Hillary is going to stay in all the way to the convention–why should she quit? That horse might still learn to sing, or there could be more bad news for Obama. And here’s one of the more unsavory reasons that she stays in:
“I can’t stand him,” the man said. “He’s a Muslim. He’s not even pro-American as far as I’m concerned.”
Such feelings leave Clinton and the Democratic Party in a tough spot. With the largest number of remaining delegates nowbeing party insiders, they have to decide if Obama can overcome enough of that antipathy – essentially deciding if enough working-class whites will back away from the black candidate, whether because of the false Muslim rumors, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright flap or old-fashioned racism.
I think, though, that this is delusional:
A top Democratic source with insight into Bill’s and Hillary’s states of mind says the Clintons are convinced that a Democratic presidency is all but certain no matter how messy the fight for the nomination.
In that scenario – which the Obama side and some Democratic elders worry is wishful thinking at best, delusional at worst – there’s no downside for Hillary doing whatever it takes for as long as it takes.
How does anyone know what “the Clintons are convinced” of? On what basis? Because they say so? I’d say that if you want to know what the Clintons are really thinking, the least reliable method is to take them at their word. This “top Democratic source” makes the mistake of thinking that the Clintons care about the fate of the Democrat Party, despite their devastation of it in the nineties. He (or she) is the one who is being delusional, but about the Clintons, not the Clintons about the party’s chances in November.
In fact, as I’ve said before, I assume that if she doesn’t get the nomination, she’ll do what she has to in order to ensure Obama’s defeat. She doesn’t want to have to run against a Democrat incumbent in 2012. So they’re right that there’s no down side for her to stay in. They’re just confused about the reason.
You are spot on as usual Rand. I always wonder why the obvious is such a mystery to most.
Hillary is perhaps a few percentage points behing Obama in the delegate count. She still can manage to beat him in primaries. Why should she quit?
Isn’t it interesting how some 90% of blacks vote for Obama and that isn’t a problem, but it is a problem if most whites don’t vote for him? Kind of a “heads I win, tails you lose” argument on the racism front.
I’d say that if you want to know what the Clintons are really thinking, the least reliable method is to take them at their word.
As opposed to taking them at your word? It’s not that your version of it is quite 100% wrong. The problem is that you seem to be taking material from reruns of the Sopranos.