Is Clinton Looking For An "I Told You So" Moment?

Why is Hillary Clinton still in the race?

Ever since she failed to cream Barack Obama in Indiana, pundits and analysts have been chewing this over--and now that the West Virginia primary is done, even though she won by a massive two-to-one margin, the question still hovers. After all, Obama has racked up an insurmountable lead in pledged delegates and has pulled ahead in the superdelegate count, meaning the race is essentially complete. Clinton and her campaign advisers have argued that she can still win the nomination if she does well in the last few primaries and then persuades superdelegates she is the better candidate to do battle with John McCain. But the superdelegates don't seem receptive to her case. And the fact that she has throttled back on the anti-Obama rhetoric in recent days--she barely she criticized her in her not-so-jubilant West Virginia victory speech--is a signal that she may not believe her own spin and is merely halfheartedly trudging toward the last primaries (Montana and South Dakota) on June 3.

Yet there she is--an active and hard-working candidate. And the commentators have come up with several obvious explanations:

* She wants to remain in the hunt just in case something happens. (A video appears of Wright calling for armed revolution? Fox News produces Obama's Secret Muslim Membership card?)

* She is staying in for one last round of fundraising. (Her campaign is $20 million in debt and owes her $11 million.)

* She wants to end her historic campaign with a string of victories: West Virginia, Kentucky, and Puerto Rico. (Puerto Rico? She is a senator from New York.)

* And the most obvious of them all: she's not yet ready to face the music.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[RobinL]

Uh....let's see. Hillary is staying in because she's narcissistic and deluded, isn't it obvious?

[hugs4u]

She should of opened her speech last night with . i am staying in the race so you suckers supporting me ,give more money. starve but help me keep running.

[BigBen]

When are you going to wake up. White America will not elect a black president; no matter what Ted Kennedy and his left wing liberal friends think.White America may not even elect a woman president no matter what Bill Clinton and his liberal middle of the road friends think.

[hugs4u]

Thaqt leaves them with a repukeican who is senile and suffering from altimizer (sp) diease.

[Repub4Obama]

If Hillary is staying it to support a 2012 Presidential run, in the hopes that Barack is defeated by McCain: The only thing that makes sense for Hillary to do is to make sure that Barack will NOT WIN in November. If this is her position, it makes sense that she direct her staff (for plausible deny-ability) to dig up as much mud as possible on Barack, and give it to the Republicans to use against him in the general. There are things that I bet she wishes she could have said on TV, but didn't want to appear more Republican in her tactics. If she wants 2012, she will be forced to be the 'secret informant' working with the most repugnant of Republican slime machines in an attempt to distroy Obama.

Only then would she be able to run against McCain in 2012, telling us all that we should have believed her in 2008 and that we were stupid to place our faith in someone that wanted to change Washington, running on a platform of hope. I think this is all very sad, and is a perfect example of a zero-sum game where for her to win, someone (or some party) must be split apart and destroyed. Only with the preceding path will she be able to run on a platform of "I told you so".

I'd like to hear some logic-based replied from current Clinton supporters.

[jamrock47]

Nuff said AMEN.

[Truthmeter]

Obama is now pandering to the moderates by throwing on a flag lapel pin...he's just a flawed politician too. He's not a savior, just another politician. Wake up. He makes great speeches, but still is a creation by the DNC powerbrokers. Used car salesmen also make great speeches. Presidents don't make policy, Congress does. DNC wants the WH so they can get all their friends (big money friends, not you poor blind slobs) to contribute more by spending more money on contracts to these big money people. So you can pay more taxes, while their friends get richer by buying the DNC. Again wake up...

[poco767]

Is there not a "flag as inane" button.
Anyone who believes Obama is a faultless messainic figure need a reality check, but the vast majority just believe he is a politician trying to do what he can to help. The Kool-aid conspiracy theories are a little tired.
As for the DNC being as mercenary as you believe, you may be right, but the GOP have sold America off piece by piece. Better the devil you havn't seen for a while, I think people are ready to take their chances with the left.

[butchie65]

Truthmeter, do you really think we would listen to any of your assanine crap ? He happened to get the flag pin from a parent that lost their kid in the war. The only one sounding like a used car salesman is you.Go spew your crap somewhere else. We didn't listen to it before and we sure as hell aren't going to pay attention to it now.

[LonesomeThunderbolt]

Clinton needs to understand that no matter what happens with Obama, she cannot be the nominee. If Obama somehow falters, it will not be from any deficiency of his. It will be solely due to a racial backlash that the Clintons have helped promote for their political gain. She cannot be rewarded for exploiting a racial backlash by being given the nomination.

If Obama reaches enough pledged and super delegates to lay claim to the nomination, there will be three more months until late August when the delegates formally cast their votes in Denver. That should be ample time to test Obama's viability against McCain. If he doesn't measure up, the convention will have time to weigh alternatives. A logical compromise ticket would be Al Gore and John Edwards or Edwards and some other Democrat.

Once he becomes the presumptive nominee, Obama should be able to unify Democrats and progressive independents behind him. But only if Clinton understands that a racial backlash will not give her the nomination will she cease and desist from pursuing that strategy.

[poco767]

Who would I talk to about getting hold of a lot of those Clinton 08 plackards?
I need to insulate my loft and Hillary won't be needing them soon.

[poco767]

Damn, posting this twice made me look like more of an ass.

[GoCards1978]

Now that's funny! Thanks - I needed a good laugh.

[poco767]

Who would I talk to about getting hold of a lot of those Clinton 08 placards?
I need to insulate my loft and Hillary won't be needing them.

[katzooks]

The fact is, Hillary has galvanized racism into a cohesive force against Obama. What a pity, in an election season that started with such a large and overwhelmingly strong, united front against the Republicans.

[joselopez]

These Special Elections that the Democrats have won, show that this year will be a big year for the Democrats in November. The only way they can screw it up is if insanity overtakes them, and they put Clinton on as VP.

That is the only event that will cause the Republican base to mobilize and go to the polls.

BOTTOM LINE: REPUBLICANS ARE NOT GOING TO WAIT TWO HOURS IN LINE TO VOTE AGAINST OBAMA, THEY WILL THOUGH IF CLINTON IS ON THE TICKET.

[jrterrier]

That is just not true and it is the type of smear campaign against Hillary that will doom Obama's chances in November if his supporters continue it. Obama is getting the same percentage of the blue collar worker as Gore and Kerry. And the Clinton name is particularly golden among blue collar workers, who remember fondly that the economy was good to them during the Clinton presidency. As Hillary likes to say, what didn't you like about the 1990's -- the peace or the prosperity?

[kdublya]

OMG,

Sen. Clinton's website automatically redirects to her contribution page.

MARKETING LINGO
===

Overstocked
Massive Liquidation
Everything Must Go
We Will Not Be Undersold
Today Only
Last Chance
Ample Delegate Parking!

CONSUMER PERSPECTIVE
===
Do you mind if I kick the tires first?

SUPERDELEGATE PERSPECTIVE
===
Retail is for suckers

[keriheb]

The discussion about Clinton "knee capping" Obama started some time ago. Many people read the article with some reservation but now no longer have any. While the "knee capping" discussion was put on hold with the rationale Clinton still had a chance, albeit a small one, that chance no longer exists.

Considering the party big wigs have declined to publically rebuke Clinton many theories have been forwarded. The one thing not discussed is the notion this is an opportunity to rid the party of the Clinton's in the future and send them into a political limbo. The Republicans will never accept Hillary and the Democrats will have so much disdain for Hillary they will be able to retire that brand name into obscurity.

The bellowing you are hearing from Hillary is her death howl. What is sad is that she does not even know it. Hillary is so narcissistic, she is unaware the image she is looking at is but a nebula of a once bright star!

[StephenS]

You and many others here sound like political newbies.

Lots of men have continued campaigning for the presidency even when they could not win the nomination. Ronald Reagan against Ford and Jesse Jackson against Dukakis come to mind. I've seen much longer lists elsewhere, but the point is that it's just not that unusual.

[Ashera]

QUOTE: (1770-1831) Philosopher, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
" What experience and history teach is this:
That people and governments have never learned anything from history."

Clinton only proved that she will stoop even lower to divide this country, at any cost.

As a 63 senior white female, disappointment in clintons actions can't be measure. History will hold her accountable for the damaging negative actions, she and her family took.

While Senator Obama has been trying to change the profile of all campaigns.

We, as females, most not lower ourselves to advance ourselves, as Clinton is doing. We must learn as the above Quote was stated, soo many years ago.

Advancement with dignity, truth and honesty is the true meaning of self importance. For when truth surpasses lies, we can hold oneself above those who play the negative scenario.

Therefore, Congratulations for those with Vision to see the Positive Campaign by Senator Obama, in as far as, financially supporting and voting for a more Positive, Honest, Truthful, Dignified Future for ALL Americans, United and not a Clinton, McCain and Bush American Divided!

[GoCards1978]

Amen! We're long overdue for fresh air in this country.

[GravitonX]

Leave it to Hillary to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. No ethical standards.

[jrterrier]

Would you rather that Obama had lost by a blow out to a candidate who had withdrawn from the race?

Edwards got 7% of the vote in W Va and he's been out of the race for months.

What exactly has Hillary done wrong?

[butchie65]

They are so out of touch with the world, they probably think he is still in the race. No other state gave him that many votes since he quite.

[XME]

I have a feeling she's staying in for the last reason...she she still thinks the supers might give it to her. I also think she's probably praying that something catastrophic happens to Obama.

[polaris12]

According to the NY Times today, 8 out of 10 uneducated racists prefer Hillary Clinton.
That's quite an accomplishment, Hil! It amply demonstrates what her campaign has been all about since South Carolina. Obviously, Barack has to work much harder to capture this segment of the demographic.

[vsign]

All the Hillary hating and white hating and educated snobbery will not win Obama the nomination.

White people have alot of reasons for not voting for Obama. For you to sling the word racist around has gotten Obama supporters in trouble from the beginning. You call me names and I won't listen to you anymore. Sounds like common sense logic to me. Like the governor of West Virgina says - our people have a PhD in life and human nature. All you bullies have is the internet. Good luck winning this election when that is all you have. Elections are for the voters. Voters rule!

[SpoxLogic]

Did you catch the GMA interview with the lady at the WV polls yesterday. The lady thought Obama was a Muslim, and would not intertain anything that might contradict that view. Anyway you slice it, that lady voted based on a prejudice. And I am sure quite a few more did the same, yesterday.

Blacks aren't voting against Hillary because they don't like White people. Hillary lost their confidence and support due to her antics. (At one time she had Black support by a 2-1 margin).

That lady in WV and her ilk never even gave Obama a chance from the get go, simply because of his name and his looks.

[polaris12]

I'm not slinging any words around, just reporting. Exit polls in WVA reported people saying that they had voted for Clinton and against Obama on racial grounds. I don't know what words you use for it? You prefer racialism, maybe? Or, perhaps the news media misreported what people were saying.

[Truthmeter]

What the educated voter census in South Carolina? The fact that blacks are voting for Obama because he's black sounds racist to me.

[polaris12]

The fact is that prior to South Carolina, Clinton and Obama were splitting the black vote almost evenly, until Bill Clinton tried to paint Obama as the "black" candidate, a pure racism pitch on his part. The conversion of many black voters to support Obama was more resentment of Bill Clinton's tactics than anything else. They didn't vote against Hillary because she was white.

[pacats]

You should take a few minutes to look up the definition of the word "racist". Historically, AA's have voted for white candidates based on skills, knowledge, and the platform presented by those individuals that best matched what an African American was seeking in his/her candidate. In Obama, the same standards apply. You can mistakenly refer to this as racism, instead, it is a continued effort by american citizens to elect a candidate that offers a platform that addresses the needs of the individuals. Obama has the vote of Native Americans, religious groups, politicial groups, community organizations,young adults, white people of all ages,and from different economic status, veterans, and others. Obama has not captured the racist voter. If he had, you can bet, that Pat Buchanan would be the first one to report such a bizarre story. From the recent SNL skit, the racist vote belongs entirely to Hillary.
Just to give you a reference, in 2000, Ed Rendell ran for governor of PA. 93% of AA's voted for Gov. Rendell. His opponent was African American.

[maxwellinformed]

The "End's Justify the Means" approach may work, except her end game may not be the best end game for America.