Hillary's Blogger Blues, part 1
The political bloggers are on fire today and all they want to talk about is Hillary's endgame. One of the best is the Atlantic's Marc Ambinder's "Reported" blog - yes, he actually talks to people, and has sharp insights into Democratic thinking: "As Hillary Clinton ponders her next move, she is finding that there is consensus within her inner-most circle about whether to stay in the race - the answer is yes - but no consensus about why, and for how long." he says.
Ambinder cites Hillary strategist Harold Ickes who wants her to stay in the race until the questions of Florida and Michigan are resolved. Terry McAuliffe, the campaign's chairman, also wants her to hang on and fight come what may.
Others say she will not leave the stage until June, at the earliest:
"It will be much easier to unify the party after June if people don't feel like their candidate was pushed out of the race by the press or by surrogates," he said. "And then the two of them should get together and form a unity ticket."
Josh Marshall of the award-winning Talking Points Memo (see video) says that it may not be in Obama's or the Democratic party's interest for her to drop out of the race because among the three contests to come over the next two weeks - West Virginia, Kentucky and Oregon - two are among the best for Hillary in the country and as Obama's speech last night signaled, his campaign seems intent on giving Clinton the space to make the decision on her own.
Andrew Sullivan also at Atlantic calls Clinton a sociopath and wears his prejudices proudly:
"After the last month of unremitting Freak Show attacks, that's a remarkable show of strength and resilience. Obama's delegate lead grows. He will have the majority of the popular vote. He has far more money and far more donors. The logic of Clinton's remaining in the race dwindles to the point of vanishing altogether."
Thomas Edsall political editor of the Huffington Post talks about the financial rewards awaiting Hillary if she calls it quits soon:
"One of the most inviting is the near certainty that the Obama campaign would agree to pay back the $11.4m she has loaned her own bid, along with an estimated $10m to $15m in unpaid campaign expenses."
"In addition, Democrats, both those who are loyal and those who are opposed to her campaign, say the odds of her winning a top leadership spot in the Senate would improve dramatically if she gracefully conceded now. The icing on the cake includes an improved political climate, giving Hillary and Bill Clinton the opportunity to heal the rift with the black political community."
"If she leaves the stage gracefully, as Gore did in 2000, she will be able to rebuild her political capital within the party fairly quickly, and over time most of her perceived and real sins will be long forgiven and/or forgotten," said Dan Gerstein, a Democratic consultant and Obama supporter.
Markos Moulitsas Zúniga of the closely read Daily Kos wonders whether she's hanging in for some other reason other than seizing the nomination:
"So Clinton vows to stay in through the end, and surrogates like James Carville are talking tough. But the feeling is that it’s all posturing as the Clinton Camp negotiates for 1.) having Obama pay off her campaign debt, and/or 2.) a spot on the ticket as V.P."
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