(UPDATE: Apparently, this line was edited from Kucinich’s speech: “They’re asking for another four years — in a just world, they’d get 10 to 20.” — They should have left that in.)
The first actual animated, fired-up speech of the Convention so far. It has been mostly dull, though Michelle Obama gave a great speech and her and the Senator’s little girls stole the show last night.
Barry Schweitzer was great as well.
Sen. Clinton did very well, too and gained some ground as far as regaining my respect for her, but I don’t expect it to change anything regarding her supporters taking their ball and going home and not supporting Sen. Obama. I do think that she made every effort in this speech to persuade those who could be persuaded. As for the rest, well if they are willing to support Sen. McCain when he is directly opposed to everything their candidate stood for when she was in the race, then not even she can change their minds. The PUMA crowd is already hunting for non-existent signals in her speech tonight indicating that she really sides with them and wants them to keep fighting. It is pathetic.
I hope the MSM will now shut up about the “angry Clinton supporters” and let them fade away. Every comment made about percentages of her supports saying this or that, and every interview with someone willing to cut off their nose to spite their face on this issue only adds fuel to the fire.
My expectation is that she will “suspend” her campaign and fight in the credentials committee over Michigan (though it will make no difference to the outcome).
I think it is inevitable that she will be on the ticket, and I think I’ve come to terms with that. For one thing, I think it is the only way we can count on her working as hard as she can to get Sen. Obama elected. If she isn’t on the ticket I just don’t see her working as hard. I would expect her to lay low, hope Sen. Obama loses and run on the “I told you so” platform in 2012.
Maybe I’m just too cynical. And maybe the mainstream media will now pay some attention to Sen. McCain’s numerous screw-ups.
Regardless, I’ll be voting democrat for President. With or without Sen. Clinton on the ticket.
Now back to sitting her waiting on building inspectors to get to my apartment. They should have been here an hour ago.
1. Primaries used to go until June. Your husband winning in California in June is irrelevant. Drawing a parallel between your decision to stay in this thing until the bitter end to the fact that we used to have primaries in June is nonsense. Races used to still happen in June. You’re talking about continuing to campaign to the supers in June, and wait for something bad to happen… Which brings me to #2.
2. It is in no way appropriate to bring up Robert Kennedy’s assassination as a reason for you to stay in this race. Biding your time for that “perfect storm” of a scandal from the Obama camp is one thing… but implying that oh I don’t know, OBAMA MIGHT GET SHOT or something is completely out of line.
Please save what is left of your family’s political legacy and step aside.
Sen. Obama has secured an absolute majority of the pledged delegates under the current DNC rules.
Now comes the part where Camp Clinton further waves the popular vote flag until June. Continuous moving of the goalposts seems the order of the day over there. It sort of reminds me of another failed campaign by someone who is already President. Every day it is a different metric. More delegates from big states. More delegates from Blue states. More delegates from swing states. More votes from uneducated people. Every day a new metric that is usually quickly attained by the Obama campaign if not proved to be ridiculous by anyone who is paying attention. All she has left is the chance of a popular vote victory, and hoping that is enough to pull a very large margin of superdelegates to her column.
I definitely noticed her use of “top of the ticket” during her speech tonight. I think that was certainly hinting at the democrats having to give her something… It was almost an implication that the ticket is already decided and it is only a question of who is on top. We’ve been through this before though, with Sen. Clinton talking about making Sen. Obama her running mate on basically a “vote for me and get him too,” platform… Sen. Obama nipped that in the bud pointing out the fallacy in talking about who your VP candidate should be when you’re behind in the nomination!
Basically, Sen. Clinton’s only remaining shot at this is convincing an overwhelming majority of the remaining uncommitted superdelegates to swing her way based on a marginal popular vote lead including two states that may or may not have their full delegations seated and a likely convincing victory in one “state” that doesn’t even vote in the general election.
That’s a real strong case… if you’re living in Hillaryland.
Now, you can argue that a scenario where the popular vote winner doesn’t earn the nomination is exactly the same as the scenario I railed against in 2000 where the popular vote winner wasn’t elected President. I’d be inclined to agree in most cases. However in this case, Sen. Clinton’s popular vote lead thus far includes two states that were not a part of the campaign strategy for either candidate. In fact, it includes one state where Sen. Obama wasn’t even on the ballot! I don’t think you can look at that scenario and see a strong case for Sen. Clinton to sway the remaining superdelegates.
The question now is; Who will Sen. Obama pull out of his hat tomorrow to negate the news cycle of Sen. Clinton’s big win in Kentucky? Al Gore — I’m looking at you.
After Florida and Michigan have their delegates seated (even though they broke the rules and Clinton and Obama both signed on to those rules, and Obama wasn’t even on the ballot in Michigan)…
After all the remaining states have voted…
After enough superdelegates have put Obama over the top…
After Clinton has conceded for the good of the party…
After Obama likely puts Clinton on the ticket, despite that while possibly appeasing some Clinton supporters, would be a horrible idea as far as beating the Republicans in the fall…
Are you all still planning to vote for McCain, abstain, write-in for Clinton or vote for some third-party? Will you still consider the rest of us sexists and chauvinists? Will the DNC still be evil? Will everyone and everything still be pegged as trying to keep a woman down?
Or will you return to the fold and help this country move forward? Finally accept that after it was all said and done, Obama won this thing fair and square with a majority of states, delegates and votes?
I don’t like to think that folks are so caught up in a cult of personality for her that they have lost the plot. The goal is to bring the White House back to the people. I fail to see what the country gains when you lodge a protest vote in the interest of “supporting women” for someone who clearly hasn’t. He calls his wife a trollop and a cunt. He says women don’t get equal opportunities and pay because they are not as educated. He will install justices that will overturn your freedom of choice.
Are you so myopic that you will give up on the dream because the torchbearer isn’t the one you preferred?
