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

Mother Jones:

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: Mother Jones

Comments

[JDHART]

Hillary knows she can't win. All she's trying to do now is recoup some of the $20mil that the campaign cost her. So, Hillary supporters, keep those cards, letters and donations coming.

[AtomicSplash]

So which ball did you get that little tidbit form? LOL the crystal or the magic eight?

[kdublya]

drip drip drip

The Illinois Senator picks up Democrats Abroad Chair Christine Schon Marques and Indiana Rep. Pete Visclosky.

http://thepage.time.com/2008/05/14/obama-starts-wednesday-with-two-new-supers/

[whizkid]

Its not good to see Obama run as Adlai Stevenson, a two time loser against a two time winning Clinton.

[ntmessage]

He seems more like a Carter / Stevenson combo to me. But your point is well taken.

[GravitonX]

Wrong Clinton, and I doubt that he would win this time, either. This shows that Hillary really has no experience, except being married.

[Softnsweet]

whizkid,

Adlai Sevenson? You really must be old. This is why Obama wants to turn the page.

[OlskoolDem]

Nobody Cares Hillary, you can't win, "It's Over" the fat lady is screaming.­....

[AtomicSplash]

I never realized that Obama supporters had a weight problem

[Faxus]

Why do people want Hillary to just quit? It's not in her nature. Why would you want to make her suffer? People who have real feelings would not be so harsh and cruel. I don't want Hillary to quit and I think 100% of the anti-Hillary rhetoric is coming from republican closet cases. huffpost id one great big closet for republicans.

[vschicago]

Actually, I believe Clinton should continue to run if only to confuse, delay or otherwise,distort the Republicans' strategy against the Democrats in a presidential run. They haven't had the guts to pick a VP yet because they don't know who they will be up against; which is already a point of weakness in the Republican strategy that Democrats can speak on right now and in the GE. Sounds like Hillary is doing her part already to redeem herself... :-)

[GravitonX]

Hillary is a sore loser and doesn't know when the game
is over.

[AtomicSplash]

By the rules it's over when somebody gets 2025.

[kay]

The next primary set includes Kentucky and Oregon.

It's always great to watch the Clintons try to run as Republicans AND Democrats.

They have to tack back to the center to regain Democrats in Oregon, while mouthing Republican talking points to run up numbers in Kentucky.

The best public service the press could provide would be to run Clinton's Kentucky ads in Oregon, and her Oregon ads in Kentucky.

Voters would realize there's no firm principles or rhyme or reason to the Clinton candidacy: it's just pure politics and spin.

It's a campaign about her campaign.

[SaddieMcCall]

Why does Pat Buchanan love Hillary so much? Its so incredible to see the Republican analysts like Pat, Joe S, and Tucker praise Hillary all the time, while they are attacking Obama for his weaknesses.

[whizkid]

Saddie
Uh. Cause they're job is to analize on a network with a bunch of feeble Broder/Dowd statists?

[kay]

It's because they know the Democrat is going to win, so this isn't really a primary, it's the general.

And Obama is the Democrat.

[Kynn]

It's because they're hard working Americans, White Americans!

[Faxus]

I think it's a good thing to point out that we do have a big racial divide in this country. There IS a difference between the folks in West Virginia and California. Thank God for that. We are not homogeneous. This country is not a melting pot. It's dumb to believe the false picture of American that has been created on Madison Avenue and Hollywood. People in West Virginia said that if Obama had bothered to try and get to know them, more of them would have voted for him. He could not be bothered and could not make that connection with them. Obama and his wife have nothing in common with lower middle class Americans, white or black. At least he tried with the flag lapel pin, but other than that he demonstrated that he's not interested in them. He does better with people who are more shallow.

[vschicago]

These Republicans you mentioned have to do that to make their candidate, McCain, look stronger than he is. They all talked so much trash against McCain during the primaries (or they simply ignored him) so they can't talk about him positively now. They can on talk AGAINST someone; against Obama (so let's push Hillary). What's ironic is that if Hillary and McCain are supposed to be so strong, why would you need someone (a pundit) to say that about them? Shouldn't it be clearly demonstrated without anyone saying it?

[whizkid]

The Clinton/Byrd Democrats are ready to take the White House.
Who's Obama?
Gonna take some butt kissin to get this party together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC8nDdPM_Qk

[BigSid]

If Hillary staying in the race is hurting Obama, then he's weaker than anyone wants to admit.

[Kim445588]

Not well thought out. Of course it is a strain, because effort, time and money are being spent on her, not McWar. He is fighting on several fronts, including the media attacks (Wright) and still winning.

[BigSid]

He's got the money, so you really have no argument there.

[hank48188]

I think the Obamabots need to wake up and smell the coffee, Obama was doing well with white voters when they thought he was Tiger Woods, but now they can see Obama shares the views of Rev. Wright. Go to a Church for 20 years, give the Church $20,000 a year and then tell us you never knew what Wright's message was. Wright thinks America and white people are what's wrong with the world.

[Softnsweet]

hank48188, I have seen some ignorant people in my life time but you really the cake. I have always wondered white people actually believe that Obama sat for 20 years listening to rantings of Rev. Wright about America. I have come to realized that you people do not go to church and probably have never been to church. Rev. Wright never said anything wrong about white people. I am not going to try and explain to someone that is ignorant.

[DSully]

Hillary for President of Guam in '09!

[DSully]

Clinton's Catch 22: She has to make the arguement that superdelegates can choose whoever they want because she doesn't have the math so she can't complain when she continue to rush towards Obama even after she wins. I expect his flow of superdelegates to increase as we get closer to May 20th.

[whizkid]

Almost heaven. West Virginia.

[Kynn]

If you think West Virgina is almost heaven, you have low expectations for Heaven.

[AtomicSplash]

I like your technique for bringing us all together

[davidsnotinvolved]

If Bill Clinton had the moral ethics of Richard Nixon and done the right thing for the good of the country and resigned, Al Gore would have been the incumbent in 2000.

Hillary is no different than Bill. My respect for both of them fades with each day she stays in the race.

[kay]

Exactly.

Isn't it amazing that Bill Clintons VP hasn't endorsed Hillary? Who knows her better, right?

[partyofone]

Doing damage to Obama, the Democractic Party, the nation....­.. Hillary stays in this race with rationalizations that change every day because she is Hillary: entitled, mean, dishonest, ruthless, self-indulgent, greedy.

Why would anyone expect Hillary Clinton to show character, class, loyalty to party and the nation? She has no integrity.

Much of the public has finally seen the Clintons for who they really are. Enough of them. They should disappear with the Bushes and let the nation move forward. Their brand of national division to serve corporate interests in the guise of "politics" needs to end.

[maxrebel]

Hillary Klinton gave one of the warmest thanks in her life to West Virginia
senator Robert Byrd (aka Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan). Byrd also
is notorious for being one of the senators who voted AGAINST Thurgood
Marshall for the Supreme Court. He is a true leader of his people !!!

Recalling these things, I agree with others who want to nominate the
Klintons for "Ultimo Poobah Dragons Almighty Maximus" Of Waste Virginia.

[CocteausTwin]

Although I think Byrd may have changed his "colors" (pardon the expression) but for her to refer to him is nothing but pandering to racists. She should be ridden out on a rail.

[AtomicSplash]

yup, LOL that'll heal the rift

[Thabit]

She couldnt take him out cause there was nothing there but right after the election she's going to lose more money in the Paul case in California and i doubt if she could get on the sanitation committee in the senate if her bullshit injures the nominee . A lot of senators are really pissed at her now but if McCain wins after the type of campaign she ran lol i bet she'll have to run for office in west virginia case she's done in NY