Hillary Should Stay in Because She Can

The Democratic Party is starting to wonder if Hillary Clinton is in it to win it, or doin it to ruin it.

Players and pundits are opining about motivations. Is she angling for a spot on the ticket in hopes of engineering a palace coup four years from now? Does she want Obama to refill the Clinton retirement account, which has been depleted by $12 million in loans to her campaign? Do the Clintons know something they plan to spring when it's too late for Obama to bounce back? Or is this simply health care redux -- a woman who is simply unable to admit defeat.

These are all possibilities. And they are all beside the point. The question of should she or shouldn't she comes down to a matter of rules and reality.

The rules start with the disenfranchised voters of Florida and Michigan. The governors of both states are calling on (whining to) anyone who will listen that their delegates should be seated because this is a democracy, and in a democracy all votes must count.

Sure they should count, but democracy is also about rules. Individual voters must follow them -- about registrations, about districts, about citizenship. And so should Florida and Michigan. As Democratic national committee chairman Howard Dean points out, both Florida and Michigan voted for the system they later decided to ignore.

The reality is that cash-strapped states aren't going to pay for new elections. So any solution, if one can be found, is going to involve divvying up the delegates. If they did that as the committeds now stand, Obama is still ahead, meaning Clinton still needs to sweep the rest of the primaries. Barring an Obama bombshell, that isn't going to happen.

That takes us back to the rules. The main reason Clinton should continue her campaign is because we can. Ralph Nadir probably cost Al Gore the election. But that only happened because he convinced enough people to vote for him. Congressman Bob Barr, running as a Libertarian, may take votes from John McCain -- but again, only if people decide to vote for him.

Have a problem with that? Change the system. Until then, anyone with enough energy, talent, optimism (delusional or not) and money (borrowed or not) should be allowed to do all that the system allows.

Back to reality: Clinton staying in the race will likely not lead to a debacle in Denver.

This race is more fun than anything we've seen in years. It has drawn in young voters and new voters. Thanks mainly to Obama, and in spite of media that will always choose controversy over issues, it has been remarkably civil -- especially compared to the sleaze pit strategies of Karl Rove. Why not keep the excitement going?

People talk about the prospect of a divided convention as a terminal event -- the end of political life as we know it. It might be messy. It might be rough. But it will be great politics. It will breathe life into a process that has become televised wallpaper.

It is also not the worst thing that could happen to Obama. For an untested candidate, an election is better than a coronation. If you saunter to the nomination in shiny loafers and a hand in one pocket, doubts about readiness and toughness will persist.

If you come out of the pit victorious after going a year against two pit bulls like the Clintons, it says something. Being a little chewed up in the process is good. The entire campaign -- like the candidate himself -- will be better able to stand up to the Republican attack machine.

Democracy says that it isn't over until it's over. And it's not over until somebody hits 2,025 or the superdelegates make their choice at the convention. Until then, let's let democracy do what it does best -- open the contest to all comers and let them fight it out until somebody comes out on top.

Comments

[Herrington]

Nader, Barr, Huckabee all deserve the chance to run for President. They deserve to do so as the nominee of whatever constituency they connect with.

The nominee of the Democratic party has been selected. Hillary Clinton ran for that position with all the authority and intrinsic machinery of the party. She is still, to date, a member and advocate of that party. If she had intended that her Presidency were more important than the goals and rules of the Democratic party, then she should have declared her intentions before the process began by running under the auspices of the Clinton party and not the Democratic party.

To recant her political alignments now, by damaging the nominee, is only to be considered infidelity.

And no, dragging it on to Denver is not exciting. There is nothing left to discover, no essential truth to be revealed. If you have seen one dog fight, you have seen them all. Not interesting unless you consider the fate of a nation to be a game.

[The5thW]

You have been had, people. Gas, housing, hedge traders run amok, phone company spying, the Spitzer sting, Iraq corruption, outsourcing--all ignored because of the media fantasy of a Hillary candidacy created out of whole cloth to dirty up Obama for the general and keep the focus off McCain's shortcomings and sell advertising and eyeballs, and you all bought it like lemmings. None of these scandals could be covered up without Hillary's ego. Every time the elite's trance starts to unravel, another diversion.

[procrustes]

Disclaimer: I support Obama

Mrs. Clinton should stay in the race as long as she wishes. I don't know what's happened to our country on too many levels to enumerate, but, me? I was always taught that giving up was unAmerican. Who ever won anything by giving up? As far as the dirty politics go, sadly, they are der rigor today. There is truth to the idea that Obama dealing with Climton slime is a form of political innoculation.

As for the "goodie, goodie, a fun campaign," things are serious and the next generation is about to get its focus changed from "is it fun?" to "is it food?"

[fourex]

No it won't. Hillary went negative way back after S.C.

[newddle]

"Bc she can" is no reason she SHOULD continue to run. But it most honestly says why she DOES. It's a far better than "I'm most qualified, I have the best policies, this is really personal for me, I'm ready on day" whatever, and on and on.
She SHOULD continue because of the 50 state strategy. Originally, she may not have bought into this strategy. She seems to have expected to win by super Tuesday. Maybe she dissed this strategy when she said that Michigan didn't count. Maybe she affirmed it by keeping her name on the ballot. Or maybe she's a recent convert, or she favors it opportunistically. Whatever.
This strategy worked, in that people who rarely have a say in the outcome of the Dem nominating process valued having their vote matter. I'd like the supers to be silent till the process has played itself out. Would freak me out, but I think that would be fairer to the voters in the remaining states.
This strategy would also let the people see the two candidates, hear them, ask them questions, tell them their concerns and needs. The candidates could discuss policies with less emphasis on snagging votes and more on exploring values guiding their respective proposals, their similarities and differences. Clinton told Blitzer yesterday that her gas tax relief program could be funded out of excess profits tax. Specifically how? Or how does changing Washington actually help put bread on people's tables?

[SouthFloridaDem]

I'm sorry, but she needs to get out now so we can get on with this thing and go after McCain. There's no more case for her staying in. She's wasting time and money. It's over.

[swoosie1]

It is over for Obama---when she leaves, so go her votes. I think he has a little problem and too many of us are not going to deal with Obama. He is no Hillary Clinton. He is a sock puppet--a little Kennedy/Pelosi toy. Hillary is not.

[Zanti]

Agreed. In fact, a sock puppet might do a better job.

[Uselessboy]

Because there's a planet burning and 7 thousand million people at great peril from the increasingly insane behavior of the United States.

It's not a game any more.

[Earl78]

Yes but as she mentions in this parody video, 'she can't get out of her pants this thing is over'...Good reason right there. (Hey HuffPo...NYTimes/Atlantic everyone has found this impersonator but you guys.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyyajjVMrHk

[BigBen]

How about Barack visiting all 58 states!After checking his notes!

[rbloom]

I"m an Obama voter, donor and supporter, but I agree: folks need to get a grip. Sen. Clinton would be fine as a VP candidate and VP. She would not be my first choice -- that would probably be Gov. Richardson, for several reasons -- but she is a passionate and articulate spokesperson for the Democratic Party. She did fine on CNN last night, for example. And today, defending Sen. Obama against President Bush's cheap shots. If Sen. Obama decides to put her on the ticket to bring the party together heading into November, that's fine with me.
Like many commenters have stated with glee, it's over. There's no need to continue demonizing Sen. Clinton. Most of the posts and comments I've seen lately only serve to piss off the half tof he Democratic Party across the country that voted for Sen. Clinton and make the Republicans think maybe they have a chance after all.
There's such a thing as being a good winner, and Sen. Obama is showing the way: respect her right to continue, keep it civil and begin taking it to Sen. McCain. The politics of inclusion should surely include Sen. Clinton and her supporters!

[KarateKid]

The problem I have is what she said about her and McCain being experienced enough to be C-I-C and Obama gave a speech. If she had taken the high road, she still would have lost but the party would not be this divided.

The Republicans are going to get real nasty, they won't go quietly, and I can just see them playing that C-I-C soundbite over and over. She should have thought about that before she shot her mouth off and realized the consequences, but her hubris took over.

The same applies to her followers with their holier than thou attitude.

[Zanti]

Luckily, neither Obama nor his wife have misspoken. And the Wright sound bites have all been erased, and no one remembers how spectacularly poorly B.O. handled the scandal. So, yeah, the Repubs are left with nothing with the B.O. camp to use against it and will have to look elsewhere.

[swoosie1]

You are another one of those condescending people who think Obama is king and you will "let" Clinton in if she is a good girl. Well buddy, she should go to that convention and make that little sock-puppet, Obama work for it. He is so out of his league and today was just the start of it. He lost the big one today and of course he is going to have a hard time when they start asking him about gay marriage, which he OPPOSES due to his "religious values" ...so we have a bigot and he will have some squirmy way of mixing his religious views with his so-called liberalism and in the end he will not be for freedom for gays. What a bigot.

[utopiandrive]

Ms. Drexler, Hillary may still be playing by the rules and your point about this getting more people involved is legitimate, but there are still some troubling matters at hand.

1) Hillary's campaign tactics are largely negative. If she were simply making her case for why she's a great candidate, this wouldn't be so bad, but she's insistent on tearing down Obama in that process-- dwelling on insubstantial matters like Rev. Wright, the "bitter" debacle- all this because her whole mentality in politics is "crush the opposition".

2) Polls show that a substantial and increasing number of Hillary supporters would cross court to McCain when Obama wins the nomination. That's troubling. Her staying in the race is dividing Democrats in a crucial year when they need to be united. She may be playing by the rules, but that doesn't make her actions sensible. All in all, I genuinely think she's hurting the Democratic party with each day she stays in the campaign.

But on a practical level- this is the epitome of irrationality. Hillary has lost the battle. Barring a massive civil war within the Democratic party, she's toast. Democrats should be celebrating the fact that they have two incredible candidates aiming for their top spot, but unfortunately the media ends up dwelling on both their flaws as a means to make all this more sensational. I see absolutely no reason-- not in terms of rules but in terms of common sense-- for Hillary to stay in this race.

[onceler]

check it out, at this point, I don't have much a problem with Clinton remaining in the race. why? she isn't attacking Obama, she is refuting John McCain and George Bush, without taking the extra digs at Obama. she isn't saying McCain will be a better president and that he is more qualified. she isn't calling him an empty suit, or saying he's done nothing all his life, or that he can only speak well and that's it, and hopefully, she has given up her race-based pleading to uneducated, paranoid white people's sense of xenophobia and fear of the perceived 'other'.

as long as she isn't doing those things, she can stay until the nomination is made official. and if she had never done these terrible things, guess what? there would have been exactly no one calling on her angrily to leave the race. yes, Clinton fans, the whole thing is her own fault, in that regard.

[marignymitch]

She's done! It's over! Been that way since late February, almost three months ago, when Obama became to presumptive nominee.

[booksnmore4you]

Only twisted logic supports Hillary's current path.

[Zanti]

twisted logic? Does he or she post here?

I'll look for that profile....

[mattashell]

Don't bother looking. I think they changed their username to Zanti.

[KarateKid]

Still crying? You've come to the wrong place. The DNC site is where you should be adding your voice to the other whiners. You epitomize the hubris of the Clinton campaign and her followers.

[charley0008]

You know what Peggy, she can stay.
But in case you have not noticed we are now into a general election.
It started in dead earnest when Bush opened his mouth and made that outrageous comment today in Israel, quickly parroted by McCain and Lieberman.
Can she stay? Yes
But that is not the question. Should she stay, given the circumstances, the need for the party to move on unhampered and without diversion? That is the question.
What is needed is all Democratic hands on deck including Hillary's!
What happened to day was significant.
And a seasoned hand like Hillary Clinton will know that.

[peorgietirebiter]

By all means stay and wait for the pumpkin ride home. Still it seems a pity to leave such a mess for all the women that will run for President in the future. But, screw 'em right scrappy!

[Zanti]

No offense, but you're sick.

Just sayin'.

[mattashell]

Is that some kind of skippable personality crack?

Just askin'?