Suppose we give Senator Clinton the benefit of the doubt.

[loyalsister]

Is it possible to consider a scenario in which she is actually being generous?
For example:
She is quite aware of the fact that she can not win and has accepted it.
She is well aware of her reputation and does not mind using it to advance Obama's chances in the GE.
She is falling on her sword by playing villan to Mr. nice guy Obama as he is ruthlessly vetted.

The bonus is the free press that continues through the primary season during which Obama's fund raising continues.

Could this be the real back room deal?

I'm sure this smacks of out of control idealism. But, one can hope.

I just wish the disfunctional citizen dirt digging would stop. We get enough of that from the M$M. We should be able to advocate for our candidates without being agressively against the opponent.

[andyrowe]

1. Wow.

Just wow.

[Life Long Dem]

2. I think she is very deceptive. Period.

[FrenchieCat]

3. Someone should sit her down and explain

why she needs to get out!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5292027&mesg_id=5292027

[Pringles]

4. No.

Someone should sit down and explain to the Obama supporters why they need to support her in the GE instead of making idiotic "hold my nose" and "vote for McCain" comments.

Obama will win the primary.

And McCain will beat him handily in the GE. The electoral numbers prove this.

[ossman]

5. Do your pringles have crack dust on them?

[papau]

10. well said - and truth - even if Obama wins he's a minimalist change approach compared to Hillary

[Shae]

11. "The electoral numbers prove this."

I don't know where you got those numbers, but "electoral numbers" in March would prove nothing about a November election.

[City Lights]

17. There are no "electoral numbers" during primary season.

"Electoral numbers" aren't counted until the GE. You knew that, right?

[ClayZ]

6. I said the same thing to my husband yesterday.

(I am an out of control idealist, too) I keep switching between thinking she is psychotic, to thinking she knows and is playing the bad cop to his good cop! Then sometimes I think she is just plain mean or stupid.


I think I should spend more time in the garden.

Thanks for your post, it lightened my night!


K and R

[loyalsister]

7. Why not set aside cynicism?

It is much more encouraging to me to think intentions are good and that there is good reason to have hope and to donate and work on campaigns.
There are things about this campaign that have broken my heart.
I am exhausted by this primary and want it to be over.
However, she does have a right to continue under the rules.
I really believe that letting this go through as a democratic process without taking the bait and getting in on the mud slinging will take us further than fighting each other.

That said, I believe that Obama has won mathematically, I find myself irritated that she is continuing. I am personally invested in his candidacy I am a strong supporter.

I think I must also recognize the possibility of obligations to doners and supporters who have already voted for her. There are a lot of women who are invested in her candidacy. She is carrying a lot of responsibility.

I think it is more complicated than it may seem at first glance. I think that may be why her motivations are difficult to interpret. It is very tempting to immediately assign blind ambition, etc. but I am not sure I want to be lazy when there are so many variables to consider.

[charlie]

8. Playing villain is wringing her out

Campaigning is a marathon sport even when everything goes your way, and she's flailing. If this is some sort of kabuki dance, it's grinding her down.

Her continued candidacy is costing both sides millions dearly needed to fight the coming GOP/media onslaught.

So, no. She's still in it because she really, really, really, really, really wants to be President.

[ClayZ]

9. "Humble" might be hard for Hillary!

I am thinkin she could use an "Oregon Country Fair".

Everybody loves everybody there!


http://www.oregoncountryfair.org/

[Asgaya Dihi]

14. I won't pretend to guess

what her motivations are but her actions clearly enough show that though charitable, your hypothesis us unlikely to be true. Why is she trying to smear him with disenfranchising important States such as Florida when the people who actually made the rules and enforced the penalty tend to actually be on her campaign? If she already knows she's lost why would she still be trying to alienate voters against him? There are other problems of the sort too where she's hurting him for things she's at least if not more guilty of as he is.

If she's soaking up any heat for him at this point it's incidental, I think she really believes she can still pull it off and I'm worried about what she's going to do next given the need for desperate measures. Once she quits the race she could be an asset but for now I see her more as a risk to the chances of a dem president. It's McCain who is improving in the polls while making mistakes which aren't being challenged. He's the winner, not either of ours.

[loyalsister]

16. Good points

I am with you on the smear issues. No one has to convince me that there has been an active ugly campaign against Obama.

One thing that struck me as so completely strange has been Bill Clinton's behavior. A friend and I deduced a hypothesis that he may have been trying to sabotage Hillary's campaign. The suggestion we came up with was that that he may not want her to win because if she actually became president her legacy would naturally eclipse his.

He may have decided for her that running is going to have to be enough padding of the couple legacy. Bill still gets the most as far as actual presidentiality goes. I think that no matter how evolved a person is, they are often are not above experiencing the perception of an assault on "privilege" when challenged.

Under your hypothesis, she would have taken that challenge to herself in much the same way and it is quite possible that she does think she can pull it off.
I can certainly agree that that is possible.
I think it is possible that even if she knows she can't win she has to "finish the race."

This could be very personal in that sense. To be honest, I don't think we will understand it until after it is over and the story comes out in a confessional book.

One interesting comment I heard came from a friend who was at the '04 convention who said that when Obama gave his speech you immediatly saw Hillary's chances of being next go down.

Florida an Michigan have never made sense to me. Since I am not a voter in either state, I don't guess my opinion would be of much use anyway.

I can see the southern strategy and am quite cynical about that.
Even if that ugly stategy had good intentions to help increase voter turnout for Obama I would not regain respect.

I was just throwing out one more positive possibility based on some variables and ideas floating around in my head. Wishing and hoping.

Despite my negative feelings, I would just like for us to stop the infighting.

[Shae]

12. It's nice of you to think that, loyalsister,

but I don't think so.
I think she's been planning to run for President now for AT LEAST 8 years. Her strategies had been carefully planned, and she "knew" she would be the next POTUS.
Obama upset her applecart, and she's having a hard time dealing with it.

[grantcart]

13. How does calling Richardson 'Judas' fit into the deal?

[loyalsister]

18. That one is confusing

And unacceptable.

[easy_b94]

15. I am sorry but I will give her the benefit of the doubt when she drops out