCityGal]

It's not vetching, it's kvetching.

[thatsitfortheotherone]

Kleinen Arschloch!

[Kalima]

Grosser Arschloch is better.

[indiethinker]

Thank you, Senator Clinton, for being so altruistic & caring so much about having all of our votes counted. Thanks, also for braving that dangerous sniper fire in Bosnia. And, finally, thanks so much for voting to authorize the war in Iraq. There surely is no limit to your generosity, heroism & honesty - how dare we reject you after all you've done for us...

[romchr]

I'm not pro anyone at this point... but I find it absolutely hypocritical that anyone would tell any candidate to drop out. It's a race to the finish and the Democratic party set up the scenario. Let it play out. Otherwise do away with the primaries entirely and just nominate someone.

I'd bet the pro-Obama people telling Hillary to drop out before the remaining states cast their votes are the SAME PEOPLE who demanded that every dangling chad be counted for Gore. I believe every vote should count, regardless of whether or not it goes my way.

Personally, I think both candidates are done with. I'm sure Rove's already got hours of Swift Boat ad video at the ready. All of this sad infighting­... just to see who gets to lose to the old guy. The Dems should just fabricate an Al Gore/Wesley Clark ticket so they at least have a fighting chance.

[Lazycrockett]

Seriously I don't see why everyone is getting their panties in a bunch. If Obama is the second coming as everyone on here thinks he, why does it matter if she stays in it.

The Obam fans are the ones that are yelling bout the math and she has no chance to win.

Well if thats the case, then none of you should care if she stays in till the convention.

What are is everyone so afraid of? That 20% of democrats are going to vote for McCain??? please.