Comments on: The End? Will Clinton Face the Music (or the Math)? http://commentsfromleftfield.com/2008/06/the-end-will-clinton-face-the-music-or-the-math Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:39:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: DrGail http://commentsfromleftfield.com/2008/06/the-end-will-clinton-face-the-music-or-the-math/comment-page-1#comment-37756 DrGail Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:54:52 +0000 http://commentsfromleftfield.com/?p=4294#comment-37756 We all spend so much time reading the tea leaves and parsing every word where Hillary is concerned. I'm getting sick of it, and I know most other people are as well. What's important to point out, I think, is that the largely hands-off attitude of the party leaders (Reid, Pelosi, Dean, et al.) has allowed this to happen. I'm not saying they should have come out and declared Obama the winner some months ago -- even though that would have been justifiable -- but rather that they should have been working pretty aggressively behind the scenes to ensure that the ongoing race was realizing the benefits (lots of attention from the media, oodles of new Democratic voters, etc.) without wallowing in the downsides (the inevitable charges of racism and sexism, the hyperbolic ranting of candidates' supporters, etc.). One thing I've learned from all this is that the "old guard" of the party is pretty toothless. The term "circular firing squad" applies to them in spades. While the GOP is known for their ability to close ranks and stay on message, I would dearly love to see the Democratic Party be known for its ability to stand up for its principles regardless of what feces the GOP monkeys throw our way. Instead, we seem to be known for excessive hand-wringing. Aaargh! We all spend so much time reading the tea leaves and parsing every word where Hillary is concerned. I’m getting sick of it, and I know most other people are as well.

What’s important to point out, I think, is that the largely hands-off attitude of the party leaders (Reid, Pelosi, Dean, et al.) has allowed this to happen.

I’m not saying they should have come out and declared Obama the winner some months ago — even though that would have been justifiable — but rather that they should have been working pretty aggressively behind the scenes to ensure that the ongoing race was realizing the benefits (lots of attention from the media, oodles of new Democratic voters, etc.) without wallowing in the downsides (the inevitable charges of racism and sexism, the hyperbolic ranting of candidates’ supporters, etc.).

One thing I’ve learned from all this is that the “old guard” of the party is pretty toothless. The term “circular firing squad” applies to them in spades. While the GOP is known for their ability to close ranks and stay on message, I would dearly love to see the Democratic Party be known for its ability to stand up for its principles regardless of what feces the GOP monkeys throw our way. Instead, we seem to be known for excessive hand-wringing.

Aaargh!

]]> By: Hold_That_Tiger http://commentsfromleftfield.com/2008/06/the-end-will-clinton-face-the-music-or-the-math/comment-page-1#comment-37754 Hold_That_Tiger Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:03:30 +0000 http://commentsfromleftfield.com/?p=4294#comment-37754 Latest news...both Ickes and McCaulife say it isn't over. sigh. WHY can't she see how she is hurting the Party? The contest has been over for weeks now, yet she soldiered on camping out in in States where is might get some purchase (i.e, states with older, whiter demographics), encouraging voters that she could win (even though it is statistically improbable), getting people to vote for her undeniable whiteness, and for a return to Clintonian Governance....skillfully, I'll admit, she has managed to pivot the watchword this election from "change" to "nostaglia"...despite the fact that the World is very, very different than when Bill was President (the only real turbulance in his Presidency emanated from his moral "failings" and a contentious Congress after "The Republican Revolution.") I will blame her if McSame wins; I will not buy her obvious stubborn belief that ONLY she could have beat McCain....it reads to me as basically, "If it's not me, it's nobody." IF that is the outcome of this contentious race, she should be rightly shunned by Party elders, but she won't be, and that is the sorry state of Politcs in America I'm afraid, and will prove that Obama's idealism was for naught. Latest news…both Ickes and McCaulife say it isn’t over. sigh. WHY can’t she see how she is hurting the Party? The contest has been over for weeks now, yet she soldiered on camping out in in States where is might get some purchase (i.e, states with older, whiter demographics), encouraging voters that she could win (even though it is statistically improbable), getting people to vote for her undeniable whiteness, and for a return to Clintonian Governance….skillfully, I’ll admit, she has managed to pivot the watchword this election from “change” to “nostaglia”…despite the fact that the World is very, very different than when Bill was President (the only real turbulance in his Presidency emanated from his moral “failings” and a contentious Congress after “The Republican Revolution.”) I will blame her if McSame wins; I will not buy her obvious stubborn belief that ONLY she could have beat McCain….it reads to me as basically, “If it’s not me, it’s nobody.” IF that is the outcome of this contentious race, she should be rightly shunned by Party elders, but she won’t be, and that is the sorry state of Politcs in America I’m afraid, and will prove that Obama’s idealism was for naught.

]]> By: Steve M. http://commentsfromleftfield.com/2008/06/the-end-will-clinton-face-the-music-or-the-math/comment-page-1#comment-37750 Steve M. Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:02:10 +0000 http://commentsfromleftfield.com/?p=4294#comment-37750 Your post is pessimistic, and yet you're more optimistic than I am. I think at a certain point when a course of action becomes a crusade, people lose sight of any likely negative consequence of continuing. I think that's where the Clintons are now. She won't concede tonight, and I'm not sure she'll concede unless Obama gets to the <i>original</i> magic number (2209 or whatever it was). I think the feeling of heroism is so soul-satisfying that she doesn't really care what happens in the future -- and I think she respects McCain enough to only really care about beating him if <i>she</i> gets the satisfaction of doing it. Plus, she sees how the Democrats walk on eggshells around Lieberman, so she knows they're too spineless to punish her no matter what she does. I think she's going to go for the <a HREF="http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_stump/archive/2008/06/03/what-will-she-do.aspx" rel="nofollow">"middle option"</A>: <i>...suspend her campaign, acknowledging that Obama has crossed the delegate threshold but keeping her options open until the convention in late August. </i> At this point, when she's practically a folk hero in certain precincts, why not? Your post is pessimistic, and yet you’re more optimistic than I am. I think at a certain point when a course of action becomes a crusade, people lose sight of any likely negative consequence of continuing. I think that’s where the Clintons are now. She won’t concede tonight, and I’m not sure she’ll concede unless Obama gets to the original magic number (2209 or whatever it was). I think the feeling of heroism is so soul-satisfying that she doesn’t really care what happens in the future — and I think she respects McCain enough to only really care about beating him if she gets the satisfaction of doing it. Plus, she sees how the Democrats walk on eggshells around Lieberman, so she knows they’re too spineless to punish her no matter what she does. I think she’s going to go for the “middle option”:

…suspend her campaign, acknowledging that Obama has crossed the delegate threshold but keeping her options open until the convention in late August.

At this point, when she’s practically a folk hero in certain precincts, why not?

]]> By: bostondreams http://commentsfromleftfield.com/2008/06/the-end-will-clinton-face-the-music-or-the-math/comment-page-1#comment-37745 bostondreams Tue, 03 Jun 2008 12:17:14 +0000 http://commentsfromleftfield.com/?p=4294#comment-37745 She will be fighting on. An easy prediction to make, I know, but I just do not believe that she would be recognizing reality finally. She will be fighting on. An easy prediction to make, I know, but I just do not believe that she would be recognizing reality finally.

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