A Time To Give In
- 03.28.2008 - 10:45 AMThis is remarkable footage of Hillary Clinton making her case for allowing “every vote to count” in Florida and Michigan. On the merits, Hillary Clinton has a point, of course. Barack Obama is reaching new heights of hypocrisy in blocking these states from trying to now comply with DNC rules and have a revote. (This isn’t changing the rules in the middle of the game, it’s complying with them. The only rule was against having an unauthorized primary in the window before February 5.)
But her steely determination, her simmering defiance to take this to the convention if needed is almost breathtaking. (You can just imagine that same venom: “We will not resign the presidency!” “We will not give them the Rose law firm records!”) She is simultaneously impressive, and downright scary in her “we will not be stopped” resolve.
Who’s got the nerve to tell her no? (You can imagine the aides or the Democratic elders drawing straws to decide who gets that task.) And even if someone does, what will force her to listen? (You can imagine the eye rolling with which she received Senator Leahy’s suggestion to pack it in.)
It might be smart, really smart, after a win in North Carolina and/or Indiana for Barack Obama to offer to give the darn delegates to her in the same proportion as these states’ earlier primary election results. You say that’s giving in to blackmail? Well, yes. But when the bank robber is threatening to shoot hostages, you give him an escape route. So give her the delegates (the political equivalent of unmarked bills) and a helicopter and send her on the way. Otherwise, I suspect Obama will come to regret it. Deeply.
Or he can always play chicken with the Clintons all the way to August, hoping she won’t blow up the party less than three months before the election. (I’m thinking the McCain team is rooting for this option.)
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March 28th, 2008 at 12:01 PM
You’re right Jennifer. The one thing about Hillary’s performance so far that makes me admire her is her willingness to tough it out and stand up against the MSM and the cowardly leadership of her own party. This is exactly the type of person you would want to send up against the likes of Ahmadinejad, not a distance-but-not-reject, dignity-promoting Obama.
It appears that Maureen Dowd was not correct that Hillary wants to knee-cap her opponent. She wants to throw the kitchen sink at him and then kick him in the groin. When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
March 28th, 2008 at 12:28 PM
I agree with you Ellen - as usual - except in regard to the metaphors: Kneecapping is rather more serious as a rule than throwing kitchen sinks or groin-kicking, unless you have remarkably good aim and throwing ability in the former instance or… well I’ll refrain from going into detail in the latter.
The idea of Barack making the pseudo-magnanimous gesture of “letting” Hillary have Florida and Michigan was broached by Karl Rove the other night, and it makes sense superficially. The downside for BO would be that it could be seen as also legitimizing the popular vote totals that underlie the pledged delegate counts, which would put her within striking distance of BO’s lead. BO would likely prefer to wait until just a little after the precise moment that voting results - popular and delegate - cannot be made to seem even ambiguous except possibly by the most resolutely blinkered Hillaryite. At any earlier point, it would have the effect of reinforcing her candidacy’s credibility.
A credentials battle with pre-ordained results would get the Dems back to what was probably always the script - that the presumptive nominee, in cooperation with the DNC and its minions, would resolve the issue in some way that guaranteed a symbolically representative but otherwise meaningless late Summer party junket for some number of delegates from the two states, just as the convention itself, in its modern incarnation, is supposed to be symbolic, not really “democratic.”
March 28th, 2008 at 8:19 PM
Hillary should have been indicted, prosecuted, convicted, and imprisoned for white collar crimes in the 1990’s.
That she was allowed to skate is the reason why this old battleaxe is out of control today.
The only justice here is that the damage she is doing is to the Democratic Party which enabled her and her husband’s criminality — and yes, it damn well was criminal behavior the Clintons engaged in.
March 29th, 2008 at 3:13 AM
Barry will play chicken all the way to August. He’s every bit as greedy and grasping as Mrs. Clinton is.
Team McCain doesn’t have to root for Democrat nastiness.