I agree that she knows the race is over. She's just not particularly interested in the whole "unifying the party" thing. She had a huge and very unique opportunity on a day when all three remaining candidates were giving national speeches to give Obama the spotlight with her blessing. Instead, she (yet again) made it about herself, and she didn't give Obama the opportunity to address her supporters as a friend and ally instead of as an adversary. Obama won't be giving another national address until the convention - this was the opportunity to start unifying the two sides, and it was wasted. That's just what she is. She'll concede soon - not because she cares about the party, but because she has no alternative remaining and the party has essentially forced her to get out with the superdelegates all coming out in force. Her world is about her and her alone - and the power she can acquire (all in my opinion, of course).
Are you kidding? Whenever this thing is officially wrapped up and she gives her endorsement, it'll be carried by every television and radio network in the world. This wasn't the only opportunity by any stretch of the imagination. I don't think it's about her, at all. I think this is about her supporters, and bowing out in a way that's respectful to their contributions and their dedications. Her speech was about them, and what they had accomplished. If it was about her, it would've been much better for her political legacy -- as well as her future in the context of VP or any future runs -- to endorse him wholeheartedly. She's going to unify the party. She's going to become a tremendous ally to Obama. But this was a remarkably close race, instead of the Kerry vs. Edwards blowout which a lot of you are making it out to be. There's an intricate and delicate process out of respect to her supporters that she's following. Make no mistake. When Clinton wraps it all up, and announces her support - it'll be a national speech in every sense of the word. If anything, I think it'll help him even more by giving him yet another huge day to dominate the media cycle, as he did tonight. In addition, it'll be all the more powerful to see the two of them together to make the announcement.
Major, Hillary showed tonight what you have been saying about her for months now. She clearly only cares about herself, not the party, and definitely not about Obama. She took away Obamas glory tonight - he couldn't even really give a true victory speech and shes such a manipulative B**** that I'm sure she enjoyed every bit of it. If anyone can't see through her now, they never will see the true Hillary.
Bitter wars don't end gracefully just because one side is cornered and defeated.... But I hope you're right about Wednesday, The Cat. Quite frankly, I want to be wrong about Senator Clinton.
I jumped out of the shower just to hear what she had to say. It started out fine, but then she started making little digs at him and I was thinking, "where is she going with this?", then "wtf?", then when she said she wasn't making a decision tonight, my reaction was "wow". She seemed a little delusional. It was kind of sad.
Can you imagine Hillary as a Supreme Court Justice where she would have unbridled power and virtually no way to remove her? Can you imagine how she could abuse that power? The thought brings cold shivers on a hot day.
From the WaPo: In Defeat, Clinton Graciously Pretends to Win By Dana Milbank Wednesday, June 4, 2008; A03 NEW YORK "What does Hillary want?" Hillary Clinton put the question to her supporters here Tuesday night, moments after her opponent, Barack Obama, clinched the Democratic presidential nomination. What Hillary did not want to do was to concede defeat. "I want the nearly 18 million Americans who voted for me to be respected, to be heard," she told her fans, who answered with cheers of "Denver! Denver!" and "Yes she will!" The campaign was over, and Obama had locked up the nomination after a flood of more than 40 superdelegates announced their support for him throughout the day. But in the Baruch College gymnasium here (the "Bearcat Den"), Clinton spoke as if she were the victor. She and her husband and daughter took the stage, smiling, clapping and bopping to the beat. She said nothing about losing the nomination, instead thanking South Dakota for giving her a victory in Tuesday's balloting: "You had the last word in this primary season!" This, she said, confirmed that she had won "more votes than any primary candidate in history." Clinton congratulated Obama -- not for winning the nomination, but for running an "extraordinary race." She recognized Obama and his supporters "for all they accomplished." It was an extraordinary performance by a woman who had been counted out of the race even when she still had a legitimate chance. Now she had been mathematically eliminated -- and she spoke as if she had won. Though some might think her remarks self-delusional, Clinton wasn't kidding herself; earlier in the day, Clinton had told lawmakers privately that the race was over and she would consider being Obama's vice president. Her public defiance reflected a shift in the balance of power that came with Obama's victory. Now that he had won the race, he would need to woo Clinton if he wanted to prevail in November. "Obama has work to do," the outspoken Clinton adviser Lanny Davis told reporters in the hallway outside the gymnasium here. "Senator Clinton can't do it for him." Obama's aides had done their best throughout the day to build excitement for his clinching of the nomination. "Obama needs 41 delegates to secure the Democratic nomination," Obama spokesman Dan Pfeiffer announced in an e-mail he sent out at 6:56 a.m. It was the beginning of a day-long water torture for Clinton, as Obama aimed, by day's end, to reach the 2,118 delegates needed to clinch the nomination. For Obama, however, it wasn't a pretty way to clinch. He had won only six of the last 14 contests, and Tuesday night he lost South Dakota, too, where he had been heavily favored. Now that the party had partially accepted results from the Florida and Michigan primaries, Clinton could claim with some justification that she had received more votes than Obama. And so the limping nominee needed to be carried across the finish line by the superdelegates whose support Pfeiffer announced throughout the day: a Michigan congresswoman, a Massachusetts superdelegate, one from Mississippi, two from Michigan, one from the District of Columbia, two from California, one from Florida, three from Delaware. "Twelve delegates from the nomination," Pfeiffer announced. Then 11, then 10. The rush of the opportunistic superdelegates toward the inevitable nominee only worsened what was certain to be an unhappy day for the Clintons, who had arrived at their Westchester home at about 3 a.m. after an awkward last day of campaigning in South Dakota. Bill Clinton had flown into a rage and called a reporter a "scumbag." At her last event in South Dakota, Hillary had lost her voice in a coughing fit. Somebody had seen fit to play an inappropriate John Fogerty tune before she took the stage: "It ain't me, it ain't me. I ain't no fortunate one." On Tuesday evening, the crowd began to assemble at Baruch College in Manhattan for Clinton's non-concession speech. The scene was made to look festive: The Clinton campaign ordered 70 boxes of Domino's pizza for the press corps, and set up a cash bar for its fundraisers, or "honored guests." The honored guests were not in a partying mood, however. One older woman pointed at a reporter accusingly and said: "He is the one who destroyed our heroine!" A crew from "The Daily Show" joined the party, and, hoping to keep Clinton in the race, struck up a cheer of "Four more months!" Such an outlandish thing seemed almost plausible among the Clinton backers in the hermetically sealed Baruch gym. Below ground level, there was no cellphone or BlackBerry reception, and there was no television playing in the room. That meant that they could not see the network projections showing that, while Clinton had won South Dakota, Obama had won enough delegates to clinch the nomination. Instead, they listened to Tom Petty's "Won't Back Down." Just before Obama officially clinched, the Clinton campaign issued a press release as if it were still in the middle of a nominating battle. "Wyoming Automatic Delegate Backs Hillary," the e-mail said. It didn't include the name of the brave superdelegate. Terry McAuliffe, the campaign chairman, took the stage and read the full list of Clinton's victories, from American Samoa to Massachusetts. Introducing Clinton, he asked: "Are you ready for the next president of the United States?" This brought laughter from the reporters in the back of the room, but Clinton induced the crowd to boo the "pundits and naysayers" who would have run her from the race. "I am so proud we stayed the course together," she told her backers, who interjected cries of "We believe in you!" and "Yes, we will!" Only obliquely did Clinton refer to the fact that she had, in fact, lost the nomination. "The question is: Where do we go from here?" she said. She would figure that out "in the coming days," she said, but "I will be making no decisions tonight." The crowd in the Bearcat Den erupted in a sustained cheer. She referred her supporters to her Web site, as she had after many a primary night victory. For a candidate who had just lost the nomination, she seemed very much in charge. That must be what Hillary wants.
It will be covered - as a campaign event. It won't be covered as part of a historic night or as the start of the general election. It won't be covered like this:
I disagree that it wouldn't be covered as a front page, above the fold story. Second, I'm really confused by the idea that it would be better for Obama to be in combination with the historic night or the general election kickoff speech. If that were the case, the Clinton concession story would be buried underneath the real story! This way, Obama gets two huge days instead of one.
Is anyone listening to Hillary for the last 20 minutes on Fox News (Live)? All she's talking about is Israel and how we must support them in every capacity including increasing financial and weapons. I thought she was running for the American president!
She hasn't stopped running. Listening to her now, it looks like she is painting Obama into a corner regarding the Mideast.
Seriously...her WHOLE speech is about US unwavering support for Israel, Anti-Semitism and how we need to get the release of Isreali prisoners. She stated everyone of their names individually and is railing against Iran and stating that it should be an Israeli solution in the middle east, not an American one. "An unshakable and unbreakable bond between US and Israel" Speaking to AIPAC after losing the nomination? She's clinging for dear life!!
This likely has to do with Farrakhan and Michelle Obama, if I were to guess. Obama is about to have a serious Middle East problem.
Not anymore; she's now running for American Vice President. But this is a hostile takeover bid. Pandering to Israel and Jews in general can pit rich white Democrats against black Democrats. I'm not suggesting the party is that neatly split across the racial divide.......but it is split enough to not disregard. She's trying to force Obama's hand by saying, "these are my people, and they go where I go." Obama is pretty savvy, but I can't see how he could start pandering to Israel himself without upsetting his current base. She knows this, and she's trying to force his hand in making her VP.........this is what she means when she claims to be committed to uniting the party. A "united party" means Hillary and Obama on the same ticket.
Good lord. I can't believe some of the stuff I've read in this thread. Clinton is a US Senator. She just came in a close second for the Democratic nomination. These invitations were sent long ago. Why would any sane person expect her to talk about anything else? I thought she gave an excellent speech. I thought Obama did, as well, and Clinton didn't upstage him a bit. In my opinion, they dovetailed very nicely. Geez, people... get a grip! Impeach Bush.
The party was split when you had this super delegates crap to start with. Obama aimed for the elite party leaders and caucuses, and Clinton went for the primaries. They were both very successful in what they did. Obama came up on top by adapting the party rules better. I think you really hit the top of the nail that she's running for VP, and it's indeed a hostile takeover bid. But remember, she won 18 million popular votes, and she did so well in primaries, not only in Big Blue states but so many swing states. This is something to brag about, and that's her bargaining power. If Obama took the initiative to reach out and offer the VP spot, yesterday's speech would be a very different tone. But no, Obama camp, party elites and BBS posters all just expect Clinton to rollover and handover all her resources - support among working class. That's just too naive to me. Someone gives up so easily, would never have come this far as Clinton did. In fact, if Obama acted pro-actively, I would be very impressed by his leadership. A big part of leadership skills is to be able to work well with someone very capable but you don't like. Clinton tries everything to win, and she's been winning throughout her whole life. Kings fans can't get over with Shaq's offensive goal tending, and Rockets fans couldn't get over with Malone's bear hug, who in the sane mind would believe Clinton just throws away 18 MILLION popular votes without any exchange? It's laughable to hear so much talk about "for the sake of the party". This is America, not North Korea, right? This is about Democracy and America, right? Why should anyone give up her/his belief to serve the country and people (as Clinton claimed), or give up potential great power (as some others believed), for the sake of the party? This whole thing started as power struggle among the party, and it will end as power exchange/compromise. After all, this is all about politics. One can consider Clinton's action/inaction blackmail, but how you deal with it really matters. Let's say Obama just ignores Clinton, and the party announces the official candidate, how can anyone make Clinton to go out and campaign for Obama whole-heartedly? If you can't be certain about that, how can anyone to be sure to win in November without Clinton's base? If Obama picks Richardson and loses to McCain in November, Dems will be the laugh stock for the next 100 years. Probably Clinton doesn't mind seeing this, if Obama loses in general election. Clinton can start a party revolution right away for the leaders failed the people. What has Obama to lose to pick Clinton as VP, except for gaining the support from the Clintons, both formidable politicians with enormous influence around the country? Yes, Clinton is power-hungry, but if Obama, the commander in chief, couldn't handle Clinton, he's probably not strong enough for the position.
Umm, plenty. 1. He'd lose the entire message of his campaign about bipartisanship and getting away from the old style of politics. 2. He'd have a former President in the background secondguessing all his decisions from the "2nd Husband" chair. 3. He'd mobilize the entire conservative base and lose much of his crossover appeal to disillusioned Republicans.
I think if Obama doesn't choose Hillary as his Vice-President then she will not throw her support behind him and he will have a higher chance of losing. Hillary will want him to lose if she's not on the ticket. If he loses, Hillary will come back in 4 years and say that Obama was not able to win and that she should be the candidate!
