There's Trouble in the Clinton Camp

[Tarheel]

I couldn't let this day pass without relishing in some political schadenfreude regarding Hitlery's really big loss in my home state of North Carolina and her "big win" in Indiana.  I don't think that FoxNews, CNN, or PMSnbc have still called the Hoosier state for her it was so close...only cBS had the brown-nose enough to do so early in the evening...long before the upper areas of that state reported in...bringing her close to the brink of a total loss in yesterday's primary double-header.  The look on Bubba Clinton's face as she gave her great victory speech (again while the count was too close to call) was absolutely priceless!  And it was a further pleasure to catch the moment on PMSnbc when Olberman asked former Clintonista Chris Matthews if it was over for her...his reply...a shakey one word "y-yes."  I was at that point rolling on the floor in laughter!  And who would have thought this?  A few short months ago the Clinton political machine was expecting a coronation.

Now we hear that she's made the decision to battle on despite the beating even going so far as to loaning her campaign millions of additional dollars to carry on (money from her and Bubba's joint fund...mostly from Bubba's overseas speeches given in Dubai, the UAE, and yes, you guessed it, the People's Republic of China!...campaign finance reform anyone?  Anyone?).  And to make it all the better she's not giving up yet!  And she's still fighting for Michigan (the Politburo Primary) and Florida.  Despite what former Clintonista Dick Morris says I think she's going to take this all the way to the convention.  Good for her...bad for the Democrats...high comedy for us in the meantime!

All I can say is "Pass the popcorn!"      

This is from Townhall.com (emphasis added by me unless otherwise noted):

Hillary Clinton says she'll stay in the presidential race

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Hillary Rodham Clinton says she will remain in the presidential race "until there's a nominee." The former first lady declined to say whether that meant through the roll call of the states at the Democratic National Convention this summer.

Clinton also disclosed that she had loaned her campaign an additional $6.4 million in recent weeks, additional evidence that her once front-runner campaign was in deep trouble.

She told reporters the loans were a sign of her commitment to her quest for the White House. She earlier loaned herself $5 million as she struggled to keep up with a better-financed Obama campaign.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama pocketed the support of at least four Democratic convention superdelegates on Wednesday, building on the momentum from a convincing North Carolina primary victory.

Obama, now the front-runner, was home in Chicago during the day as his aides spread word that he would soon begin campaigning in states likely to be pivotal in the fall campaign. They also relayed word of the four endorsements, expected to be made public later in the day.

Both disclosures were meant to signal fresh confidence that the nomination was quickly coming into his possession after a grueling marathon across 15 months and nearly all 50 states.

Clinton's appearance in Shepherdstown, W.Va., was meant to underscore her determination to stay the course. She also arranged a private meeting later in the day with uncommitted superdelegates.

_{Please, please, please support me!  "Its so hard out there and I have so many opportunities for this country."  sob}

Clinton won the Indiana primary narrowly early Wednesday, but the overall impact of the night's two contests was to lengthen Obama's lead in national convention delegates without fundamentally altering the nature of the race.

_{That's rich...the Dems in turmoil still!}

Obama has 1,840.5 delegates to 1,688 for Clinton in The Associated Press tally. It takes 2,025 delegates to win the nomination in Denver this summer.

Clinton told reporters it would take 2,209 or 2,210 delegates to win the nomination, not the 2,025 in use by the Democratic National Committee. The higher total would come into play if the delegations were seated from Michigan and Florida, two states that held primaries outside the time frame that party rules required.

_{She's still fighting for Michigan and Florida...Politburo primary and the primary where only she (and Guiliani) campaigned.}

The former first lady campaigned for months to have new votes in both states, although lately has said she merely wants the delegations seated.

Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe, said on Tuesday night it was possible a compromise could be worked out to seat the Michigan delegates. He did not mention Florida.

Asked at her news conference whether she intended to remain in the race through the convention roll call, Clinton said, "I'm staying in this race until there's a nominee and obviously I am going to work as hard as I can to become that nominee."

_{Nurse Ratchett has PLANS for this country!}

While Clinton showed no sign of surrender, former Sen. George McGovern, the party's 1972 presidential candidate, urged her to reconsider.

Obama's campaign on Wednesday weighed ways to bring the drawn-out Democratic nominating process to a close while mapping out a strategy that will involve campaigning in battleground states where primaries have already been held.

Obama's drive to nail down the party nod and put a nail in Hillary's political coffin was buoyed with a double-digit win in North Carolina and a stronger-than-expected run in Indiana, where he almost overcame rival Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Obama was expected to compete for the six remaining Democratic contests but to also turn attention to general election states, aides said.

Likely Republican presidential nominee John McCain has "run free for some time now" because of Democratic preoccupation with the ongoing primary fight, said Obama strategist David Axelrod. "I don't think we're going to spend time solely in primary states," he said. "We have multiple tasks here."

The Illinois senator was enjoying a rare down day in his hometown before returning to Washington, D.C., late Wednesday

He was expected to travel later in the week to Oregon, where he appears to hold the advantage, and then head to the Appalachian coal-states of West Virginia and Kentucky, where Clinton seems to have the edge.

Meanwhile, in an e-mail to supporters soliciting contributions, Obama called his North Carolina showing "a decisive victory."

As for Indiana, "we did much better than all the pundits predicted, despite Republicans changing parties to support Senator Clinton, believing she would be easier for Senator McCain to defeat," Obama wrote. "Now is the time for each one of us to step up and do what we can to close out this primary."

_{Wow!  Did he acknowledge Rush's Operation Chaos?!}

Obama's campaign made broad suggestions that it was time for the 270 remaining unaligned superdelegates _ who will determine the outcome of the race _ to get off the fence, claiming the delegate math leaves little path for a Clinton victory.

"We think the Clinton camp has gotten away with a little bit of creating these alternative views of reality," said Obama campaign manager David Plouffe.

_{I have to admit that was a witty barb.  It made me chortle.}

Clinton's loan more than doubled her personal investment in her bid for the Democratic nomination. She gave her campaign $5 million earlier this year.

A campaign aide said Clinton gave her campaign another $5 million on April 11, more than a week before the Pennsylvania primary. She then again dipped into her personal wealth for $1 million last week and $425,000 on Monday, one day before the North Carolina and Indiana primaries.

Clinton's campaign reported raising $10 million online after her Pennsylvania victory on April 22. Evidently, the money was not enough and her fundraising was unable to keep up with her expenses heading into Tuesday's contests.

Moreover, Obama has routinely outspent her in primary after primary and has shown little difficulty tapping his vast network of donors. He spent more than $7 million on advertising ahead of Tuesday's primaries in North Carolina and Indiana to her nearly $4 million.

According to the latest campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, Obama began the month of April with $42 million in the bank for the primary to Clinton's $9.3 million.

But Clinton had debts of $10.3 million at the start of the month, much of it money owed to her main polling, phone banking and advertising consultants.

And in endorsing Obama, former Sen. George McGovern said Wednesday it's virtually impossible for Clinton to win the nomination. McGovern said he had a call in to former President Clinton to tell him of the decision, adding that he remains close friends with the Clintons.

"I will hold them in affection and admiration all of my days," he said of the Clintons.

McGovern's announcement comes a day before Clinton was scheduled to travel to South Dakota to campaign. The state holds its primary June 3 with 15 pledged delegates at stake.

McGovern said he had no regrets about endorsing Hillary Clinton months ago, even before the Iowa caucuses.

"She has run a valiant campaign. And she will remain an influential voice in the American future," he said.

But Obama has won the nomination "by any practical test" and is very close to a majority of the pledged delegates, said McGovern, who is 85. Obama moved within 200 delegates of clinching the nomination with his split decision on Tuesday of a win in North Carolina and a narrow loss in Indiana.

It's time to unite the Democratic Party, he said.

"Hillary, of course, will make the decision as to if and when she ends her campaign. But I hope that she reaches that decision soon so that we can concentrate on a unified party capable of winning the White House next November," he said.

Copyright © 2008 Salem Web Network. All Rights Reserved.

The link:
http://www.townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2008/05/07/hillary_clinton_says_shell_stay_in_the_presidential_race?page=full&comments=true

[Tarheel]

As a post scriptum on my opening post and writing as an expatriot Tarheel I find it extraordinarily hilarious that former NC Senator and VP candidate John Edwards did not endorse Hillary or Obama prior to the Old North State's primary yesterday...why...because he is irrelevant!

Here's a commentary that appeared on Politico.com...

Edwards lacks North Carolina clout

By: Charles Mahtesian and Richard T. Cullen

May 4, 2008 05:27 PM EST
 
For all the speculation surrounding John Edwards’ conspicuous silence on the eve of his home state’s primary, one important fact has been overlooked: According to North Carolina’s political class, the former Democratic presidential contender has virtually no clout at all in his home state.

The former senator and 2004 Democratic vice presidential nominee, they say, was like a political comet. He seemingly appeared out of nowhere, inspired awe with the intensity of his talent, blazed through a single term in the Senate, then disappeared from the radar almost entirely.

...

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=AFDB5ED8-3048-5C12-00FE4E764D027609

In fact, he basically said so himself...

This from the Winston Salem Journal...

Edwards ends speculation about endorsement

By Sean Mussenden

Published: May 6, 2008

RALEIGH—On the day North Carolina voters go to the polls, John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth ended months of speculation about which candidate they would endorse in the Democratic primary.

The answer: neither.

In an interview with People magazine, their first on the subject since Edwards dropped out of the race, the couple said that they were attracted to – and turned off by – elements of both Hillary Clinton's and Barack Obama's candidacy, but had decided not to support either candidate.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20197952,0...

"Bottom line: the couple said they will not endorse either remaining candidate, saving their political capital for their own causes – his, fighting poverty; hers, fighting for universal health care," the magazine wrote.
...

http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2008/may/06/edwards-ends-speculation-about-endorsement/

 

[Townhallsavoy]

This couldn't be more hilarious!  The worst election ever might turn out to be the most fun. 

I sincerely believe Clinton is trying to ruin Obama so that McCain wins the election.  He'll die or be too old to put up a fight in 2012, when Clinton will have an easy track to the White House.

[GarMan]

This couldn't be more hilarious!  The worst election ever might turn out to be the most fun. 

I sincerely believe Clinton is trying to ruin Obama so that McCain wins the election.  He'll die or be too old to put up a fight in 2012, when Clinton will have an easy track to the White House.

Nah...  You're giving the bitch way too much credit.  She's just arrogant enough to think that she honestly has a chance.  I think it's great watching this mess.  When they do finally select or choose or whatever a candidate, I'm going to have a blast playing with them.  If it's Hitlary, then the Democrats clearly haven't come very far since the civil rights movement.  If it's Obama, then the Democrats clearly haven't come very far since women's suffrage and equal rights.  The news media is already playing the game with claims of minorities voting for Obama and those white women voting for Hillary.  It seems that the party's chickens have come home to roost!

How's that hyphenated-Americanism working out for 'em now?   

[Tarheel]

This couldn't be more hilarious!  The worst election ever might turn out to be the most fun. 

I sincerely believe Clinton is trying to ruin Obama so that McCain wins the election.  He'll die or be too old to put up a fight in 2012, when Clinton will have an easy track to the White House.

We have to try and have some fun with this awful election.  The Democrats and erudite independents crossed-over and delivered Juan McCain to us...the way I see it turnabout is fair play especially in the game of politics.  As this election cycle progresses (or regresses more appropriately) watching the death of a thousand cuts being delivered to Hitlery and Obama by themselves and to each other is phenomenal.

Hitlery is too arrogant to step aside so she's going to throw good money after bad and Obama is, quite frankly, ignorant of this kind of high-level political campaign...Rev. Wright is a great example...a shrewd politician would have dumped him long ago...but he's found himself a "clean, attractive, well-spoken" (Sen. Biden; D-DE) alternative to a shrill banshee of a candidate.  Obviously more than half the Democrat voters despise her otherwise she'd be running away with the nomination; even with some Republican cross-over voting she's still losing.  And think about this too; can you imagine Hitlery and Bubba campaigning for Obama should he get the nomination!?  Now that IS hilarious!

I heard something very interesting about Juan McCain yesterday...he was speaking in Winston-Salem at Wake Forest University and his guest, who also made a very good speech, was none other than Fred Thompson (thoughts of VP potential come to mind and he'd be a great VP and a great way to reach out to conservatives).

And the more I see of both of the Democrats the more I think McCain will be the next president.

[Townhallsavoy]

Nah...  You're giving the bitch way too much credit.  She's just arrogant enough to think that she honestly has a chance.  I think it's great watching this mess.  When they do finally select or choose or whatever a candidate, I'm going to have a blast playing with them.  If it's Hitlary, then the Democrats clearly haven't come very far since the civil rights movement.  If it's Obama, then the Democrats clearly haven't come very far since women's suffrage and equal rights.  The news media is already playing the game with claims of minorities voting for Obama and those white women voting for Hillary.  It seems that the party's chickens have come home to roost!

How's that hyphenated-Americanism working out for 'em now?   

There's no way she actually thinks she can win.  If she does, I don't really have any else to say to the democratic primaries. 

[GarMan]

There's no way she actually thinks she can win.  If she does, I don't really have any else to say to the democratic primaries. 

You're talking about a woman who believes that it's her destiny to be Queen over the New World (read: Western Hemisphere).  This has been in the works for years.  She's not going down without a fight, and she'll take this thing all the way to the DNC.  Even then, I would be willing to bet that she's seriously considering legal action to obtain the votes from the Florida and Michigan delegates.  If they don't count Florida and Michigan, they have a serious mess on their hands.  If they do count Florida and Michigan, they have a serious mess on their hands.  Keep in mind that she's won seven of the ten largest states.  They have a serious mess on their hands!   

Don't forget the Gore fiasco.  Even with three independent recounts confirming that he lost, he still went to court, and Democrats still pretend that he should have been president.  She’s already claimed several times that if the Democrats had the same rules as the Republicans, she’d already be the nominee.   

Consider this one last thing.  If she bows out, what does that say about women?  She’ll appear weak up against a man, and it will appear to be a setback for women’s rights in America.  She can’t back down, and neither can he because the same arguments could apply to him and civil rights.   

[Tarheel]

...
She’s already claimed several times that if the Democrats had the same rules as the Republicans, she’d already be the nominee.   
...

That statement alone tells just what kind of presumptive arrogance the Clintons have and that she's going to continue her fight for the nomination as long as she think's it's political feasible; probably all the way to the convention.

[Townhallsavoy]

You're talking about a woman who believes that it's her destiny to be Queen over the New World (read: Western Hemisphere).  This has been in the works for years.  She's not going down without a fight, and she'll take this thing all the way to the DNC.  Even then, I would be willing to bet that she's seriously considering legal action to obtain the votes from the Florida and Michigan delegates.  If they don't count Florida and Michigan, they have a serious mess on their hands.  If they do count Florida and Michigan, they have a serious mess on their hands.  Keep in mind that she's won seven of the ten largest states.  They have a serious mess on their hands!   

Don't forget the Gore fiasco.  Even with three independent recounts confirming that he lost, he still went to court, and Democrats still pretend that he should have been president.  She’s already claimed several times that if the Democrats had the same rules as the Republicans, she’d already be the nominee.   

Consider this one last thing.  If she bows out, what does that say about women?  She’ll appear weak up against a man, and it will appear to be a setback for women’s rights in America.  She can’t back down, and neither can he because the same arguments could apply to him and civil rights.   

It's truly scary that you're probably correct. 

[Jumbo]

Clinton in 08' is the only way to vote.

[GarMan]

Clinton in 08' is the only way to vote.

Well, at least until the election...  I'm tempted to even donate money right now. 

[Tarheel]

As a post scriptum on my opening post and writing as an expatriot Tarheel I find it extraordinarily hilarious that former NC Senator and VP candidate John Edwards did not endorse Hillary or Obama prior to the Old North State's primary yesterday...why...because he is irrelevant!
...

This is too politically hilarious (and relevant to this topic) not to post.  My only question is what is Edwards getting for this endorsement?

 

This is from Townhall.com (yeah, it's a great political and news site):

Edwards gives long-awaited endorsement to Obama

By CHUCK BABINGTON

Wednesday, May 14, 2008
 
Democrat John Edwards is endorsing former rival Barack Obama, fresh signs of the party establishment embracing the likely nominee even as Hillary Rodham Clinton refuses to abandon her increasingly long-shot candidacy.

Edwards was to appear with Obama in Grand Rapids, Mich., as Obama campaigns in a critical general election battleground state, the Obama campaign said Wednesday.

In response, Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe said in a statement, "We respect John Edwards, but as the voters of West Virginia showed last night, this thing is far from over."

...

The article continues here:

Click here