Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Playing Out the String
1) She didn't come this far, spend this much and work this hard to give up for nothing. An in an Obama Presidency, without some "arrangement", Hillary is an unimportant Democratic Senator from New York.
2) She is likely to win most of the balance of the primaries.
3) Though Obama had a very good day yesterday in nominal terms, the question of his ability to win white working class voters remains an open question. The passage of time and further vetting of his prior associations helps Hillary and hurts him.
Hillary can only win this thing at this point if Obama blows up. But she can make him miserable. And it's hard to know what her price for cooperation with Obama might be. I doubt she has an interest in being his VP. Is there a cabinet position she would value?
Or would she prefer to be amongst the most powerful US Senators during a McCain administration? Remember, Obama doesn't need her in a Democratic-controlled Congress. But McCain surely does.
We all know what Yogi said...
11 Comments:
By 
Diane Wilson, at
Wed May 07, 04:48:00 PM:
For all the sturm und drang about do-or-die, it's amazing how the more things change, the more they stay the same.
And with three cliches in one sentence, I could probably be a Hillary speech writer.
By Christopher Chambers, at
Wed May 07, 05:30:00 PM:
As a Republican and a right winger, why the hell do you even care whether she "stays in it" or not other than a casual interest? McCain's going to roll back to his old, irrascible, unpredictable self pretty soon, and perhaps that's what you lot should be mulling over.
I love this borrowed punditry line: "white working class." As if Hillary firs that weird moniker. Or--good Lord--John McCain does? OK maybe Slick Willie did when he was a kid--but he didn't consider that a permanent lock on his mind or mindset. Irony there: I've seen lacrosse playing white frat boys mobbing Obama events and volunteering etc., yet this so-called "Bubba" vote can't get with a black professional (unless of course, he's some sort of lab creation gone bad like Clarence Thomas, Alan Keyes or that dismal fool Mike Steele--and funny even the die hards in Maryland were a little nervous about backing him). Obama was brought up by his mom and she was on WIC/foodstamps for much of the time he was a child--and yet he's the "elitist?" OK.
As for "vetting associations"--wow, let's root for more dirt rather than get into issues--be careful what you wish for, as this is the type of thing which always seems to backfire on the GOP in the minds of independents and swing voters. Why do you think a lot of right wing preachers have quietly backing away off this road?
But sorry for the digressions over terms. Plain and simple--I'd spend my idle time hedging re: McCain. The cherry on top would be Huckabee as a running mate. Sure he can be a Christian Taliban, but he's scarily populist, anti-Wall Street. Not a fan of China. Wow. A tough call...tut tut tut.
By 
, at
Wed May 07, 05:56:00 PM:
Hillary can stay or go, it matter little. She failed to win the popular vote last night and seems DOA as a result.
The Veepstakes, on both sides is now the interesting question of the hour. For McCain, the question is simple- who best helps win Ohio and Florida. Even simpler still- who can help win Ohio. Hillary will see some momentum to be the Veep, if fo no other reason than to help unite the party, but Obama has much to ponder in choosing a running mate. I can't even begin to guess how he'll sort out the issue, but whomever he chooses he goes into the general election with every possible advantage and the election seems his to lose.
Get ready for higher taxes.
By Escort81, at
Wed May 07, 06:33:00 PM:
This comment has been removed by the author.
By Escort81, at
Wed May 07, 06:36:00 PM:
This comment has been removed by the author.
By Escort81, at
Wed May 07, 06:38:00 PM:
How about a promise for the next open seat on the Supreme Court? She doesn't ever have to campaign again if she wears a black robe, and being 1 of 9 votes is more important than being 1 of 100.
Under the cynic's view that she is now looking to 2012, she can't go more than another few weeks without doing irreparable harm to her brand, and may already have reached that point -- we wouldn't know that until we are a few years into a possible McCain presidency and the battle space is being prepared.
I don't see her being VP, mostly because Obama won't want her. She may play out the string to try to get one of her preferred candidates for VP seriously considered -- Wesley Clark's name has been thrown out there (bad idea), as has PA Gov. Ed Rendell (smarter from an Electoral College standpoint, but not an A+ pick nationally; and, we would miss the Guv on Eagles Post-Game Live on CSN).
Slightly O/T, but one of the major developments of the last few months has been that the African-American community has reconsidered its relationship with Bill Clinton, and must be wondering why blacks as a group bothered to carry water for him in the 1990s. It is a significant alteration of his legacy, and may effect how the historians of 30 years from now (who are in HS or college at present) will look back on his presidency.
Would Rob Portman help McCain win Ohio? Or is he disqualified because he kind of overlapped with TH at UM Law?
By Pax Federatica, at
Wed May 07, 07:14:00 PM:
Don't forget reason #4: She's getting a headstart on the 2012 campaign - the first order of business being to ensure that her own party's nominee doesn't win this year, lest he become the 2012 shoo-in immediately.
By , at
Wed May 07, 10:07:00 PM:
Once again, Obama took an 'overwhelming majority' of the vote of blacks. The question for the superdelegates remains "do they want to win this election", or just pander to the blacks who they've chumped for 40 years into believing they cared about? My money says Hillary stays in, hoping the camera keeps rolling and the supers decide Obama isn't ready. But in the end, they'll cave to the threat of losing the black vote.
As for Obama and elitism, he did attend private schools thanks to his white grandparents, and the fact that his bum black father did what black fathers do. He's also rich, and associated with some really bad people. There are so many it's hard to look at it as just guilt by association. He's a southside hack.
McCain is far from my pick, but he's head and shoulders on Obama or Clinton, particularly if he picks a good running mate.
By , at
Thu May 08, 06:46:00 AM:
Rob Portman will not help McCain win the Ohio electoral vote in November. Portman has low statewide visibility.
McCain has to pick someone that is a strong campaigner and credibility in his/her own right. Suggestions??
Should Hillary Clinton continue? What is her real ambition?
1) Does she plan to run again in 2012?
2)What are Obama's real prospects for election in November? If he loses in November, does she run again in 2012 and say "I told you so?"
3) The next few primaries should be good for HRC; W. Virginia, Kentucky. There are a lot of bitter gun clingers in those states. Lacrosse hasn't caught on that big yet.
4) I don't think she wants to be VP on the ticket, and Obama would be insane to have her there. If elected, Bill and Hill would undermine BHO all the time. A permanent primary season!
-David
By Jamie Irons, at
Thu May 08, 06:38:00 PM:
I just had this brilliant idea.
Hillary switches parties and veeps for McCain, thus assuring that disgruntled Democratic primary Hillary voters in fact do switch over to vote for McCain, and she runs for President in 2012 as McCain retires with one term.
Stranger things have happened!
;-)
Jamie Irons
By Dawnfire82, at
Thu May 08, 10:40:00 PM:
I thought that myself the other day, and I think John Stewart brought it up also (though as a joke, I believe).
But that would horrifically alienate the Republican, base who are already iffy on McCain anyway.
