Where Democrats Go From South Carolina
By Pejman Yousefzadeh Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | The Clintons — Comments (8) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
The Obama campaign has gotten itself a big-time endorsement from Senator Edward Kennedy, an endorsement that constitutes a huge blow to the Clinton campaign, especially given the fact that the Clintons positioned themselves as the inheritors of the Kennedy legacy back in the 1990s. I guess that pictures don't possess the sentimental value that they once had.
But let us remember that Super Duper Tuesday will be a tough fight, to say the least. And just as I expected Hillary Clinton to rise from the dead after Obama's big win in Iowa, so do I expect her to rise from the dead on Super Duper Tuesday. That doesn't mean that Obama also will not do well. But it will likely mean that Hillary Clinton will keep herself in the game as a viable and formidable contender for the Democratic Presidential nomination.
At the end of the day, I still expect her to be the nominee. It is just clear that the path to the nomination will be a trying and a bloody one. And who is to say how motivated independents and Obama Democrats will be to come out and vote for her in the fall, especially given the shenanigans in which the Clintons have been involved as they seek desperately to stop Barack Obama?
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Where Democrats Go From South Carolina 8 Comments (0 topical, 8 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
Yes, I expect those numbers to tighten a bit in the Super Tuesday races, but does anyone expect ALL of them to flip to Obama? Many of those leads are 20 pts or more in favor of Clinton.
“.....women and minorities hardest hit”
I have no doubt that Hillary Clinton will do whatever is necessary to win, and that she will. At least she will on the democratic side. Hopefully we will stop her in the general.
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
I think the Clintons are wounding themselves in the very nasty battle against Obama. Not are they only alienating much of the "black" vote; they are also alienating many of those who disdain race-based politics.
I'm not so sure that Obama would be unbeatable in the general; people still will look at him & determine if he's ready to lead.
......NBC Televison network wants her to be the nominee, She will be the nominee.
Remember the scene in the Wizard of Oz, when the curtain is suddenly drawn back and the Wizard is revealed, levers in hand?
"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain."
Kennedy endorsement, both Caroline and Uncle Teddy, is payback for Hillary's winning the Democratic convention for New York last time round. Teddy wanted it in Boston, but Hillary undercut him and thought she was the new king of the hill.
To her regret, she forgot the Kennedy's were the media's first true love and as things are working out, the Clinton's are being swept aside as true trailer trash.
Whoever it may be, our only choice is to vote for the Republican candidate.
The truly fabulous outcome here would be for Hillary Clinton to win the nomination, but in a crippling manner. To wit:
Democrats ahve about 800 "superdelegates" - mostly elected Democrats and other Party Leaders. Most of them are unpledged, and are unconnected to their state's primary voting. Many are going for Hillary.
I would love to see Hillary come up short in the primaries - preferably behind Obama, but with neither having enough primary-allocated delegates to win. Then watch as the "party establishment" represented by the superdelegates vaults Hillary to the nomination.
I suspect that many rank-and-file folk would see it as a slap in the face to the whole idea of a popularly selected nominee, and it would certainly do nothing wonderful for Hillary's "I'm the agent of change" message. Who would be less likely to bring change then the person who owes her nomination not the the people, but to the Party bigwigs?
All the general electorate polarization of Hillary, with the added bonus of Democrat demoralization and infighting.
Most states are giving Hillary big leads, especially delegate rich places like California, New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
At the end of the day, we should be rooting for Clinton. She will hand us victory. As I've said many times before, the GOP will not only retain the White House with her, but we will also drag down a bunch of congressional Dems to defeat with her at the top of the ticket. Against Obama, we lose it all, and conservatism is set back for a decade.
The Fall of the House of Clinton in the primary is NOT a good thing. Some might say, "that's pretty sad that the GOP needs a poor opponent to win". Yes, it is. I would absolutely prefer to have a great GOP candidate beat an outstanding liberal Democrat. But we don't have any great candidates, and 2008 is going to be a tough year and I will take every advantage we can get.
“.....women and minorities hardest hit”