Hillary Clinton's Disgraceful Exit*
"Denver! Denver! Denver!" chanted Senator Hillary Clinton's supporters in the middle of her "concession speech" in New York last night. Forget numbers! Forget reality! Forget the Democratic Party and unity! On to the Convention!
Presumably with some new criteria (states starting with the letters A-K, perhaps, or seniors who watch re-runs of Matlock).
For her part, Hillary Clinton gladly fueled her followers' desire for a fight.
In spite of the fact Barack Obama had won the necessary 2,118 delegates to secure the nomination, becoming the first African-American in history to be the standard bearer for a major party, she continued to speak of how she was the stronger candidate, how she won the important states, how she won more votes than any candidate in primary history (not counting caucuses and counting Michigan, where Obama wasn't on the ballot, of course).
I kept waiting for some kind of concession, some acknowledgment of what had just happened, some class and dignity, maybe, dare I say it, humility. This was no longer a matter of perspective or preference, after all. Barack Obama had won. Her chances of winning had gone from nearly impossible to impossible.
Yet instead of graciously accepting defeat , she told her 18 million followers to get on her website and tell her what they thought she should do next. Surely, in this way she might come to a rational, clear-headed decision for her political future. Here's a sampling of the pearls of wisdom being offered at HillaryClinton.com:
They have totally skrewed Hillary, lets get her on the ballot ourselves!!!We need each other not the DNC or Obama, I refuse to support him! [bb]
I sincerely wish that Hillary does not accept the second slot. I just cannot and will not support the Democratic party nominee. I will vote for McCain B4 I vote for BHO. The present DNC has stabbed Hillary in the back, I cannot continuing supporting the Undemocratic party. I will always support and Vote for Hillary but cannot support Chicago mafia(BHO) [bestpresident]
Let's take this to DENVER..........She is the only one. I will never vote for BO...Neither will my family or friends..We will either not vote or vote for McCain...Oh, today I just registered and my family and friends too as INDEPENDENTS....SCREW THE DEMOCRATES.... We love HIllary with all of our heart and we will always support and back her...but what the democratic party has done to her they have done to us....ENOUGH!!!!LET THE DNC HANG THEMSELVES........................DISGUSTING!!! [caspercat]
I say run as INDEPENDENT NOW!! Obama will want Hillary to campaign for him. Hillary is much greater than that. I hope Hillary goes with the "will of the people." She is the "People's President." I will never think of BO as my President. Nope, I just cannot do it. It is about the way they treated HILLARY. Call it whatever you like, dirty politics, etc. etc. She worked so hard, and every step of the way, they tried to diminish her, even when she won her landslide victories. I say, DENVER - DENVER - DENVER - DENVER [LillaBet]
Never mind that young people are dying in Iraq, that millions are struggling to pay the bills, that our policies on health care, education, and foreign affairs could sink even further under a McCain presidency. For thousands of Hillary supporters, it's been a long time since this race was about issues or rationality. It's been rather about a disturbingly insulated, narcissistic, monomaniacal candidate and a base (many of whom lack education) that has passionately followed her lead. (I recognize it's not "PC" to call people uneducated, yet that's what the statistics show and the historical reality is that uneducated voters are more prone to vote on emotion and fear, more prone to manipulation (see gas tax), and more prone to racism and bigotry (see West Virginia and Kentucky.)
In contrast to Hillary Clinton's "stoke divisions and rally the troops for civil war" speech, Barack Obama hardly spoke of himself in his victory speech in Minnesota. He thanked his family, campaign team and supporters, he spoke of the important moment we find ourselves in and how the issues are larger than any one candidate. And he generously complimented Hillary Clinton.
Continuing the trends of their respective campaigns, Barack Obama took the high road; Hillary Clinton chose the low one. When the Clinton's injected race in South Carolina, Barack gave Bill Clinton the benefit of the doubt and spoke of moving beyond our differences; when Hillary ran the infamous 3am ad, Barack continued to insist we act on hope not fear; and in the end, when Barack held out the olive branch, going so far as to say that Hillary's strength and tenacity paved the way for his own daughters, Hillary refused to show grace and help heal the party.
Regardless of what happens from here, Barack Obama's historic night will always be partially shadowed by a woman with an ego too large to do what every other candidate in both parties, including Mike Huckabee, understood was appropriate. Last night Barack Obama won the nomination. He made history. And Hillary knows he offers drastic change from both Bush and McCain. Yet instead of urging her supporters to rally in the name of larger principles, her message was much like another disastrous politician's: screw the pundits, the naysayers, the numbers, the facts. We can still win! Just stay the course.
For Clinton like Bush, it's the war that never ends.
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I don't know why Hillary gave a speech last night. She could have summed up the fact that Obama won the nomination with one word. SO!!!! Kind of sounds like Cheney, doesn't she?
I was sickened by her speech and switched the channel, and then went to varnish stairs as a relief.
Never in all my years have we witnessed such self serving behavior. Are we surprised? We shouldn't be after what we have witnessed over the past several months. From the race baiting, to the sexism fantasy, to the moving the goal posts, to the going to FOX news and all the right wing media sharks, I could go on and on. None of this is new however, we just have to recall the sorts of things that were going on during their stay at 1600 PA Ave. There was the Lincoln bedroom escapades, the Intern trists, the scandals and of course the bombings to distract us from the Intern trists.
What amazes me is that she has anyone who wants to vote for her. That is even more firghtening than the fact that she refuses to give in and be a lady we might even admire at some point on the distant horizon.
Who needs a reality check now Hillary?
After reading this piece, now I realize why Clinton was the only one who didn't release excerpts of her speech. She would have been lambasted from here to high heaven before she even got on the stage!! The evening was not about her.
And I agree with the opinions of many bloggers that the people who voted for Clinton during the early primaries voted mainly on name recognition and their unfamiliarity with Obama at the time. Since then many of those voters that she claims are in her corner (especially California) are now effectively supporting Obama.
This is Hillary's cowardly exit. She has never been able to admit a mistake or defeat, this is how she rolls. In a few days, a few weeks, after she siphons a few more million from her struggling supporters to pay her rich self back, she'll quietly turn her back and go the other way...
I thought her behavior last night was disgraceful, too. Not because she didn't withdraw, though obviously that's what I would have liked -- if she needs time to leave on her own terms, that's fine -- but because of her tone of "degranged narcissism," as Jeffrey Toobin so aptly put it.
It sounded to me like she had her speechwriters work up a victory speech and with a few minor word changes here or there, that's what she delivered.
I was particularly appalled that she repeated the fallacy (achieved only with Enron-style accounting) that she "won" the popular vote, even after losing the nomination, even after it doesn't matter anymore.
Which shows either: 1) just how pathological their lying is; 2) that they have completely deluded themselves and really do live in an alternate universe; or 3) their contempt for our intelligence knows no bounds.
I know Obama supporters are supposed to be magnanimous in victory, but it's hard to tolerate the continued spreading of baloney.
I am very surprised that she was not more magnanimous last night. She did not even mention the word "nominee" even though she knew that Obama clinched the nomination.
Lanny Davis indicated that she congratulated Senator Obama, but after those few sentences she went on to talk about her strengths(I will give her a pass on that) and other things she was concerned about.
But when she asked her supporters to email her to tell her what they think, she opened the door to her going all the way to the convention.
What Hillary does not know is that half of her constituents will now leave her and back Obama. The other half will either tell her to go to the convention or vote against Obama.
That is fine, while Obama will reach out to her(NO VP IN HER FUTURE THOUGH), HIllary will continue to play games. She offered the stick instead of the carrot. She lost out on a very very important moment in history. She is not the great healer.
While she eventually may suspend her campaign later this week, her moment to shine has passed. Obama will look at the landscape and continue to pick off her voters, he will continue to be respectful to her, while she continues to "not make a decision at this time".
On June 3, 2008 the Dem Party presumptively nominated one of the greatest candidates in generations, and HIllary was too busy with gamesmanship to notice.
Charles Rangel (HUGE Hillary supporter) is, at this very moment (1:35 pm) on MSNBC saying that Hillary needs to stop "this foolishness" of making it seem her campaign is going forward when Obama is the nominee. Rangel said "we (SuperDels on the Hill) could be on the spot (for not endorsing Obama) if we do not hear some reason why she failed to concede last night and is still carrying on with this questionable path."
It appears pure Obama supporters are not the only ones taken aback by her apparent bucking of the party itself through keeping her supporters unsettled and believing there is some viable path ahead that does not exist.
Enron-style accounting
It just looked like Hillary was trying to force the VP issue in a way that puts Obama in a very awkward position. If I were in Obama's place, I would be more inclined to not want to her as VP than I was yesterday, simply because of the coup-like attempt on her part.
However, what she sees as a tactical imperative may be short-sighted. First, the VP decision wont come for some time anyway and during that time, the focus will be on Obama v McCain and since there are no more primaries, Hillary will fade from view. During that time, influential Clinton surrogates will be campaigning for Obama and peoples opinions are going to change. Then, when it comes time to pick a VP, Obama can look at conditions and he may decide he doesn't need her to win. If that's the case and he chooses her anyway, it's becasue he wants her on the ticket. If not, at least he's able to make his own choice.
Personally, I'd like to see Obama propose a much more robust HHS department, along the lines of Homeland Security, and make Hillary it's secretary. She would have powerful executive authority to create the healthcare programs that are the hallmark of her life's work.
Man, RickO, I surely do envy you your optimism. I hope and pray that the scenario you describe plays out. "From your lips to God's ears," as they say.
I personally think she has several more maneuvers already planned out, right up to some sort of powerplay at the convention to demand a rollcall floor vote.
Fade from view? Hillary Clinton? I will be profoundly surprised if that ends up being the case.
From what you observed, would you want her as a co-worker? Would you trust her?
I agree about "a much more robust HHS department
HHS would be perfect for Clinton. According to her, she has spent a "lifetime" (not -- see her years on the WalMart board) working for women's and children's issues. She argues that universal healthcare is, today, her most pressing concern. Obama should, and with a huge flourish, offer her a position where she can do the most good: as secretary of an invigorated HHS. If she declines the opportunity, we'll all (including the "Denver! Denver!" chanters) know once and for all how hollow and demagogic her claims really are. Unlike the poster, I see the pursuit of power, rather than the desire to create healthcare programs, as the "hallmark of her life's work" -- but that could change. Let's hope.
My heart hurts so much right now. Hillary Clinton and her campaign are disrespecting his campaign and his supporters. She is robbing us of our moment. All I see on the news this morning is her shameless campaign for VP. She is attempting to FORCE him to choose her. She won't even give him the respect to let him settle down. It's all about her, all about her, ALL ABOUT HER!
I am hurting and even cried last night when I heard her speech. Not because it was a moving speech, but because until the end she is divisive and saying destructive things for this party. I couldn't believe it, but I guess I should have guessed it that she would not leave with diginity or respect. SHE IS A HATEFUL PERSON!
My heart is hurting...
Grow up and join the big girl world! If that caused your little heart to hurt and made you cry, what are you going to do when the Republicans evicerate Sen. Obama for the next 4 months. You are the reason a lot of Sen. Clinton supporters like myself won't support Sen. Obama. You really believe that we can all just hold hands and get along and the world will be filled with candy canes and gumdrops and peace and happiness.
So who's the more arrogant, condescending sexist, this flaming feminist warrior or Joe Schmoe?
BS pure BS ....Speaki
You base your vote on what a supporter says on a blog and but you want to talk about what happens in the "big girl" world! Hilarious. In the big girl world, Sen Obama easily handled everything and the kitchen sink that has been thrown at him so far. I see no reason to doubt, the next few months will be any different.
I hope you're voting for Bob Barr then, because McSame's policies ain't anything like Hillary's.
You should not feel too bad. Hillary will eventually support Obama, maybe. She could have moved more to be conciliatory but she didn't. Her actions will only hurt her.
June 3, 2008 was a very important moment in our nation's history.
Hillary was too busy playing games and posturing to notice. .
I feel very much the same. Nicely said.
It's called politics.
It's highly unlikely HRC will be Obama's VP; neither of them want that. It's more likely there will be political maneuvering to perhaps make her the offer so she may politely decline it. I'm sure she will end up somewhere she can make a difference and have an impact based on her particular strengths and capabilities. (ala RickO's comment above).
What I find sad is that Hillary Clinton does not seem to see what she has done to create such a strong division among Democrats. I read many entries in the Hillary Clinton Blog and was amazed at how much these people really believed all the lies that the Clinton camp have been throwing out all along. These people really believe that Hillary won the nomination because they believe that she won the "popular vote"! They believe that with all their hearts! What they don't understand is that in this Nomination contest it is impossible to count popular votes because of the diffeent ways every state votes. The caucus states do not get counted into the "popular vote" argument because that tally is not kept after the votes have been cast. So it is irresponsible to claim a "popular vote" win when on is exclusing millions of voters in caucus states. Can't tell that to a Clintonista!
They also believe all the lies about Obama, despite the fact that he has been nothing but generous and respecful of HIllary throughout this campaign, he has given her numerous free passes for things that she said that he could have just jumped on.This did not happen on her end, she jumped on every litlte thing that could hurt or damage him-true or not, she jumped on it. But somehow, her supporters believe that Hillary was the victim all along! How did they manage to do that? Mind control? I wonder!
I completely agree that Obama has repeatedly refused to point out the blatant misrepresentations and lies of the HRC campaign. This has been his biggest mistake. The Obama campaign has responded like a first time parent while HRC has behaved like a spoiled child, repeatedly exploiting it's parents love, never satisfied with unjustified gains, always demanding more while it's irrational behavior goes unopposed. I hope this experience has tutored the parent. We need the tough love of a 2nd time parent from him now. Hillary needs to deliver on her promised support, BEFORE she gets ANY candy.
I fully understand Obama's reticence to strongly shoot down Hillary false narrative. No Democrat could have known the depths of narcissism and divisiveness HRC would demonstrate because none of us wished to believe the Republican hate-mongering. Until she turned on her own party and their principles. I guess it goes to show that just sometimes there is a wolf, regardless of the track record of the crier.
"What I find sad is that Hillary Clinton does not seem to see what she has done to create such a strong division among Democrats.
She knows full well what it is she's done, but she just doesn't care.
"What I find sad is that Hillary Clinton does not seem to see what she has done to create such a strong division among Democrats"
Neither does Obama or his delusional supporters. who seem to think he can win without the support of 18 million dems.
Enough EinChicago. First of all, that 18 million are not all dems. 1/4 were operation chaos, 1/8 are Hillary zealots. The rest are rational Democrats who will vote for Obama.
So if YOU want to vote for McSame, go ahead. You will be in the minority.
Yes, a truly despicable exit, masquerading as a Declaration of Triumph: mad claims about her accomplishments and pretend praise of a supposedly defeated opponent--all were designed to imply that she had already been elected president.
How dare Clinton deliver a victory speech rather than concede? Poisonous narcissism!
How dare she? LOFL< HOW Dare she not get down on her hands and knees and pray to the great messiah. What is she thinking. God you people make me sick to my stomach.
Conceding defeat in a decent way is a lot different than getting down on your hands and knees. All we're asking is for her to exit gracefully now that she has lost.
YES. Absolutely correct: "HOW DARE SHE." Fortunately Hilly is becoming - and soon WILL BE - irrelevant.
If you compare Obama's speech to that of Clinton it is no wonder that he was to ultimate victor. Her speech was all about her, whereas his speech was extrordinarily positive towards her and looking to the future. While we can not yet say that she is absolutely a poor loser, she definitely is showing all the signs of being one.
Her supporters chanted "Hillary"
The winners chanted "Yes, we can"
It is a telling difference.
Very telling indeed!
Well said Joe.
For all her whining and complaining of media bias and sexism.
After all the excuses (caucuses, michigan/ florida, red state/ blue states, big states/ little states, "swing" states, electoral college states, open vs closed primaries)
Hillary has done nothing but prove exactly why she started and ended this race with the highest negatives of any candidate and exactly why so many people were propelled away from her and towards Obama.
Thanks Hillary, because over the last 2 1/2 months you have done nothing but prove your critics right and reinforce OBAMA's 18 million voter's decision.
If you weren't a Clinton, if you weren't a Woman, if you weren't white you would have never even come close and that's a fact.
I never once berated Obama. This ugliness of bashing Clinton is something I don’t understand and does nothing to make Obama more electable. I found it difficult too understand how Americans tolerated the Bush administration for 8 years. I now relish the Idea. Yes a hundred more years of Bush would be Just!.. for the vituperative posturing on all sides.
sorry just tellin' the truth
My Mom would have been a better canidate if her name had been Clinton.
Norri, did you get a chance listen to both speeches? Did you happen to notice how in Hillary's speech the focus was on her, her gains, her wins, and not really on the nation that needs healing? Did you notice that despite the fact that Barack Obama won more than enough delegates to win the Nomination, Hillary didn't mention it at all?
I am sorry, but that was offensive! It was a slap in the face, and never have I seen a candidate do what she did on the night when another candidate just won enough delegate votes and committments to win the Democratic Nomination.
My 75 y/o mother called me aghast at what she had just heard Hillary say! She could not believe that Hillary was still talking as if there was still a contest, and that she is the rightful winner because of her way of counting "popular vote".
It was outrageous and ungraceful and I was very disapointed that she Hillary didn't even have the decensy and class to congratulate Obama on reaching the required delegates.
How else can you take what Hillary did?
Obama on the other hand spoke wonders of Hillary and gave her a great deal of credit for many things. He spoke little of himself and most of it was about America and where we need to be as a country. That was a very graceful even Presidential speech.
Oh, get over yourself.
norrri, as a Clinton supporter, do you think that her behavior last night was appropriate? If the shoe were on the other foot, and Obama was in Hillary's position and he did to her what she did to him last night how would that affect you? As an Obama supporter I would have been ashamed of my candidate because his ACTIONS would go against his WORDS SPOKEN. Hillary Clinton cannot have it both ways. She stated out of her own mouth that whoever reached the "magic number" first would be the presumptive nominee. The fact that the Democratic Party is allowing her to act this way is reversed sexism, and I speak as a woman myself. The party would not have tolerated all of this behavior since the North Carolina and Indiana primaries if Hillary was a man.
Bashing, he**. She is behaving badly and people are simply being honest. Brutally honest perhaps, but we're just observing her actions/words.
I had hoped she would have used last nights speech to declare her support of our Nominee. She could have praised him -as he did her- and promised to make his vision a reality. She chose not to do that and that was truly sad.
skidz12,
While I agree with the sentiment of your post, and I can understand the desire for vengeance, since this was over more than a month ago, I must say that the way you went about saying it was in poor taste. We need to come together now to ensure that george w mccain does NOT get elected president!!! And since the way to the white house includes Hillary's supporters, I'm reaching out to them!!
NOPE these blind sheep need some tough love and hard factual truth telling. They aren't getting it from their supposed leader.
I've been on this post for 2 months begging, pleading, and sympathizing with em'. Don't be duped, don't send your hard earned money during a recession to a guaranteed loser who only manipulates and spins the facts to perpetuate her and her husband's historic ambitions. They can't and won't listen to truth or facts. This is why they were succeptible to voting for her in the first place. I'm under no illusions despite my liberal tendancies I know that the Clinton family is just as corrupt and dangerous for this country as the Bush family.
Obama may prove to be no different but at least he's starting out with a chance.
All I myself care about is that someday we have a govt. that governs based on the American Majority's views whether that turns out to be liberal/co
Obama is the best listener out of the bunch so I happen to believe that the combination of his anti-lobbyist message and listening skills give him and us the best and only chance this election to govern with the Voice of the American Majority whatever that may be.
Scary how close we came to having another nut job in the White House!
Crazy-----I mean , literally.
"Class and dignity"? Not in the Clinton camp!
I guess you project well.
Well, you said it, I won't be able to vote for a ticket with Hillary on it because she reminds me too much of Bush. I won't vote for McCain either, I just really hope that that the party does not try to force her onto the ticket. It would be a huge mistake. We'll figure out a way to win without her and the republicans can have the 'really crazy ones' she's got following her around. I could not use my vote to give any kind of power to the Clintons at this point.
The thing is that before Obama pushed to get enough delegates for the nomination, Senator Clinton had planned to declare herself the nominee 'based on her fairytale about the popular vote that keeps growinging in exaggeration'. I am very glad that he pushed the delegate total up tonight and declared himself the nominee based on the parties actual standard for winning the nomination.
Unfortunately, Hillary really believes her fairytale as do many on her team and they want her to keep fighting and to try to win the nomination.
I think that the only way to make this stop is for the superdelegates to move to endorse Senator Obama en masse in a show of support for ending the nomination process and moving forward. So that Senator Clinton knows that this is over... until then.... you might want to wait until you hear the fat lady sing....
she even used Bush's favorite phrase last night..... "stayed the course" Yikes.
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